Add branch-change article.

adds career-hpair

_data/categories.yaml

@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 ---
+# - name: interiit
+#   title: Inter IIT Cult
+#   subcategories:
+- name: memoirs
+  title: Memoirs
+  subcategories:
 - name: academics
   title: Academics
   subcategories:
-- name: cultural
-  title: Cultural
-  subcategories:
+# - name: cultural
+#   title: Cultural
+#   subcategories:
 - name: columns
   title: Columns
   subcategories:
@@ -33,9 +39,9 @@
 - name: verbatim
   title: Verbatim
   subcategories:
-- name: sports
-  title: Sports
-  subcategories:
+# - name: sports
+#   title: Sports
+#   subcategories:
 - name: internblogs
   title: Intern Blogs
   subcategories:
@@ -45,3 +51,5 @@
       title: Summer 2017
     - name: summer2018
       title: Summer 2018
+    - name: summer2019
+      title: Summer 2019

_data/categories_name.yaml

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 ---
+interiit: Inter IIT Cult
 academics: Academics
 cultural: Cultual
 columns: Columns
@@ -17,3 +18,5 @@ internblogs: Intern Blogs
 summer2016: Summer 2016
 summer2017: Summer 2017
 summer2018: Summer 2018
+summer2019: Summer 2019
+memoirs: Memoirs

_includes/footer.html

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
       <img class="logo" src="/images/logo-black.png">
       <div class="name-container">
         <div class="name">Watch Out!</div>
-        <div class="desc">Official Media<br>Body of IITR</div>
+        <div class="desc">Student Media<br>Body of IITR</div>
       </div>
     </div>
     <div class="social pull-right">
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
       <a href="/about">About</a>
       <a href="/guide">Guide</a>
       <a href="/getinvolved">Get Involved</a>
-      <a  href="http://fb.com/watchoutiitr"><img src="/images/fb-logo.svg"></a>
+      <a href="http://fb.com/watchoutiitr"><img src="/images/fb-logo.svg"></a>
       <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthZ7tKOzy4EJpuVxtdcp1A"><img src="/images/youtube-play.svg"></a>
       <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13290672/"><img src="/images/linkedin.png"></a>
     </div>

_includes/head.html

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/base.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection" />
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/table.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection" />
+  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/posts.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection" />
 
   <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/jquery-2.1.3.min.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>

_includes/navbar.html

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
       <img class="logo" src="/images/logo-black.png">
       <div class="name-container">
         <div class="name">Watch Out!</div>
-        <div class="desc">Official Media<br>Body of IITR</div>
+        <div class="desc">Student Media<br>Body of IITR</div>
       </div>
     </div>
   </a>
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     <a href="/about">About</a>
     <a href="/guide">Guide</a>
     <a href="/getinvolved">Get Involved</a>
-    <a  href="http://fb.com/watchoutiitr"><img src="/images/fb-logo.svg"></a>
+    <a href="http://fb.com/watchoutiitr"><img src="/images/fb-logo.svg"></a>
     <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthZ7tKOzy4EJpuVxtdcp1A"><img src="/images/youtube-play.svg"></a>
     <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13290672/"><img src="/images/linkedin.png"></a>
   </div>
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
 <nav class="navbar navbar-default" data-spy="affix" data-offset-top="110">
   <div class="container">
     <div class="navbar-header">
-      <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbar" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="navbar">
+      <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbar" aria-expanded="false"
+        aria-controls="navbar">
         <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
         <span class="icon-bar"></span>
         <span class="icon-bar"></span>
@@ -32,22 +33,24 @@
     <div id="navbar" class="navbar-collapse collapse">
       <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right hacky-css">
         {% for cat in site.data.categories %}
-          {% if cat.subcategories != nil %}
-          <li class = "dropdown">
-            <a class="hover-underline" href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">{{ cat.title }} <span class="caret"></span></a>
-            <ul class="dropdown-menu">
-              {% for subcat in cat.subcategories %}
-               {% if site.categories[subcat.name] != nil %}
-                <li><a class="hover-underline" href="/category/{{ subcat.name }}/">{{ subcat.title }}</a></li>
-                {% endif %}
-              {% endfor %}
-            </ul>
-          </li>
-          {% elsif  site.categories[cat.name] != nil%}
-          <li><a class="hover-underline" href="/category/{{ cat.name }}/">{{ cat.title }}</a></li>
-          {% endif %}
+        {% if cat.subcategories != nil %}
+        <li class="dropdown">
+          <a class="hover-underline" href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">{{ cat.title }} <span
+              class="caret"></span></a>
+          <ul class="dropdown-menu">
+            {% for subcat in cat.subcategories %}
+            {% if site.categories[subcat.name] != nil %}
+            <li><a class="hover-underline" href="/category/{{ subcat.name }}/">{{ subcat.title }}</a></li>
+            {% endif %}
+            {% endfor %}
+          </ul>
+        </li>
+        {% elsif site.categories[cat.name] != nil%}
+        <li><a class="hover-underline" href="/category/{{ cat.name }}/">{{ cat.title }}</a></li>
+        {% endif %}
         {% endfor %}
       </ul>
-    </div><!--/.nav-collapse -->
+    </div>
+    <!--/.nav-collapse -->
   </div>
 </nav>

_posts/2018-08-25-summer-diaries-michigan.md

@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
----
-layout: post
-title: "Summer Diaries: University of Michigan"
-image: lubana1.jpg
-tags: [wona]
-author: "Ekdeep Singh Lubana"
-excerpt: "I spent my summers working as a visiting scholar (the appropriate term that should be preferred over the standard lingo—Research intern) in the Embedded Systems group at University of Michigan."
-category: summer2018
----
-
-I spent my summers working as a visiting scholar (the appropriate term that should be preferred over the standard lingo—Research intern) in the Embedded Systems group at University of Michigan. My project encompassed working on the brink of software- and hardware-design in order to reduce energy consumption of a camera. 
-
-With a GPA of 7.05, I certainly did not have high expectations with any of the conventional means of bagging an intern. However, a decent research background that had resulted in significant output kept me hopeful. Thus, I started mailing professors around the last week of August. 
-
-Luckily, I did not have to squander a lot of time mailing and faculty-hunting. While my first two applications went dark (I still haven’t received a reply from them *quietly sobs in denial*), the third application got converted into a teleconferencing interview. As I mentioned before, I believe, and my advisor has affirmed this multiple times, that relevant research experience in the field of imaging systems is what bagged me the interview. After that, I spent a week brushing up my computer architecture and digital design basics. The interview went fine and my advisor, based on my previous experience, told me to come up with ideas on a biological principle named “fovea”. 
-
-Off I went and figured how energy consumption in machine vision systems can be significantly optimized if a fovea-like sampling routine—i.e., multi-resolution sampling of analog image signal—is used. Essentially, this results in tight integration of the software algorithms with hardware routines that exist, but are not exploited. This proposition was well received and I started working in remote capacity. Here, I would like to emphasize that most faculties are apprehensive of research interns because of limited time windows. My explorations in remote capacity helped me convince my advisor to have me at U. Mich. as a winter-cum-summer intern. The “wintern” work resulted in 75% energy reduction of conventional machine vision systems and a publication on the same was accepted to IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design. The paper will be presented at CODES+ISSS (International conference on co-design of hardware/software and system synthesis), 2018—a part of Embedded Systems Week, that is set to be held in Italy (Yay!).
-
-![pic2](/images/posts/lubana2.jpg){: style="width:90%;height:auto"}
-
-## Work Culture
-Located in Ann Arbor, University of Michigan is in a relatively remote region that has more folk-culture vibe than a trendy city like New York. That suited me really well. Further, there were no time restrictions and we weren’t even expected to show up—at all. Thus, I reckon I spent my entire time meandering in the library, that had amazing rooms for private study, or CS lounge (or as it is called—the ”foo bar”) which had an amazing ambience. I love this minimalist nature of computer science that renders extravagant resources unneeded. Departments and library were open 24x7 and were connected to my home via the Michigan M-bus route. Thus, I would reach campus by 8 AM and wander around till 12-2 AM, mostly. 
-
-We had research group meetings every fourth Monday and reading group discussions every Thursday, wherein the leading participant would propose a paper on the field of Embedded Machine Learning and the same would be discussed in the meeting. I met my advisor twice a week. While meeting your advisor twice a week is horrendously exhausting, it helps accelerate the overall project. I expected myself to show some progress every meeting and that helped produce significant output. I completed a project in the winter, had a paper accepted, and spent my summers working on really interesting aspects of Embedded Machine Learning and Neuroscience, wherein the focus was to come up with ideas inspired by the latter and make the former efficient. This has led to a novel data compression algorithm based on compressive sensing.
-
-![pic3](/images/posts/lubana4.jpg){: style="width:90%;height:auto"}
-
-## Ann Arbor
-Not a lot happens in Ann Arbor. Alas, being a foodie, I loved the minuscule vegetarian serving places in Downtown. Being a vegetarian is a bummer, take my word for it. I would recommend trying the Indian eateries like Madras Masala to satiate your desires for Indian food. 
-
-The Ann Arbor summer festival and art festival were fun and a must visit. There’s a record store that sells vinyl records and CDs of the oldest artists you can think of. I visited the place quite often. Bookstores in Ann Arbor are really interesting, for if you visit on first or third Saturdays, you can find Bruce Conforth playing folk music (Heads up—Bruce Conforth is the first curator of rock and roll hall of fame and has worked with the likes of B. B. King, U2, The Kinks, etc.).
-
-![pic4](/images/posts/lubana3.jpg){: style="width:90%;height:auto"}
-
-## Takeaways
-In a nutshell, I would recommend to try your hands at research internships if you either have relevant experience or high GPA to bag one via conventional programs. I believe the former is more sensible, though. That said, avoid spamming professors. 
-
-I could recommend two methodologies for mailing:
-(a) Pick a university using QS or some other organization’s ranking system. Narrow down on faculties with relevant interests. Visit their Google Scholar or dblp profiles and go through the recent research work. If the interests align, draft a mail explaining how your interests match their research directions. Herein, boast.
-(b) If you are deep into your field, reading papers is a routine habit. Off of the recent year conferences, if you find interesting research papers, you can explore the authors’ previous work and draft a mail, thereafter. This methodology helped me bag another internship for Winter, 2019. 

_posts/2018-10-09-conversation-with-dr-subra-suresh.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "In Conversation with Dr. Subra Suresh"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+image: dr_subra_suresh.jpg
+excerpt: "Dr. Subra Suresh is the president of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He has served as the Director of the US government's National Science Foundation, Dean of the School of Engineering at MIT and President of Carnegie Mellon University."
+---
+
+_Dr. Subra Suresh is the president of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He has served as the Director of the US government's National Science Foundation, Dean of the School of Engineering at MIT and President of Carnegie Mellon University. He was invited as Chief Guest at the Convocation '18, where Watch Out had the honour of interviewing him. Here are some excerpts from the interview._
+
+**While you majored in Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate, you went ahead to specialize in Material Sciences and Metallurgy. Could you highlight some of the barriers in multidisciplinary higher education system in India? What could be done to remove these?**
+
+The barriers between Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgy are very small. I did not have a degree in material sciences, but my work naturally went in that direction. Eventually, I was made the head of the material science department at MIT for 6 years.
+
+However, transitioning between any two other disciplines might not be as easy. I also tried going towards bioengineering, and that was more difficult. The coursework in my time was great in all respects, except that they didn’t have any biology, which made getting into it a little harder.
+
+On the contrary, if you consider thermodynamic machines and cycles, we are looking at liquid-vapor systems, while in material sciences we usually look at solid-liquid systems. The basic underlying thermodynamic principles are the same, so it’s not that difficult to move around.
+
+These problems exist in the United States too. If you are a mechanical engineering student, it is somewhat difficult to move to Material Sciences, either at the undergraduate ot the masters’ level.
+
+**While it might be tougher for the undergraduates in the US colleges to change their disciplines, don’t the students get 1-2 semesters to decide their major?**
+
+This does not happen in all universities. At MIT, the first year is common for everybody. So, you can decide between engineering or neuroscience or business after your first year. But there are still a lot of universities in the US wherein you get into engineering like mechanical engineering, like at the IITs, and there is a provision to switch your major like I did, from Electrical to Mechanical.
+
+**Recently we did an article on professor evaluation forms (the mechanic by which students assess the professors after every semester through a feedback form). We saw that a lot of professors were getting negative responses from the students, and yet, no action was taken, which was (naturally) a great cause of frustration among students. We tried to identify the issues leading to this, and we saw that there were mainly two primary issues: firstly that a lot of professors prefer research over teaching and secondly that often they are forced to teach courses that are not a part of their own field of research. How do universities in Singapore deal with this issue?**
+
+There’s been a shift, at least in the US system and also in NTU, Singapore that I have been emphasizing. In a top research university, you cannot have a divide between teaching and research. Teaching and research have to go hand in hand. So, in some of the top universities in the US, some of the most accomplished researchers also teach freshmen. I think it takes a lot of commitment and passion.
+
+Perhaps in some of the US universities 40 years back, it was that if you were a great researcher but had no interest in teaching, you could go about it without any problem. But today teaching has become one of the criteria, even though it might not be the only criterion, and the institute should emphasise that. At NTU, one thing that I have done as a president is offered the deans lecture opportunities. I am also teaching a masters’ level program voluntarily. I think one of the appealing things about being at a university is the interaction with the young minds and that’s the exciting part.
+
+**You have played an important role in increasing the representation of minorities and women in education in the US. What suggestions would you give to the institutes in India, considering the ongoing debate regarding affirmative action to increase female representation in IITs?**
+
+I don’t know about the Indian Government’s rules, but I can only speak from the US perspective. The motivation behind this is the following. In most of the countries women occupy 50% of the population and hence 50% of the talent pool. The proportion of women in the population might be less for some countries because of the government policies, but mostly they occupy roughly half the population. In the US about 70% of the top ranking students in high school are girls, and both in public and private schools, and they also do well in mathematics and science and so forth. If they are not represented in engineering, then we are losing out on the top talent. Areas like computer science, mechanical engineering are in need of representation of women. In areas like computer science, 18% of the first year students across the country are girls. Women play such an important role in the 21st century, and we cannot have such a small representation. So we did some experiments at MIT, and I think the key things are, at least from our perspective, that we try not to do it through quotas, but instead through something more sustainable in the long term. You need role models; you need professors for women who are good role models for students. Secondly, you have to do extra work to attract talent. When we admit students, they get offers from many different universities. I would offer to make personally call and talk to students whom the departments felt would be a good fit for the university, and it worked. It worked for both genders, but it worked better for women. So, I think there are things we can do, scholarships are one way, and role models and mentoring are very important too.
+
+**In the media, we often hear about how there’s a lot of aspects in which IITs have yet to catch up with foreign institutes, given that IITs are not really well placed in terms of the rankings- let’s say things like the research culture and flexibility of the curriculum. But, from your own experience at IIT Madras, do you think that there’s some ‘USP’ of IITs that differentiates it from foreign universities?**
+
+I graduated a long time ago. IITs today are very different from the IITs back then. At that time, there were only a small number of students, and we pretty much got to know most of them. Besides, our course was for 5 years, so that’s one extra year we had of living together in the hostels. All of them are the top students from the country, and you develop an amazing bond with them. There’s nothing like the bond you develop essentially throughout the 5 years of growing together. At that time, there was not a lot of research being done at the IITs compared to today. The research culture wasn’t developed. We did a lot of projects but they weren’t research projects. And there weren’t a lot of startups like we have today. There was no internet either, it was a completely different world.
+
+One of the reasons why IITs are not amongst the top ranked universities globally is that most of them are mostly based on research metrics. IITs are best known for attracting top students to get a degree who then they go on to do whatever they want. But, I feel it’s going to take time. It requires research support from the government. It requires young faculty members. It’s going to take some time to catch up with the world rankings (and there is a lot to catch up on). It is based on research, how many papers you publish, who reads them, how many patents you make, etc. It depends on the faculty, so if the faculty doesn’t travel abroad nobody is going to know about them. Another matrix is internationalisation of the campus, how many foreign students are there at the campus, how many foreign faculty is there on the campus. In NTU, for example, we have 1500 faculty, of which 70% are non Singaporeans. We have 10,000 postgraduate students, two- thirds of them are non singaporeans. So it’s mostly foreign talent. So we have 55 Germans doing full time PhD at  NTU. Germany has a lot of good universities so I think that’s another factor. The IITs are making an effort but it’s going to take some time and that has nothing to do with the quality of the institution.
+
+**Most of the young professors have done their doctorates and post- doctorates abroad and have been largely successful. In your opinion, should students look to complete their higher education in India itself, or should they look towards foreign universities?**
+
+I think it is very healthy if students do their PhDs elsewhere. Even if they are of Indian-origin and want to come back here for patriotic reasons or family reasons, India has to make it attractive for them by giving them competitive offers, because if they are really good, they will get better offers elsewhere.
+
+**Is there any way in which we can promote collaborations between the industry and the researchers, at least in India?**
+
+In NTU, on campus there is this concept of corporate labs. We have companies like Rolls-Royce, BMW, Alibaba which come on campus to do research with us. Students get to work with them. Something like that can be implemented in India as well. If not in a town like Roorkee, it can be done in the bigger cities. In NTU, we have 23000 students across the 4 years, and we send 80% of them abroad for a semester, to get foreign exposure. We also want foreign students to come. As we speak, there are 250 students from Sweden on our campus and almost an equal number of students from NTU are in Sweden.
+
+**The National Science Foundation which you were heading in the US, has no comparable analogue in India. However, there are a plethora of research funds funded by different ministries/institutes. Which model do you think is better?**
+
+The US model is pretty remarkable. It all started after the second world war. There isn’t a single agency. There are many agencies. So there’s the National Institutes of Health, whose mission is to address diseases. So half of the research is done internally and its organised by disease classes, like National Institute of Cancer, National Institute of Mental Health etc. Then you have NASA for air and space, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), the US Geological Survey and so on.
+
+But what was missing in all of this is the inherent curiosity in research. These were all applications of science. It was argued in the 1950’s that the economy depends on fundamental research and that basic research is best done at universities, where you have the luxury of thinking long-term. Not only are you training young minds for the future, you’re tapping into their enthusiasm to create new ideas. These universities would work closely with the industry and the government, and that it was the government’s responsibility to fund them. This is what created the National Science Foundation. The NSF’s mission is to fund the best people on the best ideas. Leave them alone, so they can develop their ideas. Since 1950, 240 American Nobel Prize winners have had some portion of their Nobel Prize winning work funded by the NSF. That’s the return. We don’t ask them whats the commercial value of their research.
+
+**On a closing note, you’ve mentored a lot of students over the years. Is there any advice you would like to give to the students of IITR, more specifically to the students who’re getting convocated?**
+
+When there is so much societal pressure, people look at getting a degree from an IIT, or any university as a piece of paper which helps you get a job, hopefully a very high paying job. If that’s the reason all of us are striving for a university education, I think we’re missing the point. It is something much grander than this. It's not just about going to classes and getting a diploma, it’s much more than this. And now you guys have many more opportunities than I did through technology. You have access to so much more information, from anywhere in the world. Besides, the IIT brand carries a lot of weight, and not just in India. I would advise you to make the most of that.

_posts/2018-10-09-conversation-with-mr-rc-bhargava.md

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "In Conversation with Mr. R C Bhargava"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+image: suzuki_amped.jpg
+excerpt: "Mr. R C Bhargava is currently chairman of Maruti Suzuki. A graduate of Allahabad University, he topped the 1956 batch of the IAS, and served in the Uttar Pradesh cadre."
+---
+
+_Mr. R C Bhargava is currently chairman of Maruti Suzuki. A graduate of Allahabad University, he topped the 1956 batch of the IAS, and served in the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He later joined Maruti in its nascency as its third employee, and subsequently led the company to its position as the number one automobile company in India. He has been conferred with prestigious civilian awards by both the Indian and Japanese governments. He was invited as Chief Guest at the Convocation '18, where Watch Out had the honour of interviewing him. Here are some excerpts from the interview._
+
+**You were an IAS officer who later switched to Maruti in its formative years. This is an unconventional career path, people generally don’t do this.**
+
+Yes, at the time there weren’t many examples of people leaving the IAS and joining the Public Sector because rules had changed. You could only go for deputation for 2 years. After that, you had to either come back to the cadre or take absorption in the public sector. I was one of the first few who did this.
+
+**Any reasons why you chose to switch to the private sector?**
+
+It wasn’t private sector then.  Initially, the Suzuki stake was only 26% so the company remained a public sector company. That was in 1982. In 1992, it became 50% Suzuki and 50% government. So legally it changed its character and did not remain a public sector company. But with 50% stake of the government, it almost worked like a PSU. The company got listed in 2003 which is when it became a private company.
+
+**Why do you think this career path is so uncommon (going from the civil services to a corporation). Is it because the skill set required is different?**
+
+I’m not sure but I think that one of the factors is that going from the Civil Services to an industry carries a certain element of risk. You are secure with Civil Services, your career path is known to you and your future is virtually mapped out, not much can change. At that time, Maruti was not considered as a normal public sector industry, it was looked upon as a highly political project. Also, not many people expected it to last too many years. So, it was somehow a little more risky than the others. But, I wasn’t particularly enamored by spending my 10 years with the government. I didn’t see any future after those 10 years either because those days are not like today. In 1982, there were very few job opportunities in the private sector as there was virtually no private sector. So there were no job opportunities after retirement. Looking at all of this, I thought to take a risk as it can’t get too much worse than it would be otherwise.
+
+**Were the UPSC examinations as competitive back then as they are now? Nowadays we hear of cases where people spending years and years of their lives trying to crack the Civil Services?**
+
+There weren’t as many tutorials and coaching centres at that time as there are now. The exam was in some way harder because for the IAS, one had to give the three lower papers (three subjects) and then if one wanted to be an IAS or the foreign services, he had to appear for two more papers of higher standards. Whereas, for the other Civil Services, it was just the three lower papers. That has certainly changed now. The exam has become easier but the number of people appearing for it is much larger now. The attraction of the services is still there but actually now the competition to the IAS is much larger from the private sector. Creating things and doing things yourself are much larger outside the government. The government still needs good administration but not beyond the actual areas of admin.
+
+**Maruti has become a household name just like IKEA in Sweden or Samsung in Korea. So your main flagship project throughout all these years must have been the Maruti 800? Do you think that the Maruti 800 started an era of car ownership in urban middle class homes?**
+
+800 is what we started with and it became an enormously popular car at that time. It was almost a status symbol in the first few years, because there was a scarcity and it wasn’t easily available. Later on with the advent of new models, everything became different.
+
+And absolutely! It was the first time that people got a low cost modern car in terms of technology, which drove very well, which had all features that people had not looked at earlier, high degrees of reliability. All of that came for the first time in India. That is why it became so popular, because people were used to Ambassador, Fiat etc. and compared to that it was several levels above in technology. Cars in India had not changed technology since the 50’s. Till the 80’s, it was the same basic technology of cars. And the quality and reliability of cars had only gone down, it hadn’t improved. Then suddenly people got a car which could perform so much better, it had to become popular.
+
+**In the automobile industry nowadays, especially in the US, there is a lot of talk about the self-driving cars and followed by Tesla, even Ford and other big companies are making their own tests. So do you think this has any medium to long term scope in India?**
+
+Well, you have to consider two or three factors in India. First,  there is a huge need for creating employment in India and every year several hundred thousand jobs for drivers are created. For every four or five cars sold, there is one driver. Think of the number of people who rely on driving as their source of employment. When will we be able to afford not having these jobs so that people find alternative employment is a big question mark. The second thing is that if you want to have driverless cars, then the software is based on a certain degree of predictability so as to what people might do in different situations. The behaviour of drivers in India is the most unpredictable. So, I am not quite sure how will we build a software system which could cater to the erratic and unpredictable behaviour of drivers in India. Cutting lanes, people randomly stopping their vehicles on the highways would only create chaos in the system.
+
+**You were involved a lot with Suzuki and Maruti, especially a lot in the formative years at the time when they acquired their stakes and all. So you have seen the automobile industry up close both here and in Japan. Any major differences you see now or you saw back then?**
+
+Not only in the automobile industry, Japan also became a highly competitive nation. It is the most competitive country in the world in terms of its manufacturing industry. Japan has no natural resources (energy, raw materials) and still their products are competitive in the global market. They can ship their products to the US or Europe and they can still beat the local ones. They are able to overcome the cost barrier of import, export, transport etc. Japanese industries manage to do this through human resources working as a single team.The Japanese industry is based totally on team work. Not only with the employees in the company, or labour or management,be it anybody; other associates such as vendors, dealers; industry and the government; industry and the political parties, they all work as one team to promote Japanese industry. None of them believe that the industry is a thief which wants to take out their money, as it happens in India. This is because the industrialists in Japan live a much low-key lifestyle. Their salaries are less, they don’t accumulate wealth as people do in India. They have realised that you can’t take your money with you when you go; it stays behind. And if at all it stays behind, we should think what good can that money do to our children. They have worked these things out very well. The Japanese industry stands very different from the world because of the constant need to be meticulous.
+
+**Do you think it is down to their ethos as a culture or as people to some extent?**
+
+It has become a culture because the people felt the need to become competitive since Japan was totally ruined after the war. Japanese people have a great amount of self-respect. They are very patriotic. They commit ‘harakiri’ which is a ritual in which they kill themselves if they seem to lose faith. After the war, the Japanese actually lost faith and had no other way to regain it. The only way to become competitive again was through economic activities. They decided that if they become the most powerful economy, then they could regain faith which is actually what happened. Japan is a highly respected country not because of their military might, but their economic might. If India wants to grow faster, we’ve got to stop distrusting each other and start to work as a team.
+
+
+**Research in Indian institutes, including the IITs, has been improving a lot in the last decade or so, but yet there remains this perception that research is this thing that academicians pursue in their ivory towers, you know, that it's often unrelated to required real world or commercial applications. The idea of industry-oriented research, the way it happens in the US or in European countries is kind of lacking?**
+
+You want to do research because you want to develop new and better products and technologies, which give customers a better experience. If you do that, then you expect that your company will grow and become more profitable.
+
+In India till 2014 conditions for Industries to grow and be competitive were really quite inadequate. You know if you study our system, industries are the lowest priority of the politicians. Input costs electricity for industry is priced higher than for any other activities. Industry pays the highest, yet gets the last priority.
+
+Things are changing now in certain sectors, it has become competitive with Mr. Modi. The taboo of industry is growing and prospering as gone. He wants industry to grow.
+This is the first time somebody has said that they want the manufacturing sector to grow. The first time that there isn’t any rhetoric against the private sector
+
+**Do you think there is anyway, in which companies like lets say maruti could somehow collaborate with these institutes for research?**
+
+Certainly. Absolutely that’s it there has to be more interaction between the institute's and companies and research has to be taken up.
+
+Apart from the existing theoretical research there should also be more research which is industry oriented.
+
+Here last night, we were discussing that you create patents in the IIT, professors do their research a lot and fight for patent, how many of those patents have become commercial?
+All the research you have done and caught something that you patent, but if it doesn't get used by anybody, then what have you done useful resulted in wastage of your time.
+So that thinking has to change. Academics often don’t think highly of commercial business , instead pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can't be the only thing which you push. There has to be some kind of a mix between the knowledge creation and commercialization of knowledge
+
+**What do you think is the most stark difference between India now and India in the eighties?**
+
+Those were the days of control, and the license raj.
+
+So that time you couldn’t do anything without government permission. Imports were not allowed. Today you can import what you want. Those days everything had to be cleared by what is known as director general of technical development. Foreign exchange a huge constraint. And the private sector and money making and becoming rich and all those things were absolutely frowned upon.
+
+Technology of course has made a lot of difference to India that you know things like this.
+
+Everything was in short supply. If you wanted a phone connection you had to wait for years to get a phone. Wanted to buy a car you had to be in for years to buy a car.
+
+When I got to Delhi in 1973, I was in UP and then – mobile for five years, even to buy milk you had to get a permit to get your milk supply. Everything was in short supply. Railway wagons were not available. Telephone calls could not be put through: you had to book a call and wait for your turn before you were connected from Delhi to Kanpur.
+
+These changes are almost unbelievable. One now wonders, how did one manage In those days. This whole computer business didn't exist, internet didn't exist.
+
+**On a closing note, any general advice you would have for students here, especially the graduating students who you will be addressing?**
+
+I think you people here are the elite of India's intelligentsia. by you people I mean in the IITs, and IIMs. You can't leave the task of India's development only to the government. Over many years people in India have built up this attitude. That _ye kaam to sarkaar hai_. Even if it's something to be cleaned ~ _Sarkar karegi_, if there is something not working ~ _Sarkar mein kharaabi hai._
+
+It can’t work that way. If you want this country to become a better country for yourself- and you guys have got 70 years to go- Who will do it for you?
+
+Believe me, the political system won’t. You don't expect things from the government. You have to do it yourself. You have to get involved.
+
+Don't distance yourself.
+
+That is when things will happen.

_posts/2018-10-19-tinkering-lab.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Rethink! The Tinkering Lab, IIT Roorkee"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+image: rethink1.png
+excerpt: "The Tinkering Lab, also known as the “no curriculum lab”, was inaugurated in March 2016 with the vision to be at the forefront of technological advancements in IIT Roorkee."
+---
+
+The Tinkering Lab, also known as the “no curriculum lab”, was inaugurated in March 2016 with the vision to be at the forefront of technological advancements in IIT Roorkee. To know more about how the last two years have been, we spoke to Prof. Inderdeep Singh, who is the Faculty Lab coordinator, and Anant Vashistha, the Secretary of the newly formed Students’ Body of Tinkering Lab.
+<br><br>
+**After coming into the college, everyone gets briefed about all sorts of labs present in the campus, but the Tinkering lab often remains a mystery. So, to start off, it would be great if you could give us some insight into the tinkering lab.**
+ 
+**Anant:** The Tinkering lab was set up in mid-2016 to serve as a platform to generate innovative ideas. The lab is equipped with several advanced technologies to foster learning and creation. Several types of machinery, tools and facilities have been introduced since then. Currently, we are working on a few new technologies. One is the use of rapid prototyping, which we believe will give birth to new ideas and products.
+All we want is to make the lab equipped enough for young thinkers and innovators to come, tinker and innovate.
+<br><br>
+**Most students are unaware of lab timings and its facilities. Continuing on the same note, when can a student enter and perform projects in the lab?**
+ 
+**Anant:** The lab is operational from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM during the weekdays. We realise that the timing of the lab is inconvenient for the IITR junta, so we are trying hard for an extended timing, mostly to make the lab operational during the weekends. But as of now, any student can visit and perform projects during the above-mentioned hours.
+ 
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** To open the lab 24X7 has been our primary goal, and with the formation of the Students' Body, this goal is almost achieved. It is quite difficult for us to put in staff members for 24 hours to manage the working of the lab, thus we needed the support of the students. We have planned to hand over the keys to a students' volunteer team, who would make sure that the lab stays functional even during the off hours (when staff isn’t available).
+<br><br>
+**What, if any, technological advancements have taken place in the lab?** 
+
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** The core idea behind starting up such a facility was to give a complementary benefit to what the students were already learning in the classes. At IIT Roorkee, we have a highly structured way of teaching; with a fixed number of tutorials and practicals. At times there are some topics that pique the interest of the students, and one may stumble upon an idea which isn’t a part of the academic curriculum. When you are self-driven towards working on such an idea and building up a product of your own, you would need a place that would provide you with the means to do so and The Tinkering Lab is one such hub at IIT Roorkee.
+
+Campus groups such as Team Robocon, Model and Robotics Section, IITR Motorsports, etc. are fairly active users of the lab. One can gauge the utility of the lab from the fact that when IIT Roorkee secured the second position in the Inter IIT Technical Meet, the Student Technical Council acknowledged the support that was offered by the Tinkering Lab. These are a few contributions of the lab in terms of provision of facilities to the campus groups. We may have not launched a product which can be branded as a product of IIT Roorkee, but the foundation for the same has already been laid. In the due course of time, we may be able to come up with some market-ready products with the help of the TIDES business incubator.
+ 
+We also flagged off the ‘Design Innovation Centre’ recently, with the aim to turn ideas into reality, and create products which could be used by everyone. Apart from this, The Tinkering Lab was chosen as the model centre for the ‘Smart India Hackathon’ because of the facilities available here.
+<br><br>  
+**What role does the Tinkering Lab play in the life of UG/PG students? How has the lab supported the student community of the institute?**
+ 
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** Recently, we have observed many PG/PhD students using the facilities of the Tinkering lab to create products or perform tests and experiments besides their regular research. In other words, they are beginning to think out of the box, trying to develop a certain thought process which would enable them to build products of their own.
+
+The Tinkering Lab is always available to the Students Technical Council. We have supported their projects, be it personal or group, by providing them with the means and tools available in the lab. The lab acts as a wall for the students to rely on, to pursue and build on their ideas.
+
+**Anant:** As of now, more than 60 projects have been supported, and there are around 6 ongoing projects in the lab. These projects include personal projects, projects conducted under the guidance of a professor and Technical Section group projects.
+<br><br>   
+**What are the facilities accessible to the campus junta? Is there any restriction imposed on their use?**
+ 
+**Anant:** There isn’t any restriction on the use of tools and machines in the lab. If someone is interested to work on their product idea, the lab will provide all the tools that they may require to perform their project.
+The lab is equipped with numerous machines and hand-tools. 3D Printers, 3D Scanners, CNC Machine, VMC Machine, are some of the commonly used machines by the students. Other than that, the lab has various computational and electronic facilities, chemicals and a huge workspace.
+<br><br> 
+**There were grievances posted by the student’s community on the SAC IITR Discussion Forum on Facebook about the ill-working of the various types of machinery available in the lab. Why is the maintenance of these facilities poor?**
+ 
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** Up till now, there has been a non-uniform workload distribution on the machines present in the lab. We have a chemical room and a tools room, but they have merely been an exhibition throughout the year. Rapid Prototyping 3D Printing machines are used extensively by almost everyone, thereby leaving less maintenance time.
+
+We have 18 Rapid Prototyping 3D printing machine out of which a few have turned non-functional due to its extensive use. The reason for the machines remaining non-functional is that these machines have been imported, therefore the functional parts that get damaged need to be imported as well and importing such parts take around 15-20 days. In order to tackle the problem of faulty machines, where the students may suffer, we have scheduled the ongoing projects in such a way that the students would always find one idle functional machine out of the available 18. In the Tinkering Lab, we’ve never failed to provide the facilities to anyone who has asked.
+ 
+Purchasing the components of the faulty machines in the market isn’t possible, so whenever we face such a situation we make sure to order the component in a stack so that if some other machine faces the same problem, we wouldn’t have to wait for a long time to get the component replaced. The only downside of ordering components in a stack is the longer time it takes to reach us.
+ 
+Apart from these, the financial model of the Tinkering Lab is not yet fully matured. If we have a complete model of money flow and appropriate resources, then we can easily plan the activities down the year. We are in a process of creating a financial model which would address to all of these issues.
+<br><br> 
+**A new Students' Body has been formed for The Tinkering lab. How will this body be organised, and what are their responsibilities and functions in the lab?**
+ 
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** The organisational structure of the Tinkering lab comprises a Faculty Coordinator, an Assistant Workshop Superintendent, two Project Associates and the Students' Body. The main aim of the body is to act as a link between the student community and the administration of the Tinkering lab. All the problems faced by the students are first addressed to the students’ body before being taken to the administration. They basically are our eyes and ears, staying active on social media to answer the queries of the students and also present in the lab to assist the students in the machine work of the labs. They give feedback to the lab administration about the usability of the equipment present along with the account of the difficulties faced by every visitor.
+ 
+The Students' Body is also responsible to disseminate the information about the labs to the students of the campus. One of the major responsibilities of the body is to know the demands of the students. There might be a group of students who need a new set of machines in the lab to further fine-tune their ideas; in such cases, the Students' Body has to step in and let us know about the requirements of the students.
+<br><br> 
+**As you have stated that the student participation in the tinkering lab is pretty low; what outreach initiative has the Students' Body taken?**
+ 
+**Anant:** Higher student participation has been our primary objective since the inception of the Students' Body. For the same, intro talks and lab visits for all the students have been conducted and a healthy participation was witnessed as well. Moreover, we’ve also conducted a 5 Day workshop (Open to all) on 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, Laser Etching and Wood Milling. We are increasing our team strength for proper execution and organisation for the various events being conducted by the lab. To display everything available in the lab, we wish to fully digitise the Tinkering lab. The first step towards digitisation is the induction of a website, which we will launch soon. We plan to showcase the operation of every machine on our YouTube Channel. LinkedIn and Facebook promotions remain our priority. Other than that, we have planned to conduct Guest lectures, from both academicians and industry experts, organise semesterly competitions and workshops. We would also try to participate in national and international level competitions.  
+<br><br> 
+**Running this place must be a very difficult job, and you would need to have a strong team to pull it through. What sort of challenges are you currently facing? Moreover, what changes have been made after the appointment of the new Students' Body?**
+ 
+**Anant:** The major challenge that the students here face is the time restriction. Lack of student participation is another issue. The maintenance of machines is also a huge concern. 
+After the appointment of the Students' Body in November last year, we have been working on policies to improve the lab. We have started right from the scratch, scheduling events, activities, competitions, keeping our primary objective of more student participation on our minds. We have already supported more than 60 projects with very few people within the restricted time slot and with the increase in participation, we believe the tinkering lab can do wonders with the number of facilities available. 
+<br><br> 
+**You’ve mentioned about launching your website. Could you elaborate on the functions and facilities of the website?**
+ 
+**Anant:** Launching a website will be our first step towards digitisation of the lab. It will contain information on all the machines, tools and facilities available in the lab. Few functions like Digital Inventory column to check the availability of inventory items, Student Portal where students can put up project request, submit reports, etc, Feedback form, Query management system, Idea sharing forum, have already been incorporated into the website. To promote industrial collaboration, we have planned to create a portal for industry experts and companies. All the completed and ongoing projects would be displayed on the website. Anyone who finds interest in any of the projects is welcome to collaborate through the Idea sharing forum.
+We believe that we will be able to launch a fully functional website before the end of this semester, fostering outreach and transparency.
+<br><br>
+**What are your expectation from the Tinkering Lab and the future plans to expand the functioning and facilities inside the lab?**
+ 
+**Prof. Inderdeep:** I believe that there is huge scope in product development in India these days. In my experience, I’ve seen that students create ‘something’ during their B. Tech. years, but that ‘something’ never gets to the real market. I believe with the help of Tides Business Incubator and the Design Innovation Centre (DIC), the students would be able to take their product to the real market. Such projects would be funded by the DIC so that the students are able to make working prototypes and field test the same. Also, the link between the conceptualization of ideas and making it a market product has been missing till now, and this link needs to be bridged with the help of the Tinkering Lab, the DIC and the TIDES.
+My future vision is to make at least 5 different products in the next 2 years, developed in IIT Roorkee, fabricated in the lab, available to the market. I am confident that the students of IIT Roorkee are highly capable of doing so.
+<br><br> 
+**Are there any plans for making the lab self-sustainable? If so, what are the initiatives that you’ve planned to make this happen?**
+ 
+**Anant:** Making the lab self-sustainable is one of our objectives as well. Although we aren’t rushing with it, we would push for industrial collaboration. LinkedIn connections with industry experts and collaboration with groups like CIG will be our first step. Before that, we have several other challenges that we have to work on. A website and an active LinkedIn profile are prerequisites in making the lab self-sustainable.

_posts/2018-11-28-conversation-with-kalpana-saroj.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "In conversation with Ms. Kalpana Saroj"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+image: kalpana_saroj_1.jpg
+excerpt: "Mr. R C Bhargava is currently chairman of Maruti Suzuki. A graduate of Allahabad University, he topped the 1956 batch of the IAS, and served in the J&K cadre."
+---
+
+*(Before the interview, Watch Out had the opportunity to meet up with Aayush Gupta, the secretary of E-Cell IIT Roorkee. A brief about the initiative taken by E-Cell is as follows)*
+
+*The Entrepreneur Lecture Series is a joint endeavour by TIDES Business Incubator and E-Cell IIT Roorkee to motivate students to pursue their dreams, take risks and explore the opportunities the world has to offer via candid talks from the selected lot of seasoned experts pioneering the core qualities of risk-taking, persistence and a never ending passion to reach their ambitions.*
+
+*The Entrepreneur Series aims at organising talks by various eminent entrepreneurs and distinguished alumni from IITR. The vision behind this series, as stated by the director, is to "stir the minds of the student citizenry of IIT Roorkee and come up with miraculous innovations in varied technical domains. Therefore, in an attempt to upgrade the scope, scalability and innovation of their ideas, I have conceptualised this series to equip the students with the knowledge, industry expertise and experiential inferences of pioneers in the field of entrepreneurship, leadership and other related domains."*
+
+The inaugural speaker of this series was Ms. Kalpana Saroj. Christened the “Original Slumdog Millionaire”, she was born in a destitute locality in Maharashtra and now is the Chairperson of Kamani Tubes in Mumbai, India. Commanding a fortune in excess of 120 millions U.S.D, she is a parable of relentless perseverance overcoming all odds.
+
+Having been appointed as the Board Member of IIM Bangalore recently, she also met with the Director IIT Roorkee Dr. Ajit K. Chaturvedi in the Director’s office. The following are some excerpts from our illuminating interaction with her.
+
+![pic_with_director](/images/posts/kalpana_saroj_2.jpg){: style="width:70%;height:auto"}
+
+**On campus, students get a plethora of opportunities in a variety of fields that they are free to explore. However, this choice often creates problems where students feel disheartened and confused, and quit when their efforts don’t yield results as soon as they hoped they would. How can  students learn to be more patient and perseverant in their endeavours?**
+
+I have seen this problem prevalent among the youth of the country. But they need to understand that constant hard-work, patience and self belief is the only way to make your dreams come true. Life will always have problems to face and issues to be resolved. Some obstacles require incessant toil over long periods of time to overcome and understand. Giving up is a guaranteed road to failure while putting time into something, with or without quick results, creates chances for success. There will come times where your hopes become bleak and you see nothing but the darkness of failure shroud your life but standing strong and having faith in yourself will lead you towards the right direction.
+
+**You have traversed multiple hurdles and problems in your life that we can’t begin to fathom the severity of. Could you tell us more about the struggles you had to face in reaching your current stature?**
+
+I was born in Roparkheda (a village in Maharashtra) to an impoverished family of 3 sisters and 2 brothers, of whom I was the eldest. Under the then existing societal norms, I was married off at the tender age of 12.As a result, I was vindicated of my right to get educated and had to drop out of school in the 7th standard. I was recognised as a bright student and this violent uprooting from school was a harrowing experience. I moved to a slum in Mumbai with my in-laws but suffered abuse and neglect there. Eventually, my father became aware of this trauma and rescued me from those inhumane conditions. I was ostracized by the society for my unsuccessful marriage and even attempted suicide but fortunately, I was rescued.
+
+Determined to work and earn a living for myself, I relocated to Mumbai at the age of 16. The wide streets of a metropolitan cement jungle like Mumbai was daunting for a young, inexperienced girl like me. Rambling in a state of complete helplessness my only aim was to secure a government job but due to my lack of a formal education, inexperience and age I couldn’t make it and had to sustain myself by working as a tailor. This was the first time when I started thinking of a business model. Sewing and working with clothes gave me an avenue where I could earn and bring food to my family’s table.
+
+**You mentioned the roadblocks that the lack of education created in your life. In Spite of this massive disadvantage, you were able to develop a refined arsenal of business acumen and entrepreneurial skills . What enabled you to keep learning?**
+
+तूच आहेस तुझ्या जीवनाचा शिल्पकार
+
+(You are the architect of your life)
+
+Life is full of events and situations which an act as sources of infinite wisdom. Having to find ways out of the multitude of adversities I had to face taught me invaluable lessons on the importance of will power and hard work. I utilised this knowledge in my business dealings and life decisions which eventually lead to good results.
+
+**The  problems you faced are enough to deter even the most inspired of people in the pursuit of their dreams. However you faced them with your head held high and were awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013. What was the journey from earning a bare sustenance a day to earning one of the most prestigious awards that a citizen can be bestowed with?**
+
+After sewing blouses as a job, I utilized governmental schemes that benefited the marginalized to take a loan of Rs. 50,000 and start my own business. I used to put in 16-17 hours of work everyday, working through each day only on a cup of tea and a single roti. I had lost my sister to a curable disease because my family couldn’t afford the treatment. This taught me the importance of money and also made me empathetic to people who were undergoing similar ordeals. When I gained relative financial stability, I felt deeply moved by the deplorable conditions of those who were unemployed and suffered due to shortage of funds. I took it upon myself to create an organisation - Sushikshit Berozgar Yuvak Sanghatana, that would cater to the needs of these unemployed people. I brought together collectors, bank managers and officials associated with welfare schemes under an umbrella who educated the youth about these schemes via the channel of this organisation; they were educated on how to solicit as well as how to repay loans. As this organization’s influence increased, I was approached by a group of workers from Kamani Tubes who wanted assistance to prevent the business from a total collapse.The government had transferred the ownership of the company to these workers but due to a lack of managerial experience, they were struggling. Many voices told me that it was suicide to put money in such a failing enterprise After all, many industrialists and big firms had capital but no one was willing to invest. After assuming a leadership role in the company, I brought it out of a debt of Rs. 116 crore as well as over 140 litigations at a fraction of the time predicted. The workers who were on the brink of getting their livelihood stolen were given back their money with the company becoming a booming success. As a symbol of gratitude they entitled me with the tag of “Maa Bhawani”.
+
+The government took cognizance of my efforts and toil by honouring me with a Padma Shri, for Trade and Industry in 2013. I became the first member of my community to reach this pinnacle. It was at that moment when I could feel my shackles break and wanted to spread my wings to fly free above the clouds.
+
+**Even after your life was riddled with hardships and problems, you still took definitive steps to improve the condition of the people who are often neglected by society. How do you think society can become more selfless and collectivistic? Also, what are some future plans you have in mind?**
+
+Everyone indulging in business activities works on the incentive of profit. This is how businesses have always worked and will always work. However, my approach to business has an added dimension of philanthropy and humanism. I try look out for ways of how I can improve the world around not only for me, but for everyone else as well. I have undertaken some projects with the same philosophy in mind.
+
+One of my initiatives is to build a well equipped aviation school in the country.On observing the issues that my son faced during his training as a pilot, I decided to work towards addressing this problem. India severely lacks in the equipment and technology that realises the training of aviation students forcing them to enter overseas flight schools. This costs heavy expenditure and leads to the draining of our country's economy. Our vision is to ensure that every student gets quality education in India itself. We are working with the government and various airlines firms to systemize the resources and strategies.I have also been involved in creating shelters(Nandini apartments) for women that are shunned and ostracized by society into a dark corner, with the aim of providing them a means to rebuild their lives. We provide community housing to these suffering women where they live without rent, provisions of food and healthcare and an environment to bring them out of the trauma and helplessness they faced.
+
+In my new capacity as the Board Member of IIM Bangalore, I look forward to facilitate fruitful collaboration between various industries.
+
+**Given the intensive nature of your undertakings, how do you unwind after a hard day at work?**
+
+When you have to work throughout the day and at times, even through the night, you rarely have time for leisure. I find pleasure in my work and am always on the prowl to get more documents ratified, more meetings concluded etc. I do like to listen to music and when I feel dejected and upset, uplifting melodies remind me to keep moving forward.
+
+When I was in school as a child, my classroom walls bore quotes and aphorisms that catalysed optimism and motivation in me. I still recall them fondly.
+
+**On a closing note, Is there any advice you would like to give to the students of IIT Roorkee?**
+
+All students of the IIT must realise that they are at the cusp of doing brilliant and impactful things. They should realise that they belong to a progressed era, they have access to the best resources and the society encourages them to learn and do wonders. I faced a time when the society was always pushing us down, parents didn't want to educate us and poverty wrapped its arm around me tightly. Now, the internet is full of information for anyone to grow and blossom new talents and ideas. If a person who has faced hardships like me can create a positive impact on society, any person with a firm resolve and intention of making a change can do so. What one needs, is the will to change, the will to do something and the guts to walk on the chosen path despite the obstacles.
+
+The only thing that holds us back are our apprehensions of what might go wrong and the fear of failure. This apprehension is what prevents us from putting ourselves wholly into the task at hand. I used to detest nightfall as it meant the day had ended and I couldn’t get more work done.This is the kind of unflinching devotion that culminates in the fulfilment of a dream
+
+This is the kind of fire you need to kindle within yourself.
+
+*\*\*The interview was conducted in Hindi. The above is a translated dialogue.*

_posts/2018-12-07-anushruti.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Anushruti"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: bigstory
+image: anushruti4.jpg
+excerpt: Nestled in a silent corner right at the entrance of IIT Roorkee, Anushruti - Academy for the Deaf was established on November 11, 1989 at IIT Roorkee (the erstwhile University of Roorkee).
+---
+
+Nestled in a silent corner right at the entrance of IIT Roorkee, Anushruti - Academy for the Deaf was established on November 11, 1989 at IIT Roorkee (the erstwhile University of Roorkee). Originally founded as the Roorkee School for the Deaf by Prof. S. C. Handa, a professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, it was later renamed to Anushruti.  The word ‘Anushruti’ is an amalgamation of ‘anu’(small) and ‘shruti’(sound), and throughout its altruistic journey of 29 years, Anushruti has been actively engaged in the nurturance of children with hearing impairments. It started operations with Mrs. Handa being the first president and their son being the first student.
+ 
+One of the primest and noblest social initiatives of IIT Roorkee, it is the first such organisation catering to the hearing-impaired to be based within an institute of national importance.
+
+Watch Out spoke to Mrs. Parvati Pandey and Dr. Tashi Nautiyal about the philosophy behind the school, its functioning and about help it could use from students of the institute.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/anushruti1.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+## The philosophy behind anushruti
+
+Formed with the motivation to help children born with aural impediments adjust and rejoin mainstream society, the school is dedicated to bringing such people under its ambit.
+
+For an unattended hearing impaired child, the process of learning and comprehending unfamiliar concepts is a daunting task. Having their faculty to hear and articulate words underwhelmed leads to a multitude of cognitive barriers, ranging from limited vocabularies to an inability to grasp complicated sentences. Another pressing concern is the prevalent lack of understanding and diagnosis of these problems by parents. Because hearing issues aren’t obvious and readily identifiable, they often go unnoticed and ignored until it’s too late, exacerbating them. These issues necessitate interventionist measures to adapt and change educational techniques so that the development of these children is ensured to be at par with the mainstream. This is where specialised schools come into the picture.
+
+Anushruti has taken up the initiative of providing free assistance to these children at the tender avenue of pre-primary school, where the impact of adaptive education is most profound. The school provides full fledged education, ranging from pre-nursery to class 8, upto which it is registered. Due to the students’ unique requirements, they are also supported through class X and XII if the institution is approached. The school also functions to provide a moral and emotional support system to its beneficiaries, catering also to the students who have graduated from the school for their professional and personal needs.
+
+Anushruti is also engaged in providing free diagnostic, audiometric and speech therapy facilities to the community. The intention is to develop a centre which may provide free diagnostic and therapeutic consultancy regarding aural and oral problems to the proximate demographic of people residing in nearby areas. The audiologist-cum-speech therapists associated with Anushruti, working in tandem with interns from the Himalayan Hospital, Jolly Grant, are agents that actuate this humanitarian vision.
+
+## Methodology
+
+![pic](/images/posts/anushruti5.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+### A) Admission process
+
+The process begins with the filling of an application form, made available free-of-cost at the school’s office. Awareness for the same is generated by educational drives, visits to areas to make people cognizant and by personal reference of students who might benefit from the architecture of the system put in place by the school. In supplement to these awareness drives, volunteers from NSS, IIT Roorkee also intimate the school’s authorities about students which can be helped by the school. Prospective students and their kin then have a direct interaction with the school’s team, intended for comprehensive evaluation of the prospectus and informing their parents about Anushruti’s philosophy and methodology. As these students are primarily from impoverished and destitute backgrounds, the team tries to make hesitant parents assured and comprehensive of the holistic development actuated by the school . Their apprehension regarding transport, funds, future scope etc. are accommodated and placated via intensive counselling sessions to ensure that support and help reaches those who direly need it.
+
+### B) Integration into the school 
+
+Grade-appropriate knowledge of subjects are tested via standard tests, whereas short selection tests are deployed for audiological and psychological evaluation, according to which classes are allotted temporarily. The student’s dexterity, adaptability and comfort in the classes’ environment are assessed before their teaching scheme is finalised.
+
+### C) Teaching scheme
+
+![pic](/images/posts/anushruti2.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+The institution relies on modern technology and methods to help these children learn better. Standard speech and auditory equipment is complimented by computer-aided speech development systems. (Loop Induction System, Electronic Learning Wheel to name a few.) Communication is built on oral-aural techniques with supplementary usage of sign language. These techniques are used with the aim of holistically developing the student by providing mediums to engage in multifarious activities like art, craft and poetry parallel to routine education. These efforts are realised by skill and vocational development workshops covering dramatics, choreography, computer education, apparel designing, accessory designing and miming among other fields. 
+
+Primary education follows a specifically crafted syllabus tailored to the esoteric requirements of the students. The rest of the school’s curriculum is based on NCERT guidelines.
+
+## Milestones
+
+At the time of writing, 88 students are enrolled in the school, coming from nearby localities such as Deoband, Roorkee, Saharanpur, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar. The farthest serviced location is 120 KM from the school, with the child using public transport to travel the distance with their parent as an escort. So far, a total of 286 students have registered in the institution, whereas the efforts to provide audiometric evaluations and counselling have benefitted 4940 individuals.
+
+Students have participated in a multitude of sports events including The Regional Abilympics (Organized by the  National Abilympic Association of India, New Delhi), and have showcased commendable talent in regional and district cultural competitions, with participation in national events as well.
+
+## Community based- financial model
+
+The school is structured as a community based establishment, with most of its finances being sourced from donations.Though it began as a social initiative of IIT Roorkee, the institute doesn’t have formal financial obligations to the school. In their stead, IIT-R facilitates these benefactions by making them 100% tax-free (under Section 80-G) if made through the Institute Registrar. Anyone can contribute financially to the school’s cause via this channel.
+
+Companies,industrialists and enterprises that visit Roorkee during Thomso and Cognizance also often donate to the school as a part of different fundraising initiatives. 
+
+Rallies and deaf-awareness events bring to focus the requirements of hearing impaired children and encourage the community to contribute in some way to the upheaval of these children so that they can have a shot at a luminous future.
+
+Being independent from the governmental machinery enables efficient utilisation of collected funds and ensures that they are wholly channeled to the students in need.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/anushruti3.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+## Administrative structure
+A team of dedicated teachers and educators trained and specialised in interacting with hearing impaired children are involved in Anushruti’s endeavours. The teachers don’t function on a fixed time table as the curriculum of primary education for these students varies and is different from regular students. 
+On the administrative front, the Director, IIT Roorkee is a patron while the Vice-President, Manager, Joint-Manager and Treasurer are faculty members of the institute. The constitution of Anushruti has been drafted by personnel from IITR and was ratified by the Board of Governors. The Managerial Committee is required to submit the the annual reports and audited balance sheets to IITR.
+
+## Relations with IIT-R
+The community of IIT is also actively engaged with the school’s working. Certain faculty members have ‘adopted’ students; the expenses incurred as part of the child’s education are borne by them. Coaches from the institute also interact and guide students having a penchant for sports. As mentioned previously, students from NSS contribute by intimating the school about students that can be helped. Moreover, the Department of Management Studies organizes the annual  ‘Deaf Awareness Week-BHOR’ every September. On one occasion, students from the Architecture Department visited the school interacted with the pupils who had a gala time forging new friendships.
+
+The school motivates IIT Roorkee students / faculty to undertake research on the development of latest technologies to develop assertive devices and other educational teaching aids, various software's, teaching learning material and appliances to help educate and train hearing impaired children.
+
+Through an in-school gift shop, the school also engages in selling a variety of artistic creations from its students such  greeting cards, dolls, toys and a whole paraphernalia of gorgeous objects. These works are available for purchase by anyone who wants to contribute, they need only reach the school via the designated contact number.
+
+The school will greatly benefit from technical inputs from IIT-R’s community, which include volunteerism to take these children under tutelage and assist the school in its endeavours. The school is always on the lookout for such people, and anyone who wants to lend a helping hand towards making the world a brighter and more jubilant place for these children just have to bring their motivations to the notice of the school .
+
+_The official website of anushruti: <span style="color:#0645AD">[iitr.ac.in/RSD/]( https://www.iitr.ac.in/RSD/)</span>._

_posts/2018-12-24-choreo-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Choreography and Dance Section"
+image: choreo2.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**Give an insight into your performance and the practise sessions.**
+
+The majority of our routine is what we performed in Thomso, along with new impressive additions like ‘Stomping’, in which there is no music and we create our own beats with claps and taps. We have used interesting props which will add sensation to our performance.
+We have a team of 28 people, each performing 7-8 songs on an average. We started our practices from August-September. Initially sessions lasted 3-4 hours but they now stretch to 9-10 hours or even more.
+
+**How do you manage your contingent dynamics and keep your team motivated?**
+
+Our team has members from all the years. We all love dancing and revel in it. We live for that moment when we perform on stage and it is very special for us. Talking about the bigger picture, there is no personal benefit from cultural activities but we do it for our respect of the art and our passion constantly drives us.
+
+**What do you feel is the difference between the Cult in other IITs and IITR?**
+
+I believe that in Roorkee, the junta is more career oriented. If you look at Bombay, Delhi etc they are more zealous and comprehensive. I have been involved in Cult for the past three years now, and I see students drifting away and it is getting weaker. Quality has definitely improved but comprehensiveness and enthusiasm are decreasing.
+
+**How does a platform like inter IIT affects the growth of your section?**
+
+We always existed as a group and used to perform in Thomso and Jashn but Inter-IIT has pushed us to become performers and work towards improving the levels of our dancing. It has incorporated professionalism with dancing we get a competitive environment and an exhibit of the Culture in our sister IITs which compels us to better and match their levels.
+
+**What are your expectations from the competition this year?**
+
+As we are the host IIT, we definitely want to win. We are experimenting with new things, pushing our limits and working hard. From our last performance, we have set a benchmark that we have to surpass. We have great competitors. So it's definitely challenging, a mix of nervousness and enthusiasm.
+
+**So out of all the events that are under your section, which one is the most challenging to prepare for?**
+
+We have Group Dance, Duet and Street Battle. The group dance is the most challenging one because we have to coordinate between a large no of people and it yields the maximum points.
+
+**What support have you received from the institute, for the inter IIT?**
+
+The institute has been supportive. They have provided us with the props, good quality costumes, money and everything. We are not restricted from trying new things.
+
+**As far as the Choreography and Dance Section is concerned, do you think our institute is infrastructurally and technically equipped to host an inter IIT event?**
+
+Well yes, we do lack in infrastructure. Our section performs in the Convocation Hall which has a marble stage. It is not meant for dancing and it is scientifically flawed from the audience point of view as well. The Mac Audi has a smaller stage with less sitting capacity.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/choreo1.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**Give us some insights into the fun that you guys have in the long practice sessions.**
+
+There are a lot of interesting personalities in our group who are fun to be with.The dance room is full of laughter, jokes. When we get tired of our routines we dance off-beat on random songs which is really tough and fun.
+
+**So any ending remarks and message for the incoming teams?**
+
+Roorkee hosting the Inter-IIT has been instrumental in improving our section’s quality in terms of resources as well as performance. We are excited to see what happens this year. We are working hard and well prepared. We're really looking forward to seeing our competitors, knowing they'll come with all guns blazing but yeah Beware!

_posts/2018-12-24-culinary-council.md

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Culinary Club"
+image: culinary1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**Tell us about the events under your section in Inter IIT.**
+
+We have two events. The first is the Tag Team Challenge. Each team will comprise of two members. During the hour-long cooking challenge, the team members will have to switch in every 15 mins. The second event is making a complete 3-course meal (starters, main course and dessert) within a time limit of 2 hrs. The list of ingredients will be same for both the events. The teams are allowed to bring their own equipments if they require but the list of ingredients is fixed.
+
+**This is Culinary Club’s debut in the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet. How has the response been so far?**
+
+None of the other IITs has a culinary club. So it was a challenge to encourage them to participate since they lack proper teams and resources. But now many teams are up for it and they are excited to try this for the first time.
+
+**What was your motive behind introducing cooking to Inter-IIT platform?**
+
+We want every IIT to have its own Culinary Club. Food is an integral part of any culture. So a Cultural Meet without the element of food is sketchy. The inter-IIT platform is likely compel other IITs to kickstart their own culinary clubs. This will flourish the culture of food and it will be taken more seriously.
+
+**How are you sourcing the ingredients and other essential equipments for your events?**
+
+Everything is being arranged by the Inter-IIT core team. We have sent them the list of all the ingredients, pots and pans, knives, spoons and chopping boards that we’ll be needing. The vegetables and fruits will probably come from the campus messes.
+
+**Give us an insight into your practice sessions.**
+
+We recently got the canteen space in the new SAC building to practice and set up our instruments and ingredients. We practise for 4-5 hours daily. It involves a lot of discussion as to what should be cooked, which flavours to work on, what should be the sequence of our dishes etc. We have selected dishes that are less risky since there are high chances of screwing up under the pressure during competitions.
+
+**Who will be judging these events?**
+
+Jayanandan Bhaskar, MasterChef Season-1 runner-up is one of the judges. He came to judge in Thomso as well.
+
+**What were the challenges you faced during Thomso?**
+
+It was a test run to see what problems can arise while organising a cooking competition. There was some miscommunication with caterers so at the last hour we had to arrange everything from the induction cooktops to the venue at LHC (about which the professor wasn’t too happy. )
+
+**Cooking competitions involve many contingencies, say the dish gets burnt. What are your emergency plans for dealing with it?**
+
+We have selected dishes with minimum risk, less cooking time and can be prepared in bulk. So, we’ll be making, say 3 batches in one go and then serve the best one. Also, we have the arrangements of basic first aid for burns, cuts etc.
+
+**How has been the support of SAC, the Inter-IIT core team and the administration?**
+
+Ours is an equipment-intensive group. Financially, the administration hasn’t been very helpful. SAC has been more supportive. We got initial funding of 50,000 for our café and all our things have been purchased from it. The funds are sufficient for our event.The contractors will be providing the stoves for the flame-based cooking and we have 7-8 induction-cooktops as a backup.
+
+**Your club is still in its nascent stage. How an event like Inter-IIT helpful for the growth of your group?**
+
+Many students on the campus are still unaware of the existence of our group.Through, Inter-IIT they’ll get to know more the section.Cooking is an essential part of our life. At some point in life, you have to cook and it’s good that students learn it during their college years.
+
+**Tell us about your plans for the student-run café.**
+
+It will open every Saturday and Sunday and students will cook a single dish on a particular day. Cleanliness will be our topmost priority. We want to be responsible about what we serve. Also, at least once a month, we’ll cook especially for the Africans. Africans in our campus struggle a lot with the food. The species, the kind of rice, the vegetables etc doesn’t suit them. We’ll try to cook Tapioca and plantains which can be procured from Delhi.
+
+**What are your expectations for the inter-IIT events?**
+
+The participating teams are all charged up. Every other day, we receive their messages asking doubts which shows they are prepping well. I feel elated about putting in the efforts. It will be fun!
+
+**Any message to your competitors?**
+
+It’s a Food War. Let’s gear up and give our best!

_posts/2018-12-24-dramatics-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Dramatics Section"
+image: drams1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**Tell us what are the events are under your section?**
+
+Under the category of dramatic arts we have 3 kinds of events- stage play& street play, these are group competitions where we participate in teams of 20-30 and monologue where a single person performs.
+
+**Give us an insight into your practices for the cultural meet.**
+
+For the street play, we are continuing over our semester play. We are already prepared for it and just improving on places where we lacked, how it was perceived by the audience and other minor details.For the stage play, we have selected an entirely new script. Practise for stage play goes on from morning till 12 at night. It involves a lot of work, choosing the scripts, writing dialogues, working on the characters, music selection, setup etc. For the street play, we practise from morning to evening, before the sun sets, in the ABN ground. After this, the street play members work as the non-cast for the stage practice in OP Jain Auditorium.
+
+**Are only original plays are allowed or adaptations can be performed?**
+
+Both adaptations and original plays are allowed but they do not have any marks for the script. Marking will be on acting and direction, creativity and overall impact through music, lights, costumes and stage.
+
+**In the process of preparing the play which is the most challenging and difficult task?**
+
+Everything requires a lot of hard work but I would say it’s in terms of direction and acting where all the IITs would be at par. So, to be a step ahead we are experimenting with our creativity, music and light. Execution of the idea is the most important task.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/drams2.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**Being the host contingent the advantages and disadvantages that you face.**
+
+Advantages as a host contingent are that you have a very good idea of the stage, the props, furniture etc. We are getting good resources, we have bought a new xylophone, the OP Jain stage is getting revamped and the lights are also improved. The disadvantage is that you lose a part of the team who are are helping with the organising of the cultural meet and that we are not getting to go to another place (laughs).
+
+**So, is it a pressure or an excitement to be the host?**
+
+I wouldn’t say it’s any extra pressure. If we were going to any other IIT we would have put in the same amount of effort that we are putting in now.
+
+**Till now how has been the support of the administration and the Inter IIT core team and what are the problems you faced?**
+
+Regarding the rules and resources we got a good amount of support but infrastructurally one of the biggest problems is that we have to practise besides the Choreography Section and they play loud music which causes a lot of inconveniences. Also, another problem we face being in Roorkee is that it is difficult to arrange the costumes and props. We try to arrange it locally or get it stitched from the tailor. Similarly, it is difficult to get a wig so we even ask people to shave their head off.
+
+**Comparing to the previous editions, what challenges you faced that you are trying to overcome in this performance?**
+
+We haven’t won any place in the street play yet, so of course, we are collecting everything from the winning teams that we missed and combine all of those to execute our idea.
+We won the second position in the stage play last year and we went to the judges who told us the places where we lagged like a few costumes didn’t go well, a few places where acting could have been better etc. So have all the points in our mind and trying our best to execute them.
+
+**How does an inter-IIT platform aids in the improvement of your section?**
+
+We have always been performing semester plays which are for the campus Janta, an audience which does not know much about dramatics and nobody to judge. But Inter-IIT is a competition and it comes with pressure. We tend to act differently under pressure and try to be the best version of ourselves. There are professional Judges who will observe the details and technicalities and there are teams who are also part of dramatics section of their college.We get an opportunity to see where we stand, where we lag, where we are good and this overall helps in our growth.
+
+**In previous versions, you have faced problems in the management, so what do you think that Roorkee must improve on?**
+
+Last year in the event there was no coordinator from The Dramatics Section during the dramatics events. When we had issues with the lights we needed someone from the section who knows about the technical details to help. This created a big problem and so we are trying to ensure this does not happen here.
+
+![The team fun](/images/posts/drams3.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**You might have good days and bad days, so how do you deal with the bad days?**
+
+Well, we laugh at mistakes. I think that any of the cult activity has a lot of energy associated with it. When something is not going good in a stage play then we go and see the practice of the street play where they will be singing the chorus and so you get the energy from people around you Any kind of blunder becomes a joke. For example, if there is an intimate scene between two characters it’s usually funny to see the actors getting awkward and laughing but we have to maintain professionalism.
+
+**Any ending remarks?**
+
+Go for Gold ! We will give our best.

_posts/2018-12-24-music-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Music Section"
+image: music1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**How have been your practices for the Inter-IIT so far?**
+
+We practice from the afternoon all the way till midnight or sometimes even later.. It’s Inter-IIT so we are targeting higher, beyond what we do regularly in our shows. So yeah, it’s strenuous and it is demanding a lot from us.
+
+**What are the events that come under the music section in Inter-IIT?**
+
+There are three events. First is solo singing – two participants from each IIT. And there’s “Pair on Stage’.The team consists of a pair and they can do anything, like they can sing, loop, play the guitar etc and be as creative as possible.The last is our Band Performance which is most challenging as there are a lot of people and it's difficult to maintain synchronisation.
+
+**So what do you think about your competition? Is it tough this time around?**
+
+It is extremely tough this time. Madras and Kharagpur are both extremely intimidating and strong teams. And we hope we beat them this time.In both the previous editions, we have been second. We will be trying our best to change that this time for the better.
+
+![The team ](/images/posts/music2.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**What problems have you faced, especially with respect to for Inter-IIT, considering you have only one room and so many different events?**
+
+The number of rooms is not really a constraint. The solo singing is something which we can practice at our own rooms also. We just need a tabla and a vocalist. So the room is not a constraint.
+
+**How has been the infrastructural and the technical support from the institute and Inter-IIT team?**
+
+Our chief advisor has been quite supportive. And in terms of equipment, we can’t ask for more. We just purchased a guitar and drum set. It’s very crucial for this event. We requested some special audio setup for the event as well, hoping that we will get it. Inter IIT team too is quite co-operative as well.
+
+**What were the challenges that you faced previously, that you are hoping to overcome or avoid this time?**
+
+We haven’t always found any new challenge. The challenges have remained same; getting a good mix and completing everything under a time constraint. If that doesn’t come right, the event doesn’t go well.
+
+**So who are the judges this time?**
+
+I don’t think it has been revealed yet. We have just given our proposal to the core team for the judges.
+
+**You have long practice hours. So how do you maintain the contingent dynamics among yourselves?**
+
+Everyone is quite motivated by themselves. We don’t have a lot of other things to do during vacations so we devote our time to the section and work towards putting an electrifying performance.

_posts/2018-12-26-audio-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Audio Section"
+image: audio1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**What are the events under your section in the cult meet?**
+
+The only event that the audio section is managing is the DJ Battle which is introduced for the first time in the cultural meet.
+
+**What is a DJ battle?**
+
+Basically,the job of a DJ is to play music according to the mood of the crowd,There are a lot of techniques to accomplish this and different DJs use different ones. For example, club DJs try to stick to the mood of the public and raise the tempo of the songs being played. Then there are turn tabelists, radio DJs who play theme specific songs or a playlist. Since this is a competition, the participants will be judged on several criteria like scratching, faders, the techniques we use, and so on. The interaction with the crowd would be a major factor in judging.
+
+**Will the competition have a crowd dancing to your beats?**
+
+Basically we’ll be facing a crowd and their reactions will be the basis of the points that we get.
+
+**Will the crowd will be casual or staged?**
+
+The crowd will be the general populace from all of the IITs. We expect a heterogeneous public since the competition will be on the UG floor.
+
+**Tell us about your practice sessions for DJ battle.**
+
+We are preparing specific mixes that we’ll be performing there. I, for example, will be using a launchpad in my performance. It helps in building a drop or mixing songs and it gives a beat to the music.
+
+**What goes behind all the preparations for the competition?**
+
+First, we decide what type of songs we want. Some attention also needs to be paid to the beats-per-minute (BPM) of the songs. You cannot mix any two songs randomly. They must have the same BPMs. There has to be a connection between the songs that we are mixing, and the list is prepared accordingly. We can also arrange songs in a way so that the public can feel the tempo rising, having it start off slowly and then pacing till the major drop comes. Then, we also have to take care of the mood. We have to give time to the crowd to relax, so the songs cannot be too fast and there have to be moments in the mixes where we can actually interact with the crowd. So, these are things we try to manage behind the walls.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/audio2.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**What is the contingent size?**
+
+There can be at most two members in a team, and two teams from each IIT are allowed.
+
+**You need a lot of instruments for DJing. What was the technical support you received from the inter IIT team and the administration?**
+
+We have a controller which is similar to the DJ system that will be provided in the competition. We give commands, and the system performs actions accordingly. However, it will be a challenge in switching to the actual system from the controller.
+
+**What were the challenges you faced while practicing?**
+
+The actual DJ setup is quite expensive so we won’t be provided with that. We will be given a specific instrument a day before the actual competition and 1 hour practice slot is allotted for every team. So, we’ll only have that time for practice on the actual system we will be using.
+
+**What are your expectations from the competition?**
+
+We are expecting a boost in the section name after the competition. It’ll also be a great experience for us, along with providing a much needed exposure.
+
+**How is the DJ culture in other IITs?**
+
+Since the setup is really expensive, it is not very popular. However, most people are really into DJing on an individual level.
+
+**Any ending remarks or message to the incoming teams?**
+
+I would like to wish them luck. Although we are suffering from a lack of technical support, but we certainly hope to give them the time of their lives.

_posts/2018-12-26-cinematic-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Cinematic Section"
+image: cinesec1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**What are the events that come under your section and give a brief detail about it.**
+
+We have two events, one is the online short film making competition and other is the offline short film making competition. In the online competition the topic is given one month prior and in the offline competition the topic is given on spot on which the movie is to be made in 48 hours. Everything needs to be done in those 48 hours starting from the story, scripting, shooting and the editing. This year we have a screenwriting competition as well which is right after the offline film making competition. We are supposed to write a 3 minute screenplay on the given topic.
+
+**Talking about the online short film making competition have you guys prepared the movie?**
+
+Yeah, we have submitted our movie. This year the theme was ‘The show must go on’. The theme was given on 7th November and after our end sems we started developing the story and the script. We prepared 3 to 4 scripts and then picked the best one. The shooting was mainly done in the campus and some shots were taken outside. We got help from Jha sir . We used his apartment for one of our scenes. Our movie is around 13 minutes. The shooting was completed around 14th December and it took us one week for the editing.
+
+**How long were the shooting hours and how big is the contingent?**
+
+Actually, the pre-production part is more than the shooting. So, the most important part of film making process is the scripting and the actors. We first prepared the script and chose the actors from the dramatics section and our section
+
+**So, what does the platform of Inter IIT mean to your section in terms of growth and exposure?**
+
+In the first Inter IIT cultural meet at Bombay we won the Film and Media Category. From there on, being the first winners, we have always been excited about the event and we always look forward to it. Moreover it’s much better than what we do during the course of year. It’s Inter IIT, it‘s competitive, we try to outperform other IIT’s and it brings the best out of us.
+
+**You might have had good and bad days. How did you guys manage the bad days and what were the team dynamics throughout the process?**
+
+Most of the problems were before we started shooting, because it is very difficult to choose 1 script from 3-4 scripts that members come up with. Whoever has made the script fights for it and lots of discussions happen. And after that the pre-production because before we shoot everything has to be decided. Ideally the shoot must take the least time as everything is pre planned. With some many ideas it’s difficult to incorporate all and make the best out of it.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/cinesec2.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**How was the support from the administration and the Inter IIT cultural team?**
+
+We wanted an apartment to shoot. Jha Sir is the first person we go to in such cases. He readily agreed and in fact he even prepared lunch for the entire team. We were there for around four hours in his apartment and after the shoot he prepared lunch and that was fun. But we lack a dedicated room for our section where we can store our equipments and work together. It would have helped us a great deal if we had one.
+
+**What are the preparations for the offline completion?**
+
+There’s nothing much to prepare as such because we are given the topic on the spot and unless we know the topic we can’t really do anything. We have participated in the 48-hour filmmaking before so we know what goes into it and the kind of mindset required. I think all of us are ready for it. There are 15 people in the team and all of them have been to at least one such competition.
+
+**Compared to previous Inter IIT meets how do you think this will be different?**
+
+It’s definitely better, partly because this is the third time and also because it is our home campus. So it’s much simplified and we know what to do regarding administrative roadblocks and getting the things we want. In 48-hour film making we definitely have an advantage as we know the locations pretty well and we can shoot easily, because in previous editions we had to scout for locations as well in the given time. We can definitely sense some home advantage but the rest is pretty even.
+
+**So being the host is an advantage rather than extra pressure to perform.**
+
+There is pressure and it‘s fun, after all it is competitive and we definitely want to outperform when we are the hosts.
+
+**Do you think that IITR is infrastructurally adept to host such an event on this scale.**
+
+Yes, I have been a part of planning since August -September. We do have enough places and auditoriums. I don’t think there should be any infrastructural problem or administrative. I am assuming everything would be sorted out by the time meet starts.
+
+**Any ending remarks?**
+
+We are eagerly looking forward to it. Especially after our good performance in Tech and Sports meets, we feel the pressure to perform well in Cult plus we are the host institute. We wish the entire IITR contingent all the best!
+
+**Any message to the incoming teams?**
+
+(Laughing) We are ready! Are you?

_posts/2018-12-26-debating-society.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Debating Society"
+image: debsoc2.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**What is the debating format in the inter IIT Cultural Meet?**
+
+The debating format followed in the Cultural Meet is Asian Parliamentary Debating with 19 teams registered. There are prizes for the top 3 teams, best speaker and best adjudicator. A debate is competitive in two ways- speaker team against another speaker team and the people who judge the debates. The speaking team also score the adjudicator (or judge) on the basis of how well they understood the debate, the arguments, pitched them against each other and consequently came up with a fair verdict. This year in inter IIT we have a 70-30 point split for the speaker team and the adjudicators.
+
+**Tell us about your practice sessions for the inter IIT meet.**
+
+The practice for inter IIT is just like we have had for other parliamentary debates conducted throughout the year. Firstly there are knowledge sessions which are organized by the members of the debating society on a variety of topics like economics, geopolitics, history, feminism etc., These topics pop up frequently in the debates so we need to have awareness and general insights about these domains. With regards to preparation, we are often up against teams studying Arts and Liberal Arts who have a more extensive knowledge base because many of the topics we discuss are a part of their curriculum, implying that we have to put in extra efforts. Hence, we try to include as much knowledge sessions as possible and in general try to accrue more and more information actuating a competent performance on these platforms. This time, we are against IIT’s so the tournament will be more equal-footed and involved. Preparation for debates is not like studying for an exam. We cannot prepare or study a week before a tournament by binging on the material. It’s the effort that you put in consistently over the course of a year which involves several things like expanding your knowledge base, learning to speak fluently and fast along with keeping your words comprehensive. Therefore, even if there is no tournament we meet at least 3-4 times a week to conduct debates which usually last for a couple of hours and during tournaments, we ramp up the frequency. We also participate in tournaments throughout the year through which we get a lot of exposure.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/debsoc1.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**On the basis of your previous experience, what are your expectations from the meet?**
+
+Some of the IIT’s like IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur have well established Debating Societies, whereas our Society is relatively new. We expect good competition from them but we can not underestimate the newer IIT’s as well.
+
+**What were the major challenges you faced while practising and organizing the debating event?**
+
+For every debating tournament, there are a certain number of core adjudicators who are meant to be the core organizers of the tournament and they are not competing with the general adjudicators. The core adjudicators are usually people who have a lot of experience in debating and have a really good idea about how tournaments are conducted. Given that the inter IIT is scheduled in the Christmas season, a lot of people are busy with their vacations and a lot of law colleges have their exams at this time as well. As a result, inviting the core adjudicators had many hassles and we had to make a lot of extraordinary efforts.
+
+**Tell us about the fun that you have during your practice sessions?**
+
+Debating practices are a healthy mixture of fun and serious work. Working your way through an argument, trying to convince the adjudicator (who happens to be a friend), while at the same time coming up with counters to the opposing side (who are friends as well) adds a lot of adrenaline rush to these debates. No doubt, these discussions sometimes turn passionate with loud-mouthing involved (all in good humour) and both sides trying to convince each other way past the actual debate.
+
+**What were the challenges you faced in the previous editions and you are trying to overcome this time?**
+
+Last year, a major problem was that the IITR Debsoc was formed 6 months prior to the inter IIT. Due to this our core team didn’t have as many people as we would’ve liked (that’s changed now though). There were also administrative issues, but the administration has by and large been very helpful to us, in particular, our faculty advisor Dr. P K Jha.
+
+**So are you better equipped and prepared this time?**
+
+Considering the still nascent stage of our Debsoc, we have tried to prepare well. We practised throughout the semester and went to different tournaments to learn and understand what efficacious debating entails.
+
+**Any note for the incoming teams?**
+
+The main reason we participate in any tournament, especially in debating, is to learn and to be better as we have fun in engaging with a myriad of people with a vast span of ideas and debating styles. We have invited esteemed core adjudicators and tried to make this tournament a great learning experience for all the participating teams. In the end, we wish all the teams luck and hope for great debates ahead.

_posts/2018-12-26-fine-arts.md

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Fine Arts"
+image: finearts.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**Tell us about the events which come under the Fine Arts section in Inter IIT.**
+
+There are 4 events which come under the fine arts. Actually the heads name is fine arts and design but there are only four events which are under the fine arts. Two events are under design. Our events are namely – costume design, live sketching, charcoal art and canvas painting.
+
+**So how is your preparation different for all four?**
+
+Costume design is a team event and a team of 6 will be participating in this event, so coordination is very important. That’s why, we called the team members to the campus 15 days before the Inter-IIT
+
+**The topic was given beforehand?**
+
+Yeah! Theme was decided a month prior to event and the theme was conveyed to the respective IITs. For charcoal art, theme is on the spot, and for that our strategy to practice is different. For example, in last Inter-IIT the theme was ‘Happiness’. We pick different words daily like afraid, fast, escape etc. and practise. We prepping so that the participants may not be ambushed by the theme on the spot. And for live sketching, we are most confident because our sketchers are really really good. We are expecting gold in live sketching.The theme of the costume design is futurism as in what the events in the future will be like. The practice is going really really well. See it’s not a team event, it’s an individual event. So our members have already started practicing for it way before Inter-IIT. And the last one is canvas painting for which the theme was decided a week before the event.
+
+**So do you guys practice together or do you practice in your rooms?**
+
+No, we practice together, at the section. We get the feeling of unity. In room everybody gets lazy. Seeing everybody is practice, keeps you motivated and charged up.
+
+**So how are the contingent dynamics among the fine arts members? How do you guys deal with the bad days?**
+
+We just deal with it. We don’t experience bad days too often. Whenever we are practicing, we are also playing some music that keeps our mood light.
+
+**So what are your expectations from the competition?**
+
+From the competition, we are expecting to learn a lot. When you are practicing alone, you don’t know what your scope of improvements are. When you participate in the competition, you see others’ skills and figure out the places where you lack. So we are expecting to improve a lot from this competition and hopefully, we’ll win too.
+
+**In what ways is this Inter-IIT cultural meet platform important for you section, in terms of growth and exposure?**
+
+This is just the second edition, and before this fine arts didn’t participate in any competitions. We just went to Rendezvous or Kashi Yatra, the other cultural fests of different IITs. Seeing different IITs come together and compete with one another, is a different kind of atmosphere. You get so much exposure and learn a lot from it.
+
+**Among your events which is the most challenging for your section to tackle?**
+
+I think that charcoal art is most challenging because the theme will be given on the spot. We will have to think of something to draw and execute it in four hours. So that’s difficult.
+
+**So how was the support from the administration and the Inter-IIT cultural team?**
+
+The support was really good and I think it was the best. All the material requirements were fulfilled by the team and they been supportive. All the queries have been clarified.
+
+**For the incoming teams, will you be providing material or is it the rule that you have to bring your own?**
+
+It’s different according to different events. For canvas painting, the paints have to be brought by the teams. In live sketching and charcoal, we’ll be providing the pencils. In costume design, we’ll provide the sheets but they can bring it along if they want to.
+
+**What was your flow of tackling these events?**
+
+We researched a lot. The initial seven or eight days were spent in researching as to what could be done to represent the theme and impress the judges.
+
+**Do you think our institute is infrastructurally well adapt to host such an event as Inter-IIT cultural meet?**
+
+Yeah I think it is. It’s quite spacious and fine arts events can be hosted really well.
+
+**What is the most fun and interesting part about the Inter-IIT?**
+
+Our contingent size is fifteen and when we are in a section there is a lot of brainstorming with people working passionately . To see all your juniors, seniors and colleagues tackle a problem and revel in the same art is what makes us elated.
+
+**Any funny incident that you want to share?**
+
+In costume design, fun incidents happen almost daily. Actually we have to decorate a person. Our team consists of 4 males and 2 females. And when the girls are not available, we try to experiment the dresses on the boys. And that is totally hilarious!
+
+**Any notes for the incoming teams?**
+
+We are expecting a really healthy competition and we are conducting it for the first time. So if there are any mistakes from our side, please overlook them. We are trying are best to avoid any errors or loopholes.

_posts/2018-12-26-kshitij.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Kshitij"
+image: kshitij.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**What are the events under your purview how are the practices for them?**
+
+Under Kshitj, we have 4 events- English Slam Poetry and Kavyanjali Hindi Slam poetry, creative writing (hindi and english). For English slam, there is not much to practise so we 1-2 hours daily. It starts with the writing sessions. We brainstorm ideas, write the content and edit the pieces in multiple rounds. There are points for poetic language, clarity of message and vocabulary. Then we start working on voice modulation, emotions, body language, posture etc which determine the major impact of our performance.
+
+**Can you brief about the culture of slam poetry in IIT Roorkee?**
+
+Slam poetry is something very new to our campus. It was introduced 2 years back and from then Kshitij is trying to propagate it through various workshops, annual slam poetry fest where members of our section perform and friends of section (FOS) in which non-kshitij members can learn and perform on stage.
+
+**How an inter IIT platform will impact the culture of Slam Poetry?**
+
+Slam poetry is very new art in our campus and it’s something that we do for leisure. So when we will get a competitive platform like inter IIT, more people will get to know what the art is about. Writing is something that we do for leisure, it's our hobby. But when we get a competitive platform we tend to work on the technicalities, put solid efforts, get to know where we stand, analyse where we lack which leads to our personal growth as well as improve the culture in our campus.
+
+**How has been the support of inter IIT core team for your event?**
+
+The interIIT team has been very supportive. All our demands have fulfilled and we have got very good judges. Our institute have a lot of auditoriums but not every stage is suitable for a spoken word event. So they arranged the biotech audi and provided us a spotlight.
+
+**What are your expectations from other IITs?**
+
+Most of the IITs don’t have a slam poetry group. As far as we know, people who are participating are doing by themselves. Slam poetry is something that does not take place on a competitive level. There are no rules or a fixed format for a slam. We can write about anything- a story, a social issue, any emotion or incidence. So it will be good opportunity to see what our sister IITs will present.
+
+**Any ending remarks?**
+
+We are looking forward for good exposure, and I think we’ll definitely get that. Also we are the defending champions so there is a positive pressure on us. Good luck to the incoming teams. We are ready!

_posts/2018-12-26-quizzing-section.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Quizzing Section"
+image: quizzing.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**What are the events under quizzing section?**
+
+There are 6 quizzes- India,Sports,SciTech,Business,MELA and General under our purview.Along with these, members of the section will also be partaking in the Word Games as we don’t have a separate club for the same.
+
+**What were your practise sessions like?**
+
+Our practises last throughout the semester as quizzing isn't something you can practise for just one event. We had an increased frequency of regular quizzes on various genres throughout the semester, we also conducted various practise quizzes of other quizzing circles like KQA and K-Circle. Apart from these we travelled to three outstation quizzes to strengthen our preparations for Inter IIT.
+
+**How do you compare the quizzes of Inter IIT with other quizzing events on a competitive level?**
+
+So this year, the Inter IIT Team has managed to get hold of some of the best quizmasters, who’ve conducted quizzes in Nihilanth, which is the Inter IIT-IIM Quizzing Meet and that has made this years event a great challenge for us. Competitively,Inter IIT is an easier platform than other quizzes we’ve taken part in this year as some of them were open quizzes and had much more experienced quizzers. But from our standings in those quizzes, we’re confident of a good performance this year.
+
+**What are your expectations from the incoming teams this year?**
+
+Quizzing has always has had a cut throat competition and we don’t expect anything less this year. There is the added pressure of being the host contingent. But we hope to perform well and get at least a stage final presence in most of the quizzes. At this point, it is anybody’s game.
+
+**Can you briefly explain what goes in one of your practise quiz?**
+
+We have pre decided teams for every genre based on every member’s trong suit and in practise quizzes we work on building up team dynamics amongst us. Working out an answer as a team is crucial for our performance. Quizzing isn’t just about remembering a set of random trivia, it’s that and much more.
+
+**How does an Inter IIT platform impact your section?**
+
+The Inter IIT is a great reality check platform for us. The high level of competition and exposure help us pinpoint exactly on the areas we are lacking in and problems we need to iron out. It also helps immensely in our preparation for Nihilanth, which takes place in January every year.
+
+**Were the venues sufficient for the number of practice quizzes you conducted?**
+
+So this year we faced a slight difficulty with regards to booking of venues.Last year the process was smooth. But this year we had problems as the venues weren’t booked for us on time and we had to cancel or reschedule our quizzes at the very last minute. This affected our practises but then we took over the Ravindra Bhawan common room and conducted all our quizzes informally there without booking other venues.
+
+**Ending Remarks.**
+
+We’re ready with all guns blazing and confident of a good performance this year.

_posts/2018-12-26-standup-club.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Know Your Cult: Standup Club"
+image: standup1.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: interiit
+---
+
+_With the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet being just a few days away, all cult sections are busy practising away. Watch Out dropped by each section of the Cultsoc to get a sneak peek into their practise regime and to find out their expectations from the meet._
+
+**Tell us about your practice sessions and preparations for the inter IIT meet.**
+
+Unlike other contingents, we cannot have fixed practise sessions. We need to rack our brains and brood to come up with good jokes. Sometimes it takes us days to build a decent joke while someday we prepare the entire script in one go. It takes a lot of brainstorming, research, voice modulations, hand and body gestures to make a complete standup piece.
+
+**What goes behind writing a comedy piece?**
+
+We either build imaginary scenarios or talk about real life incidents. Comedy is more about being observant and picking up tiny details of common day situations and characters. Our pieces should be written according to the target audience. For example, in the inter IIT meet, according to our audience our content can include jokes on Indian society, college students, engineers, IITians, exams, JEE preparation, teenage romance etc.
+
+**Based on your previous experience, what are your expectations from this meet?**
+
+Last year, quite a few stand-ups involved vulgarity and obscenity which caused heckling in the audience. Though we have the freedom to do include anything in our performance, we expect a healthy competition and that people come up with good jokes keeping vulgarity at bay.
+
+**The stand-up club is in a very nascent stage in our campus. How the inter IIT platform will affect its growth?**
+
+Since there was a standup competition in the previous cultural meet, I was motivated to start a formal stand-up club in IITR. It is a different form of art and should be given a space to flourish. Competition is usually helpful in bringing out the best in us. Therefore, through this platform, we will grow as individual comedians as well as a team.
+
+![The team](/images/posts/standup2.png){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+**How has been the support from the institute and the inter IIT core team?**
+
+When we pitched our idea to start an official club we knew that we will have minimal requirements and the administration showed full support. Unlike metro cities like Bombay and Delhi, which have various comedy circuits around the city, Roorkee needed an independent club to bring like-minded people under one umbrella and practise comedy in a professional way. The administration has constantly helped in our promotions and encouraged us to try new things.
+
+**There are times when you don’t get the expected reaction on a joke and have to face awkward silences. How do you deal with it?**
+
+One important thing about this art of standup comedy is that the entire authority of your performance is in your hand. We face negative comments, booing and awkward silences quite often but a good comedian always has a way out. It takes a lot of guts and confidence to be a stand-up comedian along with good portions of humour of course.
+
+**Who is judging the event?**
+
+Shashwat Maheshwari will be judging our event in the inter IIT meet. He started out on youtube but now he is a writer in Filtercopy and works with Scoop-Whoop and Being Indian. He was a contestant in Comicstaan which earned him popularity.
+
+**Any ending remarks?**
+
+We do sense some home advantage because there are points for the crowd. We are geared up and look forward to a good competition.

_posts/2019-01-11-rfid-inaugration.md

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Inauguration of the RFID cards"
+tags: [wona, tech]
+image: rfid-inauguration1.jpg
+category: tech
+excerpt: "The process to issue RFID (RF for Radio Frequency) cards to students started off in 2011, and has finally borne fruit."
+---
+
+The process to issue RFID (RF for Radio Frequency) cards to students started off in 2011, and has finally borne fruit. Thanks to the efforts put in by current and past technical teams along with a conducive administration, RFID cards have been produced and are in possession of the institute. The idea behind RFID cards is that they can be used as a unified ID card for a variety of purposes - entry/exit from the campus, access to the library, payment of fines/purchase of coupons, and so on. Some of these initiatives will be under way soon, while other might take more time as the required infrastructural changes are made.
+
+Watch Out spoke to some of the concerned persons at the inauguration about the cards, how they will be rolled out, and what effect they will have on campus life.
+
+**Prof. A. K. Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee,** stressed the need for information dissemination about the newer initiatives being undertaken at IITR. RFID cards are a major component in his vision of having a 24x7 campus, and he urged students to take advantage of round-the-clock access to the library and departments. He also echoed a message of optimism at the positive changes taking place at IITR.
+
+**Prof. M K Barua, ADOSW Student Activities:**
+
+_“This particular proposal was started about 18 months ago under the tenure of the previous General Secretary Technical Affairs, and today RFID cards have become a reality. The point of these cards is to facilitate students to have smooth entry into different labs, student activities, technical and cultural festivals. Students in foreign universities make extensive use of such cards, using them to enter hostels, labs and even messes._
+
+_A lot of students have not provided their data for the RFID cards. They have not uploaded photos, signatures and so on. This was the major reason for the delay. We cannot print the cards unless we have everyone’s data.”_
+
+**The General Secretary of Technical Affairs, Mr. Ankit Alok Bagaria, along with Mr. Divyansh Jain from his technical team\*, explained the RFID card rollout plan:**
+
+_“Students will be required to collect their cards as per their Department’s notification after submitting their current IDs. In case a student doesn't have their current ID card, he/she need not go through the whole procedure of creating another one but some alternative provision will be made to facilitate this process of distribution._
+
+_While these RFID cards were made two months ago but were delayed because RFID scanners were not installed in the required areas, and a lot of students had not provided the relevant details. While most cards have been issued, if some are still found missing, students would have the facility of filling up the details on-the-spot using a QR code._
+
+_The RFID cards are to be implemented in three phases._
+
+_The first phase would involve the cards being used to track entry and the exit from the campus area, specifically after 11 PM, which was being handled manually until now. This would also aid in improving the security of the student populace on the campus, since previously the guards only asked entering students their bhawan name. The second phase might facilitate the cashless campus initiative by using Paytm (if we get a positive response from them), with a Payment Gateway integrated into these ID cards for payments  for institute expenditures like mess coupons, library fines, snooker table fees etc. The third phase would involve infrastructural changes like changing the entrance doors of departmental laboratories to make sure they are RFID activated ones._
+
+_In the coming few months, it is expected that the first phase will be complete. Since a lot of the work in the second two phases is infrastructural, or depends on how our payment partners respond, it may or may not be completed within my tenure. But the necessary paperwork for them will be completed._
+
+_Major focus will be paid to make sure this becomes a sustainable system such that in case a student loses his RFID card, certain provisions shall be established for continuing the regular activities unhindered until a newer one is made._
+
+_As far as restricting entry of outsiders is concerned, we have observed that it is generally students who create problems when asked to fill in their details. Outsiders don’t create this issue. Outsiders will still fill their details, only now, the students will be asked to scan their RFID cards at entry and exit points.”_
+
+**Watch Out’s Two Cents**
+
+![RFID](/images/posts/rfid-inauguration2.jpg){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+Finally, this is a positive step taken towards a better R-Land, but there still lie some issues which need to be taken care of. While the cards have been finalised from the side of the administration, they are yet to be delivered to the students. We cannot comment on the efficacy of these cards and whether infrastructural changes will follow until they are actually distributed among the students.
+
+The Director has rightly pointed out that the paramount issue facing us currently concerns awareness and the dissemination of information. This holds true especially in the case of RFID cards. A number of people have yet to fill in their data for the IDs. We urge anyone who hasn’t to fill the form at the earliest. They can find the form at [http://bit.ly/RFIDiitr2](http://bit.ly/RFIDiitr2). We sincerely hope that this endeavor reduces the porosity of the campus and makes it a more secure place.
+
+
+_\* The technical team assisting Gensec. Tech. consisted of Anunay Joshi, Chandra Pratap Singh, Divyansh Jain and Vipul Ghate_

_posts/2019-02-11-e-summit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "E-Summit"
+tags: [wona, tech]
+image: e-summit2.jpg
+category: tech
+excerpt: "The first weekend of February saw the arrival of almost 900 students and almost 60 speakers and guests as part of the E-Summit, organised by the E- Cell."
+---
+
+The first weekend of February saw the arrival of almost 900 students and almost 60 speakers and guests as part of the E-Summit, organised by the E- Cell. The two day event was packed to the brim with talks by top business leaders and policy makers, workshops, competitions and networking events. The theme for this year’s event was, “Building for the Billion”. 
+
+The first day saw the inauguration by the Director of the institute who indicated the event as an opportunity to showcase the innovations made in technology to the guests. He stressed the importance of the startup culture, saying that the establishment of more successful startups has the potential to bring the country out of the tag of developing countries. This was followed by the speech by Mr. Ajay Prakash Sawhney, the current Secretary to the Government of India - Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Mr. Sawhney is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. His work on the National Policy on electronics was a starting stone for Electronics reforms in this sector. 
+
+![Mr. Sawhney ](/images/posts/e-summit1.jpg){: style="width: 100%;"}
+
+Mr. Sawhney started with an unusual remark that If he could rewind back and restart his career probably would be an entrepreneur. He was encouraged by the growth of startups in India and mentioned that India comes 3rd, only behind the USA and China when it comes to number of Unicorns (Startups with a valuation of over $1 billion). He went on to say that connectivity has reached almost the entire nation via the Digital India initiative, with an apparent 1.2 billion people being digitally connected. He also stressed the importance of emerging technologies like the Internet of things (IoT), Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning.
+
+
+This was followed by a visit to the new SAC building, the Tinkering Lab, Design Innovation Centre and the Business Incubator.
+
+Watch Out got a unique opportunity for a short interview Mr. Sawhney, in which we gained insight into his beliefs and vision. The transcript of the same is given below:
+
+***Watch Out***: Sir, how was your experience here at the E-summit organised by the E-cell?
+
+***Mr. Ajay Sawhney***:  I’m quite delighted to come to Roorkee. This had been an extremely well regarded university earlier and is now an IIT with an amazing presence of an alumni base in all domains across the country as well as abroad. IIT-Roorkee has already made its presence felt in the start-up ecosystem but I believe that it is extraordinarily important that IIT-Roorkee register a much larger presence at a much larger scale across the world through its start-ups. Through the foundation courses such as computer science, electronics, nanotechnology, materials, biotechnology and the presence of tinkering labs, 3D printing, additive manufacturing as well as the strength of the core fields such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering we have abundant sources of knowledge at our hands but technology will only be able to generate wealth and solve problems once we as engineers begin to apply it at something useful.
+
+***Watch Out***: A lot of start ups are coming up in the electronics and IT fields, also IIT-Hyderabad recently launched a course in Artificial Intelligence. So what according to you are the steps that the IITs should take in order to incorporate all these changes and to produce better results?
+
+***Mr. Ajay Sawhney***: The area of Data Analytics is going to be extremely important. India is endowed with a massive data pools, large amounts of data being generated at any giving point of time. Some of this data is systematically harnessed while most of it is left to waste. Most of the data collected with regards to a specific purpose, say for example Kisaan Soil Cards, is often used for that purpose only but not combined with any other sorts of data. What we don’t realise is that when the same data is combined with the data of irrigation, weather, land holding, post harvest loss, market prices etc. the value of the same data increases manifold.
+
+Data is the fuel for anything in artificial intelligence, so first it is important to get our act together in how this data is to be harnessed and secondly, whenever you start looking at data, there are concerns about privacy. So coming out with a personal data protection bill on the lines of what other countries in Europe and what California has done and in fact improving on these international models is imperative to ensure development along those lines. Building expertise in areas of Machine Learning and Deep Learning and further expertise in the areas of cyber security to ensure that whatever we do with in the country and the industry, the security remains paramount. I think as we move closer to the area of A.I. we need to ramp up our capacities to handle the ecosystems. Having startups in areas such as these would be a step in the right direction. But then again, it’s not just A.I. either, it may be robotics, but it is also using sensors and internet of things, analytics of data etc. So it is a combination most of the times. In the case of additive manufacturing our labs have finally started to use the 3D printers. So now I ask you this. In today’s world, why shouldn’t we be manufacturing our own 3D printers and the materials that go into it. It is known that this is going to be very big business. Are we going to continue to import such things forever? When it is known that it’s a near certainty that we are going to move toward additive manufacturing from the traditional methods of manufacturing, then why is it that we don’t take the initiative. 
+
+These are the thoughts I ponder upon. Whatever we start using, we must think about producing it on our own rather that looking for outside help. The R&D of such things along with the core elements and patents coming from within the country. A grip on all of those key technologies is extremely important and that is the message that I’ll like to leave.
+
+***Watch Out***: Thank you Sir. 

_posts/2019-02-14-on-love.md

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "On Love"
+tags: [wona, column]
+author: "Surya Raman, Lanka Adarsh"
+image: love1.png 
+category: editorial
+excerpt: "It is not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you"
+---
+
+Disclaimers/ Assumptions central to the hypothesis presented under:
+
+1. True love does exist (why else would we write this?).
+2. *“It is not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you”* - Rachel Dawes, Batman Begins (i.e. actions take precedence over emotions and intentions).
+3. This is an idealized overview of a rather complex emotion, written by two authors who have **_never_** been in a relationship themselves. They have, however, been accommodating of contradicting and diverse viewpoints while concocting this checklist.
+
+Follow it at your own peril.
+
+
+*He sees her at work every day; her low, mellifluous voice soothes him over the cacophony of ringing phones. He watches, gasping, enthralled by her bewitching smile. She gracefully tucks her straight, auburn hair behind her ears. A sigh escapes his lips; he’s new to the place, and she feels awfully familiar.*
+
+*She catches him looking at her. He quickly looks away, blushing.*
+
+*He tries to think of the last time someone made him blush. He marvels at her perfection. There couldn’t possibly be anything he’d want to change about her.*
+
+Is *this* love?
+
+If you’ve been watching too many Hollywood movies, perhaps it is.
+
+If you prefer Bollywood, a buffet of stalkerish tendencies, threats to slit wrists, letters written in blood, and an undying enthusiasm can be said to constitute this emotion.
+
+If you’ve grown up in an orthodox Indian household, love is embodied in the act of the patriarch bringing home the bread, or the act of chiding children when they do something “wrong”, never being openly expressed.
+
+If you’ve been particularly unlucky, continuous emotional and physical abuse can also seem to be manifestations of a deeply-rooted love.
+
+![On-love](/images/posts/love2.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto"}
+
+But none of us have a singular, isolated mode of existence; we are a part of many miscible worlds, armed with a power to introspect, retrospect, and theorize. Our conceptions of love are shaped by the many relationships we observe, as well as external sources (movies, books and music). There are potentially infinite ideas emanating from these sources; it is only upon introspection - upon evaluating each idea against the filter of our intuition - that additions or amendments are made. These, in turn, influence the way we express love.
+
+It becomes important, at this point, to expose a rather troublesome impostor: *Infatuation*.
+
+The narrative in the opening paragraphs encapsulates the illusion of love. The rather unthinking and indiscriminate overuse of the word ‘love’ has rendered people’s ability to tell apart ‘infatuation’ from ‘love’, useless. Perhaps infatuation is love in its infancy -  but that’s where the overlap ends.
+
+Infatuation can best be described as being in love with either
+
+(i) The idea of someone: ill-informed conceptions we associate with their personality
+
+(ii) The idea of being in love: wanting to be in love - either to tell every living soul about your predicament, or to enjoy the benefits you think it carries.
+
+It is infatuation that is blind; love is a high-resolution image that captures a person in their entirety. It is (characterised by):
+
+To begin with, love is **rooted in irrationality<sup>1</sup>**. What is meant by this is that one crosses the tipping point (i.e. the point at which one is said to have “fallen in love”) due to factors beyond their control. Thereafter, love becomes at least a partly conscious act.
+Giving one the freedom to act on their dreams and desires without being bogged down by obligations that are part of standardized contracts (i.e. of marriage, committed relationships, etc.) is the second characteristic of love – **sans possessiveness**.
+
+Another less accepted feature of love is the **conscious ignorance of flaws<sup>2</sup>**. When one is in love, one does acknowledge the shortcomings of the other person, but chooses to overlook them.
+
+Perhaps the best attribute of love is its **unconditional nature**. Although the expectation of a “reward” might exist, the person is okay with his/her love not being reciprocated; sadness may be the eventual outcome, but it is deemed to be worth it (i.e. the person continues to act on their love - refer assumption no. 1).
+
+And lastly, the **self-sacrificial** nature of love. Doing things that are inconvenient or avoidable just because it means something to the other person/ benefits them in some way is a particularly irrational characteristic of love
+
+*The duration of love is not always indicative of its “trueness”; i.e. true love and lasting love are discernibly different. Lasting love can only be cultured when true love is supplemented by compatibility.*
+
+What, then, is compatibility? Two models come to mind:
+
+(i) The MBTI model: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a “psychometric instrument” that draws on the theories of Carl Jung (but has faced flak for being pseudo-scientific, having poor reliability and poor validity). Various parties have drawn on the theory to propose “ideal pairings”, the basic principle of which is stated under:
+
+*“The partner that we choose for ourselves will have a very different approach to dealing with the world. If we are laid-back and indecisive, our partner will be structured and decisive. If we are reserved, our partner will be outgoing. For all of our apparent differences, we will share a common vision of what's truly important in life.”* - The Personality Page
+
+(ii) *Games People Play*: Eric Berne’s book analyses how two people in a relationship “transact”, drawing on the theories of Sigmund Freud. Given below is an extract from a popular tabloid:
+
+“His theory argued that every person has three “ego states”:
+
+- The parent: What you've been taught
+
+- The child: What you have felt
+
+- The adult: What you have learned
+
+When two people are really compatible, they connect along each tier. Pearson [a Couples Therapist] gave us a few questions for figuring out compatibility at each level: 
+
+- The parent: Do you have similar values and beliefs about the world? 
+
+- The child: Do you have fun together? Can you be spontaneous? Do you think your partner's attractive? Do you like to travel together? 
+
+- The adult: Does each person think the other is bright? Are you good at solving problems together?” 
+
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Independent
+
+Both models stress on having outward differences (a response to our desire for completion, also adding an element of excitement) while having deeply-rooted similarities (i.e. values) and shared long-term goals (which keep them together).
+
+
+> *“In this terrifying world, all we have are the connections we make.”*
+> 
+> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*BoJack Horseman*
+
+Perhaps love (the way we have defined it) does not exist.
+Perhaps love is incredibly selfish, egotistical, and extremely conditional. The thought that humans are incapable of this idealistic model of love is equal parts reassuring and saddening.
+
+Or, perhaps, “true love” does exist - only, it comes with swords sheathed in scabbards of red and gold. People shy away from relationships that might cause them pain; it is this very fear that keeps them from experiencing the sort of pain that might ultimately give way to the spring of love. Kahlil Gibran captures it best :
+
+*“When **love** beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.”*
+
+<hr>
+
+##### <sup>1</sup>In this context, a rational act is one which has a reason stateable explicitly in objective terms. Irrationality, therefore, implies that - although a reason might exist - it is not known well enough to be put into words
+
+##### <sup>2</sup>Flaws can be taken to mean any mixture of the following:
+
+##### (i) Idiosyncrasies/characteristics that you can live without
+
+##### (ii) Idiosyncrasies/characteristics that the world finds irksome, but are accepted by the person in question
+
+##### (iii) Idiosyncrasies/characteristics that when found in other people may prove irksome, but are acceptable when found in this person

_posts/2019-03-20-highlights-of-senate.md

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Highlights from the Institute Student Academic Meet"
+image: image2.jpg
+tags: [wona]
+category: sac
+author: ""
+excerpt: "This meeting was mainly called to give an update on the changes made to the academic structure and make student body of the DAPCs (Departmental Academic Program Committees) aware of their duties and responsibilities. It was convened by Sarim Khan, General Secretary Academic Affairs, UG."
+---
+
+This meeting was mainly called to give an update on the changes made to the academic structure and make student body of the DAPCs (Departmental Academic Program Committees) aware of their duties and responsibilities. It was convened by Sarim Khan, General Secretary Academic Affairs, UG.
+<br><br>
+
+A. The Dean of Academic Affairs sent out the following directives to all departments:<br>
+  &emsp;  1) The departments are to ensure that the professors show the answer scripts of the MTEs before the last date of course withdrawal.<br>
+  &emsp;  2)  The breakdown of aggregate marks is to be given to students via the academic portal (acad.iitr.ac.in).<br>
+  &emsp;  3)  The departments are to ensure that professors follow the class schedule. This includes the courses for which an insufficient number of classes are being taken, classes being taken on weekends etc. The branch CRs are expected to get in touch with the student body of DAPC in case a professor is not following the class schedule.
+<br><br>
+
+B. The student body of the DAPC is expected to keep themselves updated with the latest department policies and convey any change to the relevant authorities(DAPC/HOD). They are also expected to ensure that the changes are being implemented in the respective departments.
+<br><br>
+
+C. __NPTEL courses__: If a student wants to take up a course offered by NPTEL, the channel to be followed is as follows:<br>
+  &emsp;  1) The student has to go to the DAPC of his/her own department with a request to pursue the course.<br>
+  &emsp;  2) Once the student gets the request approved, he/she is to go to the department which offers the course. The DAPC of that department will review the syllabus to ascertain that the course meets the standard of teaching of IIT Roorkee.<br>
+  &emsp;  3) The student can ordinarily not pursue a course which is already being offered in the institute, unless the student has been detained in the course and is already in the final semester.<br>
+  &emsp;  4) PhD students can take up ONE course related to their area of research from NPTEL.<br>
+  &emsp;  5) The student might have to travel out of Roorkee if the evaluation of the course can not be done in Roorkee. The grades assigned in such courses is dependent on all students enrolled in that course, even those who are not from IIT Roorkee.
+<br><br>
+
+D. The monetary allowance for research has been shifted to Non-Planned Grant (NPG) with    effect from last year. However, the students need to get clearance from the department to avail benefits of the NPGs. The DAPCs are expected to increase awareness about the sort of things students can get NPGs approved for.
+<br><br>
+
+E. The SMP plans to start a research mentorship programme for undergraduate students, where the post-grad and PhD students educate the undergrads on what research is, how to go about building a career in research, how to write a research paper and get it published. The undergraduate students will be able to collaborate with the PG/PhDs on their projects if they have the required skill set. The plan is to implement this via a two-month long “orientation”, where PG/PhD students interact with the undergraduate students. This programme is aimed for the second year and third-year students. SMP hopes to inculcate a research culture on campus through this programme.
+<br><br>
+
+F. There have been steps taken to digitize the process of obtaining NOCs from the respective department. A drop down for the same is expected to roll out on the academic portal (acad.iitr.ac.in) by April. It is claimed that students will be able to obtain their NOC within 4-5 days once the website is updated. The student body is expected to raise awareness about the website among professors.
+<br><br>
+
+G. __Redressal System__: The proper channel for students to go is via the ombudsperson, Himanshu Joshi, from the Hydrology department. Once a complaint has been lodged with him he sends the complaint ahead to the Deans/Director, as deemed necessary and they issue directives to the people concerned. 
+All department level conflicts are to be resolved by a three-member committee (HOD, DRC (Department Research Committee) and a volunteer nominated by the HOD).
+<br><br>
+
+H. To raise awareness about the changes in the IITR academic system, the administration plans to send each subtopic of the Academic Booklet published in collaboration with Watch Out to the students’ GSuite ID.
+<br><br>
+
+### A Note on the Departmental/Centre’s Academic Programme Committees (DAPC/ CAPC) 
+
+<span style="color:#0645AD">[_The Senate Manual_]( https://www.iitr.ac.in/Main/uploads/File/RTI/2016/senate%20manual(17092015).pdf )</span> &nbsp;lists the composition and functions of the DAPC as follows:
+(A list of members of the DAPC of each department is not easily accessible, but can usually be found on the site of each department).
+
+![pic](/images/posts/image1.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}

_posts/2019-03-23-srishti19.md

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Srishti'19"
+tags: [wona, tech]
+image: srishti19.jpg
+category: tech
+excerpt: "An Overview, and an Interview with the Chief Guest, Mr Sanjay Peshin"
+---
+
+Srishti, the Annual Technical Exhibition of IIT Roorkee, held on 9th-10th March 2019 marked its Diamond Jubilee this year. The students of our campus showcased their talents and prowess in a plethora of avocations of technology such as Modelling & Robotics, Motion Gaming, Artificial Intelligence, Quadcopters, Electronics, Astronomy etc. This year Srishti instituted corporate and industrial relations and invited various dignitaries as Honorary Guests. Sanjay Peshin, Asia-Pacific Head of Tata Consultancy Services was the Chief Guest and Madhukar Sharma, Pan-India Chairman of American Society for Mechanical Engineering, was the Guest of Honour for the inaugural ceremony. The Director, IIT Roorkee, was also present at the ceremony. 
+
+The Inauguration ceremony, held at the New SAC building, began with the felicitation of the invited guests followed by the lamp lighting ceremony. Ankit Alok Bagaria, GS Technical Affairs, addressed the gathering and invited the Director for his keynote. In his speech, he stressed the need for evolution of Srishti's vision and said that the primary metric to judge an individual project is innovation. He also motivated the crowd to build projects that can secure business incubation through TIDES IIT Roorkee, thus setting a higher benchmark for upcoming editions.
+The Director’s address was followed by keynotes from the invited Chief Guests.
+
+Mr Madhukar Sharma encouraged the students to gear up for the fourth Industrial revolution and made the audience realise how Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence will be equivalent to the Oil Industry in the coming years. He also mentioned various research fellowship programs under the ASME and motivated the students to pursue those.
+
+Mr Sanjay Peshin shared the experiences of his long career and expressed his concern on the declining relationship between academia and Industry. He introduced students to the industrial applications of Machine Learning and AI through practical problems which form a major part in the R&D sector. He also talked about the business aspects of industrial innovation. Watch Out got a chance to interview Mr Peshin who further expressed the need to bring the innovation to industry and make it available to consumers.
+
+**Watch Out**: Greetings Sir! How has your experience been with the exhibition and projects so far?
+
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: It’s an excellent exhibition! I saw a variety of interesting projects that the kids came up with and in many cases, I realised that they were actually at par with what the industry is looking for. The challenge we face from the perspective of the industry is that the academia is still working on very theoretical projects. To convert them into business opportunities seems like a distant task but the projects that the students displayed have immediate business applications. I highly appreciate it!
+
+
+_Srishti’19 witnessed the exhibition of over 100 projects under STC, 10 projects from different campus groups and 4 self-made projects with a rise of about 50 percent in the number of projects from the last edition. This year, two projects, named Laser Harp from ArIES and AR-based map projector from MaRS, received a cash prize of Rs 5000 for the best innovation from the Design Innovation Center of IIT Roorkee._
+
+
+
+**Watch Out**: In your address, you talked a lot about the relevance of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in the fourth industrial revolution. Do you think an undergraduate degree from IIT in a stream such as AI would be useful? 
+
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: I believe that an undergrad degree should help a child to build his breadth of knowledge rather than going into a specific domain or subject. I don’t think a second or a third-year student has really understood what he actually wants to pursue. A specialised degree seems a little premature at this point of time. When I look at engineers, I look at them being able to solve a breadth of problems. Specialisation happens over a period of time, it is not what I would want students to start with. From an engineering industry perspective, an engineer has the knowledge of product design which includes both mechanics, mechatronics, electronics and software. Masters programme comes into play where we say okay I have a fundamental ground knowledge of what all is happening and then go into the specialisation.
+ 
+**Watch Out**: With ever increasing automation in today’s industries and at the same time increased generation of skilled labour, what are your predictions for job opportunities in the future? 
+ 
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: I think job opportunities for skilled labour will keep on increasing. When we talk about automation we are talking more from a mundane job perspective instead of a skilled job perspective. The industry still requires skilled labour and domain understanding but the mundane repetitive jobs could be relooked and revamped. I’ll give you a very simple example. Look at an automatic quality inspection done for a consumer company. Till date, they had an inspection process which was more labour oriented. A person picks up a sample looks at the quality and then decides if its good or not and today we have put up an image based quality analysis. So now you have a 100% quality sampling happening, 100% inspection happening. To me, these are repetitive mundane jobs which have to be evolved. But someone still needs to teach the program what image is good or bad. So here we’ll need the skilled labour in the quality inspection process and the jobs won’t die but shift to a new domain.
+
+**Watch Out**: Does the fact that now Indians cannot move to the US due to H1 Visa restrictions affect our jobs?
+
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: The restrictions that have been brought up by the US are more towards the unskilled labour perspective. I think they still are very open and are looking at a lot of skilled labour to come. From the skilled labour perspective, I don’t see that as a challenge. From unskilled labours yes that would be. But then the US is only one global market there are a lot of other global markets which are open to talented people in technology. Last year, Japan has apparently issued a public notice saying that they need about 2 lakh engineers and they are more than happy to have engineers from India who can relocate to Japan and work there. Another thing I believe in is that opportunities in India itself are abundant. With Make in India campaign being given a thrust, we are seeing a very positive acceptance of Industry 4.0 based components or technology in the Indian manufacturing market. The need for skilled talent in India itself will increase.
+ 
+**Watch Out**: You had a look at our projects in Srishti. Can you suggest any programs or collaborative measures that can bridge the gap between students, innovation and industry? 
+
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: This is a point that I made yesterday as well - you should bring out the business usage of the technology that you are developing. If you don’t understand why am you are doing a particular thing, that becomes a gap. The articulation of business usage is something which I feel should be improved. Students being in an IIT are obviously great at technology but when you talk to the industry, you should know about the application of your innovation and how is it different from what already exists. I talked to a few students who developed drones that are available in a toy store today. It was a novelty 15 years ago. What new thing have they done that makes it a unique product. Students need to address- “What is my differentiating factor?”
+ 
+**Watch Out**: But isn’t that where the industry comes in?
+ 
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: Yes, it is the industry that takes the idea to the market, but unless you articulate well about what it can do, the industry won't know. As soon as I heard the boys I was able to visualise the possibilities of their models but had it been someone who had to rush through things if he is not able to hear the keywords he will possibly miss the link.
+ 
+**Watch Out**: Right now in our college, we have the technology and raw talent, and companies like TCS take students from here and bridge the innovation-industry gap that we have been talking about. What would your idea be of taking the student itself to the finished level?
+ 
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: TCS has something which we call an academic interface plan. We have a team which actually interfaces with universities and colleges to develop various plans. In the southern parts of India experts from TCS sit with the universities to define the curriculum because we understand that what comes out of college is not necessarily industry ready. So as we talked about AI and ML and whether that should be a full-time curriculum those are the things that we discuss with educational institutes. We discuss the expectations of a student when he comes out of college and how can they be cultivated through the curriculum. 
+
+So what we do is that when you are hired in TCS there is a three-month induction plan. In this plan typically what we do is we would have earmarked students for a certain set of businesses or a certain technology. So we train them to lessen the gap between the theory and the industry, the academia and the industry. We train them for this and then start inducting them on how to get going in those spaces. But that happens after you join the organisation. In academia, the best we can do is suggest what would help from a curriculum perspective.
+ 
+**Watch Out**: Speaking of academia, do you think that research not for the market, not for consumption for consumers is not required research?
+
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: That’s a wrong way to state that research is not required but if the intent at some point of time is to not commercialise, it doesn’t add value to the ecosystem. It is for your interest rather than for a result. Whether it needs to be commercial or not is not the point of debate. The researcher might not have the end product in mind but if he couldn’t think of an application of his research/innovation then that research doesn’t make sense. Understand that the end product is the summation of lots of small researches that happen and somebody needs to be orchestrating them. Not each of the small innovation would end up into a commercial product but they would end up as a component of the end product. 
+
+**Watch Out**: A general trend that is observed in Roorkee is that it is geographically disprivileged as compared to places like Delhi and Bombay. This poses a challenge in the sense that even though the talent is available, the companies don’t want to come here. How do you think our students can circumvent that?
+ 
+**Mr Sanjay Peshin**: If you had asked me this question thirty to forty years ago that would have been a challenge. But today in this age of social media and instant communication I think branding can help your institute a lot. Social media is only one way of doing it. I don’t see communication as a challenge today. What I see the real challenge is branding.  Are you branding yourself sufficiently strongly through the social media platforms available? You are a technology institute so obviously, you have a lot of technological talent and you could have many communication opportunities across the country. Industries are actually looking for institutes to come forward and share knowledge and information. Collaborative innovation is something which cannot be done by a single entity. You will need various entities to come together and build an innovation. And therefore in our group of partners, we have included educational institutions as well as startups to be a part of the innovation process.
+
+
+
+The valedictory function, at the end of day 2, marked the successful end of the techno-scientific exhibition. Ankit Alok Bagaria, GS Technical Affairs, addressed the audience, thanking the Dean SRIC office for making Srishti‘19 possible and the DIC for presenting cash prizes.
+The Guest of Honour for the Valedictory function was Mr R. P. Singh, Director, Directorate of Forest who implored the students to use technology to produce marketable products. His address was followed by keynotes from the various Guests of Honour.
+All the dignitaries present in the function appreciated the work of the students for successfully managing and conducting the Sci-Tech exhibition and thanked all the corporate delegates and guests who were present during the Fest. The function concluded with the award distribution to the winners and felicitation of the managing team of Srishti’19.
+

_posts/2019-04-01-social-credit-system.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: Radio Facilitated Institute Domination
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: phekingnews
+image: socialcredits.jpg 
+excerpt: "The makings of a nefarious orwellian system of surveillance, intrusion, and behavioural conditioning"
+---
+
+After more than a decade of waiting, IITR was finally graced by the introduction of RFID cards on campus in January this year. Despite all the hype surrounding their arrival, no one has actually bothered to find out their actual use on our campus. Eyeing the fact that the administration was solely focusing on their use in the library, Watch Out decided to probe further into the matter. After some digging, we found the makings of a nefarious orwellian system of surveillance, intrusion, and behavioural conditioning.
+
+While over the last few years a lot of the decisions taken by the administration have been under a lot of scrutiny, they do not hold a candle in the face of what is yet to come. Taking inspiration from one of our more prolific neighbours (read: China), the administration intends to implement a new system to evaluate students: the Social Credit System. 
+
+Under the proposed system, every student is to be assigned a score based on a set of metrics that judge how well they conform to the established norms and rules, and fit into the community around them. It provides a metric to gauge the trustworthiness, morality, productivity and the overall character of the individual. The system will be implemented through a number of monitoring mechanisms to track students’ actions on campus and categorising their behavior based on said metrics. 
+
+A member of the inner echelons of the administration when questioned about the motivation behind the implementation of such a system, cited the steady corruption of moral values in the student populace: “In recent years, the attitude and philosophy of the student community has gone in the wrong direction, with far too many young minds embracing radical postmodernism and Neo-Marxist ideas. We have seen an alarming increase in alcoholism, substance abuse, politically motivated violence and hand holding among the opposite sex.” It is also likely that a blatant increase in demands for administrative reforms from the populace (which up until a few years ago was unheard of) may have also played a part in the administration deciding to crack down on the flippant attitudes pervading the student community.
+
+Among other things, the administration will track and record internet usage, both LAN and wireless. Accessing content deemed immoral or illegal such as pornography and piracy or activity such as cyber-bullying or voicing negative views on the national political scenario will lead to severe deductions on the score. On the other hand, time spent on educational sites like Coursera or NPTEL leads to a better score. This is intended to counter the recent underperformance of IITR students as compared to a number of other universities.  
+
+The recent excavations around the campus in the name of a new fiber optic system (think about it: do we really need even faster LAN?) are actually meant to cover up the installation of sensors that track your location using the new RFID cards. Students will be forced to carry these cards with them in a number of ways including but not limited to card + biometric sensors at all gates, departments, LHC and the library. This data will be used to determine the places you frequent and your company. Behavior such as frequent visits to the JD gate or to remote locations of the campus in pairs are deemed undesirable. Time spent at the library/departments/LHCs will be rewarded. Security at the entrances to the campus shall be equipped with breathalysers, which will be used at all hours post sunset.
+
+Based on the score, students may receive higher or lower preference for a variety of needs. Low scores may lead to lower internet speeds or fewer weekly servings of sweets in the mess (once Appetizer is integrated with the system). A more severe downside is the possibility of having more frequent room checks. Anything incriminating found in these checks, such as potted plants with medicinal qualities or bottles of fermented grape juice, can then be used to further deduct the student’s score. 
+Higher scores are given greater choice in applying to companies for placements and internships. This scoring system will be recognized by companies who come for the placements. Other benefits include being given your choice of hostel and room, and students with exceptionally high scores during the first semester may also be preferred for branch changes. A cutoff score will be declared for PoRs, including both the SAC as well as club secretariats. 
+
+## Our Two Cents
+
+While the administration has quoted security as the primary reason for introducing the RFID cards, that is clearly not the case as RFID is unlikely to ever completely replace biometric verification. The true purpose of these cards is to monitor and moral police the populace, which is a severe breach of privacy. The campus, meant to be a safe space and home for students, will now be a place of discomfort, with a constant sense of being watched. Further, as the administration unilaterally decides these metrics, it does not account for the opinion of the student community at any point. This is, unfortunately, within the jurisdiction of the administration since IITs are autonomous institutions. 
+
+This move does not actually benefit the institute in any way, but, in fact, is against its own interests. It is already against institute rules to consume banned substances. Those who do this are fully aware of the implications of their actions and adding a different deterrent does not make a difference. Besides, there is no saying when these policies might change. Today, it may just be consumption of alcohol that is penalised, but tomorrow, talking to people of the opposite gender may be outlawed. Such a distrustful atmosphere makes new entrants reluctant to join the institute, resulting in a drop in the quality of students. Further these metrics are very subjective and can easily cause unintended harms. Even the friend of a friend of an alcoholic may suffer collateral damage in the form of a lower score despite not doing anything wrong. Isolation from such vices leads to unrealistic expectations from the real world, and leaves the students unprepared for life after graduation. This entire system of moral policing really begs the question of why an academically successful student who engages in the occasional drink should be penalised at all. The careers of such people take a big hit for no justifiable reason. 
+
+This is a huge step backward in the name of progress. 
+
+Beware. Big Brother is watching you.

_posts/2019-05-16-anti-natalism.md

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "The Moral Bankruptcy of Giving Birth"
+image: anti-natalism.png
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: editorial
+excerpt: "Anti-natalism: The moral/philosophical standpoint posits that it is morally impermissible to procreate and give birth"
+author: "Sudhang Varshney, Surya Raman"
+---
+
+> “If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?”
+>
+> \- Arthur Schopenhauer
+
+The author of the critically acclaimed study in philosophy “The World as Will and Representation” speaks here of the anti-natalist stand. **This moral/philosophical standpoint posits that it is morally impermissible to procreate and give birth.** This editorial aims neither to criticise nor condone this philosophy, but to clear its nebulous representation that plagues popular media.
+
+A tranquil, almost languid warmth, gushes through our innards at the mention of life -- a silent agreement to the fact that it has a certain inherent value that is enough to warrant its sacredness. This notion is fortified by how religion -- the invisible thread of beliefs that dictates our moral compass -- generally places life at an olympian pedestal and consecrates it as a divine creation that mankind is unqualified to take in its own hands. This bleeds into the laws that shape the tramlines of how an ideal citizen should behave within society, a few demonstrative examples being the debate around euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion et cetera. The sanctity of an inalienable right to life, the ramifications of violating that right and the apotheosis of the human spirit have been indoctrinated into us by a multitude of factors that function similarly. Murdering is the ultimate sin, loss of life is a catastrophe. Mothers are revered as life-givers and the act of childbirth is the ultimate purpose that provides completeness to an individual's stay in the cosmos.
+
+Given how it has become instinctive to buy into this belief, it becomes imperative to take a moment to ask ourselves **‘WHY?’.**  David Benatar voices:-
+
+> “Creating new people, by having babies, is so much a part of human life that it is rarely thought even to require a justification. Indeed, most people do not even think about whether they should or should not make a baby. They just make one. In other words, procreation is usually the consequence of sex rather than the result of a decision to bring people into existence. Those who do indeed decide to have a child might do so for any number of reasons, but among these reasons cannot be the interests of the potential child. One can never have a child for that child’s sake.”
+
+This inquiry motivated cliques of people to look into the true nature and quality of human life as they appraised it. One of these philosophies that has gained traction right now is anti-natalism. A blanket claim associated with the anti-natalist sentiment is the idea that **the one guaranteed way to protect your child from suffering is to not give it birth in the first place.**
+
+Those espousing this idea generally invoke the ethical theory of negative utilitarianism, which gives greater weight to a reduction in human suffering than an effort to maximise happiness. For an illustration, R. Ninian Smart presents that negative utilitarianism would entail that a ruler who is able to instantly and painlessly destroy the human race would have a duty to do so. This is again contingent on the belief that human life is miserable, one of the characterisation(s) of which is called the **‘terminality of being’**. A human being is affected by three types of friction: physical pain (in the form of illnesses and catastrophes to which it is perennially exposed); discouragement (encompassing phenomena such as lack of will, fatigue, meaninglessness  and depression); and "moral impediment"( the incapability of humans to be altruistically ethical in all circumstances, a consequence of conflicting self interests in attempts to survive). In the case of assuming the generalisation that life assumes the binary of being miserable or not miserable, a decision theory matrix provides us with 4 case-scenarios for the existence of a chubby little boy called Jeff, who would’ve been  thrust into this world if his parents procreated -
+
+{:.mdtablestyle}
+|                  | Scenario A (Jeff exists)        | Scenario B (Jeff never exists)    |
+| ---------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
+| **Life is pain** | (1) Presence of pain (sucks)    | (2) Absence of pain (great)       |
+| **Life is nice** | (3) Presence of pleasure (nice) | (4) Absence of pleasure (Not bad) |
+
+1) Jeff navigates through life with the joys of ice-cream, watching cat videos, and a stable family while dealing with depression, injuries, stepping on lego pyramids and anxiety - the weighted average of which assigns his life a red stamp of being miserable. He has desires: spiritual needs which reality is unable to satisfy. He silently suppresses those desires to shield himself from the pain and ends up in a frigid unfeeling numbness. He still exists only because he limits his awareness of what that reality actually entails. Jeff’s existence amounts to a tangled network of defense mechanisms, which can be observed in his everyday behavior patterns . He was too easily forgotten for anyone to care when and how he died. This Jeff arouses our pity and his story is turned into a Netflix Original.
+
+2, 4) Jeff isn’t born and remains a fictional kid with a copter hat that makes us smile for the purpose of this article.
+
+3) Let’s here assume the absolute best of case 3. Jeff is born with a jawline that will cut through stone. He learns all languages across all species before he is in kindergarten and proceeds to amuse himself by creating one of his own. He has never not been euphoric: lady luck is his accomplice and all of the metaphoric oceans between him and his desires part to his whim. He looks like a million bucks even after stuffing his 80kg muscular frame with a tub of nutella that is processed immaculately by his ungodly metabolism. We don’t like this Jeff.
+
+**Case 1** is problematic and it seems morally incongruous to force this situation on someone- It is wrong to create someone so that they can try to make their life bearable by struggling against the difficult and oppressive situation we place them in. It seems more reasonable simply not to put them in the situation to which they will have to react, when its results are always uncertain.
+
+**Case 3** on the face of it feels like a desirable situation, as someone is leading a fulfilling and joyous life, and by refraining from procreation we preclude someone's pleasure. Therein lies the catch: **the absence of pleasure is not bad unless there is somebody for whom this absence is a deprivation.** If there isn’t a 5-year old to snatch an ice-cream sandwich from, nobody goes home crying. Case 4 doesn’t have a Jeff for which the absence of this happiness is a deprivation and hence, the anti-natalist stand doesn’t suffer from the aforementioned quandary.
+
+**Case 2** doesn’t have our protagonist Jake, because he is but the thought-child of hypothetical anti-natalist parents. Nobody has to suffer.
+
+Hence, if we look across the first column in a world with Jeff, the first situation is terribly abhorrent while the second isn’t a moral necessity. That is, **we have a moral obligation to refrain from creating unhappy people, and we have no moral impetus to generate happy ones.**
+
+Here, it’s prudent to pause and note that life in general lies between the two extremes of pain and pleasure. However these arguments can be applied nevertheless.
+
+**Another crucial aspect of the ethos of giving birth is the consent of a future Jeff.** It isn’t feasible to educate an unborn person about the myriad possibilities his life might end up being like and then to obtain his informed consent to be brought into this world. For this very reason, Julio Cabrera argues that procreation is the violation of autonomy gullible Jeff, who might have opted to not be born had he been fully aware of the human situation and the ordeals associated with existence. So says Ashleel Singh -
+
+> “However one need not believe that coming into existence is always an overall harm in order to favour an anti-natal perspective; one need only believe that it is morally problematic to inflict serious, preventable harms upon others without their consent.”
+
+If one does not desist from having children, one can hardly expect one's descendants to do so. This would have been fine and dandy had our society allowed people to have on opt-out from the world that they felt was nasty to them, but that choice is killed by the ostracization and social sanctioning an individual harboring these thoughts is bombarded with. We are forced to live and be responsible for the happiness of others when we might barely have our own heads above water.
+
+_A gentle reminder from the authors is necessary here that none of this amounts to rampant suicide, genocide and murder for the very reason that the arguments made are on the morality of giving birth, and not the morality of choosing to continue one’s existence._
+
+**The natural course of the anti-natalist utopia will be rapid extinction of the human race.** In the cosmic scale of things, humans are a hairy enclosure of a soup of organs and gooey innards just like the diabolical rat that your mom calls a ‘shaitan’. Our species’ termination can’t be objectively justified to be a bad thing. All of the importance we attach to life is a belief that we have agreed to hold, and it isn't possible to either prove or disprove it.
+
+However , from the vantage point of an exoplanet-inhabiting green sentient sludge, humans have wrecked nature and led to the extinction of millions of species. After having been abused by mankind with reckless abandon for a morbidly long time, the Earth could really use a divorce.
+
+But there’s a saving grace, albeit not an absolving one. Society is rife with weird notions of morality. A person spending 50 lakhs on a luxury car ( which he doesn’t need to subsist) instead of channeling funds to saving hundreds of children who die of starvation is perfectly acceptable. That is to say, at the end of it all, it seems that it’s best to trust our inner conscience when taking calls on the morality of an action. If birthing a mini-them is someone’s jam, the anti-natalist is no one to whine.

_posts/2019-05-20-summer-diaries-gsoc.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: GSOC - What, Why, How and When"
+image: geesock.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Mohit Sharma, Vaibhav and Ishan Rai"
+excerpt: "Now that you’ve stepped into R, you might hear a lot of new buzzwords flying around in your first few weeks. Right beside Ghissu, Machau and chapo, you might catch wind of something called Gee-Sock."
+category: summer2019
+---
+
+Now that you’ve stepped into R, you might hear a lot of new buzzwords flying around in your first few weeks. Right beside Ghissu, Machau and chapo, you might catch wind of something called Gee-Sock. Unsure of what it really is, you’re intrigued and eager to learn more, only to find that the guy who uttered the word to you knows no more about it than you do. The hype and mystique that surrounds this word exhorts you to dig deeper, and so begins your descent into an abyss of medium blogs and quora articles, each of which makes less sense than the last to someone who, at this point, barely knows what code is. That’s where WatchOut comes to the rescue.
+
+## So What is GSoC?
+
+First of all, GSoC stands for Google Summer of Code. This information is imperative if you plan to flex on your batchmates with this newfound treasure-house of knowledge. Before we delve further into what GSOC is and how it works, you need to know about a little something called ‘open source’ which constitutes the essence of this esoteric endeavor.
+
+If a piece of software is open source, it means that its source code is freely available . It’s on the cloud for everyone to see, use, and hopefully contribute to. Contributions include everything from simple bug fixes like **“Hey, I center aligned this sidebar button”** to major enhancements, updating the documentation or even simple suggestions on what can be done to improve the technology. In a way, open source is the Self-Service equivalent of the coding regime.
+
+More often than not, open source orgs (short for organizations because programmers like to be cool) are not big on contributors. GSOC is more or less a platform for these organizations to attract new developers. A bunch of such organizations apply to Google for entry to GSOC with a list of projects that they would be offering to interested students. A list of the selected organizations is then released on the official GSOC website.
+
+Projects can be anything from “Oh that’s easy” to mildly intimidating to absolute monstrosities that can only be described as herculean at best and nigh impossible at worst, the range in topics being just as wide. There could be a project that requires you to change the css of a web-page to bootstrap, right next to one that requires you spend hours reading up on bioinformatics to even understand the terminology that is casually thrown around in the project description. But most importantly, you can always find something that you’re interested in. Computational physics? Machine learning? Aerodynamic simulations? Making mini-games for a website? There’s always something for everyone. So pick whatever floats your boat.
+
+Getting selected for GSOC means being singled out by an organization to work on one of their projects for the duration of your summer vacations, which is typically the period during which GSOC takes place.
+
+## How do I participate?
+
+First things first, go through the <span style="text-decoration:underline">[list of selected orgs](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/organizations/)</span> and pick one you would be happy working with. Though interest and interest alone is often hailed as the quintessential standard for picking an organization, practically speaking, that’s not always for the best if one actually aims to crack GSOC . The key is to be at just the right place on the spectrum between ambitious and complacent. Don’t go with it just because it sounds cool, it may turn out to be very different than what you initially thought . Also don’t pick something just because it seems easy; remember the main goal is to learn as much as possible. If it intrigues you, take a look, see if you find it interesting. Feel free to experiment a bit before you finalize on which organizations to go with.
+
+Having gotten that out of the way, comes one of the most important steps of this adventure: **Contributing**.
+
+In order to be selected by an org, one has to prove their calibre by contributing to their codebase in any way possible. Their code is usually linked in their page on the organizations list. This usually requires you to have a grip on the fundamentals of **Version Control Systems**. Learning, atleast the <span style="text-decoration:underline">[basics of git](https://www.atlassian.com/git)</span> is crucial to open source.
+
+Git is what you call a version control system, meaning it helps you track all changes made to your code and recall specific versions later. VCSs are often not the prettiest things in the world and may even seem useless at first, but once you get used to them, it’s objectively better than having multiple folders of the same project with names like “Project final” “Project final-est” and “Project final-est v2.o”. It also makes collaboration much easier as multiple people can work on the same file at the same time, which surprisingly enough is essential for an open source environment
+
+**“What is Github?”**
+
+Github is a website for developers to host their code and build their egos. It’s quite similar to google-drive, except for code but with a bunch of fancy vocabulary tossed in to make it sound cool. In order to make a contribution to an organization, stalk them on github, pick a repository (fancy word for a folder that contains the source code of an application) that you can and want to work on and fork (copy)  it. Scan through the Issues tab on the original repository to find something you can work on. A vague overview of how it works: you pick an app you wanna work on and make a copy of it in your own account. Then make whatever changes you want to that copy and once you think you’ve done something significant enough to be integrated into the original application, you “open a pull request” which is basically you asking the admins (benevolent dictators)  to review and accept your work i.e merge it with their own source. The more merged requests you have, the better. Brownie points if you also reported some issues.
+
+If it’s the first time you look at the codebase of an industrial application, just reading it, let alone modifying, may seem like a daunting task. But get this, no-one reads the entire code. Just pick an issue to work on and try to get a grip on the relevant segments. Try to start with small and simple bugs or improving documentation, slowly making your way up the ladder.
+
+Contributions should be kept as concise and useful as possible. It’s also useful if you already have in mind what project you’re going to work on and contribute to the parts of the codebase most relevant to that project.
+
+Then comes THE most important part. **Drafting a proposal.**
+
+Now that you have everything you need to think that you’re the best person in the universe for a project, that sentiment has to be communicated across via a well written, comprehensive project proposal highlighting your contributions to the org, which project you wanna undertake and how you plan to execute it. Consider this your first and only impression at the higher-ups so it needs to be as polished as can be with a well versed timeline, execution details full of all the technical jargon you can muster without sounding too pretentious and a motivations section describing your undying passion for the organization that you mysteriously developed over the past month. There's nothing about reaching out to the community. Keeping in touch with the core team, talking and updating them with what you're working on. Bonus points if you also get your proposal reviewed by one of the mentors before the final submission.
+
+That’s just the gist of it. A more formal and comprehensive template for the proposal is usually provided by the organization on their website or github and should be followed as accurately as possible.
+
+All set with a considerable pile of contributions and an eloquent proposal, given one plays their cards right with the existing community, an eligible candidate may make his way into the GSOC-student roster of the org. Their efforts are duly rewarded as they  become the subject of discussion among their friends, the discussions being mainly focused on chapos and GPLs, and gain the respect of peers. Congratulations, you are now eligible to utilize the entirety of your summer vacations, working 8-10 hours a day for the organization you worked so hard to get in.
+
+**“Wait, so all the effort I put in was just so that I could work even harder?”**
+
+Well, Yes but NO.
+
+## Incentives
+
+### MAD MONEY
+
+The organizations in GSOC don’t make you work for free. The monetary perks are obviously essential motivators for incoming participants whether or not they like to admit it. The profuse stipend also calls for more lavish chapos.
+
+**\#AndhaaPaisa**
+
+### KNAAWLEDGE
+
+Let’s not forget what the primary aim of GSOC is. To bring in talented, dedicated students to open source organizations in need of enthusiastic contributors, providing a talent pool to the org and exposure and work experience to the students involved. 
+
+### MAD RESPECT
+
+Clearing GSOC not only imbues an individual with wealth and wisdom but also an intangible accolade that you are now free to flaunt around for the rest of your college life, though at the risk of coming across as a an arrogant know-it-all but can play out quite well if used right.
+
+**“Sharma ne GSOC nikal liya. Andha machaya!”**
+
+So here you are, a few months since you began your GSoC odyssey after first coming to know about it from a loquacious chap who probably  went on to forget all about it a couple days later. You have now conquered the exigent battle that is GSoC,  gaining experience,opportunities and bragging rights that you couldn’t have gotten elsewhere, along with the universal respect of the opposite gender*. You are now the epicenter of chapos and GPLs that, under any other circumstance, would’ve physically and financially fatal but now seem all the merrier.
+
+## Oh you didn’t make it? 
+
+You know what awaits you? A second chance. The thing with GSoC is, if an attempt doesn’t kill you (which it rarely does), it makes you stronger. If you put in effort and fail, you still get contributions and community exposure in the org that you tried to get into, giving you a significant head start for your next try. 
+
+So don’t be afraid to give it a second go, especially considering that the stipend is known to go up with each passing year. 
+
+**\* Some conditions may have been exaggerated to inspire more people**

_posts/2019-05-23-memoir-arnav.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: Of Debates and Doggos"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: arnav1.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Arnav Bhardwaj"
+excerpt: "I remember my first morning at IIT Roorkee as I woke up to witness a procession of dogs marching into the room since the door had been accidentally left open and apparently, the dogs saw that as an invitation to my humble RJB abode."
+---
+
+I remember my first morning at IIT Roorkee as I woke up to witness a procession of dogs marching into the room since the door had been accidentally left open and apparently, the dogs saw that as an invitation to my humble RJB abode. The treatment of these R-land dogs was to subsequently become the biggest topic of debate on this campus with people proposing extreme measures ranging from almost giving them citizenship rights to conducting a doggo massacre. Dogs are said to have premonitions and in retrospect, the dogs might have expected me to lend support to their cause in light of their upcoming troubles. But my affection for endearing biting doggos was as short-lived as my affection for mess food. Having embraced myself for all sorts of culinary disasters, the mess food initially seemed much better than expected. However, soon the horrors came to light as the pulses began to be ‘water’ed down along with my resolve to tolerate mess food. The saying - ‘If you can tolerate RJB mess food, you can tolerate food anywhere’ helped me survive through the first year.
+
+Apart from that, I got in touch with some amazing people, who became an inalienable part of my life in the coming years. It was great to meet people coming from various cultures and places and get to know about their lives and perspectives. However, despite the diversity, a common culture persisted on campus. A prominent part of this culture was the lingo. Within a few months, I got accustomed to the quintessential R-land lingo and was soon throwing around words like ‘ghissu’, ‘machau’ in random conversations. I especially remember the overuse of the word ‘ghissu’ to the extent that we were using it to describe even someone, who started studying a night before the exam. It was just one of the many slangs that stuck and subsequently lost all meaning.
+
+The turning point came in my 2nd year, when I realised that a Debating Society existed on the campus (it wasn’t very active back then). I came in contact with some stellar senior debaters, who would go on to become my mentors in debating and otherwise. I grew fond of debating not only because it remarkably improved my public speaking skills but also because it improved my analytical abilities by allowing me to deeply explore complex issues from multiple viewpoints. I attended my first debating tournament at the National Law University in Delhi. While witnessing stellar debates by seasoned debaters from DU and prominent law colleges was quite intimidating, the gained exposure proved to be a great learning experience. These learnings proved to be extremely useful in the 1st Inter-IIT Cultural Meet at IIT Bombay, in which I was selected as one of the five panellists for judging the finals. Towards the end of the year, I realised that the impact of debating went beyond making me a better public speaker. Debating transformed me completely by making me much more confident as an individual. This unwavering faith in self helped me excel in numerous presentations and interviews, making this the single most useful skill acquired in my college life. In order to allow the DebSoc to grow further, the seniors helped establish the DebSoc as a full-fledged separate entity of the Cultural Council. This proved to be a watershed moment as this single move was to facilitate the rapid growth of a debating culture on campus in the years to come.
+
+The third year arrived and I got busy with the whole internship process, which typically begins with writing glorified odes to oneself, in a process called ‘CV-making’. I remember myself and many those around me turning into heroes overnight, improving the profits of random companies by GDP-rivalling numbers as interns or spearheading (and not leading) mammoth-sized campus groups, which could put armies to shame. Setting the amusement of judging each other’s glorified CVs aside however, the internship process turned out to be a stressful affair. I had a disappointing run in the first semester with the limited analytics and core companies that arrived on campus. Thankfully, I managed to get two internship offers at the end of the year - a Process Consulting internship at KBC Singapore and a Business Analytics internship at Penguin RandomHouse. I chose the former.
+
+Apart from that, I had assumed the position of Additional Secretary of the DebSoc and a significant portion of my time was devoted to setting the foundation of the newly-established Debating Society on campus. The take-off stage involved the DebSoc’s first-ever recruitments, subsequent training of the recruits and participation in major debating tournaments. All these efforts seemed to finally pay off as we broke into the quarter finals of a national-level debating tournament and ended up at the 3rd position in the Inter-IIT held at IIT Kanpur. I remember a failed attempt at recreating a Federer-style trophy-kissing Wimbledon moment after the lnter-IIT. Considering how weird that looked with the miniature second runner-up trophy, I realised the need to get a bigger one in the coming years for a not-so-weird recreation.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/arnav2.jpg){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}
+
+Once the rosy period of my internship in Singapore ended, the fourth year arrived like a sudden storm out of the blue and I got busy with hectic placement preparations. Friends could be seen huddling together like penguins to brave the impending storm of placements unitedly. Every new company appearing on Channel-I gave a beacon of hope and yet, a sinking fear of the placement process coming closer. This period made me realise the importance of good friends in life. Whether it be helping out with interview preparations, giving last-moment ego boosts or simply lending morale support, each one of them selflessly helped me in different ways during this period. As the storm subsided, I finally got placed at OYO as a Business Analyst.
+
+Once the storm was over and hashtags like #andha_paisa had faded away from social media, life began to crawl back to normal. Since this was the last semester, I indulged in activities, which I couldn’t earlier because of time constraints or other reasons. I participated in my first-ever slam poetry in Kshitij’s FOS-Eunoia. The immense free time allowed me to read books, play snooker and tennis, hang out with friends or simply laze around. Late-night campus walks with friends, which often involved random discussions related to philosophy or politics, were also great memories. As this journey comes to an end, I am taking with me not only great memories but learnings from all the people I got to know on the campus. Parting with R-land was sad. But at the end of the day, I will remember the wisdom of one of my friends – ‘Life is meant to be sad. If you are expecting it to be happy, you are feeling uselessly entitled’.

_posts/2019-05-25-memoir-indroneil.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: Outside the Wall"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: indroneil.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Indroneil Kanungo"
+excerpt: "Humans are today the most dominant species on the planet and it wasn't always the case. It is because we developed a unique evolutionary advantage: our ability to socialize and communicate complex ideas using a language."
+---
+
+Humans are today the most dominant species on the planet and it wasn't always the case. It is because we developed a unique evolutionary advantage: our ability to socialize and communicate complex ideas using a language. In prehistoric times, this is what helped us gain the strategic advantage over creatures with superior speed, agility, claws and teeth. And today it helps us with much more than that. One way it significantly improves our lives, that we usually take for granted, is that we have not only the ability to learn from our mistakes, but also from the mistakes of anyone, anywhere on the planet, alive or otherwise. In that spirit, I would like to share with you guys the mistakes I've made, and the things that went wrong for me, so you can  avoid them.
+
+For reasons that are too personal, I was severely depressed through my second until about the middle of my fourth year. And as far as we know, depression is more common today than has ever been. It's my opinion that at least a part of the reason is  capitalism - which forces us to go against our natural instincts to cooperate and requires us to compete against the same friends that we help cheat in an exam. Our entire economy and education system is based around that principle - of competition. But regardless of the reasons, you have to live with it. When I look back at myself 5 years ago, I see a person who could have succeeded in any of the fields he desired. I had a really nice social life. I was pretty good at physics, math, coding, badminton, music and I could have chosen any of those but instead what I chose was to lie on my bed all day, staring at the ceiling, contemplating ways to kill myself. It's impossible to imagine a better version of yourself when you're in that state. You feel that you're a burden to everyone. As a result, all your attempts at convincing yourself to get help or to reach out to your friends will be in vain. This only makes it worse. But if there's one thing I could say to that person, I'd tell him to seek therapy or psychiatric help without a second thought. It's easy to forget that no matter how "sentient", you are really just a very complicated arrangement of atoms, and tiny things like talking about some stuff to the right person, or the right chemicals in your bloodstream, can have a drastic effect on your mood. So if you think you're feeling depressed, please don't throw away your career like I did, and get professional help. And before you ask, NO, you're not "too smart for therapy".
+
+I should have probably started with this. But as some of you may know already, I haven't really graduated. I have dropped out of college as I didn't think the time and the effort I'd have to give in order to get a degree would be worth it, and I hope I will not be proven wrong. I am going to pursue a career as a full-time musician. I have joined a music school in Mumbai and will be staying there for the foreseeable future. Deciding what I had to do was rather easy for me because all of the other options had been destroyed. But most of you people reading this likely do not have their lives as "sorted out" as mine so I think you could use some help. Through most of your life and especially in your college, you will struggle to please a set of people around you. It could be your parents, relatives, your teachers, employers, friends or even yourself. Life is easy as long as you can please every one of those at the same time. But here's the thing : after a certain point, you can't. That point typically comes around adolescence. And I think it should be the objective of your college life to figure out, who it is that you want to please. You should keep in mind that there are no wrong answers here. There's no right way to live life. But not having an answer could make your life potentially difficult in the future. Not that you asked, but I have found my answer. I have realized that I want to try my best to make myself happy irrespective of whether the other people in the list disapprove. Writing and listening to good music is something that makes me very happy and if you haven't already, I think all of you should try to figure out what the thing is that makes you just as happy.
+
+Your college life is a very critical time of your life. The tiniest of your actions have enormous, unpredictable consequences. So choose your actions carefully, think before you speak, and don't do drugs kids.
+
+But what do I know.

_posts/2019-05-27-doggie-doggie-what-now.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Doggie Doggie! What Now?"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: bigstory
+image: doggoz1.png
+author: "Surya Raman, Vedant Kumar, Harshit Dubey, Aditya Ramkumar"
+excerpt: "For some time now, cases of individuals being hounded or bit by stray dogs within the campus have been piling up. A meeting of the ‘Dog Menace Committee’ was convened on the 15th of April to address these issues."
+---
+
+*For some time now, cases of individuals being hounded or bit by stray dogs within the campus have been piling up. A meeting of the ‘Dog Menace Committee’ was convened on the 15th of April to address these issues. Watch Out got in touch with Professor Gargi Singh and K.P. Singh, Chief Security Officer to cut through the noise and try to understand the measures taken, their degree of success and the impediments encountered in the same. A link to the minutes of the meeting of the Dog Menace Committee has been provided at the bottom. Readers are also encouraged to go through a previous article on the issue by WatchOut.*
+
+<span style="text-decoration:underline">*[{{ site.url }}/2017/03/dogs-are-here-to-stay]({{ site.url }}/2017/03/dogs-are-here-to-stay)*</span>
+
+### The Menace
+
+#### *Chew you up, spit you out*
+
+They may be fuzzy, cuddly, floofy, smooshy balls of cotton candy or even scrawny, terrifying howling scoundrels, but the one uniting feature of all dogs is their need to gnaw and bite at anything they fancy, and as observed from the recent cases of dog bites reported in the campus, students are often at the receiving end. Dog bites are at the very core of the menace surrounding dogs. Fortunately, we haven’t had any cases of rabies - yet.  Aggression amongst dogs is very frequent near certain perilous locations and depending on how unfortunate someone is, this aggression can quickly be directed towards them.
+
+Another qualm that is voiced is how the presence of aggressive dogs effectively hijacks certain routes and forces pedestrians to take alternative paths. Seeing your favourite road being patrolled by a growling four-legged single-headed Cerberus that can outrun you (even if armed with Reebok’s Ultra Speed 2.0 Running shoes) is not quite appeasing.
+
+#### *Poopity Doop*
+
+The sight of trash strewn across the corridor, coupled with the mellow fragrance of poop in the air has been long been established to be not the best start to the day. And who wouldn’t want to share the water cooler with a pupper? The start of a new plague has never been easier.
+
+### Student Opinions
+
+> “There are "good" dogs, there are "bad" dogs, I was bitten by a "bad" dog. I don't want the campus to be dog-free, just we must have some kind of check on dogs.”
+
+Spending a quality Sunday evening on the SAC discussion forum reveals how the student populace is fractured in their opinions about how to deal with our furry friends/adversaries. Some call for complete ousting of all dogs while some classify them as being ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and want the naughty ones to face the thunder. Another segment believes that a possible truce between the two species can be reached if the students are more cautious and compassionate in how they deal with these animals. Since dogs don’t have access to Eduroam’s password, their needs are posited by sympathizers who are soon labelled as ‘dog-lovers’. However, a pervading commonality across all such segments is an uproar that the administration is not taking sufficient measures to address the problem at hand.
+
+### Initial Measures and Their Ineffectiveness
+
+> “Every dog menace incident is dealt with”
+
+Earlier, dogs that were identified as hell-raisers were thrown out of the campus, but it was soon found that displacing an animal from its place of birth was illegal; hence this measure had to be put on hold indefinitely.
+
+According to AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) and WHO recommendations, sterilization is the most effective way of controlling the stray dog population. Adhering to the same, the administration invited “Human Society International” to start a sterilization drive across the campus which aimed to inhibit 125 dogs from breeding. The outcome of the drive was favourable in the short run - the number of dogs didn’t increase in the following mating season. However, in the next mating season, there was an unforeseen increment in their population. It was found out that only about 50% of the aimed dogs were actually sterilized in the drive earlier, leaving the rest to mate to their heart’s content.
+
+### Recent Measures
+
+> “We fear what we don't understand, and we destroy what we fear”
+
+**Animal Birth Control Programme:** The second phase of sterilization has been initiated. Now, the dogs will be sterilised and vaccinated. A hard timeline has been set and is expected to be followed through (May 2019). The recently hired security agency has been instructed to carry out the sterilization drive in collaboration with RAAHAT NGO as their first job. Also, the dogs from outside the campus will be captured and pushed out of the campus boundaries. Any of the injured dogs will be taken to  Dehradun for their proper treatment and possibly, adoption.
+
+**Identification of the dogs:**  According to a <span style="text-decoration:underline">[circular](http://www.awbi.org/awbi-pdf/circular_abc_cantonmentboards.pdf)</span>  issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, stray dogs cannot be beaten or driven away from their localities. They can however, be sterilised, immunized, and released back into the same area in accordance with the Animal Birth Control programme. The Dog Menace Committee, in their meeting on 15th April 2019, decided to use collar belts to distinguish between campus dogs and dogs that didn’t belong. On further deliberation, it was concluded that the campus dogs were smart enough to remove these collar belts. Instead, the identification of campus dogs is being done by cutting a 'V' shape on the ear lobe of the dogs. The stated procedure is internationally recognised. The dogs that will henceforward be identified as “new” can then be shown the door since their birthplace would not be within the walls of the campus.
+
+**Door to door garbage collection:** The administration has taken measures to ensure door to door garbage collection from all the faculty families residing inside the campus. The waste food (especially non-vegetarian food) attracted dogs and nourished them. Dog menace has gone down in the areas where efficient garbage disposal systems are in place.
+
+**Securing the gates:** Gates that are permanently shut see no influx of external dogs, it is the functional ones that let the dogs in. Keeping the same in mind, the Chief Security Officer has increased the security near the functional gates of the campus. The Institute Engineer has been actively working to resolve this problem and a change is expected to be visible soon.
+
+**Dog Shelters:** The Nagar Nigam, upon the request of the administration, has planned to make a dog shelter around 5-8 km outside the campus. This shelter will harbour the castaway canines and will cater to all their needs.
+
+**In-Hostel Measures:**
+
+- Ban on Feeding of Stray dogs inside the Hostel: This decision was taken keeping the students who fear dogs in mind. According to the administration, "If the dogs don’t get food in the hostel, they will go someplace else in search of food".
+
+- Water coolers in Bhawans have been enclosed/raised to prevent dogs/monkeys drinking from them. Ceramic water bowls of Roorkee Cares will be placed around the campus. This measure is expected to safeguard the water coolers. Students and guards fill up these bowls every day.
+
+**The counsel of the Experts:** Prof. Anindita Bindra (ISR Kolkata), a canine expert and researcher, is being called to the campus to present a neutral perspective. She will be talking to the Dean Administration, the Dog Menace Committee and will give a detailed analysis of what else needs to be done. A canine behaviourist from Norway is also being invited to do the same. Two canine trainers had been invited in the past as well. During their stay here, they conducted personality tests for dogs and identified them as 'Skittish', not 'Aggressive'. Residents of IITR have been known to thrash dogs and this forms a big part of the reason why campus dogs are skittish.
+
+### Roorkee Cares and the Biodiversity Problem
+
+Professor Gargi Singh started Roorkee Cares with the aim of caring for various animals in R-Land. They have rescued and helped dogs, squirrels, endangered birds etc. Campus junta is known to be engaged in the activities of Roorkee Cares. In Surat, the population of hell-raising dogs was culled by massive, large-scale poisoning. The city was soon tormented with the plague. Dogs keep the rodent population in check who in turn keep the snake population in check. Large scale killing of any species is harmful in the long run - we would do well to not mess with the ecosystem of any locality.
+
+### Our Two-Cents
+
+> “Our dogs are Skittish, not Aggressive”
+
+A Dog becomes <span style="text-decoration:underline">[skittish](https://wagwalking.com/behavior/why-some-dogs-are-skittish)</span> and <span style="text-decoration:underline">[aggressive](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/why-do-dogs-bite-and-how-to-prevent-it/)</span> for a host of reasons. It might be protecting its family and territory from trespassers, it might be scared, lonely, angry or it might just be having a bad day. However, it is also true that students do at times provoke and ill-treat them as well over prolonged periods of time. These dogs are usually very afraid of humans and tend to sprint, bite and run away when they happen to spot someone moving alone in their area.
+
+This issue can be dealt with if the dogs are treated properly. The campus has a lot of therapeutic dogs -- Mr. Chattu, Ms. (Mrs.?) Rampyari etc. that live harmoniously alongside the more evolved homo sapiens of the campus. They are properly taken care of and usually enjoy human company. It is possible to make the skittish stray dogs therapeutic as well by feeding and caring for them regularly, if their translocation encounters impenetrable hurdles.
+
+The Dog Menace Committee meets every month, so any rule/initiatives which may have loopholes are expected to be revamped. Roorkee’s pup fiction will need an active contribution from the campus junta to have a happy and warm ending.
+
+<span style="text-decoration:underline">[Minutes of Meeting of the Dog Menace Committee Meeting, 15 th April 2019 (PDF)]({{ site.url }}/{{ "notice240420192.pdf" }})</span>
+
+![pic](/images/posts/doggoz2.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto"}

_posts/2019-05-29-memoir-debjit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: We are The Ghosts of Your Future, and Bearers of Your Memories"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: debjit.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Debjit Tripathy"
+excerpt: "I have never been much for vocal expression of my emotions, but I guess that is one of a million things that Roorkee changed about me."
+---
+
+I have never been much for vocal expression of my emotions, but I guess that is one of a million things that Roorkee changed about me. And I don't know if I'll ever stay in a single town for 4 years with the same people again, so here goes.
+
+To be completely honest, I wasn't too excited about coming to this place. And the queues on the first day didn't exactly change the moods. Everything stayed pretty mundane for a better half of the first year. But a lot changed when a squad slowly started gathering. It started with small dine outs and extended to all night Mafia parties. I always kept a lot of space vacant in my room, so that I could seat everyone who said 'Hi'. And as they took their seats, we turned breakfasts into last meals of our days, after exhausting debates and contemplations on a wide range of subjects. The assortment of conversations I have had, as I vacate this room today, I hope I never have to forget those.
+
+What I came to absolutely love about the place is the people I got to know here. I go even as far as to say that knowing these people is my biggest achievement in college. As a curious little kid who wanted to know everything about everywhere, I sure had a great time with friends, juniors and seniors from all around. And the best part? They all accepted me like I never expected.
+
+The late night projects and squeezing in a couple of quizzes right before the endsems were the kind of adventures I enjoyed embarking on. And none of these memories would be there if every one of us knew all the same things. This pool of knowledge that you surround yourself with, this will be the very best source of learning you'll get in college.
+
+As I said, I'm not a man of emotions, but I do love metaphors. A lot of us don't know where we're heading, snow filled treks with nothing in sight and no clues about the destination. But the walk's worth it as long as you have familiar places or familiar faces.
+
+To everyone who's reading this, we'll be the ghosts of your future, and bearers of your memories. So remember, remember.

_posts/2019-06-01-memoir-siddharth.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: Jigsaw Falling into Place"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: siddharth-memoir.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Siddharth Saravanakumar"
+excerpt: "I loved painting with my fingers as a 7 year old, playing guitar till I bruised my fingers as a 12 year old, and deveining prawns with my granny for her curry as a 15 year old."
+---
+
+*I loved painting with my fingers as a 7 year old, playing guitar till I bruised my fingers as a 12 year old, and deveining prawns with my granny for her curry as a 15 year old. The best memories from my childhood? Getting my hands messy.*
+
+Most people think of me as this happy-happy dude who knows what he wants to do with his life, started a student-run cafe, and who cooks all the time and experiments with food. It’s partially true, I do know what I want to do with my life, but it comes at a price. There’s a feeling of devastation when I come home- no parent would want to accept that their kid who’s in India’s most prestigious institute wants to throw it all away and cook full-time. The relationship with my parents has become sour and knowing that it will not be the same, at least for a few years, is a hard pill to swallow. But that’s the choice I have made for pursuing my dreams of becoming a chef.
+
+I joined IITR in 2014 as a half-hearted physics undergrad, skeptical if I had taken the right decision. The thought of joining hotel management was still lingering in my mind- cooking was the only thing I ever liked- while physics at IITR seemed the easier route and a reason to smile for my mother. My father, on the other hand, was skeptical regarding Integrated M.Sc. Physics, as a non-B.Tech course at an IIT was an ordeal for him. The ‘ideal’ son that I was at the time, I promised dad that I’d work hard and branch change to a course that was better on paper. I write these lines laughing at my plight, wishing I could tell my younger self that cooking is what I'd continue to pursue in the final years of my college life.
+
+There will come a time of confusion, anger, a constant feeling of being lost, and maybe depression in your tenure at Roorkee. Most of the times that phase will be in your second or third year, the years you have to make the important decisions of your life. It's tough, it really is. What’s important is to make conscious choices that are unaffected by the path often taken and never look back. That's the hard part-not looking back-because it’s so easy to point at the mistakes we made in hindsight and feel frustrated about it. Start making peace with your past, it’ll help in the long run.
+
+The first few years of university have been harsh,but the final year of my Insti life has been rewarding. I stopped comparing myself to others, realized that cooking is my path in life, and did nothing but experiment in my cafe throughout my final semester. I loved every single moment of cooking in college, and it made all the previous bitter years of college worth it. No one came and handed me this happiness, no one gave it on a silver platter. I worked hard for it, visited the main building every other day, made the administration believe in my vision and as to why they must invest in this idea, and made sure they act on my idea. Trust me, it’s tough to justify spending the Institute’s money on a hobby like cooking. They did not understand it at the time, some of them still don’t, but those who do are happy when they visit my cafe for trying out the food. It feels great, it truly does.
+
+The choice of becoming a chef, I must admit, was a product of the frustration I felt as a physics undergrad at IITR. I always thought I'd work a normal job till I'm 40 and then start a cafe of my own in Pondicherry. But college academics, particularly physics, frustrated me so much that all I could think about was doing something I love in the remaining years I had left in college, something that made me feel free and creative. I perceived cooking as an escape, but now I knew it had to be pursued more seriously. I'm really happy that I did.
+
+I sometimes wonder if I were in a less intensive branch, would I have followed the herd and gotten a job like everybody else. If I would have ever come up with an idea of a student-run cafe in India and started Culinary Club, IIT Roorkee. I really don’t know, but in retrospect, I’m happy I chose Physics. It made me do the things I love, it made me cook. Culinary Club has been my surviving grace- the reason I was sane in the final year of  my Insti life- and something that makes me really happy. That, and food shows on Netflix- Chef’s Table, Mind of a chef, Shokugeki no Soma, Eat street, The final table, Raja Rasoi aur anya kahaniya. Yes, you read the last one right.
+
+Brilliant show.

_posts/2019-06-05-memoir-ankit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: There is a romance in knowing these people before they're famous."
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: ankitvyas.png
+category: memoirs
+author: "Ankit Vyas"
+excerpt: "We left home for Roorkee at around 4:30 AM on 23rd July 2015 as I secretly made an entry in my diary, ‘Time to live the dream’."
+---
+
+
+We left home for Roorkee at around 4:30 AM on 23rd July 2015 as I secretly made an entry in my diary, ‘Time to live the dream’. A confident, outspoken, middle-class first-generation IITian was about to land in Roorkee with a vision no humbler than casting this place in his own image. The first semester went by more or less unceremoniously with a few seniors vying to recruit me for their political purposes while others admonishing me and amusing themselves on hearing anything related to academia. In hindsight, I feel that spending the first year in Azad Bhawan (yep!) in ignorance of the good, bad and the ugly of this place afforded me time to enjoy cricket in the evenings and take leisurely walks in the campus at nights.
+ 
+I stayed on campus during the first-year summer vacations to work on a project in the Math Department. One day, a friend invited me to accompany him to a nearby village to teach small children. We enjoyed the exercise each evening but could not continue it after the vacations due to our heavy schedule (or so we believed). On his suggestion, I started reading novels and have built myself a small library now. By the end of summers, I had already rejected a relationship proposal from a long-time friend and been rejected by two others.
+ 
+In the beginning of the second year, I joined the Student Mentorship Program(SMP) and the Institute Alumni Relations Cell(IARC) while both these programs were being introduced to Roorkee for the first time. While SMP offered me an amateur perspective of many ambitious, energetic and inspirational college seniors, the IARC introduced me to gray-haired CEOs, entrepreneurs, civil servants, social activists, etc. from across the globe. These alumni made me realize that the most important asset to hold dear are the friendships that we develop during our time here. One of the alumni remarked on his Silver Jubilee Alumni Meet ‘There is a romance in knowing these people before they are famous’. To this day, I am surprised as to why they almost always spoke of Roorkee in good terms and never spoke a harsh word against it. Maybe the passing years teach you to feel gratitude towards the positives while comfortably letting the negatives pass into oblivion!
+ 
+Meanwhile, the allure of ‘#machau’, a glorious social media presence, the pretense of ‘coolness’ and the toxic idea of busyness equals productivity had already started to sting me. With each day, I grew restless to do more, to be more and to have more. The peer-pressure was intense and giving in was easy. These insecurities, combined with some past incidents of my life and my habit of living inside my head turned out to a perfect recipe for long-term depression. I too considered myself ‘too smart for therapy’ as mentioned in one of the previous memoirs. However, I did undergo counseling later on during the final year.
+ 
+The beginning of the third year opened up new cracks in our insecurities regarding internships and an urgency to decide our careers. We were given the impression that this internship would define, for the most part, which field we were to pursue during our initial careers; an impression which like most of my senior’s opinions and my beliefs is subjective and hence only partly true. With some hard-work and stroke of luck, I was selected to NTHU, Taiwan and KAIST, South Korea. I got selected to KAIST owing to the project I did during the first-year summer vacations (which I abandoned midway). The dots had begun to be connected looking backward. I decided to avail both these offers and divided 3 months evenly between the two places. These 3 months were undoubtedly the most productive time of my college years. I had traveled to a foreign country for the first time and used this opportunity to interact with the locals and know an alien culture. Taiwan is a peaceful country with the most gentle and helpful people you’d find anywhere whereas Korea is a workaholic country with extreme competition owing to widespread capitalism and consumerism. It came as a sweet surprise, and learning to see how people in a different world can live and thrive with a completely different set of principles and value system and be at peace with their lives.
+ 
+On my return, I had exhausted my mind and spent my health and needed refreshment. A couple of my friends invited me to join them on a trip to Dharamshala where we were to stay in silence (yeah literally silent except for 1 hour each day) at the Tushita Meditation Centre for a week, without any electronics. I readily agreed. I had always been repulsed by the dogmas and rituals of religion and maintained a safe distance from them. However, I did believe that spirituality could be a way to find the satisfaction and peace that many authors preach in their books with much gusto. The experience at Tushita was enriching and refreshing. This was followed by a tense couple of months of the placement season. Amidst much confusion amongst a job, a Ph.D. and a Master degree, I decided to take a job. During the final semester, we converted a friend’s room into a kitchen and cooked our own food.
+ 
+The IIT tag gave me the opportunity to speak to professors from the HBS, MIT and Stanford and a former student of Stephen Hawking. My desire for new experiences led me to interact with soldiers from the Indian army who served in the Siachen Glacier at -50 degrees, a retired Navy officer who fought pirates in the Atlantic Ocean near South Africa, an Irish girl who has been taking care of injured stray dogs in Sri Lanka, Israeli people who had served in their army and US troops (I actually spent a day with them in South Korea), Europeans and Americans who make a trip to the Himalayas in search of peace and travellers who have been on the road for many years. I have cooked my food with Pakistani students, explained the Indian electoral system to my communist Chinese professor and dated a Taiwanese girl. Many of them did not know what the IITs are which was humbling. Within the confines of this campus, I made hundreds of acquaintances and a handful of friends. All my experiences – good or bad – have convinced me that the confines of this 365 acres campus are too narrow a boundary to procure the necessities of a ‘good life’.
+ 
+I realize that we all have come here from vastly different (un-)privileged social, cultural and economic backgrounds. Our little head wraps around events and automatically builds meaning from experience utilizing our biases and preconceived notions. Hence, I would like to invite you on a journey to the R-land, to question your biases and do the hard work of altering your self-centered default setting. To see the world through the lens of others within this campus and beyond. And to be a little less sure of yourselves when you leave this campus.
+

_posts/2019-06-07-memoir-aditya-rathi.md

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: With love, Rathi."
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: rathi.png
+category: memoirs
+author: "Aditya Rathi"
+excerpt: "Dear Roorkee, I never really wanted you to be a part of my life. Four years ago, I remember feeling like I had no other option except you - like I had to settle for you."
+---
+
+Dear Roorkee,
+
+I never really wanted you to be a part of my life. Four years ago, I remember feeling like I had no other option except you - like I had to settle for you. You were never my first choice. You just didn’t feel like home. However, out of sheer helplessness, I gave you a chance.
+
+Ever since, we’ve had a love-hate relationship, you and I. Time and again, you kept giving me numerous reasons to dislike you, and yet, moving on from you seems emptying. Over time, I am sure you’ve heard me (through muffled cries and unrestrained rants) swear at you and curse you. So instead of just reminding you (and in the process, myself) about it all, I’ll try to tell you why, with all your vices, you’ll still be a story I’ll recall with happiness.
+
+I’d like to thank you..
+
+..for throwing untimely challenges at me and messing my sleep-cycle up. I learned to love both the tranquility of the night and the chaos of the day. I saw sunsets half-asleep and sunrises wide-awake.
+
+..for making me miserably lonely with seemingly no place to go. I ended up in conversations with Bittu-bhaiya while I waited for my cup of tea.
+
+..for reminding me how rare second chances are. It made me opportunistic on my good days and hopeful on my bad ones. I started being grateful for when fresh starts were given to me, even though I learned to never seek them actively.
+
+..for letting me be stupid enough to rest my fate at the outcomes of coin-tosses.
+
+..for embarrassingly short and unsuccessful interviews. It humbled me. It made me want to work harder.
+
+..for panic-induced blackouts, ill-tempered anxiety attacks, and unwelcome bouts of depression. It made me compassionate enough to try and help people who needed me when I was doing well. It made me humane.
+
+..for uncertain situations and confusing choices which demanded prompt action. On one hand, it coaxed me into being civil to the ones that came to me for advice and mentorship, and on the other, made me accept the consequences of and live with my decisions.
+
+..for a fair share of both heartbreaks and joy. It made me resilient and faithful, and gave me regular reminders of and (necessary) testaments to the tenacity of the human heart.
+
+..for the monotony disguised as the food in the mess. It made me miss home-cooked meals.
+
+..for putting me in uncomfortably painful situations. It trained my brain to resort to my defence mechanisms more smoothly. I started finding jokes swiftly enough to normalise a lot of problems I’d otherwise be miserable about.
+
+..for making me acutely dependent. It helped me gain modesty and learn to ask for help.
+
+..for making me insecure, vulnerable, volatile and fearful. It made me look deeper into myself. It made me realise how beautiful (but fleeting) moments free of these emotions were, and led me to appreciate them to the fullest.
+
+..for keeping me away from my family for months at a stretch. I ended up finding a family for myself right here.
+
+~
+
+Four years ago, I gave you a chance. Thank you for not letting me down.
+
+With love,
+Rathi.

_posts/2019-06-13-memoir-anchit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: May Hogwarts never change!"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: anchit1.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Anchit Shukla"
+excerpt: "Writing this memoir takes me back to the first day at R-land standing in a long queue waiting for my turn to officially start living my dream."
+---
+
+Writing this memoir takes me back to the first day at R-land standing in a long queue waiting for my turn to officially start living my dream. Being a socially introvert person that I had been till my Kota days, I just wanted to break that when I came here. I think I succeeded, though some people don’t think the same.
+
+
+![fb_post](/images/posts/anchit2.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto"}
+
+
+The day I posted this on facebook :D, to the day we parted ways, the world changed, people around me changed and I changed with them learning a life lesson almost every time I was shot with a challenge. But, with all the highs and the lows, these four years made me a person that I never thought I would be able to become. 
+Thanks, Roorkee!
+
+Thank you for providing me an opportunity to meet great, great people. For letting me learn from the experiences of my seniors, They are the ones who I credit for helping me enter the design world (they even placed bets on whether I would be coming back to work during my initial Cogni design days and told me this an eternity later). The journey that followed is what I would cherish throughout my life.
+
+Thank you for imparting in me a selfless attitude which always helped me in helping people around. Sadly, the culture at IITR has now transitioned from a phase where people cared about other people but still, it exists in bits (I have had hours of long talks on the group culture that R-land has and how it has always brought people together). I hope that this selflessness would not cease to exist.
+
+Thank you for the lifetime friendships. For the perfect locations that you provided to have conversations, some wise and some wicked. Earlier the main building area used to be the quietest place at night and I have had the most gyaan-ful discussions there watching the beautiful night sky.
+
+Thank you for the most nalaayak juniors that I have had from Design Studio and Kshitij and thanks for making me learn to handle them. I must say that they will surely take the legacy forward and would achieve greater heights.
+
+Thank you for helping me find occasions to explore myself. I never thought I would write a whole long poem and perform in a slam poetry event until you made me do it.
+
+Thank you for making me immune to embarrassments and failures. Believe me, I have had many and I would suggest everyone in college to have one. It would help you find your best self. 
+
+Thanks to your geography Roorkee, I was able to measure distances in the north. Special mention to a pahadi person, who planned the most fun trips to the most peaceful places of Uttarakhand and thanks to Maggi for making the best noodles that always came to rescue. The North will be remembered.
+
+A senior of mine in my freshman year told me that being in a college, you get to know people from 8 different batches and if you talk to even 10 percent of them(that’s almost 700 odd UG folks), you become an experienced individual right away. This, I tried to practice and I believe that a lot has been earned.
+
+Thank you, Roorkee for being the amazing host that you were and I hope that you would always be the way you have been!

_posts/2019-06-14-guide-to-branches.md

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Watch Out's Guide to the Branches at IIT Roorkee"
+tags: [wona]
+category: academics
+image: branch-guide.jpg
+---
+
+It is pretty difficult to choose a field of study that you might have to stick with for four (or five) years. We know because we've all been there. Hence, to make the process a little bit easier, we came up with this rather elaborate and painstakingly devised guide to the various branches at IIT Roorkee. With an analysis of the various specialisations available, including an overview of the syllabus, future prospects, and some inside information from IIT Roorkee, we hope to give you a perspective of what you might be getting into!
+
+![pic](/images/posts/branch-guide-19.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}
+
+<a href="/WatchOutsGuidetoBranches2019.pdf" style="text-align: center"><button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-block btn-lg">Download the Guide Here!</button></a>

_posts/2019-06-15-memoir-yash-trivedi.md

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: Excelsior!"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: yash_trivedi.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Yash Trivedi"
+excerpt: "Let me begin by saying - Thank you IITR, for giving me the best four years of my life. From first year to now, Roorkee has shaped my personality in unimaginable ways - and I doubt I would have got the same exposure anywhere else."
+---
+
+Let me begin by saying - Thank you IITR, for giving me the best four years of my life. From first year to now, Roorkee has shaped my personality in unimaginable ways - and I doubt I would have got the same exposure anywhere else. Roorkee has taught me things I never knew I needed to learn.
+
+
+With no engineers in my immediate family, preparing for JEE was never an “obvious” choice. So, when I came to Roorkee, I did not have any sort of expectations whatsoever. I was simply excited to know what lies in store. Our hostels, mess food, the people, the oppressing heat - I had never been exposed to this kind of atmosphere before and instead of being put off by it, I was actually looking forward to the next four years. In the first month itself, Roorkee surprised me in many ways. I had never imagined there could exist a dedicated group for film making on campus or, a group that makes ATVs, or a club that goes on regular Himalayan expeditions.
+
+
+My first year in campus was all about exploring what our campus had to offer - I sat for almost every campus group recruitment and tried everything - from sports to coding to electronics to film making to automobiles and even took a project in the Physics department after the end of my first year. Of course, I didn't continue most of these activities but this phase of "exploration" served two important purposes -
+
+1. It helped me figure out things I didn't want to do again. At least, I can say I tried but didn't enjoy it.  
+2. I got acquainted with some exceptionally talented people in each of these fields whom I can ask for help anytime i.e. networking.
+
+Such has been most of my life at IITR - I always had my plate full, which I believe is what everyone should be doing. You will never have so much freedom and independence to try out things and not worry about the consequences. And Roorkee has more than enough things to keep you busy. Believe me, you will get a platform to try anything you want to.
+
+
+Your "IIT" tag matters more than what most of you might think - it helped me get a research intern in Paris - and it has many other less noticeable, but more potent advantages as well. So, just make the most of it! Also, academics is definitely not the way to judge a person here - I went from being a regular tutorial solver to studying a night before the exams, and still managed to get a decent grade everytime. But how you spend your time otherwise is important. While in college, there is never a time when you can't do something productive. Another thing I realized was - there is sooo much to learn from people around you - in the form of inspirational seniors, loving juniors and an extremely talented peer group. Almost always, you will find someone more "machau" than you at what you are doing. But then this is what makes you want to work harder, and this is how it should be.
+
+
+Film making, building ATVs and tennis - these are the three things that have been constant across my four years. Cinesec has influenced me so much that I can not thank it enough. I met such amazingly talented, creative and like-minded people that were almost like a family on campus. Staying awake for 50 hours at a stretch, brainstorming over a script, the 12 hour long editing sessions just two days before end terms, refreshing our YouTube page every 30 seconds to see the increase in views - it really pains me to think that I will never be able to do these things again. My balcony friends - a group of misfits glued together in the most perfect combination ever - almost goes synonymous with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.  
+
+
+Those who know me, would know how bad I am with decisions. I tend to over think even the most simplest and inconsequential of decisions. There was a time when I was studying for JEE as well as NEET and even gave both entrance exams. At times, I think - should I have followed my father's footsteps and become a doctor? But almost instantly, my mind answers - I would not have met the exact same people had I chosen to pursue medicine instead. I would not have been the same person that I am today. I would reiterate what others before me have mentioned - the friends you make here and the experiences you share with them is the best gift you can take away with you. I like to believe that which ever activities I have been involved in - including campus politics and countless evenings in divine - will come of use some day, in some way or the other. Like me, most of you will find yourselves in this situation regularly: (Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken)
+
+<center><br>
+And both (ref. roads) that morning equally lay
+<br>
+In leaves no step had trodden black.
+<br>
+Oh, I kept the first for another day!
+<br>
+Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
+<br>
+I doubted if I should ever come back.
+</center><br>
+
+In retrospect, could I have done something differently? - Yes.
+
+But do I want to go back in time and do it differently? - No
+
+
+Hope you get the point. I am fortunate to have met some brilliant people in this journey whom I respect a lot. I still don't know what I really want to do, where will I end up and which decisions would take me there - but let's keep something for destiny as well, no? Until then, I'll just go with the flow. But Roorkee, thank you, for being jussst perfect!
+
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-06-16-publishing-paper.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Guest Editorial: All About Paper Publication"
+tags: [wona, column]
+author: "Ekdeep Singh Lubana"
+image: lubana.jpg 
+category: career
+excerpt: "I am writing this article to address certain myths that I have every so often been presented with while being consulted by peers who were interested in publishing their research work."
+---
+I am writing this article to address certain myths that I have every so often been presented with while being consulted by peers who were interested in publishing their research work. I have had the opportunity to present my own work at three top conferences now, within the field of embedded systems, data compression, and sensors, while having published a journal paper too. Please note that this article is bound to be heavily biased by my own personal experiences, for academic communities have highly variable publication routines. For ex., while conferences garner a lot of reputation in circuit branches (possibly more so than journals), this may not be the case in natural sciences, which highly regard journal publications.
+
+So, to begin with, there are several cycles involved in publishing one’s work.
+
+1. **Building a manuscript**–Your article/research paper is supposed to be a well-drafted manuscript that, succinctly but descriptively, demonstrates the problem statement studied, the solution proposed, and the contributions made. This manuscript is to be submitted for review, thereafter.
+
+2. **Choosing a platform to publish**–Broadly, one can publish via three platforms: (a) preprints; (b) conferences; (c) journals. I give brief descriptions about the three in this paragraph, but elucidate further details on choosing the exact venue in a later part of the article. Preprints are not technically publications, but an early body of work that you find promising. The idea here is to either mark your problem territory or unveil solutions/problems that require attention from the community. ArXiV is the most popular preprint platform and most certainly an academic’s newsboard. Conferences are generally the platform of choice if your work has gained a certain level of maturity, such as if you define a problem and in part solve it. Finally, the old school, high-prestige publications are journal papers, which usually carry a lot of lustre with them. These papers are heavily scrutinized by several reviewers before publication.
+
+3. **Peer review**–In most conferences/journals, one’s submission is assigned 3-4 reviewers who assess the novelty, plausibility, and clarity of your work, thereby scoring it on a predefined scale. These reviewers strive to find achievements and loopholes within your research, which you may be given a chance to address. I say “may”, for reviews can lead to either direct publications or rebuttals. In the former situation, reviewer comments are unveiled to you and, if the review score is high, your paper is accepted for publication directly. It is now at your discretion to modify your paper as per reviewer comments. For ex., say a reviewer said the caption of figure 2 is unclear and is vital to understanding the paper. In this case, it would be a good idea to change the caption. However, note that one is not allowed to perform significant changes to the paper. For ex., if you have found an optimization technique to improve your algorithm’s speedup from 2x to 3x, you are not allowed to modify your paper towards the same. The idea here is that your proposition may be fallacious, which needs to be reviewed, but since the paper has already been accepted, it cannot be reviewed again. In case significant changes are found, the paper is rejected.
+
+
+4. **Rebuttals (the latter situation)**: The pipeline towards acceptance decision varies from venue to venue. In most top conferences and journals, however, one is given a chance to address the limitations found by reviewers. Certain venues allow for one to update the paper to address the reviewer comments, while others ask for limited text (<500 words, typically) responses. The idea here is to convince why the reviewer why your assumptions are correct or why the supposed limitation may not actually cover your target domain. Also, if you do think that the reviewer is right with his analysis, save some electrons and just thank the reviewers. :3
+
+Finally, the review/rebuttal process culminates in the publication of your work. Now, having described the general idea, let me talk about certain specifics that I find important for people to know.
+
+1. **Faculty involvement**–Something that simply confounds me is the opinion that one needs a professor to be affiliated with one’s paper in order to publish his/her work. This is an absurd notion. You can publish alone, with your friends, with your grandparents, with your friend’s grandparents–whosoever you want, truly. In general, however, the authors of a piece of work will be the people who have contributed to it in some way. If the contribution is not significant, then such people are conventionally mentioned in the acknowledgement.
+
+2. **The lust of journal publications**–the publication cycle for journals is excruciatingly long, to the point where certain journals even take a year or two to go from review to publication stage. I am personally a heretic when it comes to journal publications, for these long winded time windows can actually become the bottleneck of scientific progress.
+
+3. **Publishing half-cooked ideas to conferences**–The following especially applies to circuit branches. This maligned notion for conferences has become a rather old-school opinion. In actuality, the competitiveness of conferences has risen to such high degrees that unless you have significant contributions to unveil, publishing in conferences is really hard. Further, the amount of content expected to be published in a top international conference paper in certain fields is several folds more exhaustive than that of a journal. Such communities have essentially accepted the limitations of journal publications and are progressing towards more dynamic and fast-paced publication cycles. One could argue that this adulterates the content quality, but there’s enough empirical proof that indicates otherwise.
+
+4. **Do not publish for the sake of it:** This point cannot be stressed enough. Students interested in pursuing academic careers are usually hounding towards getting themselves published; however, a publication at an unrecognized platform can be worse than no publication. Strive for top venues and settle for suboptimal ones if you have to, but do not publish for the sake of it.
+
+All this said and done, an important point that I haven’t yet addressed is how to choose a platform to publish. Say you want to publish your work at a conference, then a good idea would be to find high H5-index conferences within your field at Google Scholar Metrics. For ex., a search for top conferences in computer vision at Scholar Metrics results in the following link: 
+
+<a href="https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=eng_computervisionpatternrecognition">https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=eng_computervisionpatternrecognition</a>.
+
+ You can find a relevant category on the website to find a suitable venue for your work. H5-index describes how many papers have had at least as many citations, in the last 5 years, at that venue. This isn’t an ideal metric to test a conference’s competitiveness, but certainly a metric that correlates well. Journals are usually evaluated by impact factors, than H5-index. I wouldn’t think too much about the metrics, frankly. The idea is simply to find a list of top venues. Thereafter, you go through some publications from previous years at that venue and try to determine if your work fits in well. Remember, **the idea of publication is not just to unveil your contributions, but also to take feedback to improve your work.**
+Lastly, some pointers specifically on conferences. While journal publications are carried out through the comfort of one’s home/workplace, conferences demand traveling to a venue and presenting your work. Presentations can either be oral or poster. Oral presentations are usually much fewer than poster presentations and typically involve a 15-20 minute talk by one of the authors, followed by a 2-5 minute questioning round. Don’t worry if you feel too shy to ask questions to the presenter amongst a hall filled with several luminaires from your field (evil wink), for presentation sessions are usually followed by coffee breaks and allow enough time for one to interact with authors of the papers that one finds interesting. But, there’s also a lot of really good free food available during these breaks, so do make sure you really have something worthwhile to give up all of that for. That said, your presentation really, really needs to be remarkable. Your presentation is you getting a chance to pitch your work to investors, who may choose to read your paper, take up your work, build upon/around it, cite you, make you popular, and get you a Nobel/Turing/Abel/other field-specific counterparts of the darn medal.
+
+Now, due to societal obligations, I am expected to conclude this article, but, frankly, I do not have a conclusion. Therefore, peace out. :)
+

_posts/2019-06-17-losing-my-pride-virginity.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Guest Editorial: Losing My Pride Virginity"
+tags: [wona, column]
+author: "Anonymous"
+image: losingpride.jpg
+category: editorial
+excerpt: "Your first Pride walk can be nerve-wracking, especially if you are new to the city and know absolutely no one. This was the situation with me, but I was equally determined to attend it, not knowing when my next opportunity would come."
+---
+
+Your first Pride walk can be nerve-wracking, especially if you are new to the city and know absolutely no one. This was the situation with me, but I was equally determined to attend it, not knowing when my next opportunity would come. Well, thank god for Pravritti that I had some people to walk with, or else I probably wouldn’t have gone for Pride. For those of you who don’t know what Pravritti is, it is a group, more like a safe space, for the queer people across all the IITs of the country. I spoke to these people for the first time that day but we bonded so naturally, it really did not feel like we had just met. That is one of the things Pride is about, go around and meet new people(probably your exes too) without any fear of judgement whatsoever. Honestly, that part terrified me the most because I can’t help but think of what others will think about me. What if they judge me? What if they don’t like me? People were so easily approachable that I could not help but let my guard down. The overthinking, the fear of judgement, these negative thoughts just faded away into the background. It was just a bunch of beautiful people walking together to celebrate love in all its forms, what was there to fear?
+
+
+Also, Pride fashion is at a completely different level. People were pulling off saris with such aplomb in the sweltering heat, it was commendable. I could see blue and pink(colours of the bisexual flag) jumpsuits, bright tight-fitting floral shirts, rainbow raincoats and much more, all under the radius of 2km. The beauty of all of this was that they were carrying themselves with such confidence, it was hard not to get mesmerized, or rather, inspired by it. I learnt that one of the ways to strike up a conversation with the people in Pride is to compliment them. I just wanted to compliment every person in that Pride march because every single one of them was beautiful in their own way, but I obviously stopped myself from doing that, thinking that it would come across as creepy. I was wrong, as usual. I got the cutest reactions and in return, I received some compliments too. What warmed my heart was how genuine everything was. People were not faking it, they actually did mean everything they were saying. It’s because each and every member of the community knows what one goes through as a queer person in a country like India, and sometimes this is the least you can do to show your immense love and support for them, to show them that they are not alone in this struggle and to make them feel proud of who they are.
+
+
+It was truly amazing to meet and walk alongside such kind-hearted, brave and beautiful human-beings. I could literally feel myself surrounded by this intense positive energy for the entire duration of the walk. I felt empowered, and yet vulnerable, excited yet terrified. But all in all, it was an overwhelming experience. Overwhelming is the right word to describe my first pride experience. And I know that not everyone supports the LGBTQ+ community, but I really do wish that everyone, or at least the people that are part of the community as well as it’s straight allies, get to experience the magic of just being their true selves at least once in their lifetime.
+

_posts/2019-06-18-free-will.md

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Of Mop Haired Scientists and Demonic Puppetry"
+tags: [wona, column]
+author: "Surya Raman, Sudhang Varshney"
+image: free-will-1.jpg
+category: editorial
+excerpt: "A word of warning from the authors : this article is long and extensive. We would be remiss to not let you know that this is a laborious read."
+---
+
+*A word of warning from the authors : this article is long and extensive. We would be remiss to not let you know that this is a laborious read. However, we are certain, that the brave ones, who will journey through this merciless sea of words, shall surely find it to be an exhilarating and fruitful exercise. This warning also acts as a perfect segue to the article.*
+
+*Because.*
+
+### What Does It Mean To Be Certain?
+
+An omniscient being is defined as an entity that knows everything there is to know. For the theists among us, this could be God. For the purposes of argumentation, it is assumed that such a being exists. The being knows everything there is to be known about the present, and all the laws governing all possible interactions between and within systems in the universe. These interactions are the pathway through which we sense the flow of time and the universe moves from one state to another. Say for example, this being knew the position of every particle and every way they influence each other. It could, then, prophesize the exact state of the world a second later. Applying this iteratively, it follows that the exact description of the universe was set in a cosmic stone since time took birth. This essentially leads us to a deterministic world and a predetermined future we have no control over. This being is Laplace’s Demon -  named after Laplace, who came up with this line of reasoning to prove determinism.
+
+> “We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes.”
+>
+> —  Pierre Simon Laplace, [A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities](https://bayes.wustl.edu/Manual/laplace_A_philosophical_essay_on_probabilities.pdf){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+A seemingly obvious fallacy here is the assumption of such an omniscient being, but closer inspection proves otherwise. The information necessary to determine the future would still exist- irrespective of the existence of this being- and hence the world would remain deterministic, the only difference being the absence of an entity that can access this information.
+
+However, there is the possibility of another tenuous flaw in the above line of reasoning. Another underlying assumption here is the existence of a complete description of how the universe functions. That is, the assumption that the continuum of states of the universe follows a certain set of laws which we call scientific principles, the search for which is the motivation of scientism and scientific research. However it is imperative to keep in mind that at the end of the day, every model we construct to explain the world around us will always be false. It is debatable to claim that we can know everything about a particular system when we ourselves are parts of it ( to develop an intuition, ponder on this - **can an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent entity create a stone it cannot lift itself?** That is, if we are the part of a physical system, governed by the laws that constitute its preamble, can we actually unravel every piece of information within that system?) . But some models are useful. Newtonian mechanics permit acceleration of systems to superluminal speeds, which is known to be impossible, but it does serve to predict cosmic motion to a beautiful extent.
+
+One such model is the non-intuitive behemoth called quantum mechanics.
+
+> “If the present is known exactly, the future can be determined.”
+
+According to a philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics (called the *[Copenhagen Interpretation](https://www.benbest.com/science/quantum.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}*)<sup>[1]</sup>, it is the premise and not the conclusion of the above statement which is false. This interpretation posits the existence of an [inherent indeterminacy](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j4q93/could_you_explain_schr%C3%B6dingers_cat_to_me_li5/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[2]</sup> in physics, and by extension, reality- a direct result of the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics (the Uncertainty Principle).
+
+### "God Does Not Play Dice."
+
+The aforementioned philosophical stance on reality never fell into good favour with our favorite mop haired scientist - Albert Einstein.
+
+> “In living through this ‘great epoch’, it is difficult to reconcile oneself to the fact that one belongs to that mad, degenerate species that boasts of its free will. How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of good will! In such a place even I should be an ardent patriot!”
+>
+> — Albert Einstein (1914), [“Letter to Paul Ehrenfest”](https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.1955505){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+His vexation is decidedly not subtle. He agreed that we could not know the present in its entirety. However, he emphasised on the we. He believed that the extrapolation of the fact that we encounter indeterminacy everywhere in physics, to the generalisation that reality is inherently indeterministic, was too much of a stretch. The [hidden variable theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_hidden-variable_theory){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[3]</sup>, as it was called, took shape along this view - the claim that fundamentally everything ran smoothly along the tramlines set by deterministic one-to-one models that were tragically out of the reach of human comprehension (he went so far as to call some quantum phenomena ‘spooky’) at the moment. Essentially, there might be some fixed variables which lead to the probabilities of a system as claimed by quantum mechanics, which are hidden from us and what we only observe is the resulting probabilistic and unpredictable observations. His friends, Podolsky, and Rosen  smiled in agreement. It was difficult to stand up to the goliath of the scientific world, and the philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics remained nebulous for an excruciatingly long time.
+
+Three tumultuous decades of passionate debates, discussions, fistfights and armchair rants passed before a resolution started to emerge and culminated in groundbreaking experiments and inequalities (beginning with John Stewart Bell’s famous theorem) that have  [settled](http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Quantum/bells_inequality.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[4]</sup> the matter to a certain extent (though critics of these proofs still persist). **Any physical system is indeed *determined* by a probabilistic wave function.** Einstein’s qualms with the quantum theory seemed to have been satiated.
+
+But this still doesn’t mean that we have figured out the true nature of the world.
+
+Even if for a moment we assume that reality is, in fact, probabilistic, and not exact, this still does not entirely guarantee the existence of free will. At this point, we define free will as absolute freedom to choose what to feel, what to do, and how to do it. If we assume that the universe is probabilistic, then we must also accept another fact that comes along with it (through quantum mechanics): a variety of factors contribute to the disparate probabilities of the occurence of different events and we essentially have no control over choosing the probabilities of these events. This therefore does not guarantee the existence of absolute free will, since we do not control just how probabilistic the things we do on a daily basis are. It can however be accepted that the future is probabilistic, and that these probabilities depend on a multitude of factors and hence the universe is not entirely deterministic - at least not in the way we think of determinism, where the universe follows one set path, and everything that happens, happens with infallible certainty.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/free-will-2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+### Compatibility Theories
+
+The existence of an omniscient entity like a God clearly does not allow for the existence of free will. However, compatibilists have a convenient workaround. Compatibility theorists believe that determinism and free will can co-exist. Their workaround to the problem of Laplace’s Demon, is to change the definition of free will. Compatibilists define free will as having the freedom to act on one’s motivations without external coercion, while accepting that one does not have the freedom to choose one’s motivations. Arthur Schopenhauer summed it up neatly :
+
+> [“Man can do what he wills, but he cannot will what he wills.”](https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/32731/what-does-schopenhauer-mean-by-a-man-can-do-what-he-wants-but-not-want-what-he){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+The problem with these theories is quite obvious - the definition of free will has been contorted according to convenience and the new free will barely resembles what we initially started with.
+
+The common consensus on deciding if someone is accountable for their actions is to determine if the person could have done otherwise. With this as our context, we come across Frankfurt’s Counterexamples. Frankfurt’s argument tried to disprove the **[principle of alternate possibilities](https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil201/compatibilism.pdf){: style="text-decoration:underline"}**, which states that a person is morally responsible for his/her actions, only if they could have done otherwise.
+
+Here is a typical example of Frankfurt’s assertions:
+
+*In an election, a person X must choose between, A or B, and it is given that she is likely to go with B. She will decide against B only if she considers the failures of B in the past. Unbeknownst to her, B plants a chip in her head that will make her choose B if she ever happens to considers the past. B decides to use the chip only if she considers the past. As things happen, she doesn’t consider the past, and decides to go with B.*
+
+Frankfurt, here, was trying to prove the co-existence of free will and determinism by showing that an individual could be held morally responsible for his/her actions, even if they lacked the freedom to do otherwise. It becomes paramount, here, to analyse the relationship between X’s inclination to go with B, and X’s subsequent decision to go with B.
+
+If X’s inclination to go with B and the subsequent decision to go with B are related deterministically, then the argument collapses under its own weight. In trying to prove that people are morally responsible for what they do even if they do not have the freedom to do otherwise, Frankfurt was essentially trying to prove the existence of free will in the presence of a God, or essentially, the co-existence of free will and determinism. However, in his reasoning, if he assumes a deterministic framework, then he is begging the question, that is, assuming the very thing being debated.
+
+On the other hand, if the relation between X’s inclination and decision is indeterministic, then the chip in her head can not predetermine what her decision would be, it is only after her choice, that the chip will be activated, which would then be external coercion, and X would have encountered different options before being forced to go with one. Thus, X is morally responsible for what she chose, but encountered multiple options in the process of doing so.This again defeats Frankfurt’s argument.He had to prove moral culpability in absence of other options.
+
+**[Frankfurt’s Cases are not easy to comprehend in one read.](http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/frankfurt_cases.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[5]</sup>**
+
+### The Significance Of This Debate
+
+It is fair, at this point, to ask the need for this unnecessary hurling of ponderous words and facts, when Average Joe blissfully smokes away his days, living under the illusion of free will.
+
+The implications of the existence of free will or determinism are far-reaching and have been discussed for centuries. Free will is closely related with the concepts of moral culpability, responsibility, sin, praise, punishment etcetera. The problem is simple enough : **if the world is deterministic, then nobody is responsible for anything they do - whatever happened could not have been changed, and the universe is merely following its predestined and immutable path.** How then can we praise someone who does good for society, or equivalently punish someone who harms it? If someone microwaves their pet squirrel in a drunken haze, is he culpable for the painful squeals of the innocent rodent? He couldn’t have done otherwise in his stupor, but then he could’ve chosen not to drink to begin with. But isn’t his decision to inebriate himself determined by a complex rigamarole of social factors beyond his control that shaped his personality and hence his choices?. It is here that we encounter the principle of alternate possibilities again.  A deterministic world would then render the concepts of praise and sin utterly meaningless.
+
+### Why Though, Do Notions Of Praise And Sin Exist?
+
+A common answer to this question is the idea of positive and negative reinforcement -- the same principles employed while teaching your little sibling to call you the greatest brother in Uttarakhand in exchange for an extra french fry and while educating your pet about the ethics of  not urinating on your favorite Chikorita plush by not acknowledging his goodness as a boy respectively. This is the consequentialist view, the objectively intended consequence being a more ‘moral’ society.
+
+However, we do not ordinarily praise or blame other people because - as a result of engaging in careful deliberation - we have reached the conclusion that it would be in our best interests to do so. Rather, we praise or blame persons as natural and reactive expressions of visceral responses to what we see people do. It is, hence, safe to assert that we do not ordinarily pre-decide on the usefulness of a compliment or a word expressed out of chagrin.
+
+A critique of a world of objectivity sheds more light on the consequences of accepting a deterministic universe .We would still incarcerate murderers and thieves, and we would still sing praises for acts of bravery and philanthropy. But these actions and words would have a different, hollower meaning than they have for us now. Our praises would not be expressions of admiration or esteem; our criticisms would not be expressions of indignation or resentment. Rather, they would be morsels of positive and negative reinforcement meted out in the hopes of altering the character of others in ways best suited to our needs. An act of heroism or of virtue would not inspire us to aim for higher and nobler ideals, nor would it evoke in us a reverence or admiration for its agent. At best we would think it is fortunate that people occasionally do perform acts like these. We would consider how nice it must be for the beneficiaries and decide to encourage similar behaviour. We would not revulse from acts of injustice or cruelty as insults to the human spirit, nor be moved by such acts to reflect with sorrow or bewilderment on the tide of events that can bring persons to stoop so low. Driven by objectivity, we would recognize that the human tendency to perform such heinous acts is undesirable, a problem to be dealt with, like any other, as rationally and efficiently as possible. **It seems then, that in order to embrace determinism, we would not have to do away with the concepts of praise and blame themselves - we would have to alter the attitudes and judgments these practices typically express.** It doesn’t take a lot of effort to realise how this transcends into transforming every human relation into a form that seems far removed from the instinctive arena that makes us feel ‘human’ and which pervades in status quo.
+
+Whether that’s a world we want to live in or not is debatable. This notion becomes concrete when we begin to search for answers to the following question.
+
+### Do Our Affiliations With Either Side Of The Debate Impact How We Behave?
+
+A [fascinating social experiment](https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/91974.pdf){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[6]</sup> was conducted within this paradigm by Kathleen D. Vohs and Jonathan W. Schooler. A group of people (Group A) were made to read anti-free will texts and another Group B were handed pro-free will texts. After this conditioning, the two groups were asked to give a test with the possibility of cheating to score higher and the amount of pilfering was quantified. As observed in the outcome, participants cheated more frequently on a simple arithmetic task after reading an essay that refuted the notion of free will than after reading a neutral one. This correlation persisted in another experiment, in which cheating involved active efforts from the participant. These findings suggested that the loss of accountability by believing in determinism had a marked impact on the actions of these individuals. Determinists were also observed to be [less punitive](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14765562){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[7]</sup> to deviant conduct than staunch proponents of free-will, though some studies claim otherwise.
+
+In another study, Vohs and colleagues measured the extent to which a group of day laborers believed in free will, then examined their performance on the job by looking at their supervisor’s ratings.Those who believed more strongly that they were in control of their own actions showed up on time for work more frequently and were rated by supervisors as more capable. **In fact, belief in free will turned out to be a better predictor of job performance than established measures such as self-professed work ethic.**
+
+Determining culpability for crimes is yet another major arena where the extent of free will involved is brought into the picture. The number of court cases, for example, that use evidence from neuroscience has more than [doubled](http://clbb.mgh.harvard.edu/tag/nita-farahany/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}<sup>[8]</sup> in the past decade—mostly in the context of defendants arguing that their brain made them do it. And many people are absorbing this message in other contexts, too - at least judging by the number of books and articles purporting to explain “your brain on” everything from music to magic. Determinism, to one degree or another, is gaining popular currency. The skeptics are in ascendance.
+
+### C'est Tou Pareil
+
+Perhaps the truth of it will never be known to us. It is possible that quantum mechanics is the truth and that the universe is neither random, nor deterministic, but probabilistic. Or perhaps reality is exact, and human beings might never access that precious nugget of information.
+
+Knowing that everything one does has already been determined can be scary and reassuring at the same time. Having complete free will is no less terrifying - one is then responsible for all of one’s failures and dysfunctions. In this madness however, a silent observer lurks just out of sight. And there is peace to be found in that stranger.
+
+And that silent stranger, **[is the absence of any meaning,to anything.](http://watchout.iitr.ac.in/2018/04/whither-do-we-go){: style="text-decoration:underline"}**
+
+#### References:
+
+1. [https://www.benbest.com/science/quantum.html](https://www.benbest.com/science/quantum.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j4q93/could_you_explain_schr%C3%B6dingers_cat_to_me_li5/](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j4q93/could_you_explain_schr%C3%B6dingers_cat_to_me_li5/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_hidden-variable_theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_hidden-variable_theory){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Quantum/bells_inequality.html](http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Quantum/bells_inequality.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/frankfurt_cases.html](http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/frankfurt_cases.html){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/91974.pdf](https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/91974.pdf){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14765562](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14765562){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+1. [http://clbb.mgh.harvard.edu/tag/nita-farahany/](http://clbb.mgh.harvard.edu/tag/nita-farahany/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+#### Further Reading:
+
+- On the implications of Free Will:
+  [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27759547?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents](https://www.jstor.org/stable/27759547?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+- On how the Bell Inequality doesn’t resolve the EPR Paradox:
+  [https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0703192](https://arxiv.org/pdf/quant-ph/0703192){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+- A fairly simple proof of Bell’s inequality:
+  [https://arxiv.org/abs/1212.5214](https://arxiv.org/abs/1212.5214){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+- Dostoevsky’s brilliant insight into the human condition, and his interpretation of freedom:
+  [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8578/8578-h/8578-h.htm){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+- Everyone’s favourite philosopher Neitzsche on the philosophy of free will:
+  [https://philarchive.org/archive/RICNOF](https://philarchive.org/archive/RICNOF){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+**Illustration credits:** Shivam Maan, Prakhar Kothari

_posts/2019-06-20-placements-at-iitr.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Bang for the Buck: 2018-19"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: placement_office.jpg
+category: career 
+excerpt: "A batch of around a thousand students enter the quaint premises of IIT Roorkee every year with gleaming eyes, ready to live the IIT dream they toiled for 2-3 years."
+---
+
+A batch of around a thousand students enter the quaint premises of IIT Roorkee every year with gleaming eyes, ready to live the IIT dream they toiled for 2-3 years. Though a melange of different ideas, cultures and personalities; each one of them slogged through the same system and remained confined to the monotony of JEE preparations. But this place opens multiple doors of opportunities that help them discover their unique skills while persevering to find a stable footing in a whirlwind of freedom. 
+
+After completing their degrees at IIT Roorkee, some students choose to go for higher studies, B-schools, civil services, startups, while others (83.55% this year) opt to sit for the placements. The placement season is often considered as the final assessment card of the 4-5 years spent at IIT Roorkee, appropriating ‘machauness’ to the ones with a big fat juicy paycheque. A secure first step towards professional lives, lucrative pay packages and a rigorous preparation process that brings out the best (or worst) of oneself are usually the reasons why students glorify placements throughout their stay at the campus. 
+
+The placement season is spread over two phases and in this analysis Watch Out has included the combined data till May 28, 2019. 
+
+
+## Number Crunching
+
+
+The **first phase** of placements starts from **1st Dec** to **15th Dec** wherein companies come to hire prospective employees in a continuous streak while the second phase starts in **mid-Jan** and continues till **May** with recruiters visiting the campus from time to time. The **second phase** is mainly for universities and coaching institutes and focuses on M.Tech and PhD students seeking for a place in academia.
+
+The placement process for the first phase starts way back around September when companies fly down to give presentations, followed by resume shortlisting, written or online tests and finally the interviews, which commence from December 1. The anxiety is palpable, and one can almost feel it pulling at them in a giddy maelstrom of raging emotions. It is a harrowing time for the final year students at the campus. The TPO organises preparation tests and workshops in partnership with Career Launcher & pariksha.com. These workshops are week-long classes that give a general course on quantitative aptitude and provide tutorial sheets for practice. These are useful for students who are not very inclined towards specialised profiles and are also helpful is ascertaining their relative standing amongst their peers.
+
+We dug into this year’s placement data* and curated the following statistics. Useful trends highlighting aspects of the placement process and patterns regarding the offers made in the **Placement Season 2018-19** also form a part of this Placement Report. 
+
+**Number of Eligible Students ( UG+PG+PhD)** = 1788<br>
+**Number of Students Registered** = 1494<br>
+**Number of PPOs** = 120<br>
+**Number of Offers made (Including PPOs)** = 1090<br>
+**Number of students accepting the offers (including PPOs)** = 1005<br>
+**Number of Companies that recruited** = 318<br>
+
+This year, in total **1021** offers were made on campus across **UG and PG** including **120 PPOs** secured by the students after their pre-final year internships. Like every year, the graphs are high peaking for **circuital branches (EE, CSE, ECE)** in terms of percentage placed as well as the pay packages. **93.52%** of students were placed in the **CSE Department** and **88.85%** in the **ECE Department** while the **Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department (72.58%)** and **Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department (78.53)** also show impressive figures.
+
+*The graphs are interactive. Kindly hover on the graph and click to see the tooltip and labels. 
+
+ <iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/jwH2-yZon/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 750px" scrolling="no" ></iframe>
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/MW_9XXgp2/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+A total of **380** companies visited the campus for recruitments , of which **318** recruited.<sup>[1]</sup>
+
+[1] The data on Channel I also contains duplicates which makes the count 304 instead of 279.
+If we consider different profiles or a PPO offered by the same company as an individual count (For Eg: A single company , say Goldman Sachs, offering jobs as Data Analyst, Software Developer and a PPO is counted as 3) this figure then equals to **279**. An additional **39** companies came for the Departmental Placements of the Department of Management Studies. The total number of **unique** companies (some of which give offers in multiple profiles) that recruited from the campus is **262**. 
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/gCPnXW5Lr/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 600px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+<style>
+* {
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+}
+
+/* Create two equal columns that floats next to each other */
+.column {
+  float: left;
+  width: 50%;
+  padding: 10px;
+}
+
+/* Clear floats after the columns */
+.row:after {
+  content: "";
+  display: table;
+  clear: both;
+}
+</style>
+We have tried to simplify the job profiles and roles as follows:
+<div class="row">
+<div class="column">
+1. Business Developer and Analyst<br>
+2. Consultant<br>
+3. Data Analyst<br>
+4. Data Scientist<br>
+5. Design UX/UI<br>
+6. Engineering Analyst<br>
+7. Engineering Core<br>
+8. Finance Analyst<br>
+9. Management Trainee<br>
+10. Operations Manager<br>
+11. Product Manager<br>
+12. Supply Chain Manager<br>
+</div>
+<div class="column">
+13. Quantitative Analyst and Researcher<br>
+14. Software Developer<br>
+15. Technologist<br>
+<ul>
+    <li>Hardware Engineer</li>
+    <li>Technical Staff/Technology Cadre</li>
+    <li>Engineering Trainee</li>
+    <li>Server Engineer</li>
+</ul>
+16. Web Developer<br>
+<ul>
+    <li>Frontend Developers</li>
+    <li>Backend Developers</li>
+    <li>Full Stack Developers</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+This year, IIT Roorkee witnessed **67** companies recruit in **Software Development** whereas for the students interested in **Data Science** (**7** Companies) and **Product Design and Management** (**8** Companies) were hiring. **68** companies recruited the **Core** enthusiasts this season while **47** companies offered **Pre-Placement Offers**. (Refer the pie chart for profile wise company distribution).
+
+The next infographic gives an insight into the kinds of profile offered by the companies and indicates the popularity of Technical and Core profiles with less space for Data Sciences, Consult and Finance.
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/-Mkh3RARy/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+ <iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/k5Wt2afLF/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 850px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+ <iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/6C0-mJs9u/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px"></iframe>
+ 
+ <iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/n6GkGWQfF/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px"></iframe>
+
+Students grind day and night throughout their college lives to get that coveted  Day 1/2/3 jobs that usually guarantees fat pay cheques and fancy profiles. A high paying job is something that everyone fancies even before coming to the campus. This year the overall average CTC turned out to be **14.727 Lakh INR. Microsoft Redmond** and **Uber International** offered the highest paying packages of **INR 1.5 crores** and **INR 1.20 Crores** respectively. App Dynamics, Squarepoint Capital, Uber India, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Mercari were among the other high payers with packages **above 30 Lakh INR**. 
+
+Companies that come to hire for software profiles pay a very substantial remuneration (average of **INR 23.15 Lakhs**) and are awarded an earlier recruitment day whereas core engineering profiles offering an average CTC of **INR 10.19 Lakhs**, have to settle for a later date. Conversely, providing a later slots/date to finance or consult profiles leads to companies reducing their pay figures. This potentially creates a bias which makes students gravitate towards software roles, as seen in the heavy coding culture on campus. The following graphs give detailed information about the CTCs:
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/g5qOETUzj/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px; " scrolling="no" ></iframe>
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/k-Pi4NM5Y/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 800px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/62cp8DUI0/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 350px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/EjTFdL_Mz/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px"></iframe>
+
+There seems to be almost negligible difference between the average CTC of Male and Female of the campus. Profile wise, maximum females took jobs in the Core Engineering (31) followed by Software Development (**21**).
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/uycTqHq49/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 500px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+<iframe class="highcharts-iframe" src="https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/L-FpRhjZK/" style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 650px" scrolling="no"></iframe>
+
+<i> **\*Note**: We have analysed the data on the basis of students placed not the number of offers made by the companies. In case you want to go through the data we used, you can visit **Placement Online** on **Channeli** wherein under the **Extra** Section you will find Branch-wise, Company-Wise and Department-Wise offers made. The data we present here excludes all the duplicate and rejected offers mentioned on the portal. The CTCs used for the analysis along with the profiles were obtained from **Channeli Notice Board**. Due to the unavailability of data of PPOs, we weren’t able to analyse the same in detail. There have been major issues in availing proper data due to lack of provisions and measures in the system to keep a detailed record. We have tried our best to provide as authentic trends as possible. In case you find any discrepancy, feel free to write to us.</i>
+
+
+## Bridging The Gap
+The Placements 2018-19 fared well for the students with a total of **1005** students **accepting** the offers. The lack of diversity and variety of job profiles during placement season has been pointed out since long, TPO claims that as compared to last year, this time many new companies visited for Finance (**8 companies**), Quantitative Research and Analyst roles (**3 companies**), but still, the number of students placed in these profiles are very low (**33 and 8 respectively**). Google, JP Morgan, AQR Capital, Appdynamics, Sprinklr, Squarepoint Capital, Udaan and Fractal Analytics were a few top names that recruited for the first time from our campus.
+
+
+The campus culture lets the students explore a wide range of career options and provide space to every individual to evolve in his own way. Apart from coding and software development, the enthusiasm for Finance, Consultancy, Operations, Data Science, Marketing, UX/UI Design, Product Management and Design profiles has increased significantly. But at the approach of the placement season, the lack of companies in the desired sector and proper profiles lead to a major disappointment (See the Profile-Wise Companies Distribution Graph and Profile-Wise Students Placed Graph). 
+
+On-campus placements definitely have an edge in comparison to off-campus placements due to a straightforward, transparent and simplified process. The tasks of emailing and approaching the company are done by the TPO and most of the major firms recruit through campus placements. But students interested in other profiles, due to lack of offers, choose to dive into the chaotic rigamarole of off-campus placements by a variety of methods, approaching their alumni networks or crawling through LinkedIn, to give an example. In these matters, the TPO needs to take concrete steps to accommodate the needs of the students. The TPO has the sole power and authority to approach the companies, talk to the HRs and negotiate the hiring date and offers. Big firms and reputed brands fight over earlier slots and provide fairly high enumeration only when given the slot of higher priority. This year, certain firms like Bain, Rivigo, Schlumberger, I3C, to name a few did not come for hiring even after taking the test and shortlisting the candidates. When given a lower priority, reputed firms either refuse from recruiting or reduce their pay packages. In the end, it is the student community that suffers.
+
+With the establishment of specialised campus groups like Design Studio, Finance Club and Data Science Group, it is quite clear that the student community is striving to build a decadent culture in various fields. The TPO will have the full support of the student community in approaching reputed names in these fields and hence it's prudent to make attempts at fostering better and healthier relations with companies that still give Roorkee a cold shoulder.
+
+Indubitably, the placements are an important stepping stone for the next phase of a student’s life. Despite all the factors, one must also understand that the entire process is also has a degree of subjectivity. On D-Day, you could lose your nerve in front of the recruiter, or something on your resume might interest someone from the panel, or, you might have to miss out on an interview because your slots clash, or you might even get a chance to give a walk-in interview. If you look at the bigger picture, even though a job offer might seem like a metric to measure how successful your college life has been, it isn’t the only mark of your skills and abilities.
+
+There are many things the junta needs to know about the workings of the TPO, like the workings of the current system and the problems students face during the raucous of placements and internships. Watch Out will address this need for information dissemination through an article on the TPO soon and we’ll also try to find possible resolutions to the issues that we faced due to lack of data for the coming years.
+
+Until then, we hope this serves as a helpful reference for the next batch of students heading towards the placement season. 
+  
+

_posts/2019-06-21-memoir-rainbow.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Memoir: Roorkee and Rainbows"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: rainbow_rk.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Anonymous"
+excerpt: "A small acceptance could make someone’s life. For not every closet is Narnia. "
+---
+
+For the few thousands from a set of 12 lakh that do end up getting into an IIT, it seems like a dream come true. A culmination of hard work, efforts, time and money, with the hopes of a bright settled future. But if you’re like me and belong to the small non-heterosexual male minority, things may get bleak for you, soon and fast.
+
+If the rampant “kya gay hai ” and other homophobic remarks don’t push you deep inside your closet, the casual bigotry prevalent across sure will. The truth is, with all the conversation flowing around the scrapping of Article 377, the people on campus are kind of accepting(?) the fact that LGBTQ+ people (might actually) exist and so now, most guys think they have to prove their own and question others’ “straightness” all the time, lest they turn out to be one. Cultivating a despicable atmosphere of hyper-heterosexuality and toxic masculinity. 
+
+(Not that I’m complaining. After all, watching guys flex their muscles trying to prove their manliness is supposed to be my labour of love, right?)
+
+8th September 2017. The day I finally came out to myself. A day people usually associate with feelings of liberation, glee or being epiphanous. Not me though, for it was a day when everything I believed in was shattered. A day that plummeted me into a cyclone of self-doubt and denial.
+
+The days leading up to it were some of the most trying days of my life, I suffered from major bouts of anxiety, depression and self-identity crisis. I felt like I was trapped in a YouTube video running at 2x when all I could manage was 0.75. Everything was changing so fast and rushing past me in an indecipherable blur. So I ended up doing what I always was good at, shutting myself out. I started ignoring plans, stopped meeting friends, missed lectures and fucked up my academics and submissions until one day I couldn’t take it any longer. I locked myself in my room and finally screamed out loud- “I AM NOT STRAIGHT”, a small voice at the back of my mind was ready to taunt me with “Took you long enough”.  
+
+It was stupid of me to believe the churning thoughts would suddenly stop, though. Because the aftermath wasn’t pretty either. Still having no idea what to do apart from probably loathe myself more for existing, I did the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I came out to my straight best friend, who also happened to be my first guy crush (and accidentally also to my mom, who read said message and freaked out, but that’s a story for another day). Surprisingly he took it well and although I was still as clueless as before, this acceptance was the tipping point for me.
+
+What ensued was a series of coming-out messages to close friends where the OCD me crafted each one uniquely and made a list of people I came out to (or LOPICOT as I call it), followed various subreddits, devoured articles, forums and tried a few dating apps( wouldn’t recommend unless you want PTSD in your initial acceptance path). 
+Every positive and encouraging response pouring in emboldened me to be more sure about who I was and I realised that a strong support system in the form of close friends, is what actually channels this entire process of self-discovery and acceptance. 
+
+
+And I’m not saying every person in your life will embrace you with open arms and warm hugs, I’ve had my share of stone cold silences and metaphoric shut doors. But branding every person who doesn’t accept you immediately as homophobic makes you no different from them. Give them time, if they come around, well and good, if they still don’t, move on. You’re probably better of without them.And once you have reached that magical number of acceptances, you’ll get comfortable and confident enough to notice that you’ve run out of fucks to give to the fear of exposure. 
+
+Because in my time at Roorkee, I’ve realised that homophobes are as much a minority as those of us belonging to the community. A large chunk of the predominant straight junta remains clueless, unaware, or believe it to be of no concern of theirs, till this day. These are the people who get carried away by the wave of casual homophobia and sexism in the name of fitting in and this is the perfect demographic that any campus group willing should target for sensitization.
+
+So, if you’re still reading and are a fellow member of the community: Hang on, things do get better. You’ll find who you truly are eventually and be able to proclaim it proudly to the world. Just take the first step and come out to someone you’re close to. 
+If you’re a nonchalant and unaware person: Look out, someone might be reaching out to you and not always through words. We sure don’t bite if a helping hand is given.
+If you’re a homophobe: The times are a changing and we’re coming for you, riding our unicorns, rainbow swords blazing. 
+
+A small acceptance could make someone’s life. 
+
+For not every closet is Narnia. 
+
+
+PS: You can call me a hypocrite for being anonymous here, although I wouldn’t mind screaming it from the top of the Main Building for all I care. It’s just me taking care of the small minority of homophobes. I know we must be damn scary for you to have a phobia of us. 
+
+TL;DR: I, a non-heterosexual male from IIT Roorkee eventually turned out to be just fine. 

_posts/2019-06-22-young-india-fellowship.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "The Young India Fellowship (YIF)"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: yjf.jpg
+author: Rochisha Agarwal
+category: career 
+excerpt: "The Young India Fellowship (YIF), is one of the most sought-after programmes in India, conducted over a year,  at Ashoka University.   It is a one year multi-disciplinary post graduate in Liberal Arts (courses from humanities, commerce as well as science)."
+---
+
+The Young India Fellowship (YIF), is one of the most sought-after programmes in India, conducted over a year,  at Ashoka University.   It is a one year multi-disciplinary post graduate in Liberal Arts (courses from humanities, commerce as well as science). This seven year old program aims to arm and furnish well-rounded individuals with critical thinking, leadership abilities and an inclination to serve the public.
+
+
+**Ashoka University**
+
+Ashoka University is a private university, focussing primarily on research, located in Sonipat, Haryana. Ashoka University emphasises more on liberal learning, as opposed to conventional rote memorization prevalent across the rest of the country. It's recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is listed amongst the top ten universities in India.
+
+
+**About YIF**
+<br>
+*“The biggest takeaway from being part of the Ashoka community is the network. The professors here are the best in the whole country.”*
+
+
+<div align="right">-Rounak Banik, IITR alumni and a YIF fellow.</div>
+<br>
+
+YIF’s eminent and enviable faculty exposes the fellows to a plethora of concepts and cultures, and opens many metaphorical doors in their lives.  Guest lectures and workshops happen frequently and witness global achievers like Shashi Tharoor, Raghuram Rajan and Nandan Nilekani. The fellows get to engage with these esteemed individuals, who can then provide assistance in the future.
+
+The courses offered here range from Foundation of Leadership, and Philosophy and Cognitive Science, to Mathematical Thinking, Shakespeare and the World and a humongous array of other diverse courses . The course structure comprises of 8 semesters in a year, with each semester consisting of 2-3 courses. Due to this heavy curriculum, YIF can be very hectic for many, but for engineers a hectic schedule is an everyday story. Courses are evenly divided, in that roughly half of them are core or compulsory, and the rest are elective courses. As we’ve mentioned already, the range of topics covered is ginormous, and hence the existence of a large number of diverse electives helps students specialise/get acquainted with fields previously unknown to them.
+
+There are two compulsory programs at YIF which run almost the whole year:
+
+
+**Experiential Learning Module, ELM,** is a core component of the fellowship which runs for eight months. It complements academics with real work experience. Fellows work on live projects for different organisations and individuals representing multiple sectors. It consists more of NGO work, with less stress on the corporate side.
+
+[https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-profdev-133](https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-profdev-133){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+
+**The YIF Critical Writing Programme** aims to help the fellows develop a ‘critical thinking’ approach towards most problems they face personally and professionally, which enables the fellows to write and express their views in an elegant and captivating manner. To ensure that the students receive the best guidance, the fellows are segregated into groups of about 15 students each. Each group is assigned its own ‘Writing Perceptor’, who not only educates children about the root values of critical thinking, reading and writing, but also imparts a personal touch to each and every group.
+
+[https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-writing-134](https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-writing-134){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+<br>
+
+*“Here at YIF I learn more from peers than anything, the diversity we are exposed to at times pushes us towards unexplored imaginations”*
+
+<div align="right">– Nikhil Tripathi YIF fellow.</div> 
+<br>
+
+The fellows at YIF are from varied disciplines and backgrounds, including design, business, engineering, literature, law and much more. Engineers make up roughly 30% of the student body.
+Such a diverse environment pushes the fellows to acquire essential skills needed for research, problem-solving and effective communication - all essentials for a successful professional life.
+
+
+**Application Process**
+
+Your application at the YIF is the most crucial part, which includes your profile, your necessary academic records ( 10th and 12th plus graduation), employment/ internship details, extracurriculars, essays which are related to your field (of graduation or postgrad), and referee details (LORs etc). If you’re selected, this is followed by a telephonic interview.
+
+Upon clearing that, you have an in-person interview at the end, which is held at Ashoka University itself. The interviews are based on your application and your discipline, and hence are different for everyone. It's easy to crack this strenuous application process, if you remain genuine and lucid in the essays and interviews. The IIT tag is also a very big boost to your application.
+
+[https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-admissions-41](https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-admissions-41){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+[https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-selection-138](https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-selection-138){: style="text-decoration:underline"}
+
+
+**After YIF**
+
+YIF opens up great sets of opportunities and helps the fellows get into the best universities across the world like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University and Yale University. The fellows usually do their masters from such top-notch institutions. YIF was not set up with the objective of creating insane placement opportunities - their vision is to enhance your social skills. Readers are advised to keep in mind that the program cannot possibly serve as an alternative to MBA. The in-campus placements are pretty poor when compared to IITs, but most people are able to secure a good off-campus placement owing to the skills and network that YIF gifted them with. YIF has helped alumnis become successful entrepreneurs, social workers, leaders : people who leave an impact on society.  
+
+It is a great program if you’re inclined towards Humanities and Social Sciences. You can use your year at YIF to significantly expand your skill-set and also reflect on what you’d eventually want to do with your life.

_posts/2019-06-27-online-food.md

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Food, Blackmail and Uneasy Body Cavities: An unexpected movement on the rise in R"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: phekingnews
+image: delivery_boi.png
+author:  Mohit Sharma, Murtaza Bookwaala, Divyam Goel
+excerpt: "The first few weeks in R-land often tend to be overwhelming. In these days of ecstasy, the “quality” of mess food is quite easy to overlook."
+---
+
+The first few weeks in R-land often tend to be overwhelming. In these days of ecstasy, the “quality” of mess food is quite easy to overlook. But after the three days it takes for the euphoria to wear out, it becomes increasingly clear with each passing day that sustaining oneself exclusively off the mess food is a daunting task, to say the least. Rumour has it that the delicacies served in RJB tend to depreciate further in flavour as time passes but the credibility of such statements remains dubious.  While the canteens and eateries around the campus provide viable alternatives, most of them either lack the satisfaction of a full meal or aren’t cheap enough to not offset your budget.
+
+Given these circumstances, food delivery services like Zomato and Swiggy, in addition to being a suspiciously convenient way to smuggle *stuff* into the campus, are also an imperative facility for blokes that want a cheap satisfying meal from time to time but feel like a 10 minute walk to the campus gate is too much work.
+
+However, all such wet dreams were shattered when the administration issued an ordinance restricting the entry of delivery *bois* into the campus. With this tyrannical precept in place, Bhawan residents now have to travel all the way to a campus gate(which may or may not be the one closest to their humble abode) to collect their order on a scorching sunday afternoon.
+
+A GB dweller was quoted saying
+
+**“This is the worst thing to happen to the Campus since the Lipstick brouhaha of 2010”**
+
+But underneath all the dissent and general dysphoria surrounding this decision, lie the makings of a what can only be described as a nefarious smuggling syndicate of sorts constituted by food delivery services as a means of retaliation. As Watch Out decided to probe further into this, we discovered something much more sinister than what we initially expected.
+
+It seems that in order to meet the expectations of IITR students - their primary source of revenue in Roorkee -The food delivery consortium has decided to collude with insiders, i.e, fellow students of yours, to establish what is now being called Guide to Groceries, or GTG for Short.
+
+GTG is an underground network of campus mules that have been coaxed,bribed,blackmailed or voodooed by these capitalistic food transporting conglomerates into doing their dirty work, i.e, peddling the deliverables from campus gates to bhawans for the convenience of  previously dissatisfied folks.
+
+Though they tend to be extremely secretive and suspiciously loyal towards the syndicate, WatchOut managed to get in contact with one of these “victims” and arrange a brief interview under the stipulation that their name be kept a secret.
+
+**Enthusiastic WONA reporter** : So How exactly were you strategmed into becoming a nutrition mule for the armada of vespas with swollen behinds?
+
+**Trapped kid**: It all started with a seemingly innocuous text that I got, offering an internship with one of the aforementioned firms. My chances of landing an intern had been extremely slim at that point and it seemed like something I couldn’t afford to miss. So I put aside my bong and texted back with a ‘Y’. It was a downward spiral from that point on, and I can’t really pinpoint what my breaking point was. Maybe it was when I realized that the employee-special app they had me install on my devices was actually a keylogger…or maybe it was the first time they asked me to shove a packet up a place that’s only meant to be treated nicely, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter. The workload’s light enough and the money’s decent.
+
+![First Contact](/images/posts/food_chat.png){: style="width: 80%;"}
+<div align="center"><b>The First Contact<br>
+ (as described by our anonymous source) </b></div>
+
+<br><br>
+
+**Slightly worried WONA reporter** : Does that mean you’re content with what you’re doing? Do you not feel duped by these evil malefactors?
+
+**Trapped(?) kid**: Not really, and I wouldn’t really call them evil. My boss is an ass, yes, but is that really such a shocker? I also have to tolerate a mild lingering discomfort in the region where my legs meet, but it’s something I can live with.
+
+*The interview then came to an ill-timed end as the kid had to leave for picking up another order. “Got to Go. Duty Calls” were his final words as he walked away.*
+
+*Watch Out therefore concluded that the administrators of GTG have managed to condition their victims beyond recognition, making them believe they actually liked doing their dirty work. We therefore decided to dig deeper into  what tactics had been deployed to achieve this level of behavioral conditioning. Research however, came to a standstill after our theories about mind control started to seem unreasonable, leaving us with only one option, contacting an insider to get a look at this situation from the other side.*
+
+**WONA:** Tell us something about your job
+
+**Delivery Boi**: Well, delivering food is our main job. Though we provide service to all of Roorkee, IITR is the prime hotspot. We get a lot of delivery requests throughout the day. and the thing is, to get a bonus, we need to minimize the number of rejects. And honestly speaking, considering all the hype around IIT, people here are not very bright. Once a girl from KB asked me on the spot, to alter her order. Part of my daily routine is dealing with these whippersnappers who apparently don’t understand the concept of “no cancellations” trying to cancel or worse, alter their order after I’ve been waiting a good ten minutes for them to collect it. It can sometimes be quite hard to contain myself and stop the altercation from turning into a fistfight. On top of that, these blokes aren’t generous,either. They just keep asking for “IIT Discount”. And that is after the 50% discount they already have. Sometimes they order food from the same restaurant they are sitting in. And don’t even get me started on how lazy they are. It was not enough to get food up to their bhawan gates. Now they want it up to their rooms, shoved up their….
+
+**WONA:** Alright, alright. We get that you are fed up with your job. And now there are more reasons for that. You aren't allowed to enter the campus now. What's all that about?
+
+**Delivery Boi**: Ah well, I don't know. Maybe peeps at the admin wing thought that students were skipping mess too often or something like that. So they invalidated our ID cards which are necessary to get entry into campus. Now those brats need to come up to the college gates to get food, which leads to more rejected orders. And that’s taken its toll on the job ie. delivering food and you know, stuff. (He said this followed by a series of eerie and visibly awkward winks)
+
+**What stuff?**
+Well, you can say it is food too. Sustenance of the soul, and if I may, it's better than the normal food and it takes us to places. It's like...
+
+**Lubricous WONA reporter**  : And where do you get this sustenance of soul?
+
+*This question was asked solely for research purposes and the answer is to remain undisclosed until the interviewer’s wake from a deep slumber they fell into shortly after the interview concluded.
+
+A Vice-style dive into this rabbit hole, among other worrying revelations, shows how alarmingly easy it is to influence students of R into doing stuff that’s less than virtuous. Estimates suggest as many as 70 students - give or take one - are currently trapped in this vortex. It could be your classmates, your roommate or even you. If you happen to know/suspect anyone stuck in this nefarious business, feel free to reach out at [iamamulepleasehelpme@gmail.com](mailto:iamamulepleasehelpme@gmail.com){: style="text-decoration:underline"}. Your speaking up could save someone’s career or more. Just know that sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help than to act alone but it’s always worth it. The only mistake you can make is to not reach out.
+
+**Illustration credits:** Sudhang Varshney and Ritik Mathur

_posts/2019-07-01-national-abu-robocon.md

@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "National ABU Robocon’19"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+image: robocon_final.jpg
+author:
+excerpt: "The ABU Robocon is an annual Asian-Oceanian college competition, where robots are pitted against each other to perform complicated tasks in limited time. The competition was started in 2002 by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and is one of the most popular events among collegiate students interested in Robotics."
+---
+
+
+*The ABU Robocon is an annual Asian-Oceanian college competition, where robots are pitted against each other to perform complicated tasks in limited time. The competition was started in 2002 by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and is one of the most popular events among collegiate students interested in Robotics.* 
+
+*Each country is represented by a single team, and for this purpose, national college teams fight it out in the National ABU Robocon, India and the winning team competes in the international championship. Team Robocon IITR started off as a group of a few robot enthusiasts 10 years ago, and has now evolved into a full fledged hardworking campus group that aims to win this national competition, and represent India on the international platform.* 
+
+*WatchOut! decided to interview the Team Leader of Team Robocon, Bhavya Goswami, to find out various details of the competition, and to obtain a first-hand account of their experience on the national stage this year.*  
+
+**1. What are the different stages of the tournament? What stage did you finish at?**
+
+Till 2018, the competition used to have only a single stage which included the Prelims followed by League Matches among top 24 teams with 2 matches per team in both of them, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
+
+But this year, the structuring of the tournament was revised. This time the tournament consisted of 3 stages : 1) *Design documentation* – In this we had to submit proper documentation of our robot which consisted of its mechanical design, electronics, strategies, prototypes, and alternate designs; 2) *Working Video* – In this we had to send them a proper detailed video showing them the working of the robot as mentioned in the stage-1 documents; 3) *The competition* which included prelims, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. 
+
+In the prelims, each team gets to play two matches. It doesn’t matter who your opponent is, since this round is not about finishing the problem statement. This round is all about collecting the maximum number of points. The top 8 teams go through to the quarterfinals. Here the matches are all knockouts and the match comes to a halt the minute one of the two teams finishes the problem statement. 
+
+We finished 6th overall, and won the <span style="text-decoration:underline">*‘Judges Special Award’*</span> and <span style="text-decoration:underline">*‘Quarter finalist award’*</span>.
+
+**2. What was the format of the matches, as in was it a multiplayer competition or did it consist of one on one matches?**
+
+The competition consisted of only one on one matches. It was just like a duel between two warriors in a grand arena, the only difference being not actually fighting with each other, but  completing the problem statement as quickly as possible.
+
+
+
+**3. What were the parameters of judging? Were there some tests or requirements to be fulfilled?**
+
+Each year, a different country in the Asia Pacific region gives a unique, completely new problem statement with new sets of rules and constraints. As per each problem statement, we have to make a specified number of robots (generally two) from scratch. These robots need to complement each other to complete certain tasks in less than 3 minutes. Also, yes there are always a lot of requirements which need to be fulfilled like weight, dimensions, pressure and stuff with lots of rules and constraints.
+
+**4. Was there any theme or template for the competition? If yes,what was it and how did you prepare for it?**
+
+Yes, each year the problem statement is based on a certain theme. This year the theme was *Great Urtuu* which means sharing of knowledge in Mongolian. According to this theme, we had to make a wheeled manual robot and a fully automatic Quadruped robot. They both needed to coordinate with each other to manipulate various objects and navigate in the game field, in the most efficient way possible. 
+
+The quadruped robot had to climb on obstacles like ropes, boxes, slopes on its own. It was really a challenging task. Even top universities and institutes haven't been able to design it yet and most of them are completely unfamiliar with the concept.
+
+**5. How did you prepare for the competition this time around? What all efforts were put in by the team members?**
+
+Generally, we start working even before the announcement of the problem statement. We familiarise ourselves with the latest advances in electronics, sensors, navigation, simulations, and we design and develop various *mecha-tronic* modules which can be used in our problem statement. After the announcement of the problem statement, we brainstorm to choose the most efficient course of action and then work accordingly. We create multiple prototypes, then select the one which is most well equipped to handle the given problem.
+
+
+After joining IITR, this was the process which redefined innovation for me. It is really fulfilling when you can create something from your imagination and it is a feeling that can’t be expressed. We first ideate the whole model, and subsequently put in a lot of effort actually building it, and it  shows in the way the robot works.
+
+
+The efforts that our team puts in the robots we create each year are incomparable. We sacrifice a lot of stuff, including our academics, sleep, friends, relationships and much more, just to make the best robot in the country. Those efforts cannot be expressed in words here.
+
+**6. What has been the history of Robocon in IITR? What have been our achievements in the past?**
+
+Robocon IITR was started by a group of 3-4 friends with great enthusiasm for robotics in 2009. They participated by chipping in their own pocket money and eventually won the Best Debut Award. Even though they lacked the resources, they completed the tasks on their own. I’ve even heard stories that our seniors were so resourceful that once they wrapped the rubber rim of pressure cookers on wooden circular slabs to make traction wheels. Then over the years as the interest in robotics increased in our campus, our team progressed. So much that we won the Best Aesthetic Award along with the 5th rank in 2014 as well as in 2016. Last year we secured the 7th rank along with Best Innovative Design Award and this year we achieved 6th rank with Judges Special Award and Quarter-Finalist Award. We are still connected with all our alumni and founding members and they keep motivating us and help us to win the competition with the same enthusiasm.
+
+
+**7. Tell us about your robot. Its architecture, the essential technology etc?**
+
+Our manual robot had a three-wheel Omni drive for holonomic movements and grippers for completing the task. These were amalgamated with various sensors like encoders, ultrasonic distance sensor, pressure sensors, gyroscope sensor, etc and various actuators like motors, pneumatics and servos. We used various equipments from Tinkering Lab like lathe, 3D printers, PCB etching machine, drills, welding machine and various assorted tools to manufacture the different parts. 
+
+We designed two automatic robots- link based and 3 axes linear movement based, both are one of a kind in our institute.
+
+**8. What challenges does a venue present? How was IIT-D, as a host for the competition?**
+
+IIT Delhi really surprised us as a host. They made a few controversial decisions like delaying the competition, reducing the number of teams in the competition and rejecting teams after they had constructed their robots. But these decisions were based on an analysis of events from previous years and so the conducting team stood by them, despite the backlash from Robocon community.
+
+As there were lesser teams this time around, it was a lot easier for them to manage everything, and also more enjoyable for us. Transportation services too, were provided round the clock, which made the commute much easier from last time around. Each member was provided a different room for their stay. Arrangement for food too, was a lot better than last time. The management was such that these trivial things did not interfere with our preparations like they usually do. Efforts were taken so that each team got proper practice slots before tournaments and knockout matches. Getting these practice slots was a huge headache last time around.
+IIT Delhi also took a bold decision of straying from tradition and not allowing any team to stay in the pit area from 11 pm to 8 am. Though many people disliked this decision and opposed it, I think it helped us to strategize and get a good night's sleep.
+
+ During the last two practice slots, our robots didn't do well which left us disheartened. Even the senior members of the team couldn't concentrate, and we couldn’t practice at night due to new regulations but we somehow gathered ourselves, motivated the team and told them to get over it and just go to sleep. And the next day our robots worked just fine. We were the first team to complete the problem statement in the tournament and finished 2nd at the points table in the prelims. I think it was due to the new rules that we could put up such a performance.
+
+There were some snags too. Due to smaller arenas, our alumni, who came from far away couldn’t see the event live. Overall, the hosts did a fine job in upgrading the quality of the event. Their efficiency in managing the event helped us to concentrate on the matters that were most important, rather than worrying about food and stuff.
+
+**9. Were there any particular challenges you faced ? How well did you tackle such situations during the competition?**
+
+Our team's timeline used to be broadly fixed each year but this year we had some problems as the competition was delayed. At the time of documentation we were writing our initial ideas whereas we should’ve completely fabricated our robots and started practising. Not surprisingly, at this stage we grabbed one of the lower ranks. Our inability to explain our project to authorities was an eye opener. For video submission we planned to take help from CineSec, but that didn’t pan out, as they were busy. So we did it ourselves and created a video. It was so good that we got 98 marks out of 100 and that brought us in the top 8 teams .
+
+The third stage was the culmination of all that we had done and hence was more difficult than the first two. It is really tricky to go past the prelims, in to the knockout. So we prepared for the final stage from the start.
+
+The final stage experience was full of highs and lows. It was a one day event with two practice
+days before it for the teams to practice. During practice we tested, improved and calibrated our robots properly. Initially, we did well in the practice slots, but in the later stages we started making mistakes, and the robots malfunctioned. The pressure of the situation was really high. There was an issue with our robot and it was a time crunch situation, but we successfully overcame it. For completing the task and reaching the quarterfinals, we had to get 100 points and cross a *Sand Dune*. Very few teams before us could manage it. But we crossed the dune and secured 100 points. Our strategy this time was to go for the completion of the problem but as a contingency plan we knew completing only one part would get us through. As it turned out, the team did amazingly well and completed each part.
+
+We were all amazed. It was our high point of the tournament and the team was really confident. We finished 2nd in the top 8 teams for the quarterfinals, and our match was against the *Government College of Engineering, Awsari*. And though we were ahead most of the time, we failed at throwing a thing called *Shegai* twice. Taking nothing away from the opposing team, we really were quite unlucky in that match. It took us some time to accept what had happened. You can watch the match on Youtube. Although we were ahead most of the time, it was just the last 10 seconds when we lost the match. It took some time to sink in. Many team members couldn't help but cry, and the whole arena watched in stunned silence. Later on the Judges Special Award was a bit of  a consolation.
+
+**10. Apart from this competition, what other events and projects do you engage in? How does that  help in preparation of the final goal and how does that help in further research?**
+
+ We don’t participate in other competitions or events because Robocon alone is one heck of a competition if you’re preparing it for seriously and with the intention of winning. But yes, we do a lot of projects and research in our workshop. We always work to improve our mistakes and learn about things which can help us with the next problem statement. These research projects help us in developing better robots.
+
+
+
+**11. How do you guys start working on a project? How do you think of the design and abilities of a robot and how do you proceed on it? After the conclusion of any year’s competition, when do you start preparing for the next one?**
+
+We have a certain idea phase in which all the team members think independently and come up with some random ideas. We discuss those ideas and then decide how to prototype them. Sometimes we do a literature review to increase our technical knowledge in certain aspects. We design various mechanisms, simulate them, then fabricate and then test them, and finally choose the best one to incorporate it in our robot. Generally we start working on the next problem statement just one month after the completion of the previous one.
+
+
+
+**12. Would you like to comment on your result this year? What were you aiming for and how much could you realize?**
+
+ We aimed at making the best robot in the tournament and winning the competition. We, as a team, have the caliber and technical knowledge to win the tournament. We are making technical advancements at a very rapid pace and this is evident from the last few performances. We have entered the knockout stages in 3 of the last four outings. It's just that we are not able to get over the ‘forsaken’ quarterfinal line somehow. We keep losing in the quarter finals and almost every time it is the small things that cost us the tournament. We as a team, have always covered all the big things properly, but we’ve failed at executing certain small things at crucial moments.
+
+In the last couple of years, our robot designs and performances have been better than various Robocon giants like MIT Pune, VIER and COEP Pune. This year too, only three teams in total were able to complete the problem statement and we were one of them.
+
+These are good results but we want to be the best team in the tournament. It’s not going to be easy, but we are confident that we will be able to achieve our dream soon.
+
+**13. What all changes and improvements do you wish to make next time around?**
+
+First of all we need to analyse the situation thoroughly. Find out exactly why we don’t qualify for the semis. I think we need to improve our practice methods.  I saw the practice slots of other good teams, and they are quite organised and everyone seems to know their business. There is no unnecessary shouting or confusion. We on the other hand plan our practice slots in the competition and it is really unfair to ask the operators to behave exactly in the way we need. This has been the main problem. We waste a lot of crucial time in practice slots and we need to make ourselves better at that. We need to simulate time crunches and pressure situations so that we can prepare for realistic competition conditions. There are certain other things as well, and the team will properly acknowledge them in the team meeting next semester.
+
+**14. This year, the events of Robocon were delayed significantly. What challenges did this predicament put before you? How much did it affect the proceedings of this year’s preparations and how will it affect your next season's schedule?**
+
+This year’s competition was delayed significantly. One of the biggest problems that we
+faced this year was that the people from third year (the year which leads the team) had to go for their internships. Though the competition is important, career decisions quite obviously matter more and hence they had to prioritise their internships. Hence our team was left with a weakened leadership. And though the sophomores are technically sound, they aren't adept at the decision making process. We did communicate with our seniors online, but the effect wasn't the same. Also, the delay in the competitions disturbed our mindset and this affected our plans. 
+But we can't use that as an excuse as it was the same for other teams too.
+
+Also, we couldn't start our summer training program on time. So now we need to be proactive and make use of the time that is left judiciously. I am sure that the next leader will definitely take that into account and act accordingly.
+
+**15. <b>Well, we’re definitely proud of your performance on the national stage! Any concluding remarks?</b>** 
+
+Thank you. 
+
+The thing is that we do not have a decent marketing team so there is no way in which we can communicate our thoughts or reach out to the people of the institute in an effective way. We have a Robocon IITR page (do follow it if you are interested) but that is not enough. I want to thank WatchOut! for giving us this opportunity to express ourselves. I would like to use this opportunity and tell the IITR junta that robocon is not just a technical project. It's competitive robotics - it’s like a sport. It develops character. You will learn a lot of engineering here but you will also learn human skills that cannot be taught in a classroom. You will learn to stay calm and make decisions in the most pressing situations. You will learn to accept defeat after putting in a year of hard work. Though it seems a bit scary at first, this is something that makes you an adept and well-rounded human being. 
+
+Technical knowledge is what we all crave to get after getting into an institute like this. I know many of the young minds dream of making something work and not just formulate a principle on paper. And this is what we do. We realize the designs of our imagination and make it work at whatever cost, and you will learn that this cost is not just technical expertise. 
+
+
+And to all the fans of Team Robocon IITR (whatever small bunch of fans we have), thank you for supporting us and don't worry, we are getting there. You will soon see Team Robocon IIT Roorkee representing India at the international platform!
+

_posts/2019-07-04-gender-and-sexuality.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Gender and Sexuality"
+tags: [wona, column]
+author: "Sudhang Varshney, Manya, Saurav Mahale"
+image: gender-sexuality-survey.jpeg
+category: editorial
+excerpt: "With the recent dissolution of Article 377, the LGBTQ movement has been gaining momentum nationally and this provided Watch Out! with an impetus to appraise the climate of the campus with respect to gender sensitisation and awareness about gender and sexuality."
+---
+
+<div class="infogram-embed gender-sexuality-infogram" data-id="f3e598bc-ec1a-48f9-a571-6af502904126" data-type="interactive" data-title="Copy: Gender and Sexuality Survey-copy"></div><script>!function(e,t,s,i){var n="InfogramEmbeds",o=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],d=/^http:/.test(e.location)?"http:":"https:";if(/^\/{2}/.test(i)&&(i=d+i),window[n]&&window[n].initialized)window[n].process&&window[n].process();else if(!e.getElementById(s)){var r=e.createElement("script");r.async=1,r.id=s,r.src=i,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,0,"infogram-async","https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js");</script><div style="padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px"><a href="https://infogram.com/f3e598bc-ec1a-48f9-a571-6af502904126" style="color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;" target="_blank">Gender and Sexuality Survey</a><br><a href="https://infogram.com" style="color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Infogram</a></div>
+
+***
+
+**Illustration credits:** [http://miamioh.edu/cas/academics/programs/wgs/](http://miamioh.edu/cas/academics/programs/wgs/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}

_posts/2019-07-11-memoir-mohan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "A Memoir"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: mohan-memoir.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Mohan Agrawal"
+excerpt: "Closure is a made up thing invented by Steven Speilberg to sell movie tickets."
+---
+
+<a href="/MohanMemoir.pdf" style="text-align: center"><button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-block btn-lg">Click here to read the memoir</button></a>

_posts/2019-07-15-summer-diaries-amex.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: American Express"
+image: amex1.jpg
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Manan Jain"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: "During my first 2 years, I had worked on various webD projects as a member of SDSLabs. I also got to explore software development as a GSoC intern right after my 2nd year. So when American Express arrived looking for ‘Software Engineer’, I decided to sit for the test."
+---
+
+> During my first 2 years, I had worked on various webD projects as a member of SDSLabs. I also got to explore software development as a GSoC intern right after my 2nd year. So when American Express arrived looking for ‘Software Engineer’, I decided to sit for the test.
+> AmEx was one of the earliest companies that came to offer summer internships to pre-final year students. 
+
+## Making it there
+
+Students from all the branches are eligible to sit for the test. A part of the reason I ended up choosing AmEx was my branch (Chemical). Although I am not aware of the exact cut-off, a CGPA > 7.5 should be fine.
+
+**Online Round:** <br>
+This round comprised of 20 MCQ questions which were to be solved in 35 minutes. You don’t really need to prepare for it as the questions were doable and tested basic Mathematical Aptitude, Data Interpretation and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Just ensure that you don’t commit silly mistakes in this particular section as there is a strict cut-off. Around 15 people were shortlisted for the next round. 
+
+**Technical Round:** <br>
+It began with me giving a brief description of myself (which was the most uncomfortable, if not the toughest, part of the process). Thereafter, the discussion revolved around the projects I had done. I was asked to explain the logical aspect and the architecture of a couple of them. I was also asked about the improvements that can be made to them at a superficial level. 
+It was followed by questions pertaining to Probability and Statistics. The round concluded with a prolonged discussion on the practical application of Statistics to real-world problems.
+
+The idea behind this round is to analyze your ability to understand a problem and then propose a way to solve it. In my case, the problems were loosely based on web/software development projects I had done. So it is important to be thorough with the projects you list down on your resume.
+
+**Technical Round + HR:** <br>
+The interview began with me listing down my strengths/weaknesses (second most uncomfortable part). I was given a couple of puzzles to solve which was followed by a guesstimate question. The interviewer encouraged me to come up with different approaches to the problem. The latter part comprised of more HR-esque questions (interests and goals). The round, somehow, concluded on a philosophical discussion. 
+
+**Tip 1** : Be prepared for a “Why should we hire you” question.<br>
+**Tip 2** : Try to ask a follow up question at the end of the interview. If you don’t have one, conjure one up during the interview, as I did.
+
+Given the nature of my interviews, I was expecting my role to be software/development oriented. However, I was assigned the role of a Data Analyst, which was quite surprising.
+
+
+## Work
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/amex2.jpg){: style="width:70%;height:50%;"}
+
+Most of the AmEx interns, including me, were allocated the Gurgaon office while the others got the Bangalore one. The Gurgaon office seats over 6000 employees distributed across the 3 major divisions - 
+Enterprise and Digital Analytics (EDA), Credit and Fraud Risk (CFR) and Technology.
+I was a part of the Membership Rewards team from EDA with my profile being that of a Data Analyst. 
+
+My building was part of the One Horizon Center which gives you all the corporate vibes you would want from your office. AmEx has an open workspace culture. So all the employees, be it a senior manager or a director or just an intern, share the same space. This is one of the things I liked the most as in addition to watching and learning from your senior leaders, you can seek help with ease. The office timings are pretty flexible but I’d still recommend aligning your work hours with your team/project members (to make the most of the internship). 
+
+**Note:** The workspaces on the lower floors have been laid out quite creatively. Also from the higher floors you get an amazing view of the skyscrapers around and the nearby golf course. So, try to take a trip around the office as soon as possible. I found a massaging chair on our last day.
+
+The responsibility of delivering a project is given to smaller groups of 2-3 members and each person works on multiple projects. Most of us received our individual project’s description a week before the joining date. Once we were there, all the interns were assigned a mentor to assist during the project. 
+
+So my team, i.e. Membership Rewards, worked around the Reward Points a customer receives on using the Amrican Express credit card for various transactions. 
+My project was to analyze and answer- <br>
+* Why were the customers calling up the Customer Care when most of the things were available on the website? <br>
+* Who were these customers? <br>
+
+Different models were devised to form sort of a journey for each customer and identify the problem areas. They were identified in terms of the information available on the website and also its UX. Most of the work was done in HQL (fancy SQL) and SAS. The models I leveraged were written in Python. So it would be good for you to have a basic understanding of SQL and Python as they were also being used by most of the other teams as well. The most encouraging aspect about working there was that I was trusted with a project which was to be presented to other business partners. In turn, it would be fair to say that interns there are treated like regular employees. However, you are also expected to deliver in an equal measure.
+
+The best thing about AmEx has to be the people there. On the first day itself we got to interact with the senior leaders of the company, who were really welcoming. The Director and the VP of my team got really involved in the work I was doing and we used to have regular brain-storming sessions. Also, the team members really looked out for each other and were quite helpful. I had a great time discussing everything and anything over lunch with my team. 
+The HR people also made some efforts to arrange sessions with top executives from India and the US offices. 
+
+## Summing up and key takeaways:
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/amex3.jpg){: style="width:70%;height:60%"}
+I had been involved in development before but AmEx gave me an opportunity to explore the field of Data Analytics. The internship was an amazing learning experience not just in terms of the flavour of the corporate world that I got, but also in terms of the insightful discussions I had with some really smart people. During one of the meetings, my VP said “You can teach a person to code for the project, but you cannot teach them to care about the project”. That basically sums up the values that powers this company. 
+
+Even after a lot of deliberation, I still haven't made up mind as to what I'll be doing after these 4 years.
+
+I am glad I was able to contribute by bringing a fresh perspective to the table. The most important thing that I have learnt is that at the end of the day, the value and quality you attach to your work defines you. So whatever you do, give it your best shot. 
+
+Some final tips:
+1. Try to pitch in new ideas/methods for your project. 
+2. Interact with the people as much as possible. They are obviously more experienced and  it’ll definitely develop your social skills.
+3. Look at this internship as a golden opportunity and make the most of it in every way possible.
+

_posts/2019-07-17-summer-diaries-reckitt-benckiser.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Reckitt Benckiser"
+image: rb4.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Suyash Singh"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'As a student of chemical engineering in IIT Roorkee, the options to get a core intern are very limited, Majority of the students do their third year internships in non-core domains (mostly software and data science) and are then placed in similar fields a year later.' 
+---
+
+
+As a student of chemical engineering in IIT Roorkee, the options to get a core intern are very limited, Majority of the students do their third year internships in non-core domains (mostly software and data science) and are then placed in similar fields a year later. With such demotivating stats and me personally not trying enough to build interest in chemical engineering (which happens with most of us), I had no plans (or rather hopes) to get an on-campus internship in a core company.
+During my campus life, I was mostly involved in management profiles (including Convener, Thomso-2018), but during my 2nd year Summer break, I took a chance, or rather two, to explore chemical engineering. I did two internships, one in a management profile (Business operations in particular) and the second one in a paint manufacturing company. I got both these internship offers through LinkedIn. I suggest all sophomores to use this great platform as effectively as possible.
+
+## Making it there
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/rb1.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+So it was the latter internship which instigated me to pursuing Chemical Engineering as a career choice. But mostly, it was the prevalent hype of Reckitt Benckiser (RB), being a Day 1 Company that comes in the same slot as ITC, and of course the fancy stipend they offered, that I eventually applied for this company.
+
+**Criteria for applying:** <br>
+Reckitt Benckiser (RB) opens for Chemical, P&I, Metallurgy and Biotechnology. For their internship program, they do a basic resume shortlisting (there is no CG cut-off but a 7.5+ CG with an overall decent resume seems to do the trick). The CG clearly stops playing any part after this, as there were interns with a CG of 7.8 to 9.2 from other IITs, mine being the lowest of them.
+
+**Group Discussions:** <br>
+This is followed by a Group Discussion which usually involves discussion on new product development under already existing brands, presented to us in the form of a case challenge. A thorough reading of the presentation that they present before the GD, is preparation enough for the group discussion.
+
+**Tip**: Reading time allotted before the GD starts is quite less, so just going through the keywords and understanding the deliverables expected out of the case given to us, helps to start first and perform better in the discussion.
+
+**Technical Round + HR:** <br>
+The only other round after the GD is the personal interview; the interview is a mix of technical and HR. Some preparation on any particular core topic (branch related) does help in moving the discussion in the right direction. In my case the discussion moved to the detailed technical part of my previous internship (the one in a paint manufacturing company). There was also a long discussion about comparing my work experience as Thomso Convener and sitting here for an R&D intern. But just being truthful and portraying your learnings from each of your previous work experience helps to move the discussion to an encouraging and desired side.
+The HR part of the interview involves discussion on what your expectations from the company are. Some knowledge of RB’s brands can help you a lot here as well.
+
+
+## WORK
+
+**Profile and location:** <br>
+Summer interns from various IITs are sent to the Gurgaon R&D facility. This is among the only 7 global R&D category centres for RB. It handles R&D for a 12.5 Billion GBP company, so trust me when I say this, working here does make a lot of difference!
+
+
+**Aim of the internship:** <br>
+All interns are given live market relevant projects, which are categorised mainly into two parts: New Product Development (NPD) and Existing product development (EPD). We are given full freedom to lead the project in our own way and to use the R&D facilities necessary to shape our project. I personally got the opportunity to work on Lizol Floor Cleaner. My project involved formulating a Lizol with some given specifications according to the need in the South Asian Market and recent technological trends, globally. So, my project involved a lot of research as well as Lab work, making samples and trial batches of new Lizol formulation.
+Second phase of my project involved Cost Optimisation and new claim study which gave me an opportunity to interact with the marketing, regulatory and various other corporate teams of RB. This not only helped me to understand the origin of my project but also provided me with a broader business perspective of FMCG companies at a global level.
+<br>
+
+RB being an MNC (present in 60+ countries), it provides enormous opportunities to interact with RB employees across the globe if you need project related assistance.
+One of my co-interns got a project, which demanded connecting with RB employees from various teams in different countries, so he was mostly on US Skype calls late in the evening (that was an experience in itself!)
+
+
+
+
+**Work Culture:** <br>
+ If I compare it with my previous intern (the one in the business operations), nobody here was in a rush, and it’s quite contrasting to the picture I had in my mind of the corporate world. The best thing about RB has to be the people here. On the first day itself we had a pizza party with the senior leadership team of the company, who were really welcoming and interactive. The official work hours are 9AM- 5PM, 5 days a week and nobody expects you to stay or work beyond that (although you have the freedom to stay till late evening, as I did sometimes till 9pm), which is pretty comfortable, considering how much some other companies expect an intern to work. People are pretty relaxed and as long as you achieve your deliverables, nobody would put any pressure on you. If anything, there are days when it gets a little too relaxed and you have absolutely nothing to do as your batches are under study.
+RB has a future leadership program(FLP) through which they have been hiring engineers in the last few years, which means you will easily find a hierarchy of seniors from IITs which eases your opening up with the other senior members of the team.
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/rb2.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}
+
+![pic4](/images/posts/rb3.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}
+
+## The Place
+
+One plus point of working in RB is that there’s a mess which serves awesome lunch. Just like in labs, RB experiments a lot with food too and we get so much variety to eat!
+(P.S: For Non-Veg lovers: We get Chicken every day, except on Tuesdays*)
+As about the city, Gurgaon is synonymous to pubs and fresh brewery at Sector 29 and Cyber Hub.
+RB was kind enough to provide us a 2 week hotel just outside the Sector 29 market, which compelled us to try every pub in the complex.
+
+
+## Summing Up
+
+As a company, instead of just expecting you to do what you are told, RB expects the interns to challenge them and provide a fresh perspective to their approach and thoughts, and I’m glad my work was appreciated and recognized because of the off-stream approach I followed.
+<br>
+
+Overall, the experience at RB gave me a perspective of what R&D means in FMCG world, which I would term as ‘Business pro R&D’.
+After exploring diverse fields in 3 years of my college life, these 2 months’ experience at RB gave me a much needed direction to restructure my thoughts regarding my career, and to decide what’s best for me after graduation.
+
+
+**Few Tips for the Students interested:** <br>
+
+* Read about the brands under RB.
+
+* Brush up your core subjects a little before going for the interview.
+
+* Prepare the HR questions really well; you should have clarity of thought while answering those.
+
+* Once you get there, make the most of it by networking with people.
+
+

_posts/2019-07-18-summer-diaries-nikunj-gupta.md

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Bold and Beautiful"
+image: nikunj1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Nikunj Gupta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'For a person who has never been abroad, a foreign research internship provides an inexplicable opportunity to get his feet outside of India and gain some insights as an intern while travelling places you like. And that’s exactly why I ended up applying for a foreign research internship.' 
+---
+
+For a person who has never been abroad, a foreign research internship provides an inexplicable opportunity to get his feet outside of India and gain some insights as an intern while travelling places you like. And that’s exactly why I ended up applying for a foreign research internship.
+
+## Getting There:
+
+My journey starts last year in August post-GSoC (Google Summer of Code) completion results. I  wanted to do a foreign internship taking inspiration from the articles I read and the people I met. But I was skeptical about applying to STE||AR GROUP, Center for Computation Technology (CCT), LSU which happened to be my GSoC mentor’s university. The primary reason being my backward thinking, that a lower ranked university might not provide me with enough research opportunities. Or that I might end up wasting my time working on something I’m not interested in. In hindsight, I had forgotten all the interesting topics I learned thanks to the project (which was tagged as “hard”, and my mentor had almost no faith in the project completion). So, I started looking for universities like every friend of mine did and throwing random emails, showing interest in their work and how I could help with my prior experience, to professors expecting replies. I got replies from IST Austria and MIT (I applied seriously to 4 universities, so I was glad by getting a reply from 2). Unfortunately, the prof at MIT was going out for a 2-year vacation and decided not to take me in. The prof at IST Austria showed interest in my work. I had applied to IST Austria for a winter internship, so the professor demanded more time. I had to obviate from taking IST as my summer preference, again due to the same thinking. Finally, I applied to LSU for the winter internship to which my mentor happily agreed. Unfortunately, the USA visa takes 3+ months and I was simply out of time. I had to, therefore, settle for a research internship at IITR during winters. By the time winter vacation hit, I met a few people who got me rid of my plagued thinking, and I finally threw in a casual email asking if there’s an internship opportunity available at LSU.
+This time my mentor made sure that all the paperwork was done on time. And that’s how I ended up at LSU.
+
+
+## The Work:
+
+
+My research internship lies in a niche subdomain of Parallel and Distributed Computing, a paradigm of distributed computing also known as Asynchronous Many Task (AMT) systems. My advisor was the same person who mentored me during my GSoC project. Prof. Hartmut Kaiser is a well known person within the AMT community for his work on HPX. He is also a voting member of the ISO C++ committee.
+One of the best parts about the internship was my power to choose any project to work on. I chose to work on the project “Resiliency in HPX” (HPX being an AMT runtime system). It was to add fault tolerance to the HPX runtime system for supercomputers that would appear in the next decade with exaflops range (or as we like to call it, the extreme scale computing domain), the details of which are mundane to the generic audience. My advisor gave me complete responsibility for the project and therefore, I was supposed to write code for the complete architecture and formulate the final report as well. Working hours were flexible. As long as I could show progress and get results, my advisor had no issues with me taking a leave or leaving early. This charade was soon taken over when I started working and realized that I will have to work late hours to get the work done. Initially, I remember working on weekends to complete the work that I had to do. But soon, the project became relevant and work eased out. This is when I started exploring places on the weekends. I made friends and did trips outside of Baton Rouge.
+
+
+## The Cultural Shocks:
+
+
+Being from Delhi, I had lived a metropolitan life and I did not expect any cultural shocks. I did face a few shocks, one of which being over friendly strangers. If you’re in India and you randomly say “Hi” or nod your head as a gesture, the other person will probably think that you’re in your correct state. It’s completely different in the states, where I had random conversations with strangers based on what was written on their t-shirt! Next shock was what we people tend to call out as 1st World Problems. I always thought of it as jokes, never did I know it was literally the case here. What came as a surprise was the rising vegan culture. Finding vegetarian food is not difficult provided you decide to go vegan and drop the dairy contents as well. The food itself was also not as bland as I expected. It was actually good and I appreciated a lot of the dishes I ate.
+
+Another key difference that I found here was how people treat each other within the group. People here call others on a first name basis. That meant that I was calling people doing their PhDs or Post Docs or even professors by their first name which is next to impossible to observe in India. Also, I was never treated as an undergraduate trying his hands on research. I was treated with the utmost respect and my work was valued.
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/nikunj2.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Home and Office:
+I got a whole office room to myself which is something that I did not expect as an intern. I was given access to the STE||AR GROUP’s home brewed cluster “Rostam”. I was given a workstation grade computer to work with. The workstation I worked on was the fastest personal computer that I had worked on. It was a dual socket machine and had 2 Xeon CPUs with 64 GB RAM and a powerful Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics card. Apparently, the specs were considered old by my advisor who constantly advised me to work on the cluster!
+
+I rented a fully furnished studio apartment from the recommendation of my advisor. This meant that I had to take care of the food, laundry, and cleaning by myself. With no experience of cooking whatsoever, I tried making the simplest of Indian dishes using online recipes or video calling my parents. It was the first time I valued mess food and probably the last time as well. With some practice, I was able to make some simple dishes perfectly and learned French dishes from one of my colleagues.
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/nikunj3.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Visiting places:
+
+If you join the STE||AR GROUP with the intent to visit places in the USA, you will be heartbroken to hear that Louisiana is in the middle of nowhere. All the lovely places you’ve heard of namely New York, Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc. are thousands of miles away. And to add a cherry on the top, Bus services in the USA are horrible. To the extent that I decided to buy flight tickets to places once I experienced the buses. New Orleans was the first city I visited. The city of Jazz so to say will never get you bored if you’re a music enthusiast. Amongst others, I visited Atlanta (Georgia), Houston (Texas), Austin (Texas) and plan to visit New York before I return.
+Baton Rouge itself is a fun place to live in for a couple of months doing an internship. It’s not the most dynamic city you will come across, but you will be amazed to see what the city has to offer!
+
+![pic4](/images/posts/nikunj4.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Key Takeaways
+
+The most lovely thing about my group is culture and group dynamics. The group is integrated well with the industry so the work carried in the group has a direct impact on the software people use. Contributing to such a group opens up new boundaries all together in terms of research work and industry exposure. Some key takeaways from my experience would be:<br>
+
+* Apply early if you’re applying to USA without enrolling yourself in a program. Visa times are surprisingly high.
+
+* Do NOT judge a research group by the rank of the University. If the work they’ve been doing interests you, go ahead and shoot them an email.
+
+* Do not shoot hundreds of emails. Try to find professors or research group that align with your interest. Writing 3-4 good emails will have more probability of you ending up with an internship than sending hundreds of them with similar content.
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-19-summer-diaries-layan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Schlumberger "
+image: layan1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Layan Kaushik"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The idea of exploring different core engineering fields has always excited me. I had already experienced a research project based internship after my 2nd year. So, a leap into the corporate sector was what I sought for since the beginning of my third year.'
+
+---
+
+
+The idea of exploring different core engineering fields has always excited me. I had already experienced a research project based internship after my 2nd year. So, a leap into the corporate sector was what I sought for since the beginning of my third year.
+
+## Schlumberger, what about it?
+
+Schlumberger is the only Oil & Gas services company (read core engineering) that visits our campus and recruits (offering decent package) from almost all departments. In India, they have their bases located at Mumbai, Barmer, Pune (IT segment) and Kakinada -  which is where I pursued my internship. The management of the entire Indian East Coast, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and North East India is administered from Kakinada.
+
+## Making it there
+
+Although the notice for internship at Schlumberger came early September, but the shortlisting and interview process got delayed and finally took place the following year in the month of April. Due to this delay, the recruitment process was cut short to two rounds - the first being resume shortlisting and followed by a personal interview. They prefer candidates with a decent CGPA (>7) who also have performed reasonably well in co-curricular activities, possess good soft skills and have held various positions of responsibilities throughout their career. A peak in any two of the above mentioned skills and a decent display in the rest can help you grab an internship at Schlumberger. During the personal interview round, few technical questions related to basic engineering knowledge may be asked but more emphasis is given to classic interview questions (‘about yourself’, ‘strengths and weaknesses’, ‘why should we hire you?’, and ‘why Schlumberger?’) to test one’s soft skills.
+
+## Work
+
+Previously, the duration of the Internship used to be 4 weeks but this year onwards it has been extended to 7 weeks. Similar to previous internship programmes, all interns at Schlumberger had to attend a 3-day induction programme at Nerul base, Navi Mumbai. There we were introduced to the Oil & Gas Industry and given an extensive demonstration of various safety instructions required to follow religiously while carrying out any job at the workstation.
+For the rest of the days, we were sent to our allotted locations and segments. I was assigned to the Completions Segment at Schlumberger’s Kakinada base in Andhra Pradesh. On arrival at Kakinada, I was introduced to my team and was assigned a mentor who briefed me about the project. I was working with another intern from IIT Delhi throughout the period of the internship. The project assigned to us was quite simple. The Completions segment recently won a huge ONGC contract, therefore, the segment area was doubled. We were asked to perform 5S lean management method and later develop a layout of the proposed area in accordance with its workflow. More stress was given to learning the oil and gas industry and the tools used in the Completion segment’s work.
+Apart from this, we were sent to Reliance workshop to get a first-hand experience of how jobs are practically done and also to get our hands dirty. These workshop visits became an everyday affair, which helped us understand the ins and outs of the segment and attain a sense of belonging.
+
+
+## Life at Schlumberger
+
+As stated in the previous few dairies, Schlumberger functions like a relentless well-oiled machine. Employees work round the clock depending on the task assigned. They have a strict ideology of doing the job correctly the first time, hence the pressure on every employee is tremendous. Moreover, they have a stringent HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) policy: working without a proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) or driving without the seatbelt fastened can put your job at risk. However, Schlumberger has a very friendly work culture, where help and guidance are always available from fellow employees. The lively atmosphere along with the music which is played in the workshop gives a positive vibe to the workplace. Moreover, frequent movie nights and parties with the team made my stay a little more fun.
+Schlumberger also provides luxury accommodation for all interns and the Schlumberger base is equipped with ample facilities for leisure activities such as Table Tennis, Gym, Squash courts and rooms for those who want to take a power nap during office hours. Meals and travel are all taken care of quite efficiently and as per requirements.
+
+## Location
+
+Kakinada is a small remote industrial city in the eastern coast of India. The weather during my stay was pleasant as monsoon came in early. A recently constructed multiplex made my life more convenient as I could enjoy a few of my favourite food outlets and did not miss out on any of the latest movie releases. The nearest city, Vishakhapatam is a 4-hour drive North from Kakinada but none of the interns could visit as it required prior consent from the management of Schlumberger which made life beyond Kakinada non-existent.
+
+## Summing up and key takeaways
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/layan2.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+The work assigned to an intern is quite basic as more emphasis is given on getting accustomed to the Schlumberger work culture and its lifestyle. One can easily find an excellent peer group with whom he or she can discuss and share things of interest. It was lovely to see the employees make efforts to help all the interns fit in and make everyone feel like home.
+Few tips for people gunning for it:
+
+* Be thorough with what you’ve written on your resume.
+
+* Practice the basic interview questions, preferably give mock interviews.
+
+* Build your resume while you can.
+
+* Be calm and confident during the interview.
+
+* Feel free to contact me for any further questions!
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-20-summer-diaries-aarush.md

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Harvard"
+image: aarush1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Aarush Gupta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'TL; DR: I spent 11 weeks at Harvard as a part of my summer internship. I had a great time there and the internship would go a long way in helping me with my career. Below, I will try to summarize my experience there, as well as share how I landed the internship.'
+ 
+---
+
+**TL; DR**: I spent 11 weeks at Harvard as a part of my summer internship. I had a great time there and the internship would go a long way in helping me with my career. Below, I will try to summarize my experience there, as well as share how I landed the internship.
+
+## Before Applying
+ 
+I worked on a couple of Deep Learning projects with professors at my department during my second year and a remote collaboration last summer. Consequently, I had a fair idea of what research constituted of and what I could expect from an academic internship. It gives you the freedom to choose a problem that interests you, try out your ideas and work at your own pace. There are deadlines, but they are scattered and more relaxed than what you would find in the corporate world. But most of the on-campus internships offer the role of a software developer. Therefore, I opted out of the on-campus internship season and applied for a research internship instead.
+ 
+## Making it there
+ 
+The most common method of applying for a research internship is by emailing professors. With a research paper from last summer’s project, I was pretty sure that I would get an internship easily. But that did not happen. I emailed around 15 professors (after going through their work and writing customized emails to each one of them) from around July till November but did not get a single reply. So, if you don’t get any replies, don’t be disheartened and keep trying. It is all a part of the process. Honestly, it also depends a lot on your luck. I have seen people getting an internship after their first email, and people who did not get any offer until near the end of the academic year.
+ 
+I also started looking for other options on the way. I applied to Naver Labs, a South Korean AI industrial research lab, and got through. But I had a preference for an academic research internship instead, so I kept on applying to various research labs. I also applied to various internship programs such as Mitacs, Summer@EPFL, ISTernship Summer Program, etc. without any luck. I expected this because my CGPA was not up to the mark. Until March, I just had an industrial research internship offer. Shortly after that, I was shortlisted for the SN Bose Scholars Program. For those of you who don’t know, it is a scholarship program to support Indian students for an internship in the United States. The scholarship includes a stipend of $2500, airfare and health insurance. Out of around 1500 applications, only 50 get through in the end. Each department from the participating institutes nominates two students for the program. Applications without nominations are not accepted. Following the nomination, the applicants are required to fill in an online application, submit their CV, statement of purpose, research statement, and some supporting documents. Based on the applications, students are short-listed and are required to find a mentor in the United States. Having a mentor beforehand also works. The program organizers also help you to reach out to mentors from previous years. Once you get a mentor, the rest of the proceedings follow (getting the award and offer letters, the visa application, etc.). After being short-listed, I selected around 6 prospective mentors from different universities and shot them emails. I got a reply shortly from 4 of them asking to schedule an interview. I gave the interview for Harvard first and got through. What did they ask in the interview for Harvard? I just gave a presentation on my research paper and answered some related questions. That’s it! I also got an offer from the University of Southern California, where I was supposed to work on Natural Language Processing.
+ 
+So, in the end, I had three internship offers, viz. from Naver Labs in South Korea, the University of Southern California, and Harvard University. Having a preference for academia, I chose Harvard over Naver Labs. Also, I was more inclined towards working in Computer Vision rather than Natural Language Processing and therefore, I went ahead with Harvard instead of USC.
+ 
+In retrospect, I think that the SN Bose program lays more emphasis on the research profile of the applicants rather than their CGPA only. In my opinion, CGPA is actually not a good criterion for gauging someone’s research calibre. But that’s the way it is. A piece of advice, if you have a low CGPA, you are in for a tough fight. But you’ll get through :).
+ 
+
+## The Institute
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/aarush2.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+Harvard University is the oldest higher education institution in the United States. Situated in Cambridge, MA, it is an Ivy League college and has the highest annual endowment in the world for an educational institution (around $40 billion). It is famous for the business, law, medical and engineering schools as well for its notable alumni, including Barack Obama, Franklin Roosevelt, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Natalie Portman.
+ 
+## Project
+ 
+My internship was a part of the Connectomics project, broadly involving the segmentation and analysis of brain scans obtained by electron microscopy (EM). The overall objective is to develop 3D maps of connections in the human brain to help in neuroscience. How so? There are many diseases and disorders that are attributed to “wrong wiring” somewhere in the brain. With interactive models of neuron wirings, neuroscientists can better understand these diseases and possibly arrive at a cure. The project further aims to improve the understanding of how the human brain actually works, how memories are stored and so on.
+ 
+Multiple research groups at Harvard have been working in collaboration on this project for about ten years now. The reason why it's taking such a long time is the staggering amount of data associated with a single human brain. To give you an idea, it takes around 100 terabytes (roughly 100000 gigabytes) just to record all the connections in a salt grain-sized block of the brain! One of the tasks associated with this project is to detect mitochondria in neurons automatically. It turns out that mitochondria are very different in shape from what was taught to us in high school. Instead of the globular structure that you might remember from your high school biology textbook, mitochondria look something like this:
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/aarush3.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+The conventional methods used for medical image segmentation fail for such non-convex morphologies. Another problem is that a large number of mitochondria are in contact with each other, making the problem more difficult. During my internship, I worked on developing and testing neural network architectures which take into account these priors and give better results than the standard methods.
+ 
+## Work and Academics
+
+![pic4](/images/posts/aarush4.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+ 
+The work environment at the lab is very accommodating. On paper, the interns are expected to work for around 40 hours a week. But that is flexible and largely depends on the amount of work on your hands. There are no specific timings to work, and the labs can be accessed anytime using a Harvard ID. People usually come in at around 10 in the morning, leave by around 5 or 6 in the evening and don’t work on weekends. Group meetings and lunches are held every week to catch up on work-related stuff or for chitchat. One thing that I really love about Harvard is that there are plenty of computing resources here. I could easily train multiple models at the same time, with each one being trained on 8 Graphical Processing Units (GPUs)!
+ 
+Harvard has an exceptional research output and the people here work hard, no doubt. But they also take time out of their schedules for recreation and hobbies. There is a foosball table and a grand piano just outside my lab. I see people playing foosball or just trying out a new piece of music on the piano almost every day. There are a few people who play the piano really well, and it’s a delight to work with soothing tones playing in the background. The point is that they pursue their interests, be it academic or otherwise, passionately.
+ 
+With MIT at a walking distance from Harvard, researchers from both the institutes collaborate regularly and students of one institute can attend courses at the other. Also, for the undergraduate program at Harvard (and at many other universities), students have three semesters to decide upon a major, unlike the universities in India where you have to choose a major at the time of admission. Both the institutes also allow students to take up multiple majors and minors (instead of one, as is the case at IITR) during their course of study. One of my friends at MIT is majoring in Physics and Philosophy, with minors in Maths and Music!
+ 
+## The City
+ 
+Boston, named after a small town in England, is a great city except for the erratic weather, which was a total bummer initially. It is a thriving port city with economic bases in finance, business services, biotechnology, and information technology. Thanks to multiple colleges and universities in the city, Boston has around 2000 start-ups. With a lot to explore, the weekends were usually packed. Various events, such as art walks, food festivals, and concerts, were organized from time to time. Other times, I would just hang out with some friends at MIT at one of its fraternities, Alpha Delta Phi, playing Cards Against Humanity. I also attended the orientation program organized for Bose and Khorana Scholars at the University of Chicago and visited New York recently.
+ 
+Housing is expensive in Boston with the city having one of the highest costs of living in the United States. I rented an apartment with four other interns at Harvard from India, which eased things financially. The apartment was about 20 minutes away from the campus. I usually commuted by bus, which was quite convenient and affordable.
+ 
+There is a wide variety of food to try out here. You can try out the local dishes such as the Boston Cream Pie and the New England Clam Chowder or experiment with other cuisines like Japanese, Korean, Thai, Lebanese, Mexican, etc. The Indian cuisine being on the spicier side, I initially found most of the food here rather bland. So, during the first month, we would cook Indian food almost daily at the apartment. Slowly, you get used to it and ease into the different cuisines.
+ 
+Almost every department at Harvard has a cafeteria serving decent and affordable food. Each meal costs about 8 dollars. If you want to shell out a little more, you can go to nearby restaurants or cafes at Harvard Square, the historic centre of Cambridge. You can have pizza, burritos, waffles, gelato, burgers, salads, souvlaki, and whatnot. The list is endless. Although if you are a vegetarian, you might have to struggle a bit finding vegetarian options.
+ 
+## Summing Up
+ 
+Getting a research internship is difficult but has its own perks. You meet a lot of new people from different countries, experience a new culture, and learn a lot of new things. If you work dedicatedly, you can expect a strong recommendation letter from your mentor (which is useful 
+for higher studies and even for getting a job) and a publication depending on how your project progresses. In my opinion, it’s worth the extra effort. If you get a chance, I’d strongly recommend going for a foreign research internship at least once during your undergrad at IIT Roorkee.
+ 
+Cheers!
+
+
+
+ 
+ 
+
+

_posts/2019-07-22-memoir-ruhela.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "There was a sense of infinity about those days, like they will last forever"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: ruhela.jpg
+category: memoirs
+author: "Utkarsh Ruhela"
+excerpt: "You've left that room, that place, that safe haven. Do you feel anything? Do you feel different? Are you really oblivious to the fact that you will never be at that place where you spent 1500 days of your life?"
+---
+
+You've left that room, that place, that safe haven. Do you feel anything? Do you feel different? Are you really oblivious to the fact that you will never be at that place where you spent 1500 days of your life? There was a sense of infinity about those days, like they will last forever.
+
+You don’t miss your college perpetually like you miss your lover. No, it is sporadic. One moment you see a colonial structure resembling the James Thomason building and your mind drifts away; you sigh. Not of pain or missing, but the melancholy and a sweet ache that you might never get to run on that trail. Or go on those lavish South Indian meals on your bike.
+
+That's why it has taken me more than a couple of months to pen this retrospective piece down. It is anti-climatic really, I haven't been missing college all that much, maybe it will dawn upon me slowly.
+
+As I ponder upon my experiences, I wonder if I have performed upto the "mark". I slowly realised that the “mark” changes with time, as you move and grow through this time-space curve, so does your sense of purpose.
+
+Gradually those Solani canal trails started calling me for another 5k run, the mighty Himalayas calling me to trek them, my friends calling me to show up for another short quiz session. In my own room, there was oblivion of The Anathema and vigour of The Who and Nirvana. Reading Seth or Dostoevsky after a session of recreation. Or, in my more lucid moments I had Paul Kalanithi or Herman Hesse with the cheapest and best Americano I have had. I tried to understand life through the lens of these eccentric experiences. My sense of purpose for a while was to experience everything that Roorkee and college had to offer.
+
+Throughout my college life, a major white noise was that of seeking of validation for myself. I tried seeking it everywhere, in some academic subjects, in my discipline, in my meditation. No accolade, no achievement, no grade, no lover could satisfy that hollowness in long-term.
+
+Since graduation, there's a sudden gong of mortality, of that finiteness of things. Those five years were magical. School to college transition was just a kink, to more fun times, to more independence. When you are in college, you have this infinite reservoir of energy and will. You're full of explosive optimism, looking forward to a life full of possibilities.
+
+I used this mantra, whenever I was anxious or concerned about an issue, I would question if it would matter after 5 years. Because the things which are not under your control have a poetic sense of justifying themselves in the hindsight.
+
+Funny how we were going to conquer the world just a couple of years ago, now we merely seek to find a place in this absurd (?) world. Has the definition of conquer changed or have we? Are we settling for less? Or have we learnt that Ozymandias fell too?
+
+Here comes the sermon now.
+
+There’s no grandiosity in your existence. Many existentialists have offered a similar thought. There’s no grandiosity, there are no perfect moments, there’s just plain human existence. All your problems are just humane, which are not going to go away after achieving that star-studded internship, placement, or PhD offer. Your life will still stay the same. All those thoughts will be still there after a fleeting moment of distraction due to exhilaration from your achievements. It all sounds gloomy so far, but people who know me personally would know that things aren’t bad for me. I have tried taking this outlook and morph into something positive, acting in “good faith” as Sartre would point out. Existentialists describe bad faith as phenomenon in which human beings, under pressure from social forces, adopt false values and disown their innate freedom, hence acting inauthentically. In essence, one must find their own sense of purpose.
+
+All the productivity you require out of yourself stems from a sense of purpose, be it the JEE exam you took, or the course you aced at in college. That sense of purpose, even of temporary nature, lets you gather that will and do something. I know a part of my sense of purpose lies in learning different sports, languages, understanding humanity and nature more minutely. But, these are peripherals, as my friend coined this term for these interests. I am still to get to the crux of it. Or, I might find out there is no crux, the peripherals are all there is. The point is, we must explore and search for this meaning for ourselves.
+
+Eventually you must realise that whatever you did was the best you could manage to do in those circumstances. So fret not for you are always putting in your best.
+
+On a lighter note. Ten things the author recommends to try while in Roorkee (disclaimer— author might or might not have done all of this):
+
+1. Trek the hell out of Uttarakhand, Himachal too if possible. Start with Chandrashila or Triund. Warning: Do not go to Gaumukh-Tapovan glacier in your trainer shoes, you might just fall off of a crevasse.
+1. Solani road stretches serenely till Bahadrabad, one should cycle along that stretch. It is a forty five kilometre cycle ride that will be etched in your memory forever.
+1. Try noting down every detail of your life in a journal for at least a week.
+1. There's a bridge connecting old Roorkee to Civil Lines area, which goes to the Cemetery. Visit both the places. Maybe take your girlfriend there (refer to disclaimer above) .
+1. Find friends in your seniors and juniors. Friends being the operative word. Don't create rigid hierarchies when dealing with human beings.
+1. Try going to the football field at night with your friends and run a 100meters dash in an inebriated state. Watch the sunrise too, it's a hell of a view from there.
+1. Play as much sports as you can. Also, you will never find an avenue better than sports to make friends.
+1. Try living your life in frugality for a week or a month. Save all the money and spend it on one meal. Just for kicks, you know.
+1. Attend as many SPIC MACAY concerts and institute lecture series as you can.
+1. Learn swimming if you don't know yet, and dive from the 10 meters diving platform. Also, go touch the bottom of the 20 feet(?) pool. The pressure down there is ethereal.
+1. Live.

_posts/2019-07-22-summer-diaries-abhishek-kumar.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Goldman Sachs"
+image: "abhishek-kumar-1.jpg"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Abhishek Kumar"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'Goldman is probably one of those Day 1 firms that people across all the branches aspire to work for.'
+---
+
+Goldman is probably one of those Day 1 firms that people across all the branches aspire to work for. This might be because of my prejudice or a small and biased sample space, but even while preparing, Goldman was the firm most of us targeted. All this buzz around GS made me apply for it.
+
+## Criteria For Applying
+
+JEE ALL is the eligibility criterion and that’s all they demand of you on paper, after that it’s about your cleverness, talent and preparation. Goldman shortlists all those who apply for an online test irrespective of your cgpa, branch etc.
+
+## Online Test
+
+The test is extremely crucial in the selection process (Your test score isn't only a standard to qualify for the interview, it is also taken into consideration while making the final decision, so make sure you give your best). The questions or the weightage of different streams seem to vary every year,I’ll try to give you a flavour of it:
+
+**Coding section:** We had just one coding question whereas some IITs had two.The question appeared big and the story around it made it seem like it was tough but it was a straightforward question based on Hashmap.
+
+**Computer Science Section:** This is a comprehension based section that checks your basic knowledge of data structures and operating systems. I felt one could answer it without any previous knowledge and just by going through the passage but a couple of beginner articles from geeksforgeeks should be good for you.
+
+**Probability:** A lot of folks especially from the non circuital branches rely heavily or sometimes entirely on this section. This section had 8-10 questions of probability. You don’t have to do good in all the sections to get shortlisted, exceptional performance even in one section sometimes gets you a call for the interview but keep in mind that  a huge number of people will solve 8 out of the 10 problems of probability, So evaluate your chances accordingly.
+
+Sometimes, they have a section on machine learning as well, but last time, they had just two basic questions from ML which were in the computer science section itself.
+Balance your time properly, don’t spend your entire time coding only one problem nor leave it untouched because you were flirting with probability throughout.
+
+## The Interview
+
+Each division of Goldman that visits the campus, prepares its own rank list depending on a combination of questions from that test. And based on these lists, you can be shortlisted for one or more divisions. The count of interview rounds you have depends on how many divisions selected you in their lists.
+
+
+Four division visited Roorkee last year. Risk, Technology, Securities and GIR(Global Investment Research). I was shortlisted for all the four and had almost continuous 7-8 hours of grilling interviews. It’s not this harsh for everyone, I have friends who made it through after a couple of rounds as well. The questions in the interview will be mostly from competitive programming or probability. Make sure you are thorough with whatever is included in your resume. I had an entire hour of interview on machine learning because my areas of interest mentioned it. Don’t unnecessarily write stuff to fill your resume or to make it look big. Sometimes, you may experience that the interviewer is asking stuff that you have no knowledge of, he may encourage you to think about it. Do not hesitate to try such questions, they are asked purely with the intention of judging your approach and not your knowledge or the correctness of your answer.
+
+
+Almost all the rounds have a very similar structure. It starts with ‘tell us something about yourself’, a couple of questions of competitive programming, something from your resume or a question from probability and ends with “Do you have something to ask from us?”. I don’t really know if it matters but people recommend to ask something and so I did.
+
+“Tell us about yourself” is the section that can be used to play around a little. Tell them something about yourself that might have relevance to the interviewer and he may end up discussing that rather than a random question which might not click for you at that time. This doesn’t always work but you don’t lose anything by trying. 2 out of my 8 rounds were based on Java,OOP and RXJava, because I had brought up my second year’s internship where I worked on these(Preparing your resume accordingly can do this trick as well). But it’s up to you to decide if you really have a strong suite that may interest the interviewer or whether you are good at solving these problems there.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/abhishek-kumar-2.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Work
+
+### Project
+
+There is a wide spectrum of work or the areas that Goldman offers but what you will be working on is not in your hand nor do you have any way of finding it. Approximately a month after your selection, you’ll get a mail that will have your division, this can help you get a rough idea of what work you are going to get. I was asked in the final round which division I wanted to work with (It was probably because I was interviewed for multiple divisions), but honestly, I had no idea of what each division does. You will not know till the interview the divisions which are visiting Roorkee so I don’t think this helps much.All I said was that I want something on the intersection of tech and finance and probably all of their division except technology fits this.
+
+My team worked on core systems and there was not much of finance except having the chance of interacting with people who are good at it. There is not much that I can disclose about my work because of a non-disclosure that I have signed and the fact that Goldman takes it very seriously.I’ll try to give you an abstract of the nature of work. There were a couple of projects that I worked on. In the first one I was expected to research on a new database design,prototype and deploy a scalable real time database design for their data on which they carried out a huge number  of calculations everyday (I am not sure if I can write what these calculations are for), this project was expected to save a couple of thousand computing hours for them. Second one was mostly around debugging a complicated platform that they already had. It took a lot more memory in a few scenarios than expected and crashed, I had to find the component that caused it and identify its origin.
+
+### Work Culture
+
+This is something that is not uniform across Goldman and depends heavily on your team. But one thing is constant: You will have work to do.
+
+My team didn’t have any timing as such. Everyone had their own set of deliverables and they spent time accordingly .You don’t really have to report to anyone everyday or every week for that matter. There will be times when you can walk in at 12 and leave at 7 but there will also be times when you stay till 2 AM, it's about how you manage your work and how much of it you want to do during your internship. The best part(may not be true for all teams), I had absolute autonomy on my project.
+
+It is not that you get free from work if you finish your project early. I remember someone saying, “We are never out of work at Goldman”. But no one would push you to work more or tell you that you are expected to do more, except during your mid term review when your manager gives you feedback on how you have been doing so far. You will definitely be judged for your work though(Your PPO’s decision is mainly based on this).
+
+The best part about Goldman is its flat organization. You can walk up to anyone without an appointment and have a chat. Your manager isn't always right just because of his seniority. You and your views are valued equally. Obviously, this is the way it is intended to be and there may be scenarios where this may not be true but luckily I had a supercool manager in this respect as well.
+
+The biggest perk that you can probably take away as mentioned by some really senior leader during our orientation is, “You work with a set of really smart and passionate people and the more you network, the more you can take away from here”. Your life can get really dull and hectic in Goldman in some time if you are missing out on this part. Goldman organizes a couple of networking sessions for the interns with senior employees of the firms(Free lunch would be what you can look up to, if you don’t like talking).
+
+Goldman also takes you out on a day for Community TeamWork. This is with the motive to give back to the society and understand the diversity that this world has. I was taken to a wildlife hospital where we painted and cleaned cages/shelters of monkeys, parrots, bears, deers in which they are kept during their treatment.There is an intern party that the company sponsors other than numerous others that your team takes you out for(Team dependent again, you gotta be lucky).
+
+Towards the end,you have a poster presentation(expo) kind of event where you showcase/present your work to entire division(It happens in the Risk Division, not sure of others).This is a chance for you to get noticed by the Managing Directors and other senior leaders and make a good mark . Trust me, your two months of hard work is on one side and the visibility that you get on this day is on the other. You can and  should definitely aim to shine out among everyone.
+
+### Place
+
+Goldman has shifted to a new office this year. This office is crazy and has amazing things to fall in love with. More than anything else; the monitor. You have a giant beast, a huge curved monitor, a super fancy lift,recreation room, gym, adjustable desk(You can stand and work) to mention a few. And, Bangalore is too famous for me to say anything (Very bad traffic :P).
+
+## Summing Up
+
+Generalising anything would be tough about Goldman, because be it work or culture, its extremely diverse across different teams. But Goldman has a set of principles that it follows extremely seriously and expects you to do the same. It is a brilliant place for those who don’t limit their work to their desk and to whose who may want to explore the finance world but stay connected to technology at the same time.
+
+To those who want to work with cutting edge technology and are sure about it, you may want to reconsider this option.
+
+You should stay connected with friends from other IITs, there will be around a week’s gap in the recruitment. So you may get a rough idea of the question paper pattern from them.
+
+**Note:** Since Goldman Sachs doesn't allow any pictures of the premises to be take, these images were procured from the internet.

_posts/2019-07-23-summer-diaries-harsh.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Brandenburg Technical University"
+image: "harsh1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Harsh Dabariya"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The internship season starts with the advent of autumn semester accompanying a stressful atmosphere. But as this went on, it became smooth, fun and a great learning experience for me. So, here’s a journey of me landing myself a research internship and the knowledge gained during this period.'
+
+---
+
+The internship season starts with the advent of autumn semester accompanying a stressful atmosphere. But as this went on, it became smooth, fun and a great learning experience for me. So, here’s a journey of me landing myself a research internship and the knowledge gained during this period.
+Making it there:
+
+As my third year started, I was quite sure that work in the mechanical core sector is what I would love to do during my internship. But still, I wasn’t quite sure as to which amongst a core industry and a research internship to go forward with. I had some experience of a research intern due to one performed after my second year and also knew a bit about the core industries through various seniors.
+Having secured a decent CGPA and some research experience, I decided to try for both the fields. The first to come up was ITC, followed by BAJAJ, and I applied for both only to be rejected later. In ITC, I couldn’t make it to the interview round, but for BAJAJ, I got to the interview stage but wasn’t selected. During this time, I was also looking for a research internship abroad. There are various research internship programs available most of which offer scholarship like DAAD-WISE, MITACS, NTU-India connect, SN Bose, etc. The number of such programs is increasing year by year, and we get notified about these by the international relation cell of IITR. But, the essential source of me knowing about these programs was my seniors. I applied for DAAD-WISE, MITACS, NTU-India connect and was selected for the DAAD-WISE scholarship.
+MITACS offers a wide range of projects running in various Canadian institutes.  From there, you need to select seven projects in order of priority along with your curriculum vitae (CV), transcripts, and Statement of Purpose (SOP). The professor you choose and your SOP are the significant factors on which your selection is dependent.
+DAAD-WISE program targets undergraduate (pre-final year) students who aim to do a research internship at a publicly-funded German higher education institution or a research institute. For applying, you need to have an offer letter from a German institute, which is the most time-consuming part of the application process. So, starting to mail the professors early may provide you a better opportunity. Your mail consists of a cover letter along with your CV, both of which should be appealing and depict your true potential. Your cover letter should be written explicitly according to the research interests of the professor, which shows that you have a decent idea about their work and requirements. Also, while preparing your CV, keep in mind to lay more focus on the academic aspects with a clear picture of the research you have performed. Your areas of interest should be per the professor’s requirements. The most important factor during this phase is to remain patient. There would be several instances when your mails are not even read but never lose patience until the end.
+Although a CGPA requirement of 8.5 is required for application, after analysing the previous results, students below a CGPA of 9 have very less chances of getting through. A mistake that I committed during my application was me directly mailing to the professors. The professors usually are very busy to reply to your mails so, prefer sending mail to their lab assistants or PhDs. Nearly after 15 mails, I got two positive and four negative replies. So, at last, I was able to get a WISE scholarship for my research at Brandenburg Technical University.
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/harsh2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Work:
+
+Brandenburg Technical University is a renowned technical university (especially for its mechanical engineering) in the Brandenburg state with two campuses in Cottbus and Senftenberg. My lab, i.e., engineering mechanics and machine dynamics, is located on the Senftenberg campus.
+My research project comprised of both experimental and theoretical portions. Initially certain tensile, cyclic tests were performed on polymers at variable environmental conditions. Then a theoretical study on the behaviour of viscoplastic materials was done, and a material model was developed in MATLAB for a 1D response. The results obtained from the experiments were compared with those derived from the MATLAB model. In the end, I was expected to develop a 3D viscoplastic material model that correctly depicts the behaviour of polymers, and I was lucky enough to complete the task within the time boundation. I was grateful that the work was exciting and had proper help in case of a problem. The job was not very demanding but required sincerity and patience.
+During this, I learnt a great deal of MATLAB along with obtaining a lot of information about viscoplastic materials and how they are becoming the next big thing in mechanics. Experimental work made me well versed with UTM machine and infrared camera used for catching the temperature variations during testing. One thing that I observed was the great deal of professionalism and sincerity that people in Germany possess. Despite this, people were also accommodating and caring. I usually reported my progress to one of the PhDs (assigned to me by the professor) and sometimes, the professor. The professor usually visited the lab once a week and discussed about the project and the other stuff as well, which was very comforting.
+There were no fixed working hours, but I usually remained in the lab from 10 am to 5 pm. Also, it was a five day week, so I could easily go on trips on weekends, which I most others were doing in Senftenberg. I used to have lunch with the other lab members in which the professor also joined us sometimes. This helped me in adjusting better and also increased the joy of living and working in Germany.
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/harsh3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## The Place:
+
+Senftenberg is a town in southern Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. It was located in the eastern part of Germany which is considered as the not-so prosperous part of Germany. It does not have a huge population or many big buildings, but its beauty lies in the natural environment, which makes it quite and calm. I resided in a student dormitory, which was close to the university and some of the supermarkets, making life very comfortable. Initially, in May, it was quite cold out here but became warmer in June, making it a familiar condition.
+
+## Travelling around:
+
+The best part of being in Europe was having a Schengen visa and getting to visit almost every European country. This was supported by an excellent public transport system which helped me to explore not only Germany and other countries as well. I saw various aspects of life during this— best represented by the Berlin wall separating two sides. They are named the same but have substantial differences in culture and standard of living. I was able to visit Hungary, Amsterdam, and Italy, with each country having a distinct flavour and culture. But one thing was the same everywhere, the people and their helpfulness. Travelling made me much more confident and somewhat improved my decision making.
+
+## TAKEAWAYS:
+
+This internship was one of the best experiences of my life and added much to my personality. Living on your own for three months makes you more independent and maybe more efficient.
+At last, I want to say if you are willing to get yourself a research internship or even want to try research, this is your best possible chance. So, put in all your effort in preparing your cover letters, CVs, and SOPs. Also, CGPA does matter, so always try to maintain a decent CGPA. And luckily, if you get a research internship, still maintain a proper balance between work and leisure.  This may provide a good recommendation, further helping in strengthening your CV and getting an MS or Ph.D. opportunity.
+

_posts/2019-07-23-summer-diaries-nipun.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Flipkart Design"
+image: "nipun1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Nipun Vashishta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: '
+A week after I joined Flipkart as a design intern, I entered a conference room where the user research team was sharing their insights on a study they conducted for the next hundred million users, who are not the usual tech-savvy users, consumers that are not part of the millennials or Gen-Z demographic.'
+
+---
+
+A week after I joined Flipkart as a design intern, I entered a conference room where the user research team was sharing their insights on a study they conducted for the next hundred million users, who are not the usual tech-savvy users, consumers that are not part of the millennials or Gen-Z demographic. To understand why they do not shop online, the team conducted a year long study on a single emotion - Trust. I was overwhelmed by the amount of effort the whole team puts in to understand a single human emotion out of the dozen emotions which stopped them from shopping online. I knew at that time that the organisation is pursuing design at its core. I knew at that moment that I would get to learn and work with a lot of brilliant minds in the upcoming three months.
+
+
+## How I joined Flipkart
+
+
+I joined Flipkart in the Product Design team for the summers through an on-campus internship. I was never the ‘on-campus intern’ guy in college, since there are a very few companies which  come to campus to hire designers. But in the past 3-4 years, design culture in IIT-R has seen exponential growth, and designers working in the industry have also noticed this trend about ‘Roorkee Design’ so a few companies have started to hire on-campus as well. I initially applied at Flipkart for an internship off-campus, they considered my case and took it forward. I waited for a month (not that unusual when you are applying off-campus) to know the status of my application and eventually lost hope of ever hearing back. But one day I got a call from a IIT-R alum who is working at Flipkart as a Product Designer. He told me that the management has decided to come to campus for hiring, given the large number of applications from IIT-R for both full time and intern roles. The hiring process started just a few days before end-term examination (to all those who get sad if they do not get an intern in the peak intern season when all companies come to campus - please sit back, do your work and have some patience), the whole process took almost two weeks. They shortlisted students based on their portfolios and the shortlisted candidates were given a design assignment that they were supposed to do in a limited time. On the basis of design submissions, they picked two students from our campus. There was a small informal interview after that, and we were in!
+
+
+
+## Wait, what is Product Design?
+
+The role ‘Product Design’ might seem a little ambiguous to some. And it is not their fault, since it is a constantly evolving field. Have you noticed how you experience different emotions when you are using Instagram as opposed to when you’re scrolling through Facebook? If yes, than the designers have done their jobs well. Product design at tech-organisations is more inclined towards digital product design or designing experience for a product with digital touchpoints. It is about understanding the needs and constraints of users, business, and technology, which then forms the basis for designing an optimal experience for potential consumers of the product. If you want to pursue design as a career, start looking for the ‘why’ in everything, in every app you use from Snapchat to Linkedin. Think about why Snapchat looks the way it does. Why are you met with a camera when you open it? Try going through as many design books and articles as possible,since there isn’t really anyone on campus to teach and acquaint you with the industry standards. Try working on a real or concept project in collaboration with developers or people with business ideas in the campus. Or just look around and take a second to notice all the problems around you then pick one and think of what you can do for it.
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/nipun2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Work and experience
+
+Coming back to my internship experience, Flipkart Bangalore HQ has around 10,000 employees, and there are numerous teams to handle each and every part of Flipkart. I was working in the Product Design team under UAG (User Acquisition and Growth) segment of Flipkart. I was assigned in the user engagement and retention pod with a mentor and a manager for any help that I needed, and also an HR buddy whose role in my whole internship is still questionable except handling my relocation brilliantly. 
+
+My project at Flipkart was to design an end to end experience for one segment of Flipkart Travel which involved online ticket booking (I cannot tell you the specifics of the project because it has not been launched yet). Week one started with understanding first how Flipkart functions, what different products we have and how we are to approach design for different projects in a different manner. So during my first week there, most of my time was spent on ‘1 on 1 interviews’ with my peers and seniors, it taught me a lot about different design processes people use in the industry for different types of projects. At an organisation like Flipkart, it becomes essential to understand business and practical aspects of your design too. If you create a design that does not make profits but it has a good experience then it is no good for anyone. Then I started to understand how the travel industry works and what kind of people actually come to book a ticket online, what are their intents, what are their goals, how do they behave, how they see things. Before designing any product, it is really important to know everything about the people that you are designing for and the industry around it. If somebody asks you why you have used list-view instead of grid-view in your designs, you should have a good justification behind it, and that only comes when you know your product inside-out. I tried a few methods like ‘Survey Form’ to Flipkart customers to understand the demographics and traits of the users we are aiming at, and got really interesting insights out of it. ‘Competitor Analysis’ to know the current industry standards and use them to cut down time on research that has already been done. ‘1:1 interviews’ and ‘Recall sessions’ with users to know what problems they are facing in the current systems in place. ‘Card sorting’ to prioritise and group different elements in my designs. All these practices were relevant to my project and helped me, but it is not necessary to use these for each project. Every project at Flipkart has its own requirements and according to that you create your process.
+
+By the end of my two month journey, My designs were done and ready for approval and feedback by the design team, iterating on the same, followed by approvals and feedback by the directors and senior directors of the company before the whole thing could be handed over to the developers, who would then push it into production. Being a designer, your job isn’t done when the designs are. You have to align all the stakeholder teams on the same page as you and your design research, to be in the loop with developers when they are developing your ideas, make sure that what you designed and what went live matches, it is not at all a desk job and is actually quite fun. 
+
+Coming to the fun part/work-life balance/work culture, whatever you associate it with. Flipkart is one of those huge corporates that still have a start-up-y vibe to their work environment (except when you have to take approvals, or when you have to manage your calendar everyday, or when you spend more time in meetings than actually working) But jokes apart, they have a really good working culture, it is fast-paced, you face new challenges on  an individual and organisation level everyday. They don’t force you to work, or even come to office (unlimited work from home, yes) as long as you can keep up with deadlines. On day one I was asked what my expectations were, instead of forcing their expectations on me. During my induction, they took to me warehouses to see how a product actually arrives at your doorstep. I had so many formal and informal outings with the team in two and a half months that it wasn’t easy to keep track. 
+
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/nipun3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+## Summing up the summers
+
+Flipkart design has a very strong design team as of now with almost 30 people, and one of the best user-research teams in India too. For anyone who wants to learn about design research and conduct it by going to ground should try aiming for user researcher roles. For designers who are more inclined towards creating experiences hand to hand with business, go for product design role. For both of these roles you will need some hands on experience with a few college-time design projects. Projects which are not just designing screens but also involve social, business, human and tech aspects. Collaborate a lot, work a lot, practice a lot, observe a lot. 
+
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-24-summer-diaries-kashish.md

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Germany: DAAD"
+tags: [wona, column]
+image: kashish1.png
+category: summer2019
+author: "Kashish Garg"
+excerpt: "Start of the third year is a confusing time - everyone is talking about the internship they want to land. With the amount of money offered in each of them and other pros and pros, it starts to get a little tense as time proceeds.  One thing that is usually discussed id if one should pursue a research internship at all. In this article, I will explain why I did a research internship and what benefits it had on me."
+---
+
+Start of the third year is a confusing time - everyone is talking about the internship they want to land. With the amount of money offered in each of them and other pros and pros, it starts to get a little tense as time proceeds.  One thing that is usually discussed id if one should pursue a research internship at all. In this article, I will explain why I did a research internship and what benefits it had on me.
+
+## Making it there
+In the beginning, I was not sure whether I wanted to pursue a research internship at all. Having done one research internship already in my second year summers, I wanted to explore the possibility of working in a core related company. I was sure that I wouldn’t do a coding related intern since my knowledge there was pretty much zero.
+
+During the intern season, I applied for ITC and Bajaj, only to be rejected by both. During this, I decided to go for a research intern, DAAD WISE to be specific. The only reason at the beginning was the possibility to explore Europe for two and a half months on someone else’s money. For DAAD, I mailed around 20 professors, getting a negative response from around 5, and positive from 2. I got the offer letter from both of them and eventually, ended up applying for an Intern at Rostock University.
+
+Although there are a lot of funded foreign internship programs, I applied only for DAAD, Mitacs, and NTU-India Connect. I didn’t get selected for Mitacs but did manage to get both DAAD WISE scholarship and NTU-India Connect. The central dilemma I faced was choosing between these two. On one side, it was one of the top-ranked institutes in the world, and on the other, it was the name of DAAD and the amount of money. I chose the latter because I didn’t want to spend money out of my pocket while doing an internship. Also, the project offered at Rostock sounded more interesting to me.
+
+If you are looking for DAAD WISE, the main hurdle you have to cross is getting an offer letter from a German university. For that, you should start at the earliest as it gets a bit tense when you are not receiving any replies. Starting in August-end should be good enough. Also, take care in writing the cover letter and try not to make it sound generic. Attach your resume to the mail and a project report of any project or internship that you might have done. For resume, it is an excellent option to build it online on ShareLaTex. Also, do mention that you are looking for funding from DAAD and would not require any funding from their side.
+
+After you are selected, the only thing you have to worry about is booking the air tickets, finding accommodation and getting the VISA. The VISA part is straightforward once you have the scholarship.
+
+## Life in Rostock
+Rostock is located in the eastern part of Germany, which is usually considered to be a lot cheaper than the western side. But, if you are looking to stay only for three odd months, it gets hard to find affordable accommodation. The best option that is available is the studentenwerk hostels. They are pretty cheap and would be located close to the university. However, in my case, studentenwerk Rostock didn’t allow a stay of fewer than six months, and hence, I had to look for other options. There is a website called wg-gesucht, which is an excellent portal for finding shared accommodation in Europe. Although there are a lot of scammers on the site, you can be safe by not agreeing to pay anything in advance. I used that, and after a lot of requests, I finally found an affordable accommodation, the only problem was it was 3 km from the workplace. I had an option to use the tram for getting there, but I decided to walk both to save money and explore the city. Also, my accommodation was located close to the harbor, so it was nice to go out for a walk in the evening or on weekends.
+
+
+
+Eating outside is expensive, and I had to cook for myself, starting with simple things like an omelette to more complex ones. I did lunch at the university canteen which offers a lot of variety and an excellent student discount. The work culture in Germany is of five days a week, Friday and Saturday evenings are usually spent partying at a club or drinking beer. The surroundings are spotless, and people follow the traffic rules religiously, and there is no honking on roads, which makes walking all the more enjoyable. My flatmate was a German, and so, I got to know a lot of things about German culture from him.  One of these was how to open a beer bottle with a water bottle or a spoon. Just a bit of advice, It’s a good option to carry some food items like daal and spices by yourself from India. It can be costly in Germany and sometimes hard to find even. I also took some packets of Maggi as it helps when you don’t want to cook. For other stuff, it’s good to see some Indians already living there, by joining a Facebook group called Indians in Germany. They can advise you more on what to bring by yourself and what can you get there only.
+
+## Traveling in Europe
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/kashish2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+
+It is difficult to explain in words how much I enjoyed living and traveling around Europe. The Schengen Visa allows you to visit 26 countries, which is more than one can explore. In all, I visited three other countries apart from Germany (Rostock, Berlin, and Hamburg) which were Netherlands (Amsterdam), Hungary (Budapest) and Italy (Venice, Florence, and Rome). Traveling was expensive, but it was an excellent option to buy a bus pass called interflix.  Using that, you can go to any city on the bus five times just for 100 euros. And the buses here are equipped with on-board toilets and free Wi-Fi, so long journeys are not that troublesome. For staying, hostel culture is prevalent in Europe where you can find affordable accommodation in a mixed dorm room. Here, you can meet a lot of new people from different parts of the world. I shared rooms with people from Italy, New Zealand, America, England, and Russia during my travels. Also, the people here are quite friendly and courteous, and you will always find people who can speak English, so communication is not a big problem. Although, I’d advice to download German dictionary offline and the language of any country you plan to visit.
+
+Watching the fireworks show while enjoying a cruise ride in Budapest was one of the best experiences for me, so was roaming around in the streets of Florence.  Also, trying different cuisines in Europe is a pleasant experience. In particular, the Italian Pizza and gelato. Public transportation in Europe is excellent and so, traveling around in different parts of the city is easy. Overall, this is the most beautiful part of a foreign research internship.
+
+## Work
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/kashish3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+Having done research internship both in India and Germany, I’d say that the experience has been a lot different than I’d imagine. People here pursue research because they want to and take it professionally. They work quite seriously on weekdays during the working hours and enjoy as much on weekends. For me, I was usually in the office from 10 to 3 or 4, due to the light workload. My main project was related to Energy planning, which involved reading about the renewable energy scenario in Germany, Mecklenburg vorpommern in particular and learning new software for the same.  Based on an existing model of the Hanseatic city of Rostock, I extended the model to include the whole of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern. For a part of the project, I also had to learn a bit of python, which was both fun and also an enriching experience. I learned to use Pandas in python to refine data. The refined data was then used to plot graphs to compare simulation and experimental data. It taught me the value of coding in research.  I used to have lunch with my guide and other Ph.D. guys, which was an excellent place to talk and make new friends. Overall, more than just technical knowledge, it was an enriching experience for me comprising of both new learnings and fun.
+
+## Summing it up
+As this was the first time I was traveling to a foreign country, the experience was bound to be remarkable. I followed traffic rules religiously like I never did before, had to learn to eat with a knife and fork.
+
+This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you can never travel like this except when you are a student. Apart from the knowledge you gain, the life you live for these two-three months will live with you forever as memories. Also, for getting a foreign research internship, having a good cover letter is a must. Try to send personalized emails to each professor and work on your SOP (Statement of purpose). Also, your C.G.P.A. does matter, so try to keep it up. Also, people here seem to have a lot of expectations from a DAAD scholar, so try to do some work while also taking out time to travel.
+
+ 
+
+

_posts/2019-07-25-summer-diaries-tanya.md

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: DAAD"
+image: tanya1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Tanya Ratra"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'In this article, I have tried to summarise my internship experience in short and mainly focused on the "making it there" section. For all those who wish to score a research internship, I hope this article gives you a good starting point.'
+
+ 
+---
+
+In this article, I have tried to summarise my internship experience in short and mainly focused on the "making it there" section. For all those who wish to score a research internship, I hope this article gives you a good starting point. 
+
+## Making It There
+
+To be honest I was not trying to get a foreign research internship as I had done one in my sophomore year. I wished to do a foreign industrial intern in an ideal case as in a foreign internship, apart from learning technical skills you also hone your interpersonal skills and learn to see things from a different perspective. I was only applying for research internship programs as a back-up. However, not finding something suitable in industries landed me up in this internship. 
+
+I had applied to various programmes like DAAD, MITACS, SN BOSE, NTU-India Connect, ANU-FRT and 2-3 more, I guess :p. I will be writing another article soon for the 
+applying procedure and making a suitable SOP, However, I will try to cover all the major points for applying to DAAD here.
+
+So, In DAAD-WISE program you first need to have an invitation letter from any german professor before applying to the program. Hence you need to start with emailing the professor. I searched for the QS ranking of the universities in Germany and then searched for profiles of professor in catalysis as I had prior experience in the same. For students who don't have prior research experience, I would still encourage you all to apply for different programs as I didn't have any research project in my sophomore year but still made it to the University of Tokyo Research Internship Program. The only thing that is required is a proper presentation. You need to present yourself as a dedicated and sincere student who is interested in the topic the prof is pursuing. 
+
+Coming back to DAAD, in the mailing procedure, I had sent 10 emails in top 2-3 universities of Germany. I got an acceptance from Humboldt University and TU Berlin and I chose the former as I liked the project more. Also, I was lucky enough to get a reply this early. Don’t hesitate to write more emails if you are not getting a reply. The trick is to write more personalised emails, just don't copy-paste the same mail for every professor. I generally use to write  3 paragraphs in a mail and dedicate one to the work of the professor and the rest two remained the same in every mail. Write the email in such a way that the professor gets to know that you have read his papers and are truly interested in his work. Further, follow-ups play a very important role. I got both the acceptance mails on follow-ups, therefore schedule them wisely.
+
+Once you have the invitation letter you require one recommendation letter and an SOP for applying. In DAAD-WISE program, C.G.P.A also plays an important role. Again, to be brutally honest, you require something above 9.3 or so to get selected. However, other programmes don't look at the grade-point that much and I too believe that C.G.P.A is not the right criteria to judge someone’s research calibre.  
+
+## Work and the Place 
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/tanya2.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+My work here at the Lab is to develop a photocatalyst for CO2 reduction. The lab timings are chill; 9-5, five days a week. You will be asked to leave the lab by five because being an undergrad you are not allowed in the lab alone. Hence you have enough time to roam around and explore the city. As every foreign internship, another common perk is travelling. Further, in Europe, inter-country travel is cheaper than intercity travel. Consequently, you can travel 2-3 different countries during the weekend :p. Besides, talking specifically about Berlin, It is well known for its nightlife. So if you are a party person like me you won’t even know where your weekends passed. So, I would recommend DAAD-WISE for students who want to have a taste of research or for those who love exploring new places and cultures. The difference I felt in the research culture in Germany was that I was not just doing experimental things but was also developing scientific reasoning to improvise my project.
+
+## Summing Up
+
+On the whole, I would say I absolutely enjoyed my stay in Germany; working in lab, travelling and obviously the weekend parties!! One last thing that I want to say is related to the on-campus internship period, Everyone has some expectations from themselves and what they want to do. I just want to advice all the juniors from my experience that, please don't panic or be disheartened if things don't go as you would want them to. Just be patient and do your best and trust me, hard-work does pay at the end. I hope you all have a lovely experience in getting your coveted internship!! 
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/tanya3.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+

_posts/2019-07-27-summer-diaries-dakshit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Carnegie Mellon University"
+image: "dakshit1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Dakshit Agrawal"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'My attempt to summarize the mind-boggling journey I have had in the past year, from being in for the long haul while applying for research internships, finally landing one at the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University via the SN Bose Scholarship, to having a fruitful and joyous summer in the States.'
+---
+
+My attempt to summarize the mind-boggling journey I have had in the past year, from being in for the long haul while applying for research internships, finally landing one at the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University via the SN Bose Scholarship, to having a fruitful and joyous summer in the States.
+
+## Scenario Before August 2018:
+
+I started reading about AI and deep learning seriously during the summer after my first year in college.  Some research projects under professors at IIT-R during the following semester helped me develop an idea of how a research problem is formulated and approached.  With this experience, I was able to convince professors at ETS Montreal to be my advisors during the summer after my second year. We submitted our research work to the EmotiW 2018 challenge, and surprisingly, ranked 4th among all participants. The awesome benefit though? A paper published in ICMI 2018 as a result of our novel approach in the challenge. 
+
+It’s that summer which turned around my internship plans.  How? Two things:
+
+The experience during the summers helped me realize that research in Deep Learning was the primary thing I wanted to do, specifically I wanted to improve certain aspects for a better application to real-world scenarios.
+Having a research paper made me believe that I should be getting a lot of opportunities to work in some of the big colleges (totally not true as I found out later).
+
+## Landing that Internship:
+
+The top 5 Department Rankers of CSE get a direct offer from Adobe Research, which is a pretty sweet deal given that you don’t have to go through nerve-wracking days and nights during the internship season giving tests and interviews (believe me, it takes its toll, unless you get an offer in the first week).  Most of the other on-campus internship profiles are software engineering based.  After consulting with seniors about their experiences, I just didn’t believe I would be able to do the work that I wanted to do and hence opted out of the internship season itself, banking on my previous summer research experience to land me an internship at a good research lab.  Little did I know that I was in for a long run of applications.<br>
+
+A tip I got from my seniors was to start early in emailing professors regarding internship opportunities. So, from August to December, I kept on emailing professors at various labs, sending well-curated and specific emails, as well as applying to numerous research programs.  In January, I got an email that I had been “provisionally” shortlisted as an SN Bose Scholar, meaning I would get a scholarship if I found an advisor in a US university research lab.  Backing up a bit: the SN Bose scholarship was a two-stage process.  Firstly, around September, I was nominated by my department (only 2 from each department could apply to the program).  The research experience I had played a major role in the nomination.  Having a good CG definitely helps, but I believe it shouldn’t be a strong criterion if your research experience is great.  After getting nominated, I applied to the SN Bose program in October and was one of the 50 students selected out of the 1500 odd applicants in India. The SN Bose scholarship provides $2500 as scholarship money, flight tickets as well as reimbursement of the health insurance (a necessity in the US). In short, I now had the funding but needed a research lab to go to.  You would think that my summers would be sorted in a week, but it took another 2 months to finally find someone who agreed to have me over for the summers.  But it was sure worth the wait, since I got a research internship offer at the Machine Learning Department at CMU, the #1 ranked school for that department in the world.  There were many learnings from the 7-8 months of applying to various research labs of which some of the important ones I list down:
+
+1. Apply to places that actually interest you, else you might waste your whole summer intern hoping you had gone somewhere else.
+
+2. Be specific, to-the-point and polite in your emails, but don’t dwell too long in drafting one. A little blunt here, but if a professor is searching for an intern, they’ll show interest; if not, there won’t be a reply. It’s as simple as that.
+
+3. Install Mailtracker to at least give you the satisfaction that your email has been read (or misery that you got rejected besides the prof reading it, half-full half-empty scenario).  However, make sure that you leave no evidence that you’re using it.  Professors do deem it as off-putting if they receive a mail with Mailtracker.
+
+4. Don’t be hesitant or judgemental of applying to lower-ranked universities.  You need to get rid of the mentality that “ranking of college > research lab”. It works the other way around in research.
+
+5. Just hang in there.  You’ll spend lots of hours sending emails.  You will hardly get a response. I am talking about 5-6 replies from 45-50 well-curated emails. Even most of those will be negative, but the prof was kind enough to reply.  Some people get lucky, and have their summer plans sorted by November.  Some don’t, and have their plans sorted out by May.  But if you persevere, you’ll get through. :)
+
+## Work Experience:
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/dakshit2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+To start with, the US probably has the most stringent and longest visa process, and it takes nearly 2 months to get the J-1 visa.  Thankfully, I was able to get it in time and was in Pittsburgh by May 14.  Carnegie Mellon University is world-renowned in Computer Science, and its Machine Learning Department is ranked #1 in the world.  My advisor was Katerina Fragkiadaki, whose current work was primarily to find a good 3D scene representation for embodied agents to use, and using that representation on various computer vision and reinforcement learning tasks.  Her lab had found a viable way to learn 3D scene representations from multiple 2D images.  Why 3D? They gave a much better understanding of the scene, especially when some of the objects in question were occluded by others in 2D images.<br>
+
+For Actor-Critic based algorithms of reinforcement learning, you need a large sample pool of steps (an action taken by an agent in the simulation) and rewards (score the agent gets for taking that action, the more the better).  These samples were being collected on the CPU via Mujoco (a standard simulation environment for RL), which is pretty slow.  Shifting the sampling process to the GPU would make things a heck lot faster.<br>
+ 
+So, there I was shifting all of the agent step and reward calculations, as well as the 2D image inputs for generating the 3D representations, onto a fairly new simulator called Nvidia FleX, which ran solely on the GPU and whose only resources to refer to were the documentation and source code.  The work was way out of my comfort zone, having to deal with C++ code and reading through the source code of the inner workings of a simulator.  I did expect a much more deep learning centric work, but I trained just one neural network during the whole internship.  Most of the time, I was scavenging for solutions through the source code, and it wasn’t easy at all.  But working on a simulator gave me experience and confidence of being able to create a new environment in Nvidia FleX, and also a more general understanding of what RL algorithms require from simulators. <br>
+
+The atmosphere of the place, however, was quite relaxed, with extremely flexible work hours.  People solely care about the work getting done by a certain deadline, although that was also flexible for me as I was working on something completely new.  The workplace is pretty open, with lots of areas for discussions where you can just write on the wall (and erase it afterwards :P). There are lounges where you can get coffee and free snacks, and sit around to chat with someone about almost anything, since there is such a large diversity of people in the department, as well as the college in general.  People respect your personal space, allowing you to work literally at any place. Just walking around the campus, you can see people sitting on the grass, benches or big chairs with their laptops and notebooks. 
+
+## Getting Used to the Differences in Culture:
+
+Staying alone in a foreign land is daunting, and to tell the truth, I was a bit anxious.  But I was fortunate to get an awesome roommate, who made my months in the States go by so quickly. My apartment was nearly 2 km from CMU.  Unlike in India where we can have maids, you’re off on your own to get everything done.  That meant I had to clean my apartment, do the laundry, wash the dishes, but most importantly, cook by myself.  I tried my hand at cooking for the first time. With time, we were able to make pretty decent food (definitely not like my mom, but surely better than the hostel messes).  Cooking was pretty fun, not to mention annoying people (which some of my friends would attest to :P) as well as shocking them (especially family members) via WhatsApp status updates. 
+
+
+Before coming to the US, I was told that being a vegetarian would be difficult to get by.  It turns out there is a large Indian and Asian contingent at CMU (around 70-80% during the summer), and so, Indian and vegetarian options were available much more frequently than expected. Another nice feature of most of the regular food places was the option to customize or build your meal (like a Subway, but for Italian, Mexican, Indian, Burgers, and whatnot).
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/dakshit3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+The American culture is very different, with trust and openness very important virtues.  People thank the bus driver, apologize for obstructing your way, are open and blunt with their views.  The most shocking thing for me was paying with my credit card without any authentication, except for inserting the card, and a signature at some bigger places.  That’s the level of trust there.
+
+## Sightseeing and Activities:
+
+Pittsburgh is much cheaper compared to some of the other cities in the US, and your CMU ID card gives you access to all the sports facilities and library of CMU, and even free rides on the public transport.  The summers arrive pretty late in the US compared to India (around July), and it rains pretty spontaneously in Pittsburgh.  The weather is still pretty pleasant during May and June, getting a bit hot during July, although it’s nothing compared to the scorching 40 C back in India. There are many places to go around in Pittsburgh, and I never left an opportunity to spend my weekends in sightseeing along with my roommate.  There were some really memorable experiences, like the casino (coming back from -$1 to earn $70), go-karting at 60 kph, going on a sight-seeing cruise, frantically searching and figuring out clues to get out of an escape room just in time, watching a baseball game with enthusiastic home fans or riding up the Duquesne Incline to see the city of Pittsburgh from above at dusk.  But the most unique experience for me would have to be axe throwing.  You read that right. Literally, throw axes at targets (flashback to Jason Mamoa throwing axes with a beer cup in the other hand).  I got to admit, it was pretty scary at first, despite it being completely safe.  Slowly the nerves eased out and became pretty fun in the end.  If anyone of you have an opportunity to try it out, I recommend doing it. 
+
+
+I was also fortunate to be able to visit Chicago, Washington DC, New York City, St. Louis, San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (I know, it’s a LOT of traveling for a 2-month internship).  But the best part of all of these places was the people I got to interact and connect with.  There was an orientation session held for SN Bose Scholars (and Khorana, a similar program) in Chicago, and that was where I got to interact with a lot of students from various colleges and disciplines in India.  You definitely won’t get a better chance to network with so many people, and will even find some people to accompany you for later trips. 
+
+![pic4](/images/posts/dakshit4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+  
+## Summing Up
+
+The major takeaway for me was that research isn’t always as sugar-coated and straight-forward as it was in my previous summer with ETS Montreal, that you have got to stumble and explore a lot before you make some progress, especially when you don’t know how to proceed.  Having clarity and a record of explored directions helps a lot in these situations.
+But if you ask me now, if opting out of the internship season, if waiting for 8 months with my hope rising from each email notification just to see it crushed by a reject or unrelated matter, if I would go through it all again to experience what I did during the summers, I would say definitely, because hey,
+
+1. interacting with so many people and making new friends
+2. getting to know a new culture
+3. sightseeing 
+4. achieving a more complete sense of what research entails 
+was worth every single moment.
+
+So don’t be afraid to take that risk and go after what you want to do!  Internships are for exploring your options after college, and unless you don’t put yourself out of your comfort zone, you’ll be robbing yourself of that chance to find what motivates you and what your limits are.  Mind you, this doesn’t mean that you apply without any experience or work to show. :P
+
+Cheers!
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-27-summer-diaries-dhruv.md

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries:Redseer Consulting Ltd"
+image: "dhruv1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Dhruv Singh"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'Redseer Consulting Ltd is a boutique firm in the field of research based management and strategy consulting.'
+---
+
+Redseer Consulting Ltd is a boutique firm in the field of research based management and strategy consulting.A boutique is a classification of the firms based on their scale of operations, as they focus on a limited number of services. Unlike major consulting firms, boutique firms are highly specialized rather than offering general consulting services.
+The firm sits neatly between two worlds, research and consulting. In some ways, it is like IMRB, a market research survey firm. In other ways, it is like a McKinsey or a Bain & Co, where it consults startups on entry strategy into new markets, new business verticals, growth strategy, cost reduction and the evergreen bestseller—generic trends.
+
+## Making it there:
+
+As a fresher, I always knew I was never going to find interest in Chemical core subjects and I knew I always had a thing for business.**I have always believed that you don’t have to do something because the rest of the world is doing it, that will make you quit in some time, you only do something once you know you have the curiosity and zeal to do the thing for the next fifteen years**. I did try my hand at web development, design and data analytics in my freshman year but I could never find the perfect blend of things that I knew I loved to do. That curiosity led me into joining E-Cell and that’s where I got to learn more about the various facets of the startup and business ecosystem. I got to know about roles with a mixture of various conventional roles. 
+
+My first internship was at a startup named Wheelstreet. I was a “Business Development Intern”, and worked towards making new expansion strategies and designing marketing campaigns for them. It was here that I knew that business and strategy was my thing. I liked data analytics as well, so my second internship was that of an “Operations Analyst” at a startup named 1mg in the medical e-commerce space. Here I worked on optimising the processes involved in the supply chain and logistics of medicines by working on sets of data and implementing the strategies. My target was to significantly reduce the error percentage and the Turn Around Time(TAT) of delivery. I really loved that I was able to take data driven steps to improve their business and make an impact. I met a lot of alumni throughout both of my internships and got to realise that my interests align with the world of consultancy. I met a consultant from Bain and he explained to me what kind of work consultants do and what is expected from a consultant in big corporates. That is when I thought it might be a perfect idea to try a hand at consulting.
+
+When my third year started, I was inclined towards Consulting, Business Analytics & Product Management and I was also aware of the need to apply off campus for the same, as a majority of the companies visiting campus for internship don’t offer roles with these profiles. Having networked with a lot of alumni and startups since I was part of the campus groups that majorly dealt with them, I began reaching out to people on LinkedIn and my personal connections and sought guidance so that I could further filter down on the aforementioned fields. People are usually more helpful on LinkedIn if you ask for general career advice. An alumnus who has been through the same phase is more likely to help, than the conventional method of mass messaging for referrals opted by students. This way you can easily connect personally with the person and the chances that he might refer you somewhere increase multifold.
+
+I started preparing in November(conventionally, you can safely start applying by February-March) and finalised my CV/Resume and Cover Letter by the end of November. Now, the first step was building a well-rounded and attractive LinkedIn profile. After building one, I started connecting to a lot of 2nd degree connections who are currently pursuing the fields I was interested in. For those who are new to LinkedIn, 2nd degree connections are people who are connected to your 1st degree connections. You'll see a 2nd degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. I used to send a template message to each one of them. For example, if I’m reaching out to someone in a consulting firm, my message went like this-“Hello Sir/Ma’am, I’m currently a 3rd-year undergrad at IIT Roorkee. I have a deep interest in management consulting and strategy oriented roles. Your mentorship could be vital for me to pursue my interests. Could you please guide me in the right direction? It would be great to connect over call sometime.” My conversion rate was significantly higher than what people get when they blatantly ask someone for a referral. 
+
+
+So, after talking to a lot of people, I narrowed down to Strategy & Consulting roles as an optimal career choice for me to pursue for the Summers of 2019. I had made an excel sheet of the companies I was targeting and in a couple of weeks, I had connected to a lot of alumni, HRs and executives of those companies.
+
+This approach got me interviews with a handful of companies and startups with a variable tradeoff between quality of work & the quality of firm. I ended up choosing Redseer since I knew a couple of alumni here and that gave me added assurance of quality of work. My interview process involved a lot of emphasis on guesstimates and case studies.
+
+
+## Work
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/dhruv2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+The office is based out of Bengaluru. My internship was that of a “Business Analyst”, wherein I worked directly under an Associate Consultant and one of the Directors was assigned to me as my mentor throughout the internship. I was lucky enough to work on multiple projects throughout my internship. I’ll be explaining each one of the projects and my involvement and responsibilities in the same. Redseer has a vertical work structure with a lot of emphasis on the entrepreneurial environment of work and a lot depends on your sense of ownership in any project. There are a lot of people from Tier-1 colleges on every level and that really helped me in mixing up with people and led me towards building strong professional and personal connections. The work hours were typically 9:30AM to 6:30PM but most of the times people used to stretch because of the demanding nature of work.
+
+I was initially assigned to two projects, the first was an internal project. Our goal was to build a portal where Redseer clients & employees can login and view business metrics, consumer data etc. for industries which are tracked on a monthly basis. The user shall have the liberty to set customized search criterion for convenience, comparison and better visualization of specific e-commerce industries. I had to record the statistics of major e-tailing players on a set of 17 key parameters employing benchmarking techniques to understand current outlook of e-tailing industry for 2 years. My work also involved basics of Product Management and SQL. I had Amit Anand, another intern from IIT Roorkee with me who worked on the end to end development part.
+
+The second project was for a fund which was looking to evaluate a certain target firm in the B2B E-commerce space for potential assessment. So, we were supposed to do Commercial Due Diligence(CDD) for the same. For those of you who are not familiar with it, Commercial Due Diligence is the process a corporation or private equity firm undertakes to gauge a company's commercial attractiveness. Unlike financial due diligence, which focuses solely on the financial health of the company, commercial due diligence provides a full overview of the target's internal and external environment. I had to assess the B2B E-commerce market landscape of India, analysing the online penetration with focus on Industrial supplies, assessing the competitive landscape in the B2B E-commerce market and business model of key players. I had to perform performance benchmarking of the ‘target firm’ in terms of business model, unit economics and key metrics. Along with this, we had to perform a future assessment of the ecosystem and emerging business models. This project was an overall test of my abilities and it was an enriching experience to get to work on a CDD as an intern and understanding the whole B2B E-commerce market scenario. One of the best bits of work you could get as an intern in consulting.
+
+
+After completing work on one of the projects, I was staffed on an international project for one of the largest global investment companies which was looking for companies in the Indonesian E-commerce space to include in its portfolio. So we had to assess the whole B2C E-commerce landscape in Indonesia. Understanding consumer sentiment, logistical issues, growth drivers & unit economics in Indonesia were some of the key challenges in the project. So, a few of the employees flew to Indonesia to take IDIs(In-Depth Interviews). After conducting consumer and seller surveys on a large scale, we managed to understand the market structure and segmentation and estimated the total addressable market along with the future scope in the E-Tailing, digital goods and B2B market in Indonesia. This project gave me an end-to-end in depth overview of the Indonesian E-commerce market and also added a new perspective as to how international projects are carried out at such a scale.
+
+
+Now, for the final phase of my internship, I was inducted as a member of the Redseer advisory team for leading Private Equity firms/Venture Capitalists.
+The team was responsible for demystifying the E-commerce, logistics(3PL & Captive) & Digital Payments landscape in India. This helped me understand the roots of the logistics space in India and realise what the growth drivers are and geometrical segmentation is by conducting competitive benchmarking of the 7 major players in logistics. It helped me understand what the growth drivers are while analysing the performances of the various horizontals, verticals and super verticals in the ecosystem. Also, breaking down the E-commerce market helped me realise who the market leaders are and where the future of E-Tailing in India is headed.
+
+
+
+## Summing up and key takeaways:
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/dhruv.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+The learnings were many be it interacting with clients, getting exposure to the industry, going on the ground or being within close doors and thinking about structuring the problem at hand. But some that particularly left me spellbound were:
+
+**Story-lining**: I learnt the art of conveying a presentation in the form of a story, highlighting key takeaways for each slide. This ensured I had the attention of my audience and conveyed my point in a crisp and precise way.
+ 
+**Elevator Pitch**: I understood the importance of having an answer ready at all times. Whether it was an update I had to give in a case team meeting or an explanation when the client questioned my hypothesis, I ensured I was well prepared and had an answer at hand. It was greatly valued and reflected my confidence and hard work.
+ 
+**Over-communication**: It was always better to communicate the minutest detail which I felt could be important to the team. It was a trade-off to being precise but it ensured the team didn’t get any surprises at a later stage.
+ 
+**Deliverable-Oriented Approach**: A good consultant always prefers to be “accurate enough” than to be “precisely accurate”. As a consultant, you’ll make decisions like this frequently, which is why interviewers screen out candidates who are uncomfortable with “accurate enough” since you cannot take a prolonged time going for preciseness when you could have saved a ton of money and time with an accurate enough answer that would work for the client.
+
+
+Over the almost three months, I worked at Redseer, the amount of learning and experience I gained was tremendous. I worked with a lot of people and on a lot of exciting projects  where I was able to find out my weaknesses and strong points and work towards being a better professional. Most of all, *one should always be able to make a concrete decision around his/her career path after an internship* and I was able to derive one for me.
+
+

_posts/2019-07-30-sumer-diaries-itc3.md

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: ITC Limited"
+image: "aneja1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Mohit Aneja"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'I was allotted a project in the Paperboards and Speciality Papers (PSPD) division of ITC. The projects given to the KITES interns are quite versatile, from highly technical projects related to your branch to research work in a completely different domain.' 
+---
+
+## Where & What: What I worked on during the intern? 
+
+
+I was allotted a project in the Paperboards and Speciality Papers (PSPD) division of ITC. The projects given to the KITES interns are quite versatile, from highly technical projects related to your branch to research work in a completely different domain. One of my co-interns from Mechanical Engineering was given a project on safety. My project was more on the technical side - based on heat and mass transfer, and performance assessment of cooling towers and heat exchangers. The objectives of the project were:
+
+**i)** To assess the performance of cooling towers and heat exchangers in Utilities and Soda Recovery Section and to increase the efficiency of heat exchangers by 5%.<br>
+
+**ii)** To reduce the freshwater consumption as makeup water by 20%.
+
+
+The scope of the project was a total of 6 cooling towers and 6 heat exchangers inside the plant. I had to visit all the cooling towers and observe any visual flaws during the operation and compare it with the benchmark practices. My work included talking to a lot of people to understand the operation of the cooling towers and corresponding condensers, research work to look for new technologies, analyzing the data obtained, thinking and brainstorming on new ideas to save water and increase efficiency. I was given enough freedom to take my project in whatever direction I wanted to - which I used to explore new technology in the field. I got an experimental set-up fabricated based off of a research paper with the help of engineers in the plant. The plant engineers are highly eager to implement any good idea in order to improve the operations in the plant.
+Before applying: Where/how did you get the idea of interning there?
+ITC is one of the first companies to visit the campus but I did not have any plans to seriously sit for the process. I had a decent CGPA so I thought of giving it a shot. I had an altogether different view of the interview process (assuming it to be one of the toughest technical interviews on campus) but this myth was busted only in my own interview!
+
+## Making it there:
+The process starts with a lengthy ‘Mind Over Matter’ form consisting of around 6-7 essay type questions focusing on your personality, followed by resume shortlisting. Generally, people with higher CGPA are given preference while shortlisting. Not only this, having something unique on your resume will help you getting shortlisted. It doesn’t matter if the previous work done isn’t related to what ITC does. My previous internships were based on Python development in Options trading, and basic level research work in alternative finance. 
+After this, a psychometric test is conducted to check if the values of the candidate align with that of the company. The psychometric test consists of about 35 questions, with 20 unique questions and the rest being a repetition, but in a different form/language. They want to test your consistency in answering the questions about yourself. There is no right answer to those questions. Just be consistent with your answers throughout the test.
+
+
+
+## Group Discussion:
+
+This is followed by a GD round - with groups of 9-10 people each. You are handed a case study written on a paper and given 20 minutes to discuss and arrive at a conclusion. The time limit is strict and they will ask you to leave immediately after the time is over, whether or not your group arrived at a conclusion or not. Try to make logical arguments in this round. Don’t speak just to speak. It may backfire if someone counters your statement with a good argument. Don’t keep mum during the whole round either, which will surely remove you from the process. Listen carefully when others are speaking and find the right time to speak and agree to / counter the points that other people make. It will show that you are a good listener and you’re not just waiting to blabber your own points. Initiating the discussion by quickly reading the case study is always a plus. Only 2-3 people make it to the interview rounds after the group discussion.
+
+
+## Technical round + HR:
+
+At last, two PI rounds are conducted. The first one is a lengthy round - with discussion on your favorite subject, fundamental questions on that subject. After this, you are asked a few questions based on your answers to questions in the Mind Over Matter form. Basic HR questions are also asked in this round. If you make it to the final round - which is mostly taken by people from the HR team of some division of ITC, you will be asked questions as to why you prefer ITC over other companies, your motive for joining and other HR questions. I was asked one technical question on heat exchangers in this round as well.
+
+
+Turns out, the whole procedure is not about how technically sound you are when it comes to your branch subjects but it is more about aligning with the values of the company, and your seriousness in the previous internships/projects. Basically, the company doesn’t expect you to know anything beforehand because the projects are so diverse in nature that it will require you to study the subject from scratch during the internship. Hence they want someone who can grasp things quickly, can get things done - by convincing others and by taking the lead.
+Tip: A lot of questions are asked based on your resume, so be very precise and clear about what you’re writing in your resume. It would be good if you can prepare one subject of your choice before the interviews (just be very clear with the fundamentals - don’t dive into the technicalities of the subject). Also, prepare a 30 second and 1 minute summary of yourself for the “Tell me about yourself” question thrown at you as soon as you enter the interview room.
+
+
+## About the Place:
+
+![pic](/images/posts/aneja3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+The PSPD division has 4 plants - Bhadrachalam, Kovai, Tribeni and Bollaram. Interns are generally sent to the Bhadrachalam since it is the biggest unit in terms of the size of operations. It is a remote town in Telangana, 6 hours from Hyderabad city via train. The factory consists of 7 humongous paper machines having lengths of about 300-400 metres each. This adds to the walking that you’d need to do to move from one part of the plant to the other.
+
+## Project Description: 
+
+
+The aim of the project was to assess the performance of cooling towers and to increase the efficiency of heat exchangers, and to save freshwater in the cooling towers - so work was to be done in a lot of different domains. The project required a fair bit of knowledge of heat and mass transfer principles, site visits, data analysis on Excel, chemistry of corrosion and scaling, research work to look for new technologies in the field, and management in terms of following up with a lot of people simultaneously (for data collection, process understanding, lab tests, machine visits, meetings).
+It would be good if you’re well familiar with Excel and PowerPoint. You may have to use Minitab and Statistical Quality Control techniques depending on the type of project. Learning the basics beforehand will help, although a formal workshop is conducted during the orientation session, before the internship, in the month of April.
+
+
+## Work Environment:
+
+![pic](/images/posts/aneja2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+The work hours, officially, are 8:30 AM-5:30 PM but the interns rarely adhere to the schedule. Most of the times, we went to the plant during the office hours only since we had to meet a lot of people in the plant. At some point during the intern, when my work was only restricted to researching for new methods, I worked from my room. On an average you’d work 8-10 hours per day, but it extends depending on the proximity of the reviews with your guide and mentor. (as is the case with MTEs and ETEs in college). The sad part is that you have to work 6 days a week. The one day break is not sufficient to travel to any good places nearby. Most of the Sundays were underutilized by either sleeping the whole day or by visits to the local market. This was not the case for all the divisions, though- some other interns got a lot of chances to travel to beautiful places around their locations (especially the Bangalore peeps).
+
+
+The people in the company (and the mill) are amazing to talk to, very supportive. Since a lot of help is required from the plant engineers related to your project, their supportive attitude makes them easily approachable. You may face a language barrier while communicating with some of the operators in the plant but even they know enough English for you to get your message across.
+You are allotted a guide and a mentor for the project. Both of them have some knowledge in the domain of the project and will help you to the best possible extent. You can easily approach your guide for any help on a daily basis and the mentor every week. Building a good rapport with both of them will help you tremendously.
+
+
+The interns are well taken care of. The company provides for the accommodation and the food during the whole stay. The accommodation is in a decent guest house, with a dining hall which serves majorly South Indian food, although you can get custom dishes prepared, apart from the regular menu. The weather is something to hate about the place. It is extremely humid (owing to Godavari River nearby and steam releases in the plant) and hot during the months of May and June with temperatures reaching 48 degrees.
+
+
+## Summing up and Key Takeaways:
+
+
+Overall, the two months of internship at ITC were the best two months in terms of learning. It added immensely to my pool of knowledge by enhancing my people skills, technical skills and management skills. The work culture at the company will definitely add professionalism to your work ethics. It is astonishing to see that even the simplest of decisions are taken with a lot of  brainstorming, since each and every decision ultimately impacts the company’s profits. Not only the internship, the KITES orientation session in Bangalore is one of the best experiences one can have. The stay, the food and the level at which the interactions happen at the orientation is surely going to leave you spellbound.
+
+
+Basically, the company expects the intern to look at the operations from a different perspective and suggest new and innovative solutions to the existing problems. The experience of KITES interns can vary significantly depending on which division they were allotted. The project work may be overwhelming at times but talking to your guide and mentor will surely give you a definite direction. Practicing for GDs with your batchmates will help you do better in the actual GDs. Read about the different divisions of ITC and the overall hierarchy before going to the interviews. All the best!
+
+

_posts/2019-07-30-summer-diaries-anant.md

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: HSBC "
+image: anant1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Anant Tayal"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The beginning is the most important part of the work. Let’s start with something depressing and end on a happier note.'
+---
+
+'The beginning is the most important part of the work. Let’s start with something depressing and end on a happier note.'<br>
+I think the above lines well summarize my hunt for what you call a ‘good’ internship. By the end of the summer of my second year, like any other sophomore student of the Department of Chemical Engineering, I was all set and excited to sit for ITC, RB, AmEx, and Schlumberger in the internship season. Who knew that things were just about to take a turn?
+
+I had a good time at the Centre for Analytical Finance at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad (My 2nd year summer internship). I enjoyed my work over there on trading strategies, building valuation models, and studying Corporate Finance. It was a pleasant experience, indeed. How did I land there? So, for the first two years of my college life, I was majorly involved in fest and event organization, what you call good for management profiles. I was part of the core teams of Cognizance and TEDxIITRoorkee. It is something that I’m really proud of, but I had started getting the feeling that I also need to learn something, gain some skills and acquire technical knowledge. Mathematics and numbers have always fascinated me. I had some exposure to Economics because of the elective course offered in the second year. So, I started dropping emails to professors at IIMs and ISB, who were working in this domain. Luckily, I got acceptances from both, and chose the latter one, because of the project there being more related to analytics, something I ardently wished to get a good hands-on experience on!
+
+By the time my ISB internship was over, I started to ponder if this was the field I wanted to explore more, provided my deep interest in Mathematics. To be honest, I was really confused. From the first year, we have grown up seeing examples of “machau” seniors getting placed at ITC, Schlumberger, Goldman Sachs etc, and with the ever-increasing coding culture of IITR, I had three-spiked fork in front of me - Prepare for core companies (I felt I had a good chance with a decent CGPA and profile), start competitive coding and sit for software roles, or choose the path I recently started liking by learning more of Finance. 
+
+By the time I returned to the campus, most of my friends were into competitive coding, and here I was, all directionless, thinking what to start with. So I started talking to my seniors, friends, and family members I trust, and believe to be my well-wishers. Some of them said things like: Anant kaha ye sab karega, coding kar, August tak on-campus intern lagegi, meri guarantee. Some said, Anant, try kr skta hai, boht time hai, nahi hua to kuch na kuch to kr h lenge. I spent nearly 10 sleepless nights, thinking about what to do, alongside preparing for core, doing a bit of competitive coding, and general aptitude puzzles. I knew then that it could not go ahead the same way and crossing the fork had become the need of the hour. That’s when I met one of the seniors in our library, motivating me, pushing me hard to study finance and explore the field without taking unnecessary pressure. Certainly Lord ‘Ram’ for this ‘Hanuman’. I still remember his words “Tu padh, teri acchi intern me lagvaunga”. I feel myself lucky to have such seniors, friends and family members who were always there for me. After sitting half-heartedly for some companies, I finally decided to study Finance seriously, and go for it in full throttle. I dropped any hope of getting an on-campus internship for the role I was looking for. That was when HSBC came, the first time to recruit interns from IITs. With prior experience of work at ISB, I knew this was a golden opportunity for me.
+
+## How did I prepare?
+
+HSBC came in the first week of September, and roughly I had about 10-12 days for the preparation. 
+
+In the job description, it was mentioned that they were looking for someone with good analytical skills, strong mathematical background (Probability & Statistics), and basic programming skills (C++ or Python).
+
+I made sure that I’m well prepared with the concepts of Probability and Statistics (Expectation, Random Variables, Bayes Theorem, Conditional Probability, Different type of Distributions (Normal, Poisson, Lognormal etc), Central Limit Theorem and Hypothesis Testing).
+For Quant roles in firms like HSBC, JPMC, GS I feel one should also be thorough with the concepts of Engineering Mathematics- Calculus (Taylor series, Beta-Gamma functions, Line Integral, Solving PDEs), Matrices (Eigenvalues, Eigen Vectors, Rank of a Matrix), and Vector Calculus. So I revised the content of MAN-001 & 002 courses taught in the first year, and also went through Permutation and Combination from JEE syllabus. 
+
+I feel Probability, Statistics, P&C, Calculus, Matrices and general aptitude puzzles (from GeeksforGeeks and InterviewBit ) are the ones which will help you ace the interview. Apart from this, they are looking for basic programming skills in C++ and Python (Basic Data Structures-- Array, Linked list). So make sure you are well prepared on these fronts. 
+
+For all those who are afraid of coding, or don’t want to code like me until 2nd year, let me share my experience with you: I learnt it during my ISB intern, when I was asked to code in Python, that it’s just a tool to express what you think or strategise, just like a poet expressing his emotions by writing. It’s inevitable. When you are doing complex, lengthy calculations you have to use it. You can’t do it manually. You have to code your algorithm or what you call ‘strategy’. So it is better to start off with writing basic codes. It’ll help you in the long run. Maybe it’s like Inorganic Chemistry of the JEE Syllabus. You have to study, to excel at some point.
+
+Last but not the least about the preparation part, you should be well aware of every word you write in your resume. Be well prepared with the projects you have done in the past because you will be grilled on them.
+
+Preparation strategy can be unique to every individual, I feel. I think what helps is taking the ball in your court, and playing on your strengths alongside what company is looking for. This is the trick always. 
+
+## Procedure:
+
+We didn’t have a screening test (procedural variations may be expected). There was a resume shortlisting round, followed by 2-3 rounds of interview. The resume shortlisting made it pretty clear that they were looking for students who have an interest in Mathematics, Data-Science, Data-Analysis and Business Problem solving (students who have demonstrated the same through an intern or project). 
+
+So a CGPA above 7, a decent profile, justifying your interest in any of the above field should get you through the resume-shortlisting.  25 students were shortlisted from our batch for the interviews. 
+
+First-round was what we call the ‘Technical-Round’, and was about questions from the topics I mentioned above to prepare (along with puzzles), and about how well you have understood your previous projects. 10 students were shortlisted after this round.
+
+The second-round was Technical + HR. It consisted of questions on my project at ISB, how would I improvise on that project, and then the questions on my campus life. “What have you done in the past two years?” and routine HR questions- “Tell us something about yourself”, “Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?”, “You are from Chemical Engineering Department, why do you want to work for our bank?”. The fact that the panel made me comfortable, from the very beginning, I feel, is the reason that I was able to answer those questions fluently. Prepare these basic questions well. You don’t want to spoil all your hard work by approaching these questions in a wrong way, right!
+
+After all the grilling, three students were finally selected. We were also given a CHAPO at The Rustic House. It all ended on a happier note, isn’t it!
+
+
+## HSBC and My Experience Over There:
+
+## About HSBC: 
+
+I was excited. Yes, I was going to work for a multinational bank, which has a glorious history of over 150 years, and is the largest in terms of market value in Europe (by 2018).
+
+Little did I know, that the first ATM in India was set up by HSBC. Also the fact that you need to have an astonishing minimum balance of INR 1.5 Lakh, to open a bank account with HSBC. With all these facts, perks of a healthy stipend and free accommodation for 14 days in a lavish hotel, I was all set for the summers.
+
+HSBC is organised within four business groups namely, Commercial Banking, Global Banking & Markets, Retail Banking & Wealth Management, and Global Private Banking. I worked for Global Banking and Markets Front Office, Bangalore.
+
+## Work and Learning:
+
+We were a total of 14 interns from 4 different IITs and were assigned projects divided broadly into 3 asset classes: Equities, Fixed Income (FI), and Foreign Exchange (FX). I was a part of the FX-Overlay team. HSBC is one of the biggest interbank players and market makers in the USD/INR market. I was assigned a project directly from the London office. In fact, all of us were assigned projects from different global hubs: London, New York, and Hong Kong. 
+
+For all you should know, FX-Overlay desk deals with hedging  the currency risk of a portfolio, which a global investor holds, with the assets denominated in the foreign currency. I was engaged in a mix of analytical work and coding/prototyping. I developed a backtesting tool for the hedging strategy that HSBC uses for its clients. I’m bound by the compliance issues that HSBC takes very seriously, not to disclose anything about the project, but I can definitely say that the project I worked on was intellectually challenging & exciting. Initially, it was a bit difficult to grasp the concepts, but it all ended on a happier note when I finally developed the backtesting tool in Python.
+
+## Fun:
+
+Coming to the fun part, Bangalore's nightlife is happening and LIT, I must say. All the interns were invited for a “Cocktail Dinner” at one of the most sumptuous cafes in Bangalore. There, we could ask for anything, as much as we wanted to. (I meant snacks of course :P)
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/anant2.png){: style="width:90%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Culture:
+
+On the first day, my mentor said: Dekh hum 2.5 logo k team hai. 2 me, 0.5 tu. The journey from this to introducing me to one of his colleagues as his deputy boss (on a lighter note, of course), I think we connected really well. I had a fantastic learning experience, and will always cherish the time I spent with my team, mentor and co-interns. HSBC has a policy of open-desk culture, no cabins. You can easily reach out to anyone, and ask for guidance. I was in touch with people having worked for HSBC for more than 25 years and were at senior most positions in the organization.
+
+We all talk about organizations being loyal, caring to their employees, and a healthy work culture. Just once incident, that I’ll preserve with me for a lifetime. So, I went to the office on one of the weekends. (Nobody asked me to :p). AC of the floor was shut down because no one was there. I asked the staff team if they could do something about it. A guy brought a table fan, from the first floor to the fifth floor for me. 
+
+HSBC, you have been special in many ways. From taking care of me to boosting my confidence that I can do anything. I’ll always be thankful to you :)
+ 
+
+## One Final Advice:
+
+I know that the internship season can be stressful, too much, sometimes. The two main reasons behind that, which I feel, are lack of patience & awareness and The Peer Pressure. If you can get yourself on terms with these two, you are already halfway down, I feel. Please don’t panic, if you don’t land somewhere in the first week or month maybe. There are enough opportunities for all of us. Just be aware of what you are expecting out of this internship season, prepare in one direction sincerely, be focused, have patience, don’t get influenced by what others are doing. Have confidence and faith in yourself and you will come off with flying colours :)
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-30-summer-diaries-itc1.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: ITC Limited"
+image: "shivani1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Shivani Singh"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'I spent my Summer’19 interning with ITC Ltd., a multi-business Indian enterprise. Having tried my hands on fields of research in chemical engineering at IISc Bangalore and management at IIM Ahmedabad, I was pretty sure that research was not something which could keep up my interest for a long enough time to pursue it as a career option.'
+---
+
+I spent my Summer’19 interning with ITC Ltd., a multi-business Indian enterprise. Having tried my hands on fields of research in chemical engineering at IISc Bangalore and management at IIM Ahmedabad, I was pretty sure that research was not something which could keep up my interest for a long enough time to pursue it as a career option.I wanted something which could be more tangible in terms of results of my efforts. Led by this motivation, I was very clear during the internship season of the companies I was going to apply for, consequently landing an internship in ITC Ltd.
+
+## Making it there:
+
+## About the program: 
+I was selected under ITC’s Summer Internship Programme- “Knowledge, Initiative & Talent Excellence Series” popularly known as KITES. The programme is specifically designed to provide the interns with a platform to learn, experience and manage real life business situations. The interns are recruited from the premier technical institutes of the country for a period of 8 weeks where their novel perspective to a business problem is utilised for extracting the best from them.
+
+## Application Process:
+The application process started in early August when ITC came on campus through TPO for hiring summer interns. Last year the branches eligible were Chemical, Electrical, ECE, Mechanical and Production & Industrial. The complete process is summarized as under:
+
+**1. Online Application**: Interested students are required to apply through an online portal where a form is required to be filled. The form essentially requires details from your resume and some essay type questions to be answered mentioning your goals and motivation to join ITC.
+
+**2. Shortlisting**: Based on the form filled, a shortlist is issued for the psychometric test. The information that you fill in this form is reassessed at various stages from your personality test to the point then you actually join one of the divisions of ITC and serves as a medium for the company (and especially your guides and mentors) to know you.
+
+**3. Psychometric Test**: This test is designed to evaluate your intelligence, personality and decision making skills through some situational questions. The aim is to check if you are a good fit for the company’s work environment or not. The rejection rate at this stage is negligible and you will pass through unless you decide to deliberately screw it up. 
+
+**4. Group Discussion**: The students selected from the psychometric test are divided in groups of 7-8 for the group discussion round. This stage of the selection procedure is designed to judge your people handling and convincing skills. The discussion revolves around solving a case which is given to you in hardcopy after you enter the room. The reading time given to you is about 5 minutes, hence, you need to be really quick in grasping the essence of the problem and coming up with logical arguments. The problems may range from discussing upcoming business strategy for a product or simply just discussing the best course of action after an accident. These case problems do not require any prior preparation but you are expected to be logically sound in your arguments and be able to convince your audience for the same. The number of students selected from a GD is not fixed and may range from 1-4 per GD.
+
+**5. Personal Interview**: From around 68 students who participated in GD rounds last year, 20 students were selected for the final personal interview round. This is the last stage of the selection procedure and in my opinion the most interesting one, the reason you’ll get to know in the following paragraphs: 
+
+**a. Technical Round:** This round is aimed to test your technical competency with respect to your engineering knowledge but does not strictly sticks to the plan, it happens often that the HR would pop up a question related to your goals and plans, so be ready to keep jumping between these two domains in your mind. It starts with the interviewers asking you questions from your favourite subjects which you are asked to mention. Hence, it is advisable to prepare at least 2 subjects from your curriculum. The questions are from the very basics of the subject, so don’t worry if you are not a master in it. I prepared for Heat Transfer and was asked to derive the formula for ‘Log Mean Temperature Difference’, those who have studied must know this concept is fairly easy. The interviewer can also go into the details of your projects or internships mentioned in the resume, so do give a read to any reports that you might have made or in general the work that you might have done. Though this round is named as the technical round but the decision of you getting the internship or not is more or less finalised here only.
+
+
+**b. HR Round:** This round is basically an interaction between the student and some senior officials from the company who are interested in knowing your interest in working with them. Again, don’t just expect HR questions in the interview. If the person is intrigued by some specific point in your resume, you can be taken into the technical realms of the business from this very moment which was the case with me. I was asked about the temperature profile of tobacco in processing and its importance in terms of the product quality. You are not expected to know everything when such questions may be thrown at you, what is important is the approach you take to understand and arrive at a solution. 
+
+
+## Mind Over Matter Orientation Program
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/shivani2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+Before getting us to work in some of the harsh places in the country, ITC treated us well with a 2 days 5-star stay in its luxury collection hotel ITC Windsor in Bangalore. This orientation program was a stepping stone for us to transition from theoretical knowledge to a mindset for real business problems and technical tools to handle them. These 2 days had rigorous sessions scheduled to equip us with all the skills required for pursuing and emerging successful from the upcoming 2 months long internship. The orientation also gave us the opportunity to meet the interns selected from other institutes of the country and break the ice as this 2-day long event concluded with a cocktail party hosted by ITC for all the incoming interns.
+
+![pic3](/images/posts/shivani3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+## Work     
+With a diversified portfolio in FMCG, Paperboards, Hotels, Packaging, Agri-business and Information Technology, ITC offers a wide range of opportunities for the interns. The allotment procedure where the interns are selected to intern in one of the divisions of ITC is purely based on our past experience, internships and projects, and unfortunately we do not have a choice here. Surely, the KITES summer internship program is a platform to learn and experience working in a corporate environment but the projects allotted to the interns have serious business significance and hence, each intern is considered as an integral part of their company during this period. This is how KITES differs from any of the projects or internships that you might have done earlier (at least in my case).
+
+The project brief was received around a month prior to the commencement of the internship. It was a detailed explanation of my project, the objectives, the deliverables expected and prior readings required. Guides and mentors were also allotted at this stage.
+My project was based on process optimisation and standardisation of encapsulated flavour used in cigarettes. It majorly involved risk assessment of product defects, analysis based on feasibility of solutions and identification of scope for improvements in the process in terms of time and money while maintaining product integrity. I was also required to design a tech-enabled traceability system for capsule manufacturing. 
+The projects can be from any domains of production, engineering, process excellence and environment, health & safety. One can even expect project in the area of machine learning and artificial intelligence depending upon the requirements in the divisions. 
+
+The work culture at ITC was very different than what I had experienced in my past interns. Here I had the liberty to experiment anything new to solve the problems and deliver results. While I had the factory workers to help me throughout the project, I also had to take care that the production line is not getting affected in any way. 
+It has been a characteristic of the KITES projects that they are a bit vague in their definition for the sake that the intern can find his/her own way forward without getting affected by the opinions or the work that has already been done in the area. This makes it challenging and interesting at the same time. The entire internship period was a bit bumpy for me where I had my lows when I was completely aimless as to where should I proceed, and my highs where I validated solutions and got results. This was also complemented with the pressure to complete the deliverables within the stipulated 8 weeks. Since, ITC has factories at various locations in India, you may also be required to travel to different plants to get insights from various technologies used there. In entirety, KITES internship is drafted to evaluate the intern in terms of his/her approach to solve a problem, technical intellect, people handling skills, professionalism and the extent to which the person is ready to go for getting resources relevant to your project. Though it may get frustrating at times, but the experience is truly worth it.
+
+The locations that ITC offers are not quite pleasant, one can expect locations like Munger, Bhadrachalam, Kapurthala (which even I wasn’t aware of) where the only human interaction you have is with the people in the plant. Fortunately, my location was ITD (Indian Tobacco Division) Bangalore. Though, the factory was around 30 km from the main city (Koramangala to be precise) but I was able to spend my weekends in the city. The accommodation provided to us compensated the stress we brought back from work. It was a beautiful villa with a canopy of shady trees and serene open space. 
+
+![pic4](/images/posts/shivani4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Summing it up
+KITES summer internship is all about extracting the best from the best! Your hard work, innovative viewpoint and unique technical solutions to business problems are the factors deciding your success in this endeavor. To say the least, you are groomed to become industry ready in these 2 months with all sorts of challenges thrown at you, be it dealing with vendors for negotiations or a particular technical glitch in the machine. 
+Important to mention, if you are expecting a 9-5 desk job with no jerks and jolts, ITC is not a place for you. For the students aiming for ITC:
+
+**1.** Be clear about your motivation to join ITC, this is what matters the most.<br>
+**2.** Glance through your core subjects a bit to prepare for the technical round.<br>
+**3.** Though not strictly required,but you can go through some problems asked in case interviews just to create a pace for solving them. (Do this only if you have time)<br>
+**4.** It’s better to read about some initiatives of ITC for the HR round, it’s always appreciable if you can back your motivation with some examples.<br>
+**5.** Through each and every stage of the selection procedure, be extremely confident!
+
+That’s all you require to go through :)
+
+
+

_posts/2019-07-30-summer-diaries-itc2.md

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: ITC Limited"
+image: "bagla1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Anirudh Bagla"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The best thing about ITC is that you work on a real problem faced by the company, you suggest changes and they are implemented immediately and you are given freedom to explore the problem as much as you can'
+---
+
+## FEW TIPS FOR ITC
+* ITC repeats its GD problems, don’t be overconfident, do practice this with your friends
+* Have a good and interesting introduction prepared
+* Know how to explain at least 2 projects in your resume and be aware of the slightest technical thing that is involved in those projects. And if you make it technical enough, you might get rid of questions from your course. By this you become the person driving the conversation.
+* Make sure that you have a convincing reason to join ITC even after the intern
+
+## LOCATION AND DIVISION
+
+ITC has around 100+ factories spread over 60 locations in India. Sadly these locations are not something one admires to work at. They are mostly tier 3 cities and if not they are located in the outskirts of big cities. If you are lucky enough you can find non factory locations in head offices, but I personally believe if you want to make the most from this intern, work in a factory. 
+
+I was allotted FBD (Foods Business Division) and to be very clear each division at ITC works differently, it's like working in a different company all together. As far as FBD is concerned it is still in expansion phase and has new factories coming almost every year. In foods my location was at the dairy plant of munger district of Bihar.
+
+Before you feel pity for me I visited Patna, Kolkata, Bangalore (twice) and even travelled in Business class and no matter how poor the infrastructure of the city is ITC makes sure that you have stay of life in that city. My stay was arranged at ITC park and it had all the facilities from swimming pool to club and as far as Dry state is concerned there is nothing stopping an IITian (wink wink)
+
+## PROJECT
+
+The best thing about ITC is that you work on a real problem faced by the company, you suggest changes and they are implemented immediately and you are given freedom to explore the problem as much as you can (I will come to this one later).
+
+Around 2 months prior to  joining in May, ITC arranges a 3 days program to help us with how to approach and work during the internship. They teach us basic data analysis tools and all the non- technical stuff we might need during our project. Apart from this we are not expected to know any software or other things, but we might have to learn it during the internship (not in detail but to the point you can understand someone else's work on it).
+
+Coming to my project, ITC entered in pouch milk packing last year only. My project was to reduce market complaints in pouch milk packets. This included improving machine’s performance, inspection techniques and even out of the box ideas of how to prevent fake complaints. I was given this project about a week before joining and it was made very clear that the only criteria of success is actual reduction in complaints (since this data goes directly 
+to head office, tempering results was also not possible). Currently there was about 0.2% complaints which i had to reduce further.
+
+## WORK CULTURE
+
+I was given individual project (this means I had absolute freedom on how I want to proceed) and assigned a guide who was my contact point during the internship and a buddy (for any informal help, mostly newly joined managers from IITs). It is a 24/7 running factory and working hours are 9am to 6pm, 6 days a week (so i got one day to enjoy the astonishing night life at munger). But since I was on a project this timeline didn’t matter at all, in fact after the first week, I hardly worked according to this. Sometimes I had to go to at night shift to observe/implement changes, sometimes early morning and sometimes on Sundays as well. To compensate i took leaves during weekdays whenever i found workload was less.
+
+My guide was the production manager of the factory, and he was responsible for any help that I need for my project. Most interns found their guides to be their boss and have limited interaction with them, but mine case was a bit different. He used to call me for dinner (He’s a great chef), organized parties at his home and even at the office. At the same time he gave me free hand on whatever I wanted to implement (considering the risks though). Since he was the production manager he was quite busy and sometimes wasn’t able to give time to my project, in such situations we met post work and discuss (benefits of small town).
+
+Since I didn't have any knowledge of the dairy industry and the technology used, I requested to visit other factories of ITC and even managed to arrange a visit factories of some more established players in the market. This is the freedom that I mentioned earlier. I just had to give a valid reason and ITC arranges rest. Whether it is visiting a vendor in Kolkata, or visit the original manufacturers of the machine in Pune.
+
+Since they provide you with such facilities they expect work from you, to check the progress I had a mid review separately with Divisional Head and the CEO. Finally in the end my progress was reviewed by each level for which I had to make a presentation and one only get a chance to present further if he gets recommended. I got the recommendation to present in front of DMC (Decision Making Committee) at the Bangalore Head Office.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/bagla2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## SUMMING UP
+
+You will have friends who go to wonderful places for interns and you are stuck in a tier 3 city of a dry state. Frankly this makes it a bit difficult. But this is an experience of life, most of us will end up working in a corporate and for me it was too big a gamble to make this decision without having a taste of life here.
+
+At the same time this project not only tested my technical skills but almost everything I learnt in my life. I dealt with people from Blue collar workers (aasan nhi tha) to Factory manager, I followed a truck secretly to investigate drivers activity, I even worked till 5 in the morning and sometimes on Sundays as well. It was a hell of a task. 
+All this plus the hefty stipend makes it worth interning at ITC !
+

_posts/2019-08-03-summer-diaries-muju.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries:Deutsche Sport Hochschule"
+image: "muju1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Utkarsh Mujumdar"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'My summer internship was in the capacity of a research associate at the Department of Exercise Training, Computer Science & Informatics at the Deutsche Sporthochschule (German Sport University), Köln.'
+---
+
+My summer internship was in the capacity of a research associate at the Department of Exercise Training, Computer Science & Informatics at the Deutsche Sporthochschule (German Sport University), Köln. My main task was to assist a Ph.D. student with his main research project, but I was open to contributing my time towards any other project that I liked. I ended up working on two projects during my time at the university, one in football and the other in basketball.
+
+## Getting There
+
+I know it might sound a bit surprising as to how a metallurgy undergrad ended up at a sports research institute, so I feel that some background is necessary before I go into the specifics of getting there. I have been exploring the field of sports analytics for the past year now and it involves using statistical and computational techniques to make sense out of data collected in a sports context. The insights gained can be useful for performance analysis, monetization policies in the betting markets, marketing, and fan management. Being an avid football fan, the performance analysis side fascinated me the most and I was lucky enough to get two relevant opportunities gaining experience in the performance analysis of football using data prior to this internship.
+
+After the completion of my second internship in the month of January of this year, I started applying to various universities and companies dealing with sports data. This included sports science departments, computer science/informatics departments with a sports focussed research group as well as sports-specific research universities like the German Sport University and Loughborough University. I went with the standard method of emailing professors with customized emails highlighting my experience and the kind of projects I could contribute to as part of the internship. Since I was looking for a very specific interdisciplinary branch of research, I could only find about 30-odd opportunities to apply for. I was lucky enough to get a response from the German Sport University in March. I had received no replies from other places that I had applied to which is usually the case when you are applying for a foreign internship. Luck plays its part in such scenarios. One has to keep in mind that professors and research labs receive a lot of emails around this time period, so you have to keep your patience and keep trying. 
+
+The project that was offered to me seemed really exciting and was way better than what I had expected while applying. But the University let me know from the start that the internship will be unpaid as they had a policy of only paying Master’s/Ph.D. students. I was left with a tough choice because despite the considerable finances involved in a self-funded intern, working on such a project was probably going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Fortunately, my parents agreed to fund my stay in Germany and I was all set.
+
+## Workplace & Culture
+
+The working hours were very relaxed with people coming in around 10 in the morning and leaving around 4. As everyone is working on long-term projects with no stress of short term deadlines, one is allowed the freedom to work at their own pace. Everyone at the department joins for lunch in the day and the culture is very warm and inclusive for new people. Due to the presence of a fair number of international students at the department, the operative language is English which worked out well for me.
+
+## The University
+
+Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln is the only sport-specific university in Germany. They have various educational offerings at the bachelors and masters level. But the most important aspect is the research that is done in the 9 different ‘Institutes’ or departments at the University, ranging from physiology, psychology to biomechanics and informatics in sports. The University has a plethora of training areas covering a range of sports. There are special training grounds intended for the collection of training data for research studies as well. There are highly sophisticated technical pieces of equipment being used to record data, which was really interesting to see. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/muju2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## The Work
+
+As mentioned before, I was designated to help a Ph.D. student with their research work. The main aim of the research project was to quantify exploratory behavior in football players to determine the tactical creativity being exhibited by them. I was tasked with the handling of spatio-temporal tracking data obtained from training matches and then modeling the data based on a known equation from previous literature. So my first week comprised of going through the literature and understanding the different theoretical aspects of the research question at hand. After two weeks, I found myself intrigued by another project which was based on the aspect of free-throw accuracy in professional basketball. A co-intern of mine came up with the idea of the project and we started working on it together. The results from preliminary tests seemed to be very promising and after reporting them to the head of the department, we were told to start working on a manuscript describing our findings. This was the first time that I was involved in the process of writing a paper, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. By the end of my internship, we had the final manuscript sent for review to a reputed Sports Science Journal and the review process is ongoing right now. All aspects of my work presented themselves with different kinds of exposure. I ended up working with big data, helped conduct a data collection session in football, learned how to write a research paper and a lot more. Although my internship lasted only 8 weeks, I believe I learned a lot more than what I expected in this short time.
+
+## The City
+
+Located in the west of Germany in the North Rhine-Westphalia state, Köln is the fourth most populous city in the country. The Rhine river flows through the heart of the city with the Köln Dom Cathedral overlooking it. I spent a lot of evenings watching the sunset by the river, with the area being lively and happening during summer evenings. One has to try the bread at the local bakeries, locally brewed Kölsch and döner kebabs while in Köln. The weather during my stay was really pleasant apart from a few days when there was a heatwave going through Europe. The city is bustling with students because of the presence of the biggest university in the whole country, along with multiple other colleges. The location of the city helps in the fact that many prominent tourist locations in Western Europe are just an overnight bus ride away. I ended up visiting multiple cities in and around the area including Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome. 
+
+## Accommodation 
+
+Many universities in Germany don’t have their own hostels as there are in our college. All students have to look for their own place to stay. I was lucky enough to get a room at one of the government-operated student hostels in the city. This helped me save a significant amount of money and also put me in touch with some of the students who helped me with any problems I faced during my stay. Getting to the University was a convenient 20 mins tram ride for me, with the tram station being 5 mins away from my hostel. 
+
+## Summary
+
+A foreign internship presents you with the opportunity of delving into a different culture and experiencing life in a different country, apart from the whole academic/professional experience. My professional experience was thoroughly fruitful and I gained good exposure, as this was my first foray into the world of applied research. It also provided me the opportunity of traveling around and seeing places that I had only seen in movies or read about in books, in many ways an exhilarating experience. For all these reasons, I would strongly recommend anyone to try out a foreign internship because of the added element of cultural exposure.
+
+I would also suggest people use internships as opportunities to explore new avenues and not put too much onus on the trivial aspects of stipend and monetary benefits. It is the perfect way to gauge your likings or dislikings towards a certain profession or field of work. Utilizing these chances judiciously might help you with the bigger decisions to be made in your final years and even further ahead.   
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-03-summer-diaries-tryaksh.md

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Sorbonne University- Paris"
+image: "gupta1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Tryaksh Gupta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'First of all, don’t worry if you don’t get an intern from the campus.'
+---
+
+First of all, don’t worry if you don’t get an intern from the campus. Yes! I am among those who got rejected from every company for which I applied in Campus. This article summaries my stay for 10 weeks at Sorbonne University-Paris during my Summer Research Internship. Ofcourse! I had a great time and will try to share my experience in the best way I can and I hope that you take something away from this.
+
+
+## Before August 2018
+
+I had no as such research experience before this internship. Before the internship season started, I had been working for 1 year in Team KNOx, IIT Roorkee where I had gained knowledge in Computational Solid Mechanics( specifically Finite Element Modelling).  I had a complete report prepared for all the stuff that I did during my 2nd Year( I seriously urge you to do so!). By the end of my 2nd year, I was sure of one thing in my mind- No coding! Hence, I was looking for an intern in the core of mechanical engineering.
+
+## Making it There
+
+With no research papers and previous research experience, I opted to sit for the campus internship session 2018. So here’s my journey!
+
+I applied for almost all the core companies for my branch (Mechanical) that visited our campus - ITC, Robert Bosch, Tata Steel,Jindal Steel and JSW. To be frank, I was able to make through the resume shortlist and online test of the most of the companies, but I faced difficulty in getting through GD(Group Discussion) and interview round because of my inability to speak fluently and confidently in English. 
+
+Also, there are few companies that visit the campus for the core subject. Hence, the opportunities were limited. I didn't lose my hopes and kept searching for options in my field of interest. I searched  for the options in Research Field. I didn’t try for DAAD (because it demands high CGPA). I applied for MITACS(Canada) and NTHU-Taiwan. In mitacs,I got my application under consideration which gave me some positive hopes of being selected. But I didn’t have any luck here either.  I was left only with the option of Charpak Scholarship(France). With the series of hard luck, I tried my final call here. I talked to my senior who had an internship in France in the same field(Computational Solid Mechanics) that I was interested in. I emailed 4 professors working in this field and got a positive reply from 2 of them(Trust me, I didn’t expect that luck). One of them was not ready to fund me but he provided me with the acceptance letter that I needed for my application in Charpak Lab Scholarship. Unfortunately, I was not able to get through it( Not only a high CGPA but also serious research background matters for Charpak!). The other professor (from Sorbonne University) was ready to fund me after the Skype interview. I had an interview with the latter for almost 1 hour ending with the happiest lines by him I could ever  listen to “ It would be pride for us if you join our research group” . The funding from the university was sufficient to cover my all expenses during my stay and travel in Paris,France. I pursued my interests and didn’t lose my hopes even though there were few opportunities. I shall expect the same from everyone who reads this.
+
+
+Adding to this, If you are aiming for DAAD, you will have to start pretty soon - I think around August-September should be good. For Charpak, you can start mailing professors by November-December. There is no limit to the number of emails you can send. I have known friends who have sent more than a hundred before getting a positive response. Care must be taken to not spam each and every professor you find out about with the same mail.  Take some time to select a professor and write him a personalised mail in coherence with your interests.
+The generally accepted format for your mail is something like this - your cover letter (the mail you write), and with it attached your resume (with a detailed description of your projects), a report on the project(s) you have done (Trust me,this really increases your chances), and a letter of recommendation (optional). No need to use your IITR resume. You can easily create a personalised Resume on LaTeX.
+
+## Project and Lab
+
+My internship lasted for about 10 weeks in CNRS lab-Institut Jean Le Rond D’Alembert  at  Sorbonne University-Paris. I was offered a project in the field of Finite Element Method in Computational Fracture Mechanics(Very coherent to my interest and previous work). My professor had a very good experience in the past with the Indian Students(particularly from IITs). So he had great expectations from me. He provided me the project of his most important client from Nuclear Industry (Framatome) to analyse the sample from a nuclear reactor that was failing during its usage in the Nuclear Plant(Quite Critical though!).  Well! It’s the nuclear industry and they demanded rigorous analysis report on the cause of the failure. I was not alone in this project. I had a guide( very kind hearted personality!) who took care of all the experimental data and letting me to focus on the computational Finite Element Analysis. I was asked to predict the fracture resistance( Measure for the toughness of Metallic Alloy) using Cohesive Zone Modelling from the data I had from Experiments.
+ The people at the lab are very helping and kind hearted. Timings are flexible and were usually from 10am to 7pm(depending on the work!) .Thanks to my professor who helped me a lot to go through the Visa process after one rejection from the French Embassy and also being very receptive during my entire internship. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/gupta2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+![pic](/images/posts/gupta3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+## Major Learnings
+
+The most important thing I learnt in my internship is the importance of pursuing your passion without fearing the scope in general. This helped me to sit all day  long in the lab seriously focused into my work. The project demanded the input of almost all of my previous knowledge in Finite Element Analysis and a lot of calculations. Also, I learnt the importance of having the knowledge of at least one  Coding language( preferably Matlab or Python) to avoid tedious Excel calculations.  Besides these, I was given my personal Cluster with a RAM of 256 GB( Yes! You read it Correct- 256Gb) with which I was able to carry out my calculations precisely on the scale of microns without wastage of time. I also learnt various fancy machines used in the research of Fracture Mechanics, namely- Profilometer and UTM. This research experience also helped me to strengthen my intentions to pursue higher studies abroad in the same field. 
+
+## The City and Culture
+
+‘The City of Lights’, ‘The City of Romance’, ‘The Culinary capital of the world’, ‘The fashion City’, all these are just names Paris, France is known by. Paris is one of the most amazing places you will ever visit. There are so many phenomenal things to see and do you’ll never get bored.   Eiffel Tower- The most important Landmark has always amazed me and the night view is even stunning. I was lucky enough to be present at the Eiffel Tower on the French National Day( Bastille Day). It was probably the best night of my life as the entire sky around the Eiffel tower was filled with fireworks and heavenly joy.
+
+The Arc De Triomphe and Versailles are some of Paris’ other famous landmarks. The Arc De Triomphe is a 164 ft. arch. It honors all the soldiers who have fought for France, particularly during Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign. There are tons of museums in Paris, Louvre being the best. Outside this museum is a substantial glass pyramid. Inside there are heaps exhibits including artifacts from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci is also displayed there. Remember! Weekends at Paris are Lit and every weekend night is like a festival for Parisians because they are partying and lazy in work(True Observation!)
+
+Being a Photographer, Europe is ideal for the shutterbug in me. France gives amazing benefits to students - reduced fares for every attraction, free entry at museums, a part of your travel expenses are covered, and much more. It is very easy to visit nearby countries (one Visa works for almost all countries in the EU) and there are plenty of deals you get for Bus/Train journeys. I chose Flixbus for my travel within Europe. Since I lost my passport 20 days after my arrival into France, I was able to make through only 3 countries apart from France- namely Netherlands(Amsterdam), Belgium( Brussels, Bruges) and Monaco( Tiny but Amazing!). Besides these, there are a lot of cities within France that I visited and were worth the money- namely Nice, Lyon, Marseille. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/gupta4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+![pic](/images/posts/gupta5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Takeaways!
+
+Apart from all the massive technical knowledge I imbibed, I  learned how to survive through the toughest times and be careful with my things while traveling because I was robbed of my bag(with Passport, Camera gear and Mobile Phone). Now I feel more bold and confident in my decisions with enhanced communication skills. I guarantee that you will definitely learn a lot and also get good recommendations if you wish to apply for Masters. Keeping aside the immense amount of knowledge you will gain from the experience, how often does one get to live for 2 months in Europe, that too off of someone else’s money?
+For any queries or additional information regarding how to apply, feel free to contact me! All the Best!!!
+
+
+P.S. (Important) : CGPA does matters even if you have a good research background, so please take care of it! 
+
+

_posts/2019-08-04-shandilya.md

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: WORLDQUANT"
+image: "shandilya1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Ishan Shandilya"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'It has been almost a year since I read Aditya Chaturvedi’s summer intern diary on his experience with Edelweiss, and that turned out to be my first footsteps in the intriguing world of Finance.'
+---
+
+It has been almost a year since I read Aditya Chaturvedi’s summer intern diary on his experience with Edelweiss, and that turned out to be my first footsteps in the intriguing world of Finance. So, I would suggest the readers to go through his blog from last year’s collection of diaries before you proceed, you may extract some really invaluable gyan about the world of finance and… probably about life as well :D 
+
+## My Story
+
+Before going into the specifics about my internship or “quantitative finance” I would like to take you through the story of digging out my area of interest from the deep cave of diverse opportunities that are available in this pious campus of ours!
+
+I entered my second year with a zeal to find my interest, a deteriorating enthusiasm for my majors Chemical Engineering and with a guilt of spending my summers with a controller in hand and celebrating goals I scored ( in FIFA :p ) more proudly than Cristiano Ronaldo himself ( well, I am still proud of it! ). So, I asked some of my seniors and started doing some standard courses in the field of Machine Learning. I liked reading Watch Out’s summer intern diaries a lot and one day I came across Aditya’s blog. He was talking about “quantitative finance” and I read the wikipedia page which mentioned: Mathematical finance, also known as quantitative finance and financial mathematics, is a field of applied mathematics, concerned with mathematical modeling of financial markets. I had always loved the “intuitive yet so counter-intuitive” world of mathematics but had no particular interest in the complex and boring (yes that was me then!) financial markets. I pinged him on Facebook and got a reply a fortnight later, talked about his internship and Finance in general, he suggested me some courses and websites to get an overview about the financial markets, to which I was very reluctant as all I cared about was “MATHS”! Still, I read some blogs and saw some videos and to my surprise I found them really interesting. Then, blogs from top Football journalists got replaced with those Finance literatures in my google news feed and in those days you could find me glued into my cell phone throughout the lectures, asking Investopedia the meaning of terms like “Debt”, “Equity”, “Arbitrage” and what not. It was the first time that I got a feeling of doing something just because I really liked it and without being influenced by the crowd around me. So, I decided to shift my complete focus towards Finance to explore it further.  Aditya helped me a lot with everything, every small doubt which I had, I ran to his doorstep, and he never turned me down. He kept on motivating me to read more and his passion about learning finance was second to none. The thing which still gives me goosebumps is the fact that he invested hours in me helping with my silly doubts and giving me some gyan from his book of life experiences just like a responsible elder brother in his final year while all of his batch mates were busy preparing for the placement season.
+ 
+
+## Overview of “Quant Finance” 
+
+By now you might have got an idea about the prerequisites of working in this industry: An undying curiosity about Financial Markets and a stronghold on Mathematics. To clear a very common misconception, Probability and Statistics is not the only field of maths which plays a strong role but if 
+you come to areas such as derivative pricing, calculus can literally rip you off! As an engineering student it is difficult to get into a finance role but there are certain online platforms (Websim and Quantopian are the most popular ones) which can help you check if your interest lies in this area and if that is the case, you can build a very strong skill set. If you are interested in doing some courses which are relevant, you can always feel free to ping me!
+
+## Process of Selection
+
+WorldQuant recruits on-campus interns only from IIT Bombay, Delhi and Kanpur for pre-final year students. I was still in my second year and my selection was through an off-campus drive which I have described below.
+I came across the Research Consultant Program of WorldQuant LLC, a US-based hedge fund. I will give you a brief introduction about their program before I proceed further. WorldQuant’s business model is trading “Long-Short Equity Models” called alphas, back tested on historical data (don’t worry if you didn’t understand what I just said, you are not even expected to, try to google it out if you need some insights about it, not a specific requirement for this blog though!). They have created “Websim” which is a very user-friendly platform where begineers like you and me can test our own ideas and see if they work in the equity market. I got really intrigued at this prospect and started exploring their platform further. WorldQuant was soon about to host the IIT Roorkee Alphathon ( think of it as a marathon of making alphas as the name suggests ) and there were cash prizes and internship opportunities for the top scorers. I took part in the contest which was 20 day long and ended on the 31st of December. These alphathons were conducted in other IITs and BITS as well. I had a decent score in the alphathon and got a call for the interview. There were two rounds, the first one was a technical interview, taken by one of the researchers at WorldQuant, where I was asked some technical questions related to the platform, a few standard puzzles and was also asked to explain some of my trading strategies. The interview was fairly good and I got a call for the final HR round. I had received my offer letter a week after the interview and then there was a background check process which took almost a month.
+
+
+## The Internship Experience
+
+Coming to the internship experience, I can’t really go into the project details specifically as WorldQuant has some strict rules and regulations for the same. The fact which amazed me completely was that WorldQuant never really made me feel that I was an intern which is very rare among firms of such stature. I had one to one interactions with each and every member of the firm, at least in my division, throughout the vertical hierarchy system and across the globe. As far as the technical skills are concerned, I got hands on experience with the most cutting-edge technology which is currently used in the world of Quantitative Research and I worked on projects which were meant to be implemented globally by the firm. Another key highlight was the chance to showcase my creativity and ideas with complete independence, this was possible because of the individualistic yet so supportive work environment of the firm. I wasn’t supposed to follow some formal dress code or a strict working hour system, I had access to all the tools 24/7 and my work was all that mattered. Most importantly, WorldQuant provided me a very supportive environment where I could discuss all my problems without any hesitation, which indeed helped me perform well and learn better! 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/shandilya2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+## Summing up and Key Takeaways
+
+I had a different selection process as most firms take off-campus interns through Linkedin. If you want to know the most efficient procedure of landing an internship in the quantitative finance industry using Linkedin, please go through Aditya Chaturvedi’s blog on his internship with Edelweiss from last year’s collection of intern diaries about which I mentioned in the beginning, you can also have a look at Ram Bansal’s blog from last year’s set of diaries to learn about targeting internships through Linkedin, in general.
+
+The internship made me realize that with quantitative finance it is the hands-on experience with the practical world which matters more than the literature we read and study as far as the process of learning and gaining knowledge is concerned. All the informal chats with seniors across the firm provided me with a clearer vision of the industry. This also helped me realize that I still have a lot to learn before entering the competitive world of quantitative finance, and this was my most important takeaway from the internship. 
+
+I paid a special emphasis on the “story” part to showcase the importance of knowing your interest and having the courage of believing in it. I also want to highlight that through this whole process starting from fighting for a top place in the college alphathon to successfully finishing my internship at WorldQuant, I have learnt the importance of positive team work more than anything else. I always had seniors to provide me support on all aspects be it technical doubts or some personal problem, friends with whom I could discuss the working of financial markets and … well various other things :p. When you sit down and tinker for a while keeping all the rush of our daily lives aside, you will realize that these are the things which matter the most!
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-05-akashjat.md

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries:Australian National University"
+image: "jat1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Akash Jat"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'Hello everyone! I am Akash Kharita , A 3rd year undergraduate in geophysical technology , Earth Sciences ,IIT Roorkee. I spent my summers working at the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I have  a lot to share about this memorable journey.'
+
+---
+
+Hello everyone! I am Akash Kharita , A 3rd year undergraduate in geophysical technology , Earth Sciences ,IIT Roorkee. I spent my summers working at the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I have  a lot to share about this memorable journey.
+
+## Making It There
+ It all started last year, being a motivated student I really wanted to do something in the planetary geosciences field. I had worked on a project in summers in my department, So I started shooting mails to professors around November - December, I emailed to around 100 professors, out of which I received a reply from 5-6 professors. Even their replies said that they didn’t have enough funding or time. Although demotivating, I kept trying and still got no result. One day while I was searching through the opportunities that Australian National University provides, I found out that there is a scheme known as ‘Future Research Talent Travel Awards’ for Indian students which seeks excellent students from India and provides funding. But it is a very tedious job to apply to the aforementioned scheme .
+There are two methods to apply for this scheme, either you have to be nominated by your department (there are only two nominations per department ) or you can mail the corresponding professor, discuss your research proposal and interests with them and if they agree, have an interview with them and then get accepted by their Head of Department. Since I was just in second year at that time and already two students were nominated by my department, I choose the latter path. I searched the staff directory of ANU, found the professor, whose research interests matched mine  and mailed him about my interests and also sent him a research proposal. He enquired about me with my professor here and asked me to send me my resume, then he took an interview. He was impressed by my credentials and made a request to his HOD for accepting me.
+
+The HOD accepted me and I got mail from their manager that I have become a FRT Scholar. That’s how it all started.
+A contingent of 50 Scholars were selected from India under this scheme for doing research in various departments in ANU . There were a lot of fun programs scheduled for us as a part of this scheme. 
+So in December I was all set for attending ANU in summers and started preparing meticulously to align myself to the latest research in the field.
+In the meantime, I had to apply for a passport, which took me a month, thanks to Indian bureaucracy.
+And then I applied for a visa. To procure a visa, you need to show various support letters and funding letters, all of which were provided at the time by our manager at ANU. I finally got visa after 21 days of online applications and booked my tickets for Canberra in March.
+
+## Getting There
+ I booked tickets with Singapore airlines, I was very excited as well as equally nervous, as I had never travelled on a flight before. So basically everything was a first for me, my first air travel, first Singapore airlines flight,and my first time working under a foreign professor. So I boarded the flight from Delhi to Singapore. When I landed in Singapore, I was amazed by the charm and vastness of the airport. As I had a 2 hour layover there, I explored all around the airport and was thrilled to see the kind of decorations they had. After that I boarded the flight to Sydney, I had a bus transfer to another terminal at Sydney airport (yeah ,time to upload instagram stories :) ),  the bus was really amazing, climate controlled and even had a toilet! The weather at Sydney was fairly sunny, which was obvious due to its closeness to sea. Then I took a domestic flight to Canberra and reached the Canberra Airport around 11 in the night. The weather in Canberra was very cold for which I was prepared as I knew it was winter there in southern hemisphere and I was advised to bring a lot of woolen clothes by our manager. So the moment I stepped out of plane , I was thrilled and decided that I will make the most of this internship .
+By that time, my phone had discharged and I needed to contact my roommates who had arrived earlier. I took a taxi, the taxi driver was Indian and he helped me to contact them. I finally reached my room which was on the 10th floor of my apartment.
+
+
+## About My Accommodation
+There was a Whatsapp group consisting of all the members of this contingent and our Manager and some previous year scholars. Thanks to them for providing continuous guidance about everything from visa application to accommodation. Everyone began to search for accommodation in early April. I found a group of 3 scholars searching for 4th person to share their accommodation, I prefer to live in a group because it is safe and cheaper option as well.
+In this way a group of 4 formed and we began to search and discuss various accommodations from Airbnb and fortunately we found a very nice and luxurious apartment suitable to our budget. We immediately booked it for two months. 
+The benefits of this accommodation were the following -
+
+**1.** It was reasonably priced
+
+**2.** Very close to the city centre 
+
+**3.** About 1.5 km walk to my department
+
+**4.** Scenic view of Parliament ,Mount Ainslie and Lake Burley Griffin from the balcony
+
+**5.** Free cleaning service,wifi,swimming pool, gym 
+
+
+## The Work
+I met my Professor the next day and received a very warm welcome from my department. I was given an ID card, office room, access to all stationary items and a lot of chocolates. Then he showed me around the labs while discussing what work we had to do.
+I was amazed by the amount of new instrumentation they had. I began my work on the next day on analyzing Lunar Sample brought during Apollo 16 mission. I was thrilled to touch the rock sample that was once brought by astronauts from the moon. 
+My work involved some image processing, i.e. to smoothen the previous image and make its resolution better, I used MATLAB for that. Then I performed a series of instrumentation on the sample to analyze it in every way possible, our main goal was to understand the origin, the thermodynamic conditions under which our sample crystallised using mineralogical and petrological data. I learnt the operation of many instruments like EPMA , SEM and most importantly SHRIMP. All my lab expenses were covered by my supervisor. I was very enthusiastic at work, I always had a target to complete my work without any delay. I attended a lot of seminars on planetary sciences and got myself acquainted with the very thriving research environment developing there. My supervisor Dr. Marc Norman guided me through every stage of internship and we had a discussion on coffee table about the latest developments in planetary sciences.
+At the end, I submitted my report and am expecting my paper to get published by next year.
+I was awarded FRT certificate from Nobel Laureate and Vice Chancellor of ANU, Dr. Brian Schmidt , it was like a dream come true to talk to him and receiving an award from him.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/jat2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+![pic](/images/posts/jat3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+.
+## The Fun Part
+I travelled a lot around Canberra and Sydney, which was a 3 hour bus ride from Canberra. In Canberra, I visited the National Parliament, National War Memorial, National Museum of Australia, Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Ainslie, Zoological Park and Telstra Tower.
+Each place had a different blend of information and excitement. Night View from the Telstra Tower was breathtaking.
+I made a lot of Australian friends who were very friendly. I remember walking 10s of kilometers to explore the city at night and just asking someone for was sufficient to get back to  my apartment.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/jat4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Lake Burley Griffin, artificially prepared lake was one of the best places to hangout on weekend. 
+The best part was to spot the kangaroos randomly hopping out of nowhere from the side gardens. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/jat5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Sydney: The Emerald City
+We had planned a 3 day tour to Sydney. When we reached there, our first point of observation was Watson Bay, I was awestruck by it’s beauty and the view from there.
+ We did a lot of photography there and then went to the Harbour bridge where I was completely awestruck by how amazing that was. There was a vivid Sydney festival going on, for which the city was fully decorated with pink lights due to which the night view of the city was out of this world. The most beautiful thing was to catch a ferry from circular quay and enjoy the view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in one frame. The next day we bought a city pass to explore four tourist sites -Sea life Aquarium, Sydney Tower , Madame Tussauds Museum and The Zoological Park.
+
+
+The Sea Life Aquarium was the best aquarium I had seen, I saw a wide variety of fish, turtles ,octopuses. I saw the penguins which were kept in an artificially cooled seperate hall. I saw dangerous sharks swimming above my head, (yes by this time we reached the deepest point )  While returning we saw many sea rocks and plants that were found in different parts of the  world.
+Later we went to Sydney Tower and the view of the whole city was mesmerizing.
+
+On the third and last day we went to Manly Beach, Bondi Beach and the world famous Bondi- Coogee Walk. Beaches were very beautiful, we played around, ventured a few metres into the sea and then sunbathed. I wished time to freeze at that moment.
+Overall it was very amazing and a once in a lifetime experience.
+
+
+## Advice to  Fellow students
+
+![pic](/images/posts/jat6.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Never stop trying, I got a C.G.P.A of 6.5 in my 1st Sem, but by the end of 3rd Sem, I converted it into 8.8. CGPA although not the only criteria, plays an important role in securing research internship.
+Discover your passion.
+Many students just want to go abroad and spend their summers there without caring about their passion,this should not be the case. For you, the priority should be your work and your desire to learn, then come other things. 
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-05-summer-diaries-kps.md

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: GIST,South Korea"
+image: "kps1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Kunal Pratap Singh"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'This summers I interned at the Computer Vision Lab, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. Given my GPA(marginally above 7) getting a research internship in a specific field(Deep Learning in my case) can get tricky but believe me, it’s worth giving a shot.'
+---
+
+This summers I interned at the Computer Vision Lab, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. Given my GPA(marginally above 7) getting a research internship in a specific field(Deep Learning in my case) can get tricky but believe me, it’s worth giving a shot. My interest in Deep Learning was partly inspired by the Deep Learning Book discussion sessions which were organized by Paper Discussion Group(now known as Vision & Language Group/VLG) a group that was initiated by some of my department’s seniors. It was through their advice that I ended up not sitting for campus internships and go all out for a research internship. This proved to be one of the best decisions I took in my college life and all I can say is I’m utterly thankful to them for suggesting me to do so. Although I stopped attending those meetings after my seniors graduated but for juniors who are interested in trying out Machine Learning should definitely consider joining VLG sessions. 
+
+## Making it there
+
+The usual ways of getting a research internship are either you get into an already existing research program (MITACS, DAAD, SURF-Caltech, NTU India Connect) or contacting professors directly. These programs usually have a GPA criteria which is near about 8 so I wasn’t eligible for any of them. I went through with emailing professors and also contacting PhDs and postdoctoral researchers through LinkedIn about possible internship positions. The latter helps because PhDs, postdocs and even some professors are active on LinkedIn and can give honest feedback if one’s profile is well suited for the lab and also inform about any such openings available at the first place. This in turn hastens up the process of shortlisting labs and professors to target. 
+
+From August to November I emailed a bunch of professors, but didn’t find any success. Parallel to this, in order to strengthen my profile I took up a winter research internship at the Video Analytics Lab, IISc Bangalore and ended up publishing a research paper in a renowned conference through that project. In January, I started applying again, and the research paper seemed to do the trick. I got an offer from Rapid Object Search Lab, Nanyang Technological University(NTU), Singapore. In the interview I was just asked to give a presentation about my previous work and was grilled some very basic machine learning questions. I had another offer from University at Buffalo, State University of New York(UB), the selection process to this involved preparing a presentation on the professor’s research paper that I had mentioned in my email and suggest ways to improve that. 
+
+My last offer which I eventually took was from GIST, South Korea. I came in touch with the professor in August on LinkedIn,  and had decided to work on a remote collaboration, but I couldn’t keep up with my courses, so I had to  drop that. But I kept in touch with the professor discussing research ideas and somewhere around March I inquired about a summer internship opportunity and he agreed to offer me one. The reason for choosing GIST over bigger and better renowned institutions as NTU and UB was that the research topic aligned the most with my interests and the familiarity with the professor.
+
+## Work
+
+![pic](/images/posts/kps2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+GIST is part of the government funded tech institutions system in South Korea, it is somewhat similar to what we have in India for IITs. So most of the research funding comes from the government and but also has strong ties with the industry. My lab is part of the Institute of Integrated Technology and the EECS Department.
+
+My project is in the field of Deep Learning and Computer Vision. Specifically I’m working on the intersection of Neural Architecture Search and Binary Neural Networks. Neural Architecture Search is somewhat related to the term AutoML by Google where the goal is to have a single algorithm for finding architectures according to the accuracy and memory requirements for a given task(say image classification). Binary Neural Networks are a class of networks which have weights and activations as binary bits instead of floating point numbers. The project is still ongoing and I’m going to continue it as a foreign BTP here at GIST itself. 
+
+I’m working on this project with a South Korean undergrad. The aim of the internship is to publish our work in a top tier conference and also design a directly deployable version of the algorithm for the government institution funding the project. Work hours at the lab are flexible, and a GIST ID card can be used to access the lab and other places anytime of the day. As long as the work is being done, there were no defined hours or compulsions about coming to the lab on weekdays, let alone weekends. I prefer working in the lab, where you can actively discuss ideas with other students as well as the professor which helps you get a better understanding of the field.  
+The other labmates, who are mostly Masters or PhD students, are very nice and helpful and the same goes for the professor. All the projects including mine are personally mentored by the Professor and we have weekly meetings to discuss the progress and further plan of action. Other than discussions the professor likes having frequent chats which can range from very random chatter like how much he liked 3 Idiots to giving a perspective on academic and industry oriented research, pros and cons of a PhD and similar stuff. All in all, the work environment is relaxed and yet so productive at the same time.
+ 
+## What’s to love about the place?
+
+One thing that struck me the most was the niceness of people towards foreigners. Most South Korean people don’t hesitate much before going out of their way to help a stranger despite the language barrier. Other than that if you’re a fried chicken lover, South Korea is the place to be. As per my fellow labmate, Korea has more fried chicken places than the no of McDonald’s in the entire world. The weather is pleasant, neither too hot nor too cold. My institute is in Gwangju, but I also had the chance to visit Seoul for a conference.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/kps3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Key Takeaways:
+
+I had done a research internship in the past but this internship helped me build a project from scratch and not just coding things for my mentor, which helped me gauge my interest towards independent research. This internship helped me solidify my interest in Deep Learning and gave me a broader perspective towards future options. Also the entire experience of leaving campus internships and exploring a lot of off campus possibilities gave me a sense of confidence that leaving campus opportunities for something that would be more beneficial for me in the long run isn’t that career threatening as some of my peers made it sound and the experience was worth giving a try. 
+
+Also I’ve opted for extending this internship as a foreign BTP, which is one of the many academic reforms that were introduced last year. I’ll be shifting the two PECs that I was supposed to take in my 4-1 to my 4-2, and pursue the course BTP-1 in a foreign institute(ie. GIST in my case). I would be evaluated based on my research output and my BTP reports that I would submit to my advisor at the end of the semester. Anyone who is planning to pursue higher studies after college should consider making use of this reform, it would be immensely helpful for your application. For the exact administrative procedures, consider contacting the academic section. 
+
+ 
+## Tips:
+
+In my not so humble opinion, barely seeing the GPA when the department’s curriculum is not at all related to the research topic is utter foolishness but I guess that’s how most of the academic institutions work and it isn’t changing anytime soon. Although, I strongly recommend to maintain a decent CGPA, but just in case you couldn’t, you can expect a question in almost all your interviews that why do you have bad grades and the best way is to prove that you’ve put your time in developing some skillset which would aid your research.
+
+For freshers’ and sophomores who would be currently wondering of what field of interest they would like to pursue, don’t rule out research with the myth that it has something to do with being good at academics. 
+
+Make sure you interact and connect with as many people as you can during your internship, it gives you a broader perspective of options available beyond what you might already know through your IITR seniors or peers.  
+
+Getting a research internship is a bit testing, but the experience is definitely worth giving a try. During your hunt for one, be patient and trying weighing more on realistic opportunities and give 
+them your best shot instead of random shots in the dark at anything and everything.
+
+
+Good luck and hope you make the most out of your summers!  
+
+ 
+
+

_posts/2019-08-06-hpair.md

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "HPAIR"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Atharva Shukla"
+category: career 
+image: hpair1.png
+excerpt: 'HPAIR, (The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations) is a non-profit organization founded to create a forum for exchange of knowledge between students and young professionals.'
+---
+
+## HPAIR
+ 
+HPAIR, (The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations) is a non-profit organization founded to create a forum for exchange of knowledge between students and young professionals, and to facilitate discussion about the most important economic, political and social issues faced by Asia. Established in 1991 it places special focus on promoting long-term relationships among future leaders and connects them with current leaders in the world.
+
+HPAIR provides the delegates with different tracks to choose from; this years’ tracks include : art, media and culture, energy and environment stability, entrepreneurship and technology,  global markets and economy, governance and geopolitics, social policy and justice. 
+
+The crux of this conference lies embedded in its Impact Challenges. These are case- study styled competitions formulated in partnership with leading organizations. The delegates are encouraged to brainstorm together and come up with solutions for some of the biggest issues currently plaguing Asia. This has, in the past, helped spark the formation of start-ups, and led to the students landing exciting internships in the above mentioned fields, with organizations such as Deloitte. The attendees try to understand problems and discuss possible solutions through various plenary sessions, panels, and informative seminars. These seminars are delivered by eminent personalities from various fields, invited to foster mentorship, networking, and guidance opportunities for delegates, some of whom include Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister of Australia; Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary General of the United Nations and Frank Friedman, current COO of Deloitte Global.
+
+A great learning curve is what awaits any student attending the conference but this is made difficult by the steep registration prices and the high costs incurred. A partial or a full scholarship is awarded to students in order to lessen this financial burden but the number of these are limited to 50. The conference quality in exchange for the amount of money being invested might not be appreciated by everyone who is a part of it. 
+
+## OPPORTUNITIES
+
+This conference provides one with a unique and rare opportunity to grace the lawns of a university better than our own , an alternative if you despise a 4 hour road trip to Delhi.
+
+It is the perfect opportunity of increasing the reach of your network by making new connections. It will help you meet people from different geographies and cultures and understand the roots of their academic and professional brilliance in addition to having the opportunity to interact with eminent speakers. This interaction provides you with the opportunity to often realise how a method being applied by someone in their own problems can be modified for yours. Opportunities to be a part of projects already being done by people or leveraging the expertise of people in various fields for your own projects are some of the most important reasons to be a part of such a conference.
+
+
+
+HPAIR currently holds two annual conferences that bring together international students and eminent individuals in the fields of academia, politics and business - the Harvard Conference and the Asia Conference.
+ 
+<u>The Harvard Conference</u> was started in 2008 and is held within the confines of the Harvard University Campus where around 300 students and professionals convene to explore the pertinent issues surrounding the Asian region.
+ 
+<u>The Asian Conference</u> was started in 1992 and is a 5 day program held more fittingly in an Asian city. It looks to integrate the contents of the academic and business world, hence benefitting the enthusiastic delegates by helping them gain a broader perspective on issues spanning multiple areas.
+
+The Harvard conference is said to be more coveted. The Asian conference is longer, but both the conferences don't differ by much.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/hpair2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+ 
+## Eligibility
+
+Current undergraduate students, graduate students, and young professionals are eligible to apply as delegates. In addition, recent college graduates who obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree in the past 5 years, are eligible to apply for HPAIR conferences.
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+## APPLICATION PROCEDURE
+
+**1. Delegate Application:**
+      Fill out and submit the Delegate Application at [https://my.hpair.org](https://my.hpair.org){: style="text-decoration:underline"} before the appropriate deadline.  The application is made up of -
+
+
+**1)** Questions whose answers should reflect how your solutions make a difference and should highlight what you will bring to the conference and help in finding better solutions  to the already existing problems. Connecting it to the world around you will give you an edge.
+
+**2)** A resume with special emphasis on your interpersonal skills, highlighting your community projects if any.
+
+**3)** A short 400 word essay.
+
+Applicants hear 4-6 days after the deadline of their application round whether they have been selected for an interview.
+
+**2. Interview-**
+
+Delegates who make it past the first stage of the application are offered a 15-20 minute interview with an HPAIR staff member. The interview is taken over skype or some other video calling platform. It will focus on the applicant’s reasons for attending the conference, their academic and/or professional experiences and their critical thinking ability. The questions revolve around the things already written by the delegate in the application, it is more on the tracks of a conversation rather than an interview.
+
+The most important takeaway from any such conference is undoubtedly the interaction and networking opportunities. HPAIR takes good care of this with the help of small panel sizes, and giving delegates enough time to ask the speakers questions, and interact with other delegates. The conference staff might come off as a little hostile but organizing an event of this scale and pulling it off remains commendable nonetheless. The interaction is focused more towards other delegates rather than with cooperates (World Business Dialogue has a more professional feel to it.)
+
+HPAIR has the name of a prestigious university associated with it which helps in attracting the most talented people from different walks of life across the world. A truly remarkable experience lies ahead for those who seek to learn.
+
+ 
+ 
+ 
+

_posts/2019-08-06-summer-diaries-honda.md

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: HONDA Y-E-S"
+image: "honda1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Alok Gupta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'At the beginning of internship season, I was very sure that I had to get an internship in core sector. So I started applying to companies like ITC, Bajaj, KPIT but unfortunately couldn’t get through the final interviews.'
+---
+
+At the beginning of internship season, I was very sure that I had to get an internship in core sector. So I started applying to companies like ITC, Bajaj, KPIT but unfortunately couldn’t get through the final interviews. Now when I look back I feel that it happened for my own good, as later, I got to know about the HONDA Y-E-S award through TPO and applied for it. After a 3 month long selection process, I was able to receive this prestigious award which helped me bag an internship at Kyoto University, Japan. With my experience of internship drive, I would say getting a desired internship is a matter of luck, but you can definitely boost up your chances by being organized & consistent in mailing and being aware of what all opportunities that you have. Luck favours the brave!
+
+
+## About Honda Y-E-S award
+
+Honda Young Engineer and Scientist’s a.k.a. Y-E-S award is an initiative of Honda Foundation to give recognition and to encourage Engineers from developing countries to pursue research in the field of eco-technology. Under this program, Honda Cars India Ltd. conducts the selection process in India by visiting 6 major IITs to choose 14 students currently in their third year of B.Tech/IDD. The beginning of application process will be notified by TPO so stay updated with the notifications.
+
+## Selection Process
+
+ There are three stages apart from initial shortlisting based on eligibility criteria of minimum CGPA. 
+In the FIRST stage, you will be asked to write an essay on a topic which will be disclosed during the test. It’ll be somewhat related to eco-tech so you can brush up a bit by skimming certain current affairs or reading articles related to the same. This stage will test your general awareness about the importance and applications of eco-technology. Try to be creative and factual in your essay rather than focusing on how many words you can put into it.
+In the SECOND stage, it is highly likely that you will be invited to Honda Cars India Ltd. Head office in Greater Noida for first round of interview. In this round, apart from basic resume based questions, you will be asked to propose innovative solutions to ongoing or upcoming problems related to environment and eco-technology. 
+The candidates who successfully clear this stage will be given a biography of Soichiro Honda San, founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 
+After this, there will be a FINAL round of interview which will be taken by an eminent scientist. In our case it was Mr. Shirish S Garud, Director of TERI. During this interview, you will grilled on the basis of your resume and there will be extended discussions on various applications of technology and how your work relates with eco-tech. He also asked a generic question based on the biography so do give it a read.
+
+After this in January, the results are announced and the winners are felicitated at a grand event along with and were awarded with a lavish monetary prize. You will be motivated to opt for Y-E-S Plus scholarship. Under Y-E-S Plus program, you will be provided substantial financial support if you manage to get an acceptance to an internship in a recognized Japanese University or Industry. You can also avail the Y-E-S Plus scholarship by going for masters instead of internship.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+Luckily I was able to get through all these stages and eventually after a month long of mailing and a couple of rejections, I got an acceptance from Matsuno Mechatronics Lab at Kyoto University. I would like to thank our super senior Sonali Srijan, as her insights were really helpful at every stage of the selection process. Regarding mailing, I recommend to make your cover letter as personalized as possible w.r.t. the lab and try to sync timings with the targeted country because senior professors receive 100s of email every day! Make sure that your application must convey that you are interested to learn and that you have properly researched about the lab rather than just glorifying your achievements.
+
+**Skype Interview:**- Sometimes Sensei might ask you for an interview before offering the internship like my Sensei did, but that is always advantageous for the student as you can become familiar with ongoing research work related to your area of interest. This will help you to bag a suitable project and to even prepare beforehand. in certain cases when the professor does not seem inclined to provide you an internship, you might actually convince him/her by an open personal discussion. So I will suggest, do propose the possibility of a skype interaction in your cover letter.
+
+## About the Project 
+
+I never had any research experience before, so for me it was like entering into an altogether new arena. Honestly speaking, I was a bit nervous about the work culture in my lab due to the myths regarding Japanese work culture being ridiculously hectic :p. But as soon as I started working, everything turned out to be just fine. The work hours were flexible and all that mattered was my learning and progress. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+My project was to design, simulate and manufacture a robot (a quadruped robot leg) to conduct experiments and implement several bounding gait algorithms in order to validate my mentor’s latest research work. I was solely responsible for design and simulations so it was an intense yet exciting experience as I had to present my ideas in front of all lab members during weekly lab seminars. Everyone was very supportive and I received constructive suggestions which eventually helped me to hone my skills. 
+Regular Lab seminars really helped me to capture the diversity in the field of robotics as researchers working in different verticals presented and discussed their work. 
+
+## About the Place
+
+Japan is an outstandingly organized county. I did  a lot of travelling covering the major cities like Tokyo, Nara, Osaka and Kyoto, where I stayed for 10 weeks. Kyoto is extremely beautiful and it beholds the essence of Imperial Japanese culture. There are numerous world heritage sites and at such close proximity that you can easily take a bike and cover most of the attractions. Not just Kyoto, infact every city in Japan boasts a sophisticated and exceptionally punctual transportation system. This made travelling very convenient and of course then you have the mighty Shinkansen! 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+One of the major best part of my internship was the amount of cultural exposure I got by interacting with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. I was amazed by Japanese etiquette and the way they communicate even with strangers. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+   
+Foooood! I absolutely loved it! Can’t really disclose what all I ate but definitely it was a roller coaster ride every time I tried anything new ;p. Which reminds me of Osaka and Tokyo and their gigantic entertainment parks! 
+I also received great amount of help and support by Hardik Parwana, a IITK Alum who is pursuing MS in the same laboratory.
+
+During the internship, Honda Foundation also organizes a Get-Together event where every Y-E-S awardee from all the countries present in Japan are invited. The event is held in Tokyo and numerous networking and fun activities are conducted so as to make you familiar with other members of Y-E-S community. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda6.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+## Advice to people gunning for it
+
+The theme of the selection process revolves around eco-technology, so my advice to the potential candidates will be to be well aware of the pertaining challenges that we are facing/going to face and how we can implement eco-tech to provide a feasible alternative. Also ensure that if you have already been a part of a project/activity that was somewhat related to eco-tech, it must not go unnoticed. You will have to convince the interviewers at both the stages that you are research oriented and try not to boast or be unreal about your previous work. 
+A crisp resume, smart preparation and some luck is all that is required to be a Y-E-S awardee. 
+
+## Key takeaways
+
+Like any other foreign internship you will get to experience the lifestyle in a developed country but it will be significantly different from any western nation. Though you will definitely make friends with different nationalities and you will gain the vibes of being a cosmopolitan.
+ Apart from that, you become a part of Global Y-E-S committee and you can even participate in various future global seminars that are conducted by Honda Foundation(HOF). 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda7.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+
+There are certain setbacks one of which is the language barrier because Japanese people are not well equipped with English. But this can be overcome by learning basic communication skills before-hand and of course Google Translate Zindabad! You just have to be curious enough.
+To sum up, I would say it was an amazing experience and HOF will support you in every stage right from getting an internship to arranging your accommodation. You might even get a recommendation from Sensei for continuing masters under MEXT scholarship if you perform productively. 
+
+Best of luck!
+
+![pic](/images/posts/honda8.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto;"}
+
+

_posts/2019-08-08-summer-diaries-uday.md

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Ashoka; Innovators for the Public"
+image: uday1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Uday Singhal"
+excerpt: "Disclaimer: Ashoka and Ashoka University are two completely unrelated organisations. I was a part of Ashoka during summers. Don’t sweat it out, I’ll tell you what Ashoka is, and maybe a bit more. No, it's not a long read."
+category: summer2019
+---
+**Disclaimer:** Ashoka and Ashoka University are two completely unrelated organisations. I was a part of Ashoka during summers. Don’t sweat it out, I’ll tell you what Ashoka is, and maybe a bit more. No, it's not a long read. 
+
+
+*“I want to work on a whole bunch of other things: Sustainability, Education, Healthcare and what not. Why should I keep on working for the LGBTQI rights?”*
+— Akkai Padmashali 
+
+
+Akkai is empowering members of minority groups, such as sexual minorities (LGBTQI community) to become leaders; thereby creating a domain for discussions on issues of national importance to become more convergent.
+I was stirred with emotions when I heard it. The vision - that the cause for which she’s working should no longer remain a cause; the cause for which she’s working should no longer exploit anyone else; the cause for which she’s working should no longer demand any work; the norm 
+around that cause shall change. Everyday at Ashoka, you’re exposed to dozens of such ideas that are nothing but strong, passionate and systems changing.
+
+
+## But what is Ashoka? 
+
+
+Bill Drayton founded Ashoka in 1980 based on the idea that we need to look at the impact sector through a completely different lens: Just donating money to beneficiaries is not sustainable; we need to start looking at the beneficiaries as clients and hence, became the first person to coin the term - ‘Social Entrepreneurship’.
+Since 1980, Ashoka started identifying and supporting the world’s leading social entrepreneurs who have ideas for far-reaching social change. It started by first distilling their unique qualities and pioneering a rigorous global system for vetting and electing them to the Ashoka Fellowship. This is handled by the Venture Team; after electing these social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, the Fellowship Team engages with these fellows to strategically drive them towards maximising Social Impact. Other than this, Ashoka also engages with young people across the world with the belief that ‘Every child should practice Empathy’ and hence, enable ‘Everyone a Changemaker Movement’. Currently, Ashoka is the world’s largest network of Social Entrepreneurs and 6th largest Not-Profit organisation in the world. 
+
+The team in India Office is a small one but comprises of a very diverse set of people. There are individuals who have had experiences ranging from Journalism and Public Policy to Corporate Houses and Startups. There’s a lot of diversity in terms of Nationality as well; there were at least 7 interns who were from the USA, Germany and Egypt. It results in a really healthy workplace environment involving a lot of cultural exchange as well. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/uday2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## How did I end up at Ashoka? 
+
+
+I’ll be fairly honest with why I applied to work at Ashoka, or impact sector for that matter. Since, my second year I was really drawn towards Consulting but we all know how easy it is to get a job at either of Mckinsey, BCG or Bain at IIT Roorkee. 
+In the next couple of lines, I want to break some myths about consulting and how it is really different from any other roles (in terms of preparing yourself for getting a job). Let’s say, someone is really into UI-UX designing. Most obvious thing for him/ her to do is start preparing for it, intern as a designer at a couple of firms and get a job. Now, let’s say, someone really wants to be a Consultant. Interning at boutique consulting firms to prepare your profile doesn’t work; what works is, showing consistency in anything; differentiating yourself from all the other applicants. 
+I spoke to a couple of alumni who were working as consultants in reputed firms. After, going through my resume they suggested me to start looking for socio-economic interns because there was a similar pattern in my resume. Plus, when I was working at a CSR Consultancy firm last summers, I really loved the immense feeling of gratitude I got by working. There was this emotion making me push that, “Come on Uday! You’re work is going to help 100s of women micro-entrepreneurs in Mumbai”
+
+With these two thoughts, I started looking for an internship in the Impact Sector. <br>
+
+*“How?”<br>
+“LinkedIn!”*
+<br>
+Networking is a lost art in Roorkee, majority of the people underestimate the power of social capital. First things first - update your LinkedIn profile; add a professional formal picture, update your experiences and start following people relevant to your field of interest. It’s much more than just sending connection request, increasing your connections and sending cold messages to everyone in your circle. Leverage the power of a very strong network that Roorkee has to offer, in the best manner possible. Honestly, it demands time; it’s boring and even frustrating at times; but, there is no alternative. 
+
+
+I reached out to someone at Ashoka India office on LinkedIn, highlighting my interest in working there along with my resume and the relevance it had with my past experiences (Internships, Inter-IITs, Competitions, Projects). He was kind enough to reciprocate to my message pretty fast and scheduled an interview. I had three rounds of interviews before I was finally offered a chance to work at Ashoka. The interview process wasn’t really difficult; it primarily revolved around three sections:
+
+
+**1.** Who are you as an Individual? 
+
+**2.** Why did you choose to work in the Impact Sector?
+
+**3.** Skillset requirement depending upon the team and project you’re being interviewed for
+
+
+## What did I do at Ashoka?
+
+Ashoka is an extremely fluid organisation with a completely flat hierarchy (not just for the sake of it; as an intern you get to attend all the meetings, meet partners, funders and fellows); you get almost the similar kind of work and ownership as a Consultant who’s working there. There is no age discrimination at all, you’re actually pushed to do more and more. 
+I was hired to work for the Partnership and Fundraising team where my job was to design a Product which was supposed to teach school students ‘Empathy’ through experiential learning while attaching a Fundraising aspect to it. I was given complete autonomy by my Manager to complete the project in however ways I want to. After the completion of Product Designing, I was also allowed to reach out to schools and sign a contract with them to launch it. 
+
+
+Other than this, I actively worked with the Venture team. It was one of the most exciting parts of my internship where the team’s role was to engage with the nominated candidates and assess if they qualify as potential ‘Ashoka Fellows’. During the process you engage with a candidate for approximately 60-80 hours; if the team finds the candidacy strong enough to take them to further processes, you get to go on a field visit where you do on ground Impact Assessment of the candidate’s work (while I’m writing this blog, I’m booking my flights to visit a candidate’s organisation in Orissa who’s working with the Adivasi Communities there). To sum it up, the work is around Impact Evaluation of leading social enterprises in different domains. 
+After a month at Ashoka (first week of July),  I was offered to be appointed as a Consultant to work an Ecosystem Mapping study in the field of Sustainable Livelihood for an external global partner. After our mapping, this partner is supposed to invest their money to maximise impact in the mentioned field. This project gave me an actual experience, of what Consulting is and also, provided me with an opportunity to interact with a lot of Ashoka Fellows in India and Bangladesh. 
+
+
+At Ashoka, it’s all about how you want to position yourself and how much work you can take. I positioned myself to get an exposure of Consulting, Impact Evaluation, Entrepreneurship and Product Designing. 
+ 
+ 
+## Is it even completed without some catchy Concluding Remarks?
+
+
+*“What motivates you to wake up in the morning and go to work?”* <br>
+*“What excites you to do what you do? “*
+
+ 
+If the answer to the questions above is ‘money’, you probably have some thinking to do. If the answer to the questions above is, ‘I don’t know!’, it’s completely fine. ‘Internship’, I believe is the best opportunity to help you find answers to these questions. And trust me they are much more important than just having your ‘Summers Sorted’. 
+
+
+## Things to do in Bangalore?
+**1.** Appreciating really good weather everyday <br>
+**2.** Whining about traffic ~~twice a day~~, every moment you step out<br>
+**3.** Good Beer<br>
+
+![pic](/images/posts/uday3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+

_posts/2019-08-09-summer-diaries-gaurav.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: HSBC; A Roller Coaster Ride"
+image: gaurav1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Gaurav Singhal"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: '"Getting a good internship is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."'
+---
+*'Getting a good internship is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning'*<br>
+
+-- My own version of Churchill’s saying aptly describes the approach everyone should keep in their mind while applying for internships in their career. I would be sharing the story of my internship, how I prepared, tried, failed, and finally got selected for HSBC as well as Mitacs Research Internship.
+
+Before I begin, I would like to explicitly advise readers to take this as a source of motivation and use their individualistic approach for getting an internship. There is no predefined recipe for success and your hard work and skill-set is the only thing that is going to always stand by you. There are people who are good with technical knowledge, and some who are good at the ‘Indian Jugaad’, but the people who find a balance between the two are the ones who lead the race.
+
+At the beginning of my penultimate year, my profile was Techno-managerial one. Technical - because I had worked on a diverse range of technical projects, did a research internship in SPARK, got an offer of a research internship in CFD from ETH Zurich and managerial because I was a part of the students' body of Tinkering Lab, member of the Organising Committee of Thomso and several other projects.
+
+With these things in my portfolio, I was more inclined towards getting a Research Internship with DAAD or Mitacs. So, I started writing to a few German Professors, which is the preliminary step in applying for a DAAD Internship. For people interested in DAAD and Mitacs, my two cents would be to start applying as early as you can. It certainly gives a boost to your application because finding the right project under the right professor is one of the hurdles you are bound to cross. I started writing to professors by the end of July’18 and fortunately, got a reply from TU Berlin. For the e-mail part, make sure that your cover letter is unique and not copied directly from ‘Google baba’. Moreover, keep your research interests well aligned with those of the host professor. There is a lot of fish in the sea but only the golden one attracts the attention of the beholder and your cover letter certainly provides the required glitter in your application.
+
+The Internship season started as soon as we came back to Roorkee in July’18. Swayed by the charm of those high stipend notices, I also applied to giant coding firms and banks— Goldman Sachs, ITC, Nutanix, but couldn’t get through. I was disheartened, for a moment, but had a firm belief that my hard work won’t go vain. A point worth keeping in mind is that one should always learn from their failures. Learn to figure out what went wrong during an interview or where exactly were you lacking in knowledge. What measures should be taken so that you don’t repeat those mistakes?
+ 
+## How did I prepare?
+
+
+In the job description of HSBC, they needed students with excellent analytical skills, strong mathematical background (Probability & Statistics), and necessary programming skills (C++ or Python).
+These topics are vast, and you can never be 100% confident that you’ll be able to dodge every question that the interviewer shoots at you. It’s not unusual to have lows during such time, but working and learning constantly is definitely going to pull you through. For every sun that sets, there is a sun that rises.
+For Probability, I solved problems from Michael Baron and did a course of statistics from Coursera. For C++, I solved questions of InterviewBit and Geeks for Geeks. I revised the Numerical Methods course. N.M is one of my all-time favourite courses, and I’d advise all of you to review its notes for quant-based company interviews.
+Lastly, you should be thorough with every word you mention in your resume. Be it internships, projects or PORs. The interviewer will try to grill you on prospects of the work you have achieved in your internships or your projects to get an idea whether you actually worked on those or mentioned them just to fill up your resume.
+
+## Selection Procedure
+
+
+First-round was Resume-shortlisting, and when the list came out, I was delighted to see my name on the top. I believe they give equal weightage to your projects and internships and are looking for a mathematical and analytical mind. The second round was a technical one. It went on for about 50 minutes. They asked me questions regarding my internships, projects general problems on probability, puzzles, market opportunity questions, guesstimation and Complex Integration. They try to check how you hold up under stress, so try to be calm and give your best. Ten students were shortlisted after this round.
+Third-round was based on coding. They asked me about problems related to Data Structures and Algorithms. All they were concerned about was the approach you use in solving those problems. For an in-view, I would advise you to be loud and clear about whatever you are thinking. Let the interviewer experience the journey you took to reach the end of the problem from ground zero. This way, even if you get stuck somewhere, the interviewer can help you by pointing in the right direction.
+The fourth round was HR. Common HR-based questions like "Why do you want to join HSBC?", “Why should we hire you?”, "What differentiates you from other students?" "What are your Future Goals?"  etc were the show stoppers. Be honest and try to have sample answers ready 
+since mostly, the intent of HR questions of every company remains the same— they want to see your dedication to work and honest attitude while answering and obviously, excellent communication skills.
+Finally, three students were selected, and we were all given a ‘chapo’ at the Rustic House.
+
+## Work Experience
+
+
+"HSBC is a dream company for all those who want to pursue a career in quantitative research". Before going there, this was only a statement for me, but now, after completing the internship there, I can say this is the reality. In India, there are not many firms which can provide the opportunities that HSBC is offering. Initially, we were given a training programme of 7 days, which taught us different Financial terms and Asset Classes. Senior leaders of HSBC GBM gave all the lectures. It was a great learning experience, and we enjoyed the sessions. A sum total of 14 Interns from Top 6 IITs were selected and all were given independent projects to work upon, which were challenging and required an in-depth knowledge of Finance, Coding and Quantitative skills. All the projects were real-life live problems which needed to be solved in order to optimize Pricing algorithms and strategies enforced by the bank. Different interns were allocated different asset classes, which broadly can be classified into 3 types: Equities, Fixed Income (FI), and Foreign Exchange (FX). I was assigned a project from the London office and had a team of E-Risk Spot Foreign Exchange.
+To give you a general idea, FX E-Risk Foreign Exchange team of HSBC deals with electronic hedging of foreign exchange currency pairs and provides insights to Quant Traders like MTM PNLs, strategies caveats, pricing analytics etc. My project was a research-based one in which I needed to devise a Technical Indicator first and then code it in Python. So, It was a mixture of Finance, Coding and Quant. I can't disclose details regarding the project because of the compliance issues of HSBC, but it was an interesting project and I learnt immensely.
+
+## Environment and Work Culture:
+
+
+One of the best things about HSBC is that people there are very approachable. You can talk to the Senior Most Management whenever you feel like and they have a pool of knowledge with a work experience of about 20 years. As my project was a complex one, I took guidance and help from my mentor, Pratyush and his whole team. All of them were ready to help whenever I faced a problem. In finance firms, there are times when you have to give in 12+ hours of work, but in HSBC there was never a compulsion from anyone in the team. People working for such long durations without fatigue shows the dedication that the HSBC team works with.
+Working hours were flexible, but we were expected to wear formals from Mon-Thu. For Friday, casuals were allowed. There was a big cafeteria and a co-working space in which you could relax. HSBC provides for one of the best learning platforms and culture, which anyone interested in finance can think of.
+
+![pic2](/images/posts/gaurav2.png){: style="width:70%;height:50%;"}
+
+## MITACS:
+
+
+The application forms for MITACS Internship are to be filled by September, generally. I had filled the form much before the application deadline, and also before HSBC came for an internship. A month after the results of HSBC came, I was selected for the Mitacs Research Internship at the University of Toronto. I consulted my seniors, parents and well-wishers to decide which path to choose. Since I already had research intern experience from sophomore year, I decided to gain corporate exposure in Finance so finally resolved the dilemma and chose HSBC for the summers. 
+
+**Points to be noted for MITACS:** Take your time to fill out the application form. The timeline provided by MITACS is broad enough to get your application reviewed by seniors/mentors in the field. Get in touch with the seniors who were selected in Mitacs and learn from their experiences. You will get a general idea of what the Canadian professors expect you to write in it.
+
+## Concluding Points:
+
+
+Interning at HSBC was once in a lifetime experience for me. We played various sports with our co-interns as well as the team during weekends. Bangalore is a city, which I feel is ideal for enjoyment. I went to almost every club in Bangalore. We even planned a trip to Ooty, which is like heaven on earth. On a finishing note, I can say that I made friends and memories for life.
+As I said in the beginning, you should take an internship as only the end of the beginning. Fight for it but never feel disheartened by the course of rejections which will come in your path because after all these failures, hard work will surely pay off and you will come out with flying colours.<br>
+
+All the very best.
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-09-summer-diaries-lakshya.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Microsoft "
+image: lakshya1.png
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Lakshya Kumawat"
+excerpt: 'So around March, most of my friends were having a blast with their on-campus interns while pre-final year designers like me struggled for opportunities.But that day my struggle came to an end. This is Lakshya Kumawat and I spent my third year summers interning as a UX Designer at Microsoft.'
+category: summer2019
+---
+
+So around March, most of my friends were having a blast with their on-campus interns while pre-final year designers like me struggled for opportunities.
+
+But that day my struggle came to an end. This is Lakshya Kumawat and I spent my third year summers interning as a UX Designer at Microsoft.
+
+## How I chose the company I wanted to dedicate my summers to:
+
+My journey as a designer revved up once I entered my second year. Learning and practicing were the key motives of my life. And after my second year intern in a mid-level startup, I had made up my mind to apply to a big startup or a corporate, offering exposure and learning opportunities I wouldn't get working with small firms. Me and my friends started listing out good companies and collecting contact information so that we could apply in the future.
+
+## How I applied:
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya2.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+For an off campus intern, the only way to apply is by mail or LinkedIn. There is no constraint on when to apply, but the sooner the better. In my experience, the end of January through the first week of February is the best time to send in applications. 
+
+It's important to have connections. More often than not, an offer won't simply be handed to you. Opportunities need to be worked out by oneself. An active social and social-media life sure helps. Stay active on LinkedIn, connect to the people in your respective field, especially those working with the firms you're interested in. 
+
+In my case I got to know of the intern hiring going on at Microsoft from my seniors. I applied, mailed my resume to HR and a couple of weeks later, they wrote back saying they liked my work and scheduled a skype interview.
+
+I had 3 technical interviews in 3 days and a basic HR round (not a typical HR round but some conversation on mail). In about a week, I had a confirmation mail with me. In all of this, perhaps the most important takeaway is that your work should be clear and well documented. I maintained a basic portfolio website (lakshya1297.github.io) which had well documented accounts of all my major work. This makes it easier for the interviewer to go through your work properly without missing anything as they usually only have so much time to go through each individual candidate's portfolio. 
+
+## What I worked on:
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya3.png){: style="width:80%;height:50%;"}
+*Foundry Interns with mentors*
+
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya6.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+*Intern Inauguration Day*
+
+
+The program I was interning under was called “FOUNDRY”. Nine designers from all over India had been selected as summer interns. In this program there is a team of 4-5 people, of which one is a UX Designer, and then you have 3-4 Developers. Their aim is to understand the project and work together to finish the product in the two month time period. The projects were all pretty 
+amazing but given the short deadline, it was important to plan out our timeline effectively and work as efficiently as possible .
+
+My Project was under “Microsoft Teams”, which is a collaboration platform used by various big organisations. As a UX designer, my work was to understand the platform and leverage its functionalities to achieve the aim of the project. Doing research, converting it into valuable outcome and designing the screens was the main work I did there as a part of my Internship.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+*The Workspace*
+
+I was assigned a mentor. So your internship mentor is supposed to be your best buddy cum manager for the duration of your stay there. They look after your daily work and any doubts you may have regarding the same 
+. Then there's the manager, who is a senior designer in charge of evaluating your work and keeps track of your weekly or monthly updates. In my case, both were very supportive and it was awesome working with them.
+
+Working hours weren't really rigid and we were free to even stay at the office if we felt like it. It was open 24 hours. Also there were “Nap Rooms” for catching up on rest and occasionally, quick naps. Also the cafeteria and lunch hall were the center of attraction for a foodie person like me. Fun and games like Xbox, TT, Cricket nets, Futsal, Foosball, Air Hockey, Pool etc. made my time there much more enjoyable.
+
+Adding to all this fun we were provided with 5 star accommodations for the entirety of the internship period. For food we were given 200 rupees in our “Hungerbox” account which we can use to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner at Microsoft Office only. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+*The cafeteria*
+
+The work culture at Microsoft is the best I have ever seen or heard of. Everyone around you is very nice and the folks there love to help in any way possible. There is a vertical hierarchy in the organization but it isn't really that prominent. PMs used to go out with us, and we had a lot of fun with the technical team. There was also this one time we boogie-woogied with the Director of Design, India. Looking back, the two months I spent at Microsoft feel like an ecstatically blissful album, with each page merrier than the last. 
+
+## Summing up and Key learnings
+
+These were undisputedly the best summers I've ever had. All the friends I made, all the connections I made, all the fun I had. My plan worked out pretty well and also I completed my project which was very satisfying. I suggest everyone to plan things out in advance to grab big opportunities like this. 
+
+You never know when a little effort on your part could land you somewhere you never imagined. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/lakshya7.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+*The 9 UX designers*
+

_posts/2019-08-12-summer-diaries-muskan-gupta.md

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: CAFRAL"
+image: "muskan-gupta-1.jpg"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Muskan Gupta"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'A robust legal system promotes the smooth functioning of credit markets and subsequent economic growth. This insight was one of the main motivations behind the promulgation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, a comprehensive law seeking to streamline, simplify and accelerate the process of bankruptcy resolution in India.'
+---
+
+A robust legal system promotes the smooth functioning of credit markets and subsequent economic growth. This insight was one of the main motivations behind the promulgation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, a comprehensive law seeking to streamline, simplify and accelerate the process of bankruptcy resolution in India. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has played its role in the implementation of the IBC by initially referring several large corporate defaulters through the bankruptcy process and subsequently, through a circular dated February 12, 2018, harmonizing its framework for the resolution of distressed assets with the provisions of the IBC. With the goal of transforming the bank-borrower relationship in India, the circular emphasized the immediate recognition of default and swift action to resolve stressed assets.
+
+My project was to study how these significant changes in the regulatory environment have affected the functioning of credit markets in India. Under this broad research programme, I worked on understanding the bank and borrower behaviour. In addition to the direct effect, I also worked on understanding the spillover effects of the bankruptcy reform on other segments of the credit markets. I also worked on understanding the stock market reaction when the Feb 12 circular was implemented using the capital asset pricing model.
+
+## Getting There
+
+![pic](/images/posts/muskan-gupta-2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+After having explored the startup world in my first year-internship at ZestMoney, I wanted to try my hand at research and thus decided to go for internships at some renowned universities, think-tanks or Research divisions of Corporates. I started listing out where I would get such projects and then landed at the page of Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning(CAFRAL), Research Centre promoted by Reserve Bank of India, which had intern opening at the time.
+
+CAFRAL keeps posting on its website whenever they have a requirement of interns. You will definitely find the internship portal open during the month of January-February which has a deadline of March, hiring interns for the months of May-June-July. You have to complete and submit a form before March which is available on their website for internships. The form requires you to submit your SOP, cover, past experience, technical skills, courses are taken and some other relevant details. Following the form submission, the shortlisted candidates are interviewed. I had two rounds of interview and a code submission to make followed by which I was granted the internship. I had also mailed the Research Directors directly, followed by follow-up emails which I believe helped in shortlisting of my resume.
+
+I started following the Economic Times from my second semester and would look for financial jargons to learn more about them. This helped me gain some understanding of the sector. I further took some online courses and certifications to have strong foundations before actually entering the Financial world. It is better to have some coding experience as all my interviews asked me of my ability to code (mostly in python). Sound knowledge of Probability Statistics is also important to understand the concepts of Econometrics. So, along with theoretical knowledge, having technical knowledge is also very important.
+
+I had started mailing and searching for opportunities from December (though I was a little late for some of the programs). It’s better to start compiling details of whoever you want to work under by mid-November, keep your resume ready and start mailing from early December (for India). It is the time when professors are making their summer plans and looking for interns to work on their projects. Keep sending follow-up emails. They actually help a lot as professors receive a huge number of mails so they tend to neglect or sometimes miss out on mails. Sending follow-up mails also shows that you are actually keen to work under them. Always keep in mind to send personalised emails to each and every professor you are mailing to, with a reference to their work(mentioning the reason why you wish to work under them, some personal reference helps.). This will make your application stand apart from hundreds of bulk mails they receive.
+
+I had done some online courses and had taken two certifications from NISM which I believed would have boosted my resume. My prior experience with ZestMoney, a fin-tech startup also gave me an edge showing my interest and dedication to work in the industry.
+
+Choosing between a project at ISB, Hyderabad and CAFRAL, RBI was quite difficult as both the opportunities had quite interesting projects and were paying equally. I consulted and discussed with a lot of my seniors, and also with people who had interned at both the places, and finally decided to go for CAFRAL, because of its corporate work environment and an opportunity to make excellent connections with people who are actually, directly involved in the world of Banking.
+
+I personally made a lot of mistakes while mailing and application. I had sent the application for CAFRAL on the second-last day, that too on Sunday. This led to neglection of my application for a long time and only after many follow-ups was it brought into consideration. So always keep in mind to send out mailers on weekdays (avoid Fridays also) and at least 7-8 days prior to the deadline. Secondly, initially, I sent generalised emails to everyone which led to no response. I resent personalised emails then from a different Mail ID which garnered some response.
+
+## Work
+
+![pic](/images/posts/muskan-gupta-3.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+The Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (CAFRAL) is an independent body set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the backdrop of India’s evolving role in the global economy, in the financial services sector and its position in various international fora, and to develop into a world class global institution for research and learning in banking and finance.
+
+CAFRAL’s research focus is on the areas of banking and finance. My project was at the intersecting domains of Banking, Macroeconomics, Public Policy and Financial Markets.
+
+The work culture at CAFRAL was quite friendly. You can go anytime to any of the Research Director’s office and they will guide you with utmost importance. They will take you out for lunch along with Research Associates and would celebrate the farewells of people alongside everyone. Research Associates are your colleagues and show a very welcoming nature. They consider you to be a part of their family and you will soon find hanging out with them for lunch and parties. They will always be ready to help you and guide you in case you have stuck anywhere on your project. But CAFRAL requires you to be punctual in office in proper formals, and work for minimum of 8 hours for 5-days a week. Only in case of severe cases(like rains in Mumbai which are actually torturous as they leave you with no means of communication) are you allowed to be late for office or otherwise they will cut pay for the leave.
+
+CAFRAL is a small family of RDs and RAs working together undertaking research useful to central banks, regulators and financial sector, conducting seminars, conferences and other learning programs that serve as a platform for exchange of high-level policy dialogues  and collaborate with other institutions within the country and outside to promote research in areas of interest to the Centre.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/muskan-gupta-4.jpg){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Place
+
+![pic](/images/posts/muskan-gupta-5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+There are reasons to love and hate the city of dreams yet its loveable factors outweigh everything. Starting with the weather the rains bring along with them beautiful weather but also halted trains, crowded roads, and clogged roads. From amazing ‘Khao Galis’ to best night clubs Mumbai has everything to suit your needs as well as pockets. Spend some time at the famous beaches on weekends and sit alongside Marine Drive at night to enjoy a beautiful view of Mumbai City, they will make you forget every stress of your life.
+
+I used to live with my cousin in Lower Parel so it was not a big issue for me, but it is actually very difficult to find a good PG at affordable prices, especially in South Bombay.

_posts/2019-08-12-summer-diaries-tokyo.md

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: TOKYO GAS CO. LTD"
+image: "tokyo1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Ashish Kumar"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'Since the very beginning of my sophomore year, I had a dream of interning abroad but neither did I have a superb 9+ CGPA( In fact far below than that :P) nor did I have any interest towards research profile. Noticing the latest boom in the field of Machine Learning, I dived deep into this field and thus found my interest.'
+---
+
+Since the very beginning of my sophomore year, I had a dream of interning abroad but neither did I have a superb 9+ CGPA( In fact far below than that :P) nor did I have any interest towards research profile. Noticing the latest boom in the field of Machine Learning, I dived deep into this field and thus found my interest. During the summer of 2018, I interned at Stockroom followed by the internship at Tokyo Gas in summer’19. Interning abroad has undeniable benefits. Work experience in an international setting stands out on your resume and gives you a definite boost in the job market. An internship abroad is also a great way to meet locals, immerse yourself in the culture, and can be an entry point for eventually working abroad.
+
+
+## Learning Data science and Machine Learning
+
+
+I started to learn data science at the end of my 3rd Semester. I started with Machine learning by Andrew NG on coursera. This course dealt with all the mathematical  and theoretical aspects of machine learning. Parallelly I also learned the basics of coding in python. Once I was done with these two, I started reading blogs and solving some famous datasets on Kaggle. Even after these I felt that I was weak in the implementation part and thus moved to Machine Learning A to Z course on Udemy. Then I brushed my skills on dozens of datasets which boosted my confidence. To strengthen my statistics, I went through the Stats 110x course on edX. To study deep learning, I switched to Deep learning specialization on coursera which is set of 5 courses. It was simply the best. I continued reading blogs on deep learning and discussing tech projects with my friends. Blog reading and discussion played a crucial role in increasing my understanding of the subjects.
+
+## Making it there
+
+
+I got my internship at Tokyo Gas through a HR agency named Webstaff that visited IIT Roorkee campus for hiring in September 2018. Webstaff outsources our resumes to Japanese companies who are willing to hire tech interns generally in the field of Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Software Development.
+The application and selection process is generally a long one and requires a lot of patience. The CGPA cutoff was 7 for all branches except CSE followed by resume shortlisting. The selection process had 4 rounds.
+
+
+**1.Coding Round-** Generally 2 coding questions and a few MCQs on Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Competitive programming, Web Development and SQL are asked. This, according to me, is the most important round. Even if you are applying for Machine learning profiles, sound knowledge of data structures and algorithm is a must. Keep in touch with your friends from other IITs so that you can get an insight into the types of questions being asked.
+
+
+**2.Group Discussion-**The main aim of this round is to check how nicely you will be able to communicate in a foreign-land. The topic of the GD is very basic. In my case, it was related to freedom of speech on social media. It should be a cakewalk for someone who is able to put his views calmly and confidently.
+
+
+**3.HR Interview-** In this round the interviewer checks how eager the candidate is to work in Japan. Basic HR interview preparation should be enough and knowledge of Japanese culture will be a bonus.
+After you clear all the above rounds, you are made to fill an online portal where you can update your skillset and projects along with your video resume. On the basis of your skills and projects, you are further shortlisted by the Japanese companies for a final interview.
+
+
+**4.Final Interview-** I was shortlisted by Tokyo Gas. My interview was 20% tech and 80% HR. This percentage may vary on the company for which one has been shortlisted. Good resume know-how and the ability to explain projects clearly is a must.
+The biggest blunder that I made was focussing only on Machine Learning and not studying competitive programming. Most of the companies that visit our campus for Data Science and Machine Learning have competitive programming in their tests. Getting an on-campus internship offer solely on the basis of knowledge of Data science and Machine Learning is very tough. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo2.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Work
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Tokyo Gas is the largest natural gas utility in Japan and was founded in year 1885. Their business mainly deals with supply of city gas and electricity in the capital and neighbourhood areas. With a total of 17,000 employees, it is one of the gigantic companies of Japan. Here, I worked on 3 major projects. In my first project I had to predict LNG consumption of consumer companies for near future using machine learning techniques. This project was the first step towards the overall optimization of the filling process. In my second project, I had to predict energy trading prices in the energy sale market. Tokyo gas is involved in trading of electricity and the basic idea is similar to stock market trading. In my third project, I was given GPS, gas usage, water usage, electricity usage and air quality data of different customers and I had to analyse and give insights to the company regarding the daily activities and point out the trend and seasonality.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo4.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+ 
+My work there started at 9:00 and ended at 5:45 and the environment was very relaxed. It was so good that even working till 8 didn’t feel like a burden to me(Thanks to unlimited coffee supply). People in the office were very polite and helping. My data analytics team had the best Japanese brains with degrees even from MIT and Stanford.
+The people there were very helping. Once I was down with cold and took a day leave. My colleagues sent Indian food and sweets for me at my doorstep to recover. Such small incidences had a deep impact on me. Language was a major issue there. My team and HR planned a lot of events for me like Saake party, Barbeque party and Cruise trips so that I didn't feel left out.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## About the place
+
+Most of my childhood was spent watching Shinchan, Doraemon and other Japanese anime. So, interning in Japan was like a dream come true for me. My office and apartment were located in a very posh area of Tokyo. Generally, the weekdays were busy but during weekends every second felt worth enjoying. Never in my life will I forget the gadget shops at Akihabara, beaches at Enoshima, dazzling lights from Tokyo skytree, clubbing at Roppongi, Cruise trip around the Tokyo Bay, Guinness record holder rides at FujiQ Highland and the heart throbbing view of Mount Fuji (Of course there were some sleepy weekends too). 
+I tried a lot of Japanese dishes including Ramen, Soba noodles, Udon noodles, yakitori and of course sushi. They have a taste of their own and for sea food lovers, it’s a paradise.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo6.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Tokyo’s weather is very pleasant. The temperature during May and June varied generally from 15 to 30 degrees. One day, one of my Japanese colleagues almost had a heart attack when he googled the temperature of my hometown and it turned out to be 47 degrees.
+
+## Accommodation
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo7.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+The accommodation I got was the best you can expect. I was provided a rented riverside apartment with great services like spa and lounge. The view from my room was mesmerizing.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo8.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tokyo9.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Summing up
+
+
+Foreign industrial experience is very rare and the exposure teaches you a lot. Working with highly diligent people always motivates me to strive harder for better results. At multinational cities like Tokyo, you get to meet people from different parts of the world and learn from them. Working for a company like Tokyo-gas with a latge customer base and building product that can potentially influence millions was a life time experience for me.
+To all the juniors who are targeting foreign internship through Webstaff, I would suggest them to brush up their coding skills and pitch some good technical projects at the interview. Good Luck!
+
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-13-summer-diaries-harsh-patel.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Queen’s University, Canada (MITACS)"
+image: "harsh-patel-1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Harsh Patel"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'I have tried to summarize my 12 week-long research experience at Queen’s University, Canada in which I explain the MITACS application procedure in detail and my major takeaways and experiences from my internship at Canada.'
+---
+
+I have tried to summarize my 12 week-long research experience at Queen’s University, Canada in which I explain the MITACS application procedure in detail and my major takeaways and experiences from my internship at Canada.
+
+## Getting there
+
+It all started back in my second year summers at IIT Gandhinagar, where I had interned in the field of Image Forensics (Computer Vision) which instigated my interest in the field and I considered choosing research as an option. After that internship, I got a basic understanding of what goes into research but still wanted to try my hands on a proper research internship. Of course, I wasn’t completely sure because I didn’t want to miss out on-campus internships as focusing only on getting a research internship is a huge risk if you opt-out of the campus internship process. Considering the fact that a very limited number of deep learning-based companies/startups visit the campus, the chances for me were less. Eventually, I got selected for Robert Bosch’s Deep learning division during Mid September.
+
+
+Along with my on-campus preparations, I was constantly applying for Research Programs. I applied to a lot of programs including DAAD, SN Bose, Viterbi, MITACS and a few others. I got the invitation from a german professor but due to DAAD’s strict CGPA cut-off, I could not get the scholarship. These programs generally have their deadlines during the autumn semester. After 2-3 interviews, I got my selection mail from MITACS in the first week of January.
+
+## About the program
+
+MITACS Globalink is a Research Internship Program funded by MITACS Canada which invites undergraduate students from all around the globe to pursue research for 12 weeks in a Canadian university. It is open for the 3rd year and above students in India with a minimum CGPA of 7.5 (80 %). The amount of funding you receive is the highest among all the other programs (~ 8000 CAD). So, you can easily visit a lot of places in Canada and still save money.  One of the major advantages of this program in comparison to other programs is that you can get a MITACS Graduate fellowship (~15000 CAD) for doing masters/PhD in Canada.
+
+## Application procedure
+
+The application portal of MITACS is simple where they ask your basic details. Then, you have to write your research rational (SOP), previous research internship experience, and a general description of your skillset in about 100 words each. Yes, you have to write your SOP in about 100 words only. So, be as precise as possible. You also have to submit 2 letters of recommendation from your professors/supervisors whom you have worked with along with your CV and transcripts. Lastly, you have to give 7 preferences of project/professor you want to work with, in your preference order. Seriously, that was the most difficult part. You are given a list of around 2500 projects from which you have to select only 7 and all 7 projects combined should be in at least 3 different Canadian provinces (states). The applications generally open in early August and the deadline is around mid-September.
+
+The selection process is carried out in two phases. The applications of the students selected in the first phase are sent to the respective professors. During that time Phase-2 students are waitlisted and have to wait till the phase-1 process is over and then their profiles are sent. MITACS doesn’t reveal how they separate students, but based on previous interns and my experience, they shortlist you on the basis of overlap between your interests and the projects which you have chosen along with many other factors such as CGPA. Being waitlisted in the first stage is a big disadvantage as it might be possible that the professor of your choice has already selected someone else during phase-1. So, try to fill the projects with relevance to your previous work/experience so that you get selected in the first phase. After that, your profiles are sent to your respective professors. It solely depends on the professor to have an interview for selection or not. I had many friends who directly got the offer without a single interview and some who had as many as 5-7 interviews. I had 3 interviews for my different projects. Luckily, I got selected by the professor on my 1st preference. The interviews are easy and revolve around your previous projects/ internships from your resume along with a short discussion about the current project. Also, do show your interest for higher studies, professors prefer students who can extend their project in their masters/ PhD and work with them for a longer duration. The procedure after you receive the offer is straightforward and most of the cases students get their visa approved in 15-20 days due to the funding from MITACS.
+
+## Queen's University
+
+![pic](/images/posts/harsh-patel-2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Kingston is a small city on Lake Ontario located in the province of Ontario. A city far from the hustling life in large cities like Toronto and Montreal, it gives you a small-town vibe. There aren’t many exciting things to do in Kingston but it is a 3-hour ride to both Toronto and Montreal and 2-hour ride to the capital city (Ottawa). The Queen’s University was found in the mid 19th century, hence you can find a glimpse of the 19th-century British architecture in many departments. In fact, very few people know that Kingston was the first official capital of Canada.
+
+Queen’s University has a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Consider it a perfect place to spend your summers. Due to the small area and limited population, there won't be anything bustling around but instead, you can experience a countryside vibe far from the hectic and fast-paced life. You can spend your evenings in the Lake Ontario Park reading your favourite book and take a walk along the lake.
+
+## Accomodation and Food
+
+I  stayed in a large house close to the downtown area with my friends. We got the entire house (6 bedrooms) to ourselves as houses are generally available on lease during the summers. I searched for accommodation through the Queen’s off-campus housing facebook group. Kijiji is also a good website to find accommodation in Canada.
+
+The people in Canada are considered to be one of the nicest and most polite across the globe. It is very common to find people greeting you on the streets and engaging in conversations. There are a lot of places to eat out but believe me, after a few weeks, I was exhausted and decided to cook on my own. I had never made a dish on my own before. But eventually, I got better at it and I can say that now I can make a decent meal for myself. So, do carry some basic spices and utensils and learn some basic cooking techniques. For recipes, youtube is always there to the rescue!
+
+## My project and Lab culture
+
+The project which I was assigned was in the field of Computer Vision where I had to develop various models for the task of skeleton-based Human Action Recognition. As evident from the name, out of a given video involving a person doing some kind of activity, the task was to accurately predict real-time action. This type of work has its applications in security surveillance (identifying robbery, attack etc) and elderly homes/hospitals (for patient monitoring).
+
+There were no fixed timings to work as long as you deliver/update with the progress of the project. My lab was primarily focussed towards Data Mining and Analytics but was shifting its focus towards modern deep learning applications. We had weekly group meetings every Wednesday where we had to present our progress or anything interesting paper/tech that you have read. My first month was focused on reading the state of the art papers in the field of Activity Recognition and preparing proper literature review which is further useful for final reports. Then in the subsequent months, I was involved in preprocessing the data. Believe me, most of the time you are involved in preprocessing and removing errors from your code, the actual time where you do the hyped deep learning stuff is actually very less. Further, I developed and tested two different LSTM and CNN based models for the task. As there is no physical experimentation required, each of us had a GPU enabled server, which we could use it from any place.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/harsh-patel-3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Roaming around
+
+Considering the location of Kingston, you can easily have weekend plans to Toronto, Montreal and neighbouring cities. I mainly visited Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls and a Mountain trail near Kingston. The best of all the places were definitely Toronto and Niagara falls as I went there during the Canada Day Weekend. We were lucky enough to witness the Canada Day fireworks from the Niagara Falls on the boat. Canada Day celebrations in the centre of Toronto city (Eaton Square) gives you the vibe of an Indian Mela. Every person wearing Red and holding Canadian flags in their hand. One thing which I noticed is that people in Canada are a lot more patriotic towards their country, you can easily find big Canadian flags in their houses and public places. Of course, the cities in Ontario don’t offer the natural scenic beauty compared to Alberta and British Columbia but still, it is a great experience. One place which I do recommend visiting if you have time is Banff, Alberta and some parts of British Columbia where you will find the most scenic places on earth.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/harsh-patel-4.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+![pic](/images/posts/harsh-patel-5.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Summing up
+
+A 12-week long research internship in a foreign land not only gives you a proper head start to your research career but also makes you realize the true meaning of living independently. Compared to our college lives, where most of the things are taken care of, you will have to manage most of the things including grocery, food, house along with your work on your own. One of my major takeaways from this internship is that you get out of your comfort zone and push yourselves to unknown territories. Believe me, it’s very difficult to get out of your comfort zone and break your normal flow of life but it makes you a much more independent person where you meet a lot of new people, roam around in an unknown country, cook your own food.
+
+One of the NITs had 45 students selected this year for the program, compared to around 5-6 from our institute. So, I would encourage people to at least give it a try and apply for the MITACS program as it is definitely worth it in the end. Do give it a try!

_posts/2019-08-13-summer-diaries-sourab-kumar.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Grofers"
+image: "sourab-kumar-1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Sourab Kumar"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'Find a potential problem, go out there an extra mile and rectify it for best user experience.'
+---
+
+> “Find a potential problem, go out there an extra mile and rectify it for best user experience.”
+
+Being someone who has been into Product Management for about six to seven months now, I prefer going step-by-step. So, let’s start from the very beginning.
+
+### What is Product Management and how did I think of pursuing it?
+
+By now, most of you must have Googled the term “Product Management” online and I think all of you will agree that different links pertaining to the topic provide different perspectives. The way I define it, might give you another perspective of the profile.
+
+For me, Product Management is all about understanding the sentiment of the users, whether they are your customers or employees from different teams, and come up with a solution to every problem in a way that benefits all the concerned stakeholders.
+
+After exploring almost half-a-dozen different work profiles during my sophomore year, I landed up with an intern at Udaan.com. While concluding it, I thought of working in a strategic role in an intersection of business, technology and design. I can say that was probably the time when I opened myself up to Product Management.
+
+### The Application Phase
+
+> “Whatsoever be the scenario, we always have a possibility to improve.”
+
+As it turned out, I had an opportunity to improve exponentially. So, instead of testing my luck with the crowd-popular on-campus internship opportunities, I preferred to improve myself, through online courses and different books. With almost everyone in your peer group going for competitive coding, it isn’t easy not to get influenced and stick with what you want to do. But trust me, if you really enjoy something, you will find ways to get into that and improve.
+
+I started my internship hunt in the last week of January. Not only my resume and cover letter but also the LinkedIn profile. The first month went completely into making my professional presence flawless to the very finest of details.
+
+Tension is a common human emotion, right? Yeah, I was tense that I was really starting with my intern hunting now when most of the people around me were done with it. Yes, I committed a few mistakes. I applied for Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited(JHSL) and Reliance Industries Limited(RIL), even when I had no interest in the core sector. Against my expectations, I was selected for the interview round of the former in the beginning of February and for the latter at the end of March.
+
+But by the time of the first on-campus interview, I had dropped 100 to 150 emails. Luckily, I got a Product Intern offer from Yatra.com. To add onto it, the interviewer of JSHL was my freshman year SMP Mentor. Making sure that I am not selected for the industry wasn’t a big deal after that point.
+
+Things seem to be pretty chilled out, don’t they? But life had different plans for me in the magical bag of tricks.
+
+In the first week of March(just a week after the mid-semester examinations), news of Yatra.com being acquired by Ebix Inc. was all over the internet. And one week down the line, I had an offer letter in my hand but it was clear that I will have to join the Operations Team instead of the Product Team. With this, I was down to square one again.
+
+I was tagged to 10 to 15 LinkedIn posts daily. I received almost an equal number of mail IDs to apply to daily. Even most random branch alumni whom I never met came up to help with just a single LinkedIn message. It was actually then when I understood the importance of peers who kept motivating me during those days.
+
+### The Selection Days
+
+Receiving a call from the HR at Grofers after almost three weeks of applying was pretty much unexpected. But, I knew that this was it. This was the opportunity to make the months of hard work count.
+
+An application form specially designed for understanding the Product perspective, and two rounds of interviews by PMs actually tested my product thinking and problem-solving abilities. Instead of calling them as interviews, I prefer calling them Buddy Sessions. I got a chance to improve even during the 20-25 minute interviews and yes, they were the people who preferred giving on-spot feedbacks instead of making an HR do it.
+
+## The Intern Time
+
+![pic](/images/posts/sourab-kumar-2.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+### Team and Location
+
+Being the only Product Intern in the Bangalore office was pretty much unexpected. I landed working under the Supply Chain Product Team for the PO/VMS Segment. The team primarily worked towards managing the vendor side of the organization.
+
+### Aim of the Internship
+
+On the very first day, sitting next to the Senior Director, Product Management, I got some advice from him, “PM is like a game of cricket. Sitting outside, everyone feels it's easy to slam off a six. But you will know the actual difficulty when you walk to the center.”
+During that time, I worked on three projects. Whether it was about making a process, or it was about bringing different teams on-board or setting up deadlines, I was completely owning those projects. In a nutshell, I can say that I was completely spending times in the boots of a Product Manager.
+
+My projects involved sanitizing the existing vendor-level values present in the system which directly improved the item availability. So as to strengthen our stand against the competitors, we worked upon automating the Purchase Order(PO) process to speed-up the involved process. During the same time, the PM team conceptualized the method of Cluster Delivery and eventual effects on the Business value.
+
+## Work Culture
+
+![pic](/images/posts/sourab-kumar-3.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+Grofers Bangalore office has a Technology team of almost 100 people. And Grofers is definitely an awesome team to learn and grow. Working in a startup, we had no worries of timings. But being a part of such a team, we were pushed ahead of our limits to iterate and improve.
+
+With Grofers, it was a perfect blend of work and enjoyment. At times, the teams stayed back till late night hours our of interest. Teams went out for lunch every second week. Unexpected outings were planned during weekends. To conclude it all, a designer used to call me “Roorkee” instead of my name.
+
+## Final piece of advice
+
+By now, you all would have understood that the internship days are pretty hectic. In my case, quite a few of my friends received offers from some big names of the corporate world. I know it gives a mixed feeling. Considering my case, I was quite happy for them but tensed at the same point-in-time. Based on the experience, I can only suggest you all to stay practical and understand both ends of the spectrum. Just stay focused on what you are aiming for.

_posts/2019-08-15-summer-diaries-agrim.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Edelweiss"
+image: "agrim1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Agrim Patodia"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The Third-year, first semester marks the beginning of the internship season at IITR. Most of us have very little actual work exposure till that time and are hence unsure about what kind of work we would eventually like to do. I, too, was unsure about the exact kind of work I wanted to do after graduating, but I had narrowed it down to 2 major fields'
+
+---
+
+The Third-year, first semester marks the beginning of the internship season at IITR. Most of us have very little actual work exposure till that time and are hence unsure about what kind of work we would eventually like to do. I, too, was unsure about the exact kind of work I wanted to do after graduating, but I had narrowed it down to 2 major fields - FMCG product management (as a chemical engineering major, this would require both my core knowledge as well as managerial skills), and finance (an interest I had developed in my second year). After unsuccessful interviews and applications with the 2 major FMCG companies that came to our campus, RB and ITC, I decided to completely devote my time to improving my finance knowledge and eventually applying for a trading related internship in well known firms off-campus.
+
+
+## Applying and acceptance
+
+Applying to companies off-campus is not an exact science. I, personally, just used LinkedIn. The major steps I’d recommend following are:
+
+**1.** Shortlist companies that have divisions whose work pertains to the profile you are interested in. For me, it was quantitative finance/ algorithmic trading. (at least 15-20 companies)
+
+**2.** Find HR employees working in THAT DIVISION (Important, since HRs probably receive a lot of requests daily, and most of them won’t bother forwarding your resume to the respective division.)
+<br>  *or*<br>
+
+Find alumni that are currently working in that company. BE SPECIFIC, so that they know exactly who within the company will be able to help you the best. Usually, they forward your request to the exact team. It's even better if you find an alum in your specific division of interest. 
+
+
+**3.** After steps 1 & 2, keep taking weekly/ fortnightly follow-ups, and wait until someone from the respective team contacts you for an interview. Or a rejection.
+
+***Divisions/ hierarchies become important only in large, well established companies that work in many diverse businesses. One can probably ignore those for smaller-scale companies and startups.<br>
+**Making an excel sheet to keep track of the above helps.*
+
+In my specific profile, the things which I knew, which eventually helped me in my interview are:
+
+* Knowledge of basic market dynamics and financial instruments.<br>
+* Basic statistics. <br>
+* Intermediate level programming knowledge in python. (Most hedge funds work in C++ or python)<br>
+* Basic Machine Learning techniques.<br>
+
+I started applying towards the end of January, and ended up receiving internship offers from Reliance Securities and Edelweiss by the month of May. Since Edelweiss has one of India’s most sophisticated trading desks, I chose to go with the latter.
+
+## Location
+
+Edelweiss’ trading desk is located in its head office in Kalina, Mumbai. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/agrim2.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto;"}
+
+## The Office Setup
+
+The trading floor consists of a number of teams, each carrying out a different type of trading, such as Quant trading, High Frequency trading, Vega trading, etc, along with a Risk team and a HR team. Each team is headed by a few experienced traders and operates independently. Different teams may operate in different market segments, and they formulate strategies specific to their frequency of trading and areas of operation. The floor as numerous TVs continuously running news from different channels. Multiple Bloomberg terminals are placed at convenient spots. The floor has no cubicles, only desks and separate areas for different teams. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/agrim3.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Work Culture
+
+Most of the day’s work happens during trading hours, i.e. 9 AM- 4PM. Individual traders and teams monitor their existing strategies and beta test new strategies. They keep a close eye on the news as well, which helps them gauge the existing market scenario so that they employ the most profitable strategies for that particular day. Everyone is extremely busy during these hours and the office remains silent during this time. After the market closes, the work for the day is mostly done, unless the team is brainstorming or researching a new strategy. A majority of the office leaves by around 5:30 - 6:00 PM. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/agrim4.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+## My Work 
+
+I worked in the High Frequency Trading (HFT) division. Over the course of my internship, I worked on 1 major project which involved constructing a profitable HFT strategy that operates using market microstructures. This was divided into 3 major stages:
+**1.** Creation of various tools for analysing the profitability and sustainability of any trading strategy using a variety of metrics and charts.
+**2.** Ideating a strategy by reading through different financial literature and taking inspiration from good research papers.
+**3.** Constructing the final strategy and tuning it to perform reliably in different market scenarios, as well as deciding a basket of similar stocks on which this strategy performs well. 
+
+I ended up creating an algorithm that trades in seconds across a number of stocks and takes advantage of volatile price movements.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/agrim5.png){: style="width:80%;height:auto;"}
+
+## Summing Up
+
+Edelweiss does not believe in spoon-feeding. Help and support is offered to those who remain proactive. You will be expected to take ownership for both the good and bad work that you have done. Everyone is easily accessible, even the head of the trading division. I had personally met him twice during the course of my internship. A lot of the traders are IIT+IIM grads and are highly experienced, and won’t hesitate in giving you a lot of ‘gyaan’ on a variety of subjects. :p
+
+Overall, my experience at Edelweiss gave me enough knowledge to make a well-educated decision about what I would like to do after my graduation and helped in cementing my desired career trajectory, at least for the foreseeable future. 
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-17-rephrase-ai.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Rephrase.ai"
+image: "rephrase-ai.png"
+author: "Joint Initiative of WatchOut! & E-Cell"
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim
+excerpt: 'Rephrase.ai is a tech start up of which Shivam Mangla, an alumnus of IIT Roorkee is a co-founder. It gives users the power of creating high-quality videos and animations of a person speaking with just text as input with the support of over 40 languages. E-cell, IIT Roorkee in collaboration with Watch Out!, had a conversation with Shivam, the excerpts of which are as follows.'
+---
+
+Rephrase.ai is a tech start up of which Shivam Mangla, an alumnus of IIT Roorkee is a co-founder. It gives users the power of creating high-quality videos and animations of a person speaking with just text as input with the support of over 40 languages. (check out their website [https://rephrase.ai/](https://rephrase.ai/){: style="text-decoration:underline"}). E-cell, IIT Roorkee in collaboration with Watch Out!, had a conversation with Shivam, the excerpts of which are as follows.
+
+**You had a perfectly secure and almost an ideal job at Facebook. So what motivated you to leave it and to come back to India?**
+
+I belong to a family that has been doing business traditionally. This might’ve been a reason why I always wanted to have my own business. I’ve always loved scaling up the things I have worked on, which is not really possible after a certain extent in a salaried job, and hence I have always been reluctant to do it. And opposed to it, in a start-up, the sky's the limit. The harder you work, the more you achieve. And talking about homecoming, I think I’ve always wanted to work in India.
+
+**What is your mantra of dealing with the fear of failure and the anxiety of difficult situations?**
+
+While making a decision, I always imagine the worst-case scenario, and if I believe I can deal with it, then all is well. There is no ‘What if?’. I believe by staying positive, I can override of the obstacles. For me personally, the worst that can happen is my business failing completely, and still, I won’t have to worry about my financial security, because I believe I can return to my job anytime. So that’s one thing less to be anxious about.
+
+**What are your greatest fears and how do you deal with them?**
+
+I always try to stay optimistic and avoid thinking negative and so on a personal level, I don't have any substantial fear of anything. But as a professional, I do dread some situations like being unable to execute our plans or hiring the wrong people. At such times, my relations with my team helps, as we are always there for each other. Launching a startup is an extremely overwhelming task for an individual with its share of anxious moments. At such times, a strong team is required to cope up with all the inhibitions and fears.
+
+**What was your initial Product?**
+
+When we started working on our product, we had an idea that we can change the way Hollywood movies are dubbed into different languages. We wanted to improve the experience of lip-syncing so that it would look like the movie was shot in the dubbed language itself. Our experience at TechStars Accelerator helped us to develop the idea further and find cases where it is used in marketing and animation.
+
+**What is your targeted customer segment?**
+We aim to help companies in promotions sector to help them send personalized videos instead of text in their emails using our tools and to create educational videos so that they are able to produce multimedia content by simply feeding written educational scripts to the digital platform.
+
+**Does your company target individuals or is it mainly companies?**
+
+We intend to target enterprises as providing this tool to an individual might lead to its misuse by them and lead to ethical and legal issues. This is in accordance with legal procedures that are needed to be followed.
+
+**Where did you get in touch with your co-founders?**
+
+I met Nisheeth in London, who was, at that time working for Google while I was working for Facebook. We had a lot of mutual friends, as some of my colleagues at Facebook knew Nisheeth from IIT Bombay.. Ashray was already Nisheeth’s friend from IIT Bombay. Nisheeth and Ashray were the cofounders of a startup named SoundRex as well. Thus, the team was formed
+
+**What according to you is the ideal team size?**
+
+I think that working alone is not so convenient and if there are five to six people making a decision gets too cumbersome. Hence two to four seems good, but then it is very subjective. For me, three works very well.
+
+**How was your experience at Techstars?**
+
+Techstars is a company with offices in the USA and London. Our initial idea was to match the lip movements of the actors with the dubbed speech which, I think, has a great scope in the film industry. Techstars has a concept of “mentor madness” which resembles to speed dating. Here we can meet a large number of mentors from around the globe for a certain amount of time. If they like your idea, you can connect with them later on. It was here that we realized that our idea could be taken to the next level. So, I think, experience at Techstars was quite rewarding.
+
+**When do you think is the right time to launch a startup? Let us say I have an idea now, which is pretty much operation extensive. When should I start working on it, now or after graduation?**
+
+NOW. As trite as it may sound, the right time is now. I believe, more often than not, you don’t stick with an idea throughout your life. So you will get to learn a lot if you start early. While working at Facebook, I got a poster that read ‘BEGIN ANYWHERE’. Initially, its meaning was lost to me, but eventually, I understood what it meant.
+
+**How do you think one should promote a startup in college that is targeted towards college students?**
+
+I think that it is pretty much dependent on what the idea is. Although as a start you can make a Facebook page and stick posters.
+
+**Did you explore a lot of groups during your stay at the campus?**
+
+I actually applied to almost every group. I was a designer at WatchOut! and I think I wasn't really good at it. I auditioned for Choreography Section twice and was meanly rejected in the interview round, and that too on my birthday (though I got selected in SDSlabs and MDG, which I guess makes up for this). So honestly speaking, for me, it was really fun out there, exploring things that is; and I would like to suggest that you should explore everything around you while you’re at the campus.
+
+**What would you advice to students who want to pursue AI and Data Sciences? What path would you suggest to get familiar with the field?**
+
+After graduating with an engineering degree, I know that it's not that easy to jump into AI/ML because companies ask for experience. A good hack is to look for good startups working in the field and gain some real-world experience. (Join Rephrase!). While in college, you can start learning things by reading stuff on the internet. The most important thing other than the right resources is the peer group you learn/work with, so choose carefully. Apart from that, there are tons of great resources available online - fast.ai, Coursera, deeplearning.ai, Et Cetra all these are great resources.
+
+**What do you think is your biggest strength?**
+
+Ashray was a convener of film club at IIT Bombay and has made short films in college; and has family and friends working in the industry, so he understands the pain points in the field and his business development experience from his previous startup directly helps here. Nisheeth is a genius, he visualizes mathematics like a wizard which is crucial for the kind of tech we are building. He has done his fair share of AI work previously at places like Samsung Korea. And I have experience of working in Computer Vision, AI. I’ve also built software at scale, both in college and at Facebook. The best thing I feel is that the strengths and experience of all three co-founders complement one another and all these pieces somehow just fit together beautifully for the company we're building.
+
+**In your opinion, what are the critical skills a person should possess to launch a startup?**
+
+Passion, as hackneyed it may sound is really necessary. If you are passionate about something, nothing’s gonna stop you. For being a good entrepreneur, you need to have the knack to spot opportunities around you and make full use of them.  As a student, there are various courses you can get enrolled in to build up your business, one of them being the Startup School by Y-Combinator. There is always a wide repository that you can refer to, you just need to keep an eye open.

_posts/2019-08-21-summer-diaries-cense.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: CeNSE (Center of Nanoscience and Engineering)"
+image: "naba-intern-1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Nabasindhu Das"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'The CeNSE (Center of Nanoscience and Engineering) was established in 2010 at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore,  to pursue interdisciplinary research across several disciplines with a focus on nanoscale systems.'
+---
+
+## Work
+
+### The Institute
+
+The CeNSE ( Center of Nanoscience and Engineering ) was established in 2010 at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore,  to pursue interdisciplinary research across several disciplines with a focus on nanoscale systems. Current research topics include, but are not limited to nanoelectronics, MEMS/NEMS, nanomaterials and devices, photonics, nano-biotechnology, solar cells and computational nano-engineering.  The centre has been built around two central facilities: **National Nanofabrication Centre (NNfC)** and the **Micro and Nano Characterization facility (MNCF)**. Both are national user facilities, i.e. they are accessible to outside academic and industrial users that include scientists from other departments in IISc DRDO, ISRO and other such scientific establishments in the country.
+
+Supporting the central facilities are the MEMS and IC Packaging lab, the Computational Nanoengineering (CoNe) laboratory, Systems Lab, and 14 other functionally distinct laboratories managed by various research groups headed by a faculty members coming from a diverse background.
+
+### Before applying
+
+I had worked on two interrelated projects on the campus. The first one was related to fabrication of perovskite quantum dots in the chemistry department, a new generation zero dimensional photoluminescent material that has immense potential to be used in the field of light emitting devices and solar cells. The second one was in the field of interface dynamics of heterojunction organic solar cells in the electronics and communications department. Fiddling with the field of alternative solar cells, I wanted to expand my breadth and learn the skills that were prerequisite in the field. Further, working in a year and a half in the campus. I came face to face with few shortcomings that are unfortunate for an undergraduate student, especially if you are an experimentalist. They are mainly centered around the availability of the material characterization and other facilities in Institute Instrumentation center and other labs all over the campus.
+
+### Making it there
+
+As explained by the multiple research intern diaries before, the most popular and effective way to land a research internship is by writing curated emails to professors, research groups and at times, even to the PhDs or postdocs working in the labs. And if you are in the second year, and have a fairly low CG like me ( < 6.5 ), this remains the only effective option, striking out the options of research programs. I was fairly pessimistic about my chances but anyways, looking at my peers doing the same, started emailing professors in India. There are a few things that one must take care while mailing which helps to increase the acceptance chances.
+
+1. Try to focus on your strengths. If you are a student with a high C.G and comparatively research output, that can be a selling point.
+
+1. Try to highlight the skills that you possess and can make you a useful addition to the group. This includes courses that you have took and the projects you have done under some professor or tech group on the campus.
+
+1. This is the most important that the mail should be highly professor centric. One of the best time saving ways that you can follow if you are doing some research project under some professor is to make small notes of the research papers that you are anyways studying during the literature review. If the papers are relatively new, in the last 5 years or so, you can be fairly sure that the professor is still working in that field. Write an email to the professor or Ph.D. that includes your observations combined with the possibilities that can be done. Make sure that you don’t include your current work in that if you don’t want to face the wrath of the in-campus professor you are working in.
+
+1. Keep emailing and mailing, and if the offers come, fair and good, if they don’t you are only in second year are in one of the premier institutions in the country where you can develop your skills or kickstart a long project that is more likely to yield you research papers than a 2 month long internship.
+
+I started mailing after the winter vacations to professors from IISC, IITs, IISERs and a couple of other research-centric institutes like TIFR, CSIR. Initially, I was met with plain rejections, unreplied emails or professors redirecting me to their research programs. A couple of weeks before the endsems, I got lucky and got acceptance from two professors, one from CenSE, IISC Bangalore and other from CSIR-CGRI Kolkata. The former being one of my initial targets and better prospects, other than having friends from the campus in Bangalore and IISC, was my final choice. The last advice: If you have a low CG and want to get in research, increase it, and if you can’t make sure that you don’t give up, keep mailing and doing research.
+
+### The Institute
+
+Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is one of the oldest, and the most prestigious research and educational institutions in India with departments researching specific areas. The Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) was established in 2010 to pursue interdisciplinary research across several disciplines with a focus on nanoscale systems like MEMS/NEMS, nanomaterials and devices, photonics, nano-biotechnology, solar cells, and computational nano-engineering. The center has been built around two central facilities – The National Nanofabrication Centre (NNfC) and the Micro and Nano Characterization facility (MNCF). Both are national user facilities, i.e. they are accessible to outside academic and industrial users. Supporting the central facilities are the MEMS and IC Packaging lab, the Computational Nanoengineering (CoNe) laboratory, Systems Lab, and 14 other functionally distinct laboratories managed by various research groups.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/naba-intern-2.png){: style="width:60%;height:auto;"}
+
+### The project
+
+My project was a part of a larger project that was funded by the Government of India (GOI) and focussed on fabrication of low-cost GaAs solar cells on a multifilm substrate consisting of Germanium and Silicon. The entire duration of the complete project is a few couples of years with multiple research groups collaborating on the different aspects of the project. To give you a basic idea, GaAs solar cells are highly efficient, but due to their high cost, they are only used in intergalactic space. If their cost can be reduced, this will mark an important milestone in the undergoing solar revolution, with the rural areas in our country benefiting the most.
+
+### Work and Environment
+
+Its a known fact that Bangalore’s weather is the best out of all the metros, and if you couple it with IISc’s lush green campus, you are in for a perfect getaway from the summer heat that has plagued me all these years. My contribution to the project could be branched out in three parts:
+
+1. Analyzing the XRD patterns to determine the crystallinity of the laser annealed germanium over silicon. Crystallinity is extremely important to allow charge carrier transport and I guess this is where my material science background was specifically of help to my mentor.
+
+1. Designing a LabVIEW virtual instrument. After carrying out initial experiments, we had to carry out zig-zag motion of laser beam on the specimens. For this, linear stages were procured and they needed to be programmed with the help of LabVIEW which further attaches them to the rest of the fabrication apparatus.
+
+1. Literature Review: Laser annealing of semiconductors is a fairly old field since the 1970s and extensive knowledge of its existing literature had to be known if we were to explain all our results and the one which was to follow.
+
+The work environment was pretty chill and we could come and leave anytime we wanted to as long as we could show considerable progress in our reports, submitted once a week during group meetings. IISc is a premier research institution where you can attend lectures, seminars, and conferences which are happening every day at some of the other department. Other than giving you a good idea of where the research in the world is heading to, its free lunch, and possible networking hub with like-minded people. I used to do most my work in the M.Tech lounge where the other interns also used to sit, chit-chatting with them on Bean Bags, playing a game of Counter-Strike, or strolling around the campus in on rented bicycles. Bangalore being a metro city is too crowded, but if you go in the outskirts, you can go for short night treks to the hills and the monoliths that border the city. Pondicherry as the french seaside town is just a night drive away. Apart from that, if you want to enjoy it that conventional way, you can go to beautiful bookstores, breweries, and cafes and can attend quizzes and concerts.
+
+### Summing Up
+
+A research internship, especially in IISc in the second year was an eye-opening exercise for me. You get exposure to people who have been in the field for decades and get to learn the essential skills. Away from the noisy confused background of IIT, and being so close to what it actually is, it definitely does help to answer one’s question, if one wants to continue doing research or not. The biggest takeaway for me was the availability of XRD, SEM, etc. which takes a month or two to avail in Roorkee, but a day or maximum half a week in here. Talking to professors, even possible disputed Nobel Laureate and students from all over the country coupled with roaming in a city that is littered with gardens, history, and perennially beautiful weather was one of the few wholesome experiences I have had in my life!

_posts/2019-08-21-summer-diaries-komal-curefit.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Cure.fit"
+image: "komal-curefit-2.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Komal Maheshwari"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'I spent my summers at Cure.fit, bangalore as a product design intern. In this article I’ll try to summarise my experience of the same.'
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+I spent my summers at Cure.fit, bangalore as a product design intern. In this article I’ll try to summarise my experience of the same.
+
+## About the company
+
+Cure.fit is a heath and fitness start-up. It was founded by Mukesh Bansal (ex-founder, Myntra) and Ankit Nagori (ex-chief business officer, Flipkart). Founded in 2016, it’s one of the fastest growing start-ups in the country today.
+
+## Making it there
+
+My story of making it to Cure.fit consists of two parts:
+
+1. Deciding to apply
+
+1. Applying
+
+The second part was fairly straight forward. The first part, however, was tougher. Let's start with the simpler bit.
+
+### Applying:
+
+Most startups don’t have a formal internship programme. There are only two ways to apply to a startup – email your resume to them or send a LinkedIn message to someone in that company who is working in your field of interest.
+
+A typical email would consist of a cover letter, your resume and a link to your blog/dribble/github/LinkedIn or any other platform you chose to use for the purpose of documenting your projects.
+
+A typical LinkedIn message would be shorter, crisper and less formal. It’s contents would vary according to your purpose. You could ask about the availability of internship opportunities, or about how you should go about approaching the company (who you should contact, what medium you should use), you could directly send your portfolio if you feel that it’s relevant for the person you’re communicating with and you can even text them to ask for general career related guidance.
+
+Coming back to the application process, I sent emails to around 30 start-ups in India. Cure.fit was the first company to respond.
+I had a telephone interview which lasted for about 40 mins during which I was tested in basic problem solving. Towards the end of the interview I was told that I had cleared it and they  invited me over for an internship at their Bangalore HQ.
+
+Side note: Different start-ups have different ways of assessing candidates. Some give you assignments to solve—some have multiple interview rounds. Even the same company assesses different candidates differently. What start-ups basically try to gauge while assessing you is whether or not you fit into their “criteria"  and they continue to test you until they are convinced one way or the other. The criteria, again, varies from company to company and can include anything from skill set to personality traits. Therefore, don't take rejection personally. It's a good idea to talk to someone who’s already worked there, it really helps in getting into the groove and understanding what the culture of the company is like and what they stand for. Also, before appearing for an interview, you should have a fairly good idea about their product, and your reason for applying to their company.
+
+**Tips for the interview:**
+
+1. Think out loud. Don't just give them the final answer. They are way more interested in how you arrived at that answer.
+
+1. Don't fake it. It's not a good idea for two reasons :
+
+    1. They usually see through it.
+
+    1. It's a bad deal for both you and the  company because at the end of it they will be stuck with someone they did not sign up for and you will always have to try to conform to that fake image they hired.
+
+1. Don't be afraid to accept that you're wrong and be eager to learn. They are well aware of the fact that as an internship applicant you don't have one-fifth the knowledge or experience that their regular employees have. It is, therefore, really important to them that you're not stubborn about your solutions, are willing to accept your mistakes and are eager to learn because that way it'll be easier for them to teach you and in turn easier to get an output out of you.
+
+### Deciding to apply
+
+Now, this is the tricky part. Squaring in on a field you wish to intern in is, in my opinion, one of the toughest things you have to do in college (So many options—very little time! )  But it’s also kinda fun, like a rollercoaster ride makes you very queasy in the gut sometimes but gives you an exhilaration like nothing else all the other times.
+I won’t get into the details of my story for two simple reasons:
+
+1. It’s long, complicated and boring.
+
+1. It’s irrelevant. No two journeys are the same. And that’s the way it should be.
+
+I will, however, share with you things that helped me:
+
+1. Reading. Medium blogs, books, anything and everything. The book that had the most important role in this journey was Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It taught me, among a lot of other things, how important a good design was to build a great product and how a great product can create a huge, life altering impact on the world.
+
+1. Talking to people. Anybody and everybody. Whoever you find interesting or whoever you feel can help you answer questions that are bothering you. It doesn’t matter if you know them or not. Just text them and ask them out for coffee (Please be polite, make your intentions clear and don’t creep people out) or ask a common friend to introduce you and then, have a conversation. Don’t attack them with your questions but don’t be scared or ashamed to ask wherever you have doubts. In fact, Roorkee is a little like Hogwarts. Help will always be provided to those who ask for it.
+
+## The Work
+
+I worked on two main projects – one pertaining to product design and another one pertaining to product management (I had taken up the second one voluntarily)
+
+The first project involved improving the existing user experience for an EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system for doctors. This project involved Visual design, UX design, user research and basic usability testing.
+
+The second project didn’t involve as much ‘management’ as it involved brainstorming and research.
+
+For those of you who don’t know, a product develops in stages (for a strictly digital product the stages are broadly- conceptualization, design and development. Other stages come in when the product also has operational and other requirements) and a product manager is a part of all these stages. It’s a myth that product managers only boss people around or only need to manage people. A product manager does everything from people management to minute design iterations. He or she basically responds to the need of the product at any given stage and in any possible way.
+
+My product was in its conceptualization stage. The company had a faint idea that there existed a particular market need (can’t delve into specifics because it’s still in the works) and that there existed a possibility that they could cater to it and expand their user base in the process but they weren’t quite sure how feasible the whole idea was. My job was to figure out what exactly this market need was and how acute it was and what we could do in order to cater to it. In order to do this I conducted user research (basically, identified the categories of users that needed to be spoken to in order to gain insights, drafted a questionnaire for each category and then called them up individually) and had multiple brainstorming sessions with my mentor. This was probably the most interesting project I’ve ever worked on.
+
+## The Work Culture
+
+Cure.fit takes immense pride in its flat organisational structure. There are no bosses. Everyone is free to speak out. Curiosity is encouraged and openness to feedback is highly appreciated.
+
+As an intern, I think the most rewarding aspect of the culture there was that I could go and talk to anyone, about anything and ask as many questions as I wanted. The cherry on the cake was that they were only too happy to help me and never made me feel like my questions were dumb or that my opinions were not as important as those of the employee sitting next to me and mentoring me.
+
+There were also a lot of fun days. Especially the cricket match days during the World Cup. Everyone would take their laptops to the terrace garden and watch the match together on a huge screen and cheer for India while gorging on unlimited beer and food.
+
+## Summing up
+
+![pic](/images/posts/komal-curefit-1.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto;"}
+
+*The design team. They’d almost become family to me by the time I left.*
+
+This was my first ever internship and I didn't really know what to expect but to be honest, I don’t think it could’ve gotten better than this. One piece of advice to anybody out there, especially the first and second years:
+
+A lot of you may feel overwhelmed, intimidated even, by the sheer number of cryptically named career options out there. I know I was and still am. It’s never completely clear which profession entails what kind of work and whether or not that work will interest you. One very effective way to get a better understanding of what different corporate job profiles entail and how they come together to actually make organisations work is to intern with a start-up. As early on in your journey as possible. Most start-ups have a very flexible work environment. You are given immense autonomy, a lot more than most established companies. You can go around absorbing as much information as you want and volunteering for projects in different departments. It’s an extremely enriching experience.
+
+That's all from my side. Please feel free to contact me in case of any questions. You can also ping me for a random conversation. A good conversation is always fun.

_posts/2019-08-21-summer-diaries-rakshak-foundation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Rakshak Foundation"
+image: "roshan-kumar-1.jpg"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Roshan Kumar"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'My Internship was in the field of Public policy research and I was working on the project “Happy Village (Mangal Gram)”. I got the opportunity to work with the Happiness Department, Govt of Madhya Pradesh which is the first of its kind in India.'
+---
+
+## Brief description of my project
+
+My Internship was in the field of Public policy research and I was working on the project “Happy Village (Mangal Gram)”. I got the opportunity to work with the Happiness Department, Govt of Madhya Pradesh which is the first of its kind in India.
+
+## About the Rakshak Foundation program
+
+Rakshak Foundation is an organization based in California which helps in channeling the desire in you to make a positive impact in the lives of countless others. These are people you might never get to know in your lifetime. Rakshak provides insight into high-level issues, their interconnection and long term effects on society. You have a choice to submit a project proposal to start on something you want to change, work with a project which is in progress, or help with research on public policy issues. The vision of this organization can be summarized with a quote from former US President Franklin D Roosevelt, ‘We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.’
+
+This Internship gives ample opportunities to students coming from diverse educational backgrounds. From my experience, I can tell you that, as an engineer, you’ll come across numerous instances where your technical knowledge will be required to derive a solution to the problems you come across.
+
+The number of choices you get, and the domain you want to spend your next two months in, are limitless. From improving quality of life-infrastructure, traffic, pollution, and basic necessities, to improving accountability, efficiency, and transparency of public offices and to developing mobile applications, software & web applications for creative social applications, there are no limits.
+
+In the program, you’ll be mentored by an IAS Officer or a person with equivalent caliber. In the end, if your work is good enough, you will get an opportunity to publish a journal on it.
+
+## Application process
+
+The selection process involves resume shortlisting and then 1 Interview round. For the Resume shortlisting, highlighting your contribution to public issues and your engagement with social activities will help you in clearing the first round. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan(UBA), National Service Scheme(NSS), Child Right & You(CRY) or any of your technical projects through which you made an impact on society will help you through this round. The second round can be seen as a micro version of the Civil Services interview round. I’ll substantiate further. Since this organization comes for on-campus internship in the 1st week of February, you’ll have enough time to zero-in on probable career choices you are going to pursue. It is extremely important to be specific about what you want from this internship opportunity and how you will utilize this experience further in your life. Reason being, Public policy research is quite different from regular Internship opportunities available on the campus. If you feel that working under bureaucrats in Government institutions on any public issue will help you in the near future, you are ready to go into the less traveled path. For improving your chances of selection, stress more on the preparation of the Interview round. In the interview, you will be asked about your opinion on the contemporary issues of India. Make sure you know the pros and cons of major government initiatives. Keep yourself updated regarding current affairs either through the newspaper or other sources. This will help you in forming opinions there.
+
+## How I made it to there
+
+Initially, I applied to some core companies like ITC, Reliance, BAJAJ, but couldn’t make it there. By November, after deliberating on my career plan, I decided to go with the Internship at Rakshak Foundation or BHEL. In the resume shortlisting, my activities at Unnat Bharat Abhiyan made up most of my portfolios apart from my DRDO internship. In the Interview round, apart from some common interview questions, I was asked these 7 questions:
+
+1. Explain any 5 Government Plan/Scheme.
+
+2. Which plan do you think will not give desirable results and what are some corrective actions to make it work?
+
+3. What are the major issues of your state and what steps should be taken to address them?
+
+4. Elaborate Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
+
+5. Five pros and five cons of E-learning.
+
+6. Three benefits of Dowry systems.
+
+7. What do you expect from Rakshak Foundation Internship program and how it’ll help you in the future?
+
+If you get selected in the Internship program, you’ll be asked to choose a project and prepare an action plan for its execution. This is the most critical decision in this Internship so make it wisely by deliberating on your strengths and weaknesses. You need to choose a project which you can put your brain into and are not a novice at because of two reasons. First being that you cannot always expect your mentor to be around in case you are stuck. He is an IAS officer and has a tight schedule. He’ll not be available to take your calls sometimes for a week. You need to make it through yourself. The second reason is that you are designing a policy/framework and presenting it to a person who has more than two decades of experience in it. You’ll let slip 2 months of golden experience out of your hand if you choose a project in which you are not a pro. The Mentor can’t and will not help you in that case due to lack of time. Moreover, if you want to implement your policies and test its efficacy, you will have the support of someone responsible for a District. You can take the help of the whole District Administration and Machinery to implement it.
+
+## My field of research
+
+My area of research was on Public Policy that would be used to make a Happy Village (Mangal Gram). The idea was envisioned by my mentor, Mr. Manohar Dubey, Commissioner of Sagar, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The project was divided into four parts. First I had to do a detailed study of tools/techniques used by Happiness Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh. Then I had to improve on the techniques to make it more relevant to the village scenario. The second part was to guide and help the team comprised of trained village youths in sensitizing the village residents about the tools and techniques to bring happiness and inner development in them by organizing Gram Sabha type meeting. The third part was to develop a community feeling among villagers by resolving their conflicts. The fourth part was to use the volunteerism attitude thus developed due to community feeling for citizen-driven development. The twist in the story came out when I got to know that Caste discrimination and Purdah system was prevalent in the villages in which I was trying to implement the policy designed.
+
+The working hours were flexible but the timing of engagement was according to the need of the project.  I had to dedicate 6 hours almost every day. Moreover, I was provided with a Government vehicle for the field visit. I was provided accommodation at the Circuit House of Chhatarpur and my neighbor was an SDM! There were frequent Administrative meetings of the SDM, DM, and Commissioners. Attending those meetings gave me opportunities to observe governance closely. Every morning, I used to deliberate on various issues of the project I was working on and several other things apart from that.
+
+The best part of the experience was the 8 hour long ride with my mentor at the very end of my Internship period. We visited the best tourist spots in Bhopal. That 8 hours one-to-one conversation gave me a great insight into the mindset of a person who is so important for the country.
+
+Talking about the place, Chhatarpur was once ruled by Maharaja Chhatrasal. One of my favorite movies ‘Bajirao Mastani’ is based on the love story of his daughter, Mastani. The Gulganj fort of Maharaja Chhatarsal is still well maintained. The epitome of art and sculpture, ‘Khajuraho Temple’ is not very far from this place.
+
+![pic](/images/posts/roshan-kumar-2.jpg){: style="width:100%;height:auto;"}
+
+*With my Mentor IAS Manohar Dubey and the Happiness Department team.*
+
+## Summing up and key takeaways
+
+I got to understand the intricacies of public policies by performing a long study in one such field. It has helped me to broaden my horizons and gain a lot of perspective towards public policy and social issues. I learned many things about the legal and social aspects of governance. The Internship challenged my command on the soft skills as I had to interact with a diverse set of people, ranging from a villager to the Governor. Yes, I met with the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mrs. Anandiben Patel. After getting impressed with my work, my mentor gave me the opportunity to present my work to her. That was the best reward I could get.
+
+In the end, I came out with a Journal and an experience worth cherishing.

_posts/2019-08-23-prof-arnab.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Institute Lecture : In Conversation with Professor Arnab Bhattacharya"
+image: arnab.jpg
+tags: [wona, column]
+category: verbatim 
+excerpt: 'Professor Arnab Bhattacharya is an accomplished physicist and researcher at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.'
+---
+
+*Professor Arnab Bhattacharya is an accomplished physicist and researcher at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He is well renowned for his social endeavors that tend to science outreach. On 23rd August, Prof. Arnab will deliver a lecture on the Periodic Table of Elements. Watch Out! decided to interview Prof. Arnab to converse about his research, his social outreach, his Institute Lecture and his time as an undergraduate at IITB.*
+<br><br>
+**Watch Out! :** You completed your B. Tech. from IITB, then did your PhD from Wisconsin-Madison. How did you actually become interested in your current research work? Also, could you give us some insights regarding your topic of research (III-Nitride semiconductors) and talk about your experience with the same?
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** Well, long story. I've meandered a long way before settling on what I wanted to do. I could have gone with the standard engineering branches like Electrical or Mechanical or Chemical etc after JEE, but I was fascinated by astronomy and astrophysics, so I finally took up Engineering Physics at IITB (Good decision in retrospect). Eventually I found what professional astrophysicists do a bit too mathematical (I suck at math) and disconnected from hands on stuff (like what one did in amateur astronomy). I slowly drifted towards microelectronics, as it was something i could relate to. During the pre-internet days there was no way  of really knowing what one would find in grad school. I got a scholarship with the Physics Department at Wisconsin, but figured I didn't like anything in physics as such, so I moved over to work on semiconductor lasers with people in Electrical Engineering. So, I have a Physics PhD certificate, working in  an electrical engineering lab, and my mentor was a chemical engineer. Two important learnings - the fun stuff is happening at the intersection between traditional disciplines, and it really doesn't matter what you do - a Ph.D. is an exercise in problem solving, you can apply that anywhere. 
+ 
+I had never worked on nitride semiconductors in grad school or as a postdoc. When I came back to India, initially I was keen to do the same semiconductor laser stuff I was familiar with. But these new materials were coming up and I decided I just HAD to get into it.... Thankfully I got enough support to set up the first GaN epitaxy lab in India. Then I've moved around a lot into different materials after that...
+<br><br> 
+**Watch Out! :** You have been actively involved in the field of science outreach. Could you tell us what exactly science outreach is, and how you have been involved in it? Also, you pioneered “Chai and Why?”. What is this initiative? In what capacity can college students contribute in science outreach?
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** Ok, again I might ramble, but let me try. In India, there is a worrying disconnect between science and society. The role of curiosity-driven, basic research such as that done at research institutes like mine, (TIFR) is rarely appreciated. Unfortunately, the scientific community, though mainly publicly funded, hardly engages adequately with the public, with outreach being a public relations exercise rather than a platform for discussion. Even for members of the general public with an interest in science, there is no forum to interact with scientists and ask questions. “Science” is that difficult, boring but unfortunately compulsory school subject, where one memorizes facts to answer questions in an exam. School education does not convey the spirit of enquiry in science, and fails to  present it as a way of understanding the world around us. Not surprisingly, many students drop science after high school. Science is often thought to be elitist, with scientists in ivory-tower research institutions.   Hence I really felt I needed to do something about this.
+ 
+I thought of adapting the well-known “Café Scientifique” format, where scientists chat with the public in an informal environment, to make it relevant in Mumbai. The word science itself was a problem – anything with science is perceived as being “not-for-me” by the public. To make it user-friendly, I thought of the name "Chai and Why?". I could luckily try this out (a six-month experiment!) at Mumbai's popular theatre venue, Prithvi Theatre and “Chai and Why?” was born in January 2009. The public response was phenomenal, we immediately went to a twice-a-month format (at a second mid-month venue) and in 2015 started an occasional 3rd venue. We’re still running without a break, now in year 11 with over 270+ successful sessions! 
+<br><br> 
+**Watch Out! :** IUPAC has declared 2019 as the International Year of The Periodic Table. Why is this so significant? 
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** Short answer this time. Every culture throughout history has been keen to know what the world around them was made up of. From ‘Earth, Water, Air, FIre’, we've now gone to 118 elements in the periodic table. The Periodic Table is not just an icon of chemistry, it is an icon of science as a whole, so it is good we get to celebrate the journey that has led us here. (150 years since Mendeleev, completion of the 7th period elements etc.)
+<br><br> 
+**Watch Out! :** What topics are you going to touch upon during your talk at IITR? 
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** Two things - that there is no unique periodic table, and that the Periodic Table is universal - we find the same elements everywhere in the universe. So lots of "ChemHistory" stories with lots of Astronomy as well.
+<br><br>
+**Watch Out! :** Moving away from academics for a bit, what’s a crazy college story you’d like to tell us?
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** Most of the stuff  will probably be censored.... My time at IITB was wilder than things are now.
+Let's see. I've done way too much "keeda" in IITB lingo -  from convincing professors to let us go watch the sunset right in the middle of an end-sem exam, to stealing beds from other hostels (we had a large corner room in the hostel that was the unofficial "adda" for mugging or partying, but you couldn’t have 2 beds in your room - however that rule was applicable only for your own hostel inventory), to arranging booby trapped doors to dunk people in water..... 
+<br><br> 
+**Watch Out! :** We would like to know about your experience at TIFR, and the different opportunities it provides to students interested in research.
+ 
+**Prof. Arnab :** TIFR works on everything from Astronomy to Zoology, literally A-Z, and there are world class labs working on cutting edge problems. It is a very different environment than almost any other similar national lab in India, for the historical ethos that pervades it, right from our fantastic art collection that greets you when you enter, to the most inspiring seashore. 
+
+

_posts/2019-08-25-summer-diaries-codess.md

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: Codess"
+image: "tina1.png"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Tina Oberoi"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: 'I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Microsoft family via Codess. Initially, like many of you know, I was unaware of the opportunities available out there for empowering women. Codess is one of those amazing opportunities offered by Microsoft to students.'
+---
+
+
+I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Microsoft family via Codess. Initially, like many of you know, I was unaware of the opportunities available out there for empowering women. Codess is one of those amazing opportunities offered by Microsoft to students.
+
+## What is Codess?
+Codess is a community for female coders by Microsoft, established to explore ways to promote gender diversity in the engineering field. 
+
+## How to be a part of Codess Family? 
+The procedure involves one online coding round which involves three questions with different difficulty levels (1 easy, 1 medium, 1 hard). The candidates selected after the coding round are invited to attend a seminar held at the Microsoft campus, Hyderabad. 
+In the first half of the day, there were a couple of leadership talks focusing on the idea: ‘Be the CEO of your idea’. We were shown a video of Tim Cook unveiling an iPhone which presented us with many insightful points about presenting ourselves. Over lunch, we interacted with a lot of leaders and students from different colleges. The main highlight of the event was the second half of the day in which we had a hackathon. We were divided into teams of 8-9 members and each team was assigned a mentor. In the 2-hour long hackathon, we were asked to come up with any technology idea and cover points like how the idea is to be implemented, what accomplishment is expected to be achieved through the idea, etc. The mentors assigned for each team shared the best practices, while the teams deliberated and discussed different approaches and came up with solutions. The mentors also assessed each of us on different skills (like confidence, knowledge of tech, team spirit, etc). After 2 hours of brainstorming, we had to present our ideas (keeping in mind what we were taught during the morning sessions) in front of the leaders. It was a great event as we came in teams to collaborate on new and innovative ideas and experienced how team spirit plays an important role in driving towards a goal and how everyone's participation makes it possible to achieve that goal. Although the winners of the hackathon were announced at the venue itself students selected for the internship were announced via mail after a few days. 
+
+
+
+## Work Culture 
+
+After the orientation, each intern is assigned to a team and a project. The intern is assigned a mentor and a manager. The mentor is your go-to person, he is the one who has experience of the project and will be guiding you for the next two months. 
+
+## The Project I Worked On
+
+I worked under the Azure Networking team. Azure Networking is further divided into various other smaller teams based on the products, services, and platforms they are responsible for.
+Second Year: 
+In the second year, I interned in Foundry. I was under the AzureNetworking NetPerf Team. 
+We were a team of 5 members(4 developers and 1 UX-Designer). Our project was named PEAS (Performance Evaluation As a Self-service). It aimed at providing a platform to monitor health to ensure the availability of their network solutions with automated monitoring and alerts. 
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tina2.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto;"}
+         
+*I got a PIO (Pre-Internship offer after my internship in the second year)*
+
+### Third-year:
+
+
+I was assigned EAP (aka Elastic Autopilot)Team. In this process, I was assigned a mentor. I was glad that my project was not a POC and was something that will soon be in production. My work mainly focused on improving the overall monitoring and automation by reducing false alerts, thus reducing the load on ICMs and avoiding redundant manual efforts put in by the team as of now.
+
+## The Overall Experience
+In the beginning, I was quite overwhelmed by my project, but eventually, you get a better understanding of it. The only important thing is that you put your issues on the table, ask for help if you need. Since I was the only intern in my team(in the third year), it took me a while to know the project, people and get comfortable with them. But the best part was, though you are assigned a mentor and he is responsible for resolving your issues, the other team members are also supportive. You just need to ask for help and everybody is always there to help you in the best possible way they can.  
+There are no strict office timing schedules that you need to follow, but try to sync it with your daily scrums and also with your mentor’s office timings. There is no dress-code, wear anything you are comfortable in. There are various efforts put by the team to make you comfortable which include team outing and team lunches. 
+We had team lunches at some very fancy places in Hyderabad (perks of a corporate life :-p) 
+         
+
+![pic](/images/posts/tina3.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto;"}
+
+I was also given a farewell lunch on the last day of my internship. 
+               
+![pic](/images/posts/tina4.png){: style="width:70%;height:auto;"}
+
+Apart from your projects, Microsoft also has an annual entertaining event called “Unwind” where you have stand-ups and band performances. An “intern week” is also organised during the internship, where they have events like painting sessions, leadership talks, and others. Gladly, the overall corporate experience for me was fun and insightful.
+
+## My Takeaways 
+I really like the work culture Microsoft has adopted and the best part is that they have maintained this culture over the years without fail. If you want to learn about a particular team’s work, their plans for future projects or you want to discuss something about that particular field, the only thing you need is the will and the courage to ask and some people will help you irrespective of their positions, teams or experience. It does not matter if you know them or not, you just have to send a message and ask them if they could meet you for lunch or coffee to discuss that particular topic. They will be more than happy to do so. Believe me. I have tried and tested it. 
+          
+
+
+
+

_posts/2019-08-27-branch-change.md

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Branch Change"
+tags: [wona]
+category: academics
+image: branch-change-1.jpg
+excerpt: "The IITs are considered to be the most coveted institutions for undergraduate studies across the country. The fact that only around 1% of the candidates appearing in the entrance exam manage to secure a seat in these institutions is a testament to the quality of students that manage to get through."
+---
+
+The IITs are considered to be the most coveted institutions for undergraduate studies across the country. The fact that only around 1% of the candidates appearing in the entrance exam manage to secure a seat in these institutions is a testament to the quality of students that manage to get through.
+
+But added to this is the disadvantage that your fate is left in the hands of that little amount of magic that you produce during the 6 hrs of one of the most difficult and strenuous examinations across the globe. The incredible load of expectations of all those who surround the examinee sometimes leads to blunders that can cost the candidate his/her dreams. However, the system itself provides the candidates with another chance to deem themselves worthy of their dreams, with the opportunity to change their branch in their freshman year.
+
+In the oldest technical institute of the country, this opportunity presents itself at the end of the first semester. The best part about it? The students compete as equals with nothing but merit separating them from their dreams. That, and of course their JEE rank that comes back to haunt some of the candidates. Most of the freshmen find themselves struggling to strike that sweet spot of balance between exploring the plethora of opportunities that the campus has to offer and studying “hard enough” in order to have a better shot at changing the cards they were dealt with.
+
+The main aim of this article is to dispel some of the myths that seem to surround the idea of changing your branch, make past year statistics easily accessible, and hopefully provide perspective with regards to the ideology behind the process.
+
+## Rules and Regulations
+
+The guidelines for the branch change procedure for the academic year 2018-19 can be found here: [https://channeli.in:8080/media/notices/pdfimages/BranchChangeNotice2019.png](https://channeli.in:8080/media/notices/pdfimages/BranchChangeNotice2019.png){: style="text-decoration:underline"}.
+
+Key Takeaways:
+
+1. The additional 10% seats “added” at the end of the semester are calculated using the original number of seats being offered by the department during the JoSAA counseling. Extra seats are also vacated if students from a department change their branches. (see next picture)
+
+1. Grades are the only criteria on which preference is given to students. In the case of equal grades, the JEE Advanced rank will be the tiebreaker.
+
+1. B.Arch students aren’t eligible
+
+![A well meaning senior in action](/images/posts/branch-change-2.jpeg){: style="width:80%;height:auto"}
+
+> “In India, we don’t choose our major but our major chooses us.”
+
+Reflect on this for a second. Most of the students who enrolled in IIT Roorkee in any branch whatsoever did so without much research about what they were getting into. In fact, the research generally begins after the JEE ranks are out and your future has already been partially decided. Most of us are told to choose any available branch from the old IITs simply because of their reputation(sounds familiar?).
+
+According to the modern-day convention, almost everyone seems to be aiming for the circuit branches without actually even knowing what the stream is all about.
+
+But since we’re already here, how about adopting a different approach?
+
+The first step in any life-changing decision is to identify why you think taking that decision means so much to you. Most of the candidates that think about changing their department do so citing the placement statistics of the previous years. While not the best way to make that decision, we don’t discourage you from going down that road. But what we certainly encourage you to do is to understand that now that you are on campus, you have the opportunity to talk to a vast variety of seniors, all of whom are working in various different fields. In doing so you enable yourself to make an informed decision of what you want to do, at least for the next few years if not eternity.
+
+Citing the fact that a number of students look forward to the process, the rules and regulations for the same were considerably relaxed last year. Owing to this, the students now enjoy a much better chance to change their branch than they did prior to 2018. The following diagram shows the number of students that successfully changed their branch last year:
+
+![graph](/images/posts/branch-change-3.png){: style="width:100%;height:auto"}
+
+## Adopting a Holistic Approach
+
+Contrary to popular belief, being a traditional “ghissu” is not the key to changing your branch. For most of it, it is a journey in parallel to the one you embarked on when preparing for JEE but also a lot different in terms of the opportunity cost and final outcome.
+
+Most candidates who give their everything towards the idea of a department change often make the same mistakes, the most major of them all being never actually stepping out of their rooms to explore what the campus has to offer. This decision either comes back to haunt them if they fail or becomes something that just falls into the pit of buried regrets if they are successful.
+
+Adopting a holistic approach in getting through your time on campus is probably the best thing that you can do regardless of what your aspirations are. Devote yourself to your studies, the idea being to give your best but not to be bogged down if you’re unable to do so (this is where relative grading is most helpful). At the same time don’t disregard all the talks and lectures that the institute and the various campus groups organize.
+
+The key is to manage your time exceptionally well and also to be persistent with your efforts towards the final goal (see the similarities yet?).
+
+## How tough is it?
+
+To put things into perspective, we now follow up with a diagram based on last years statistics. The numbers provided here are just to give the viewer an idea of what he/she needs to do in order to secure a branch change. It is important to note that these numbers do not form a standard basis and change each year according to the preferences of the candidates that year.
+
+As mentioned earlier, the rules for this procedure have been considerably relaxed but even so the entry into the “much coveted” circuit branches(CSE, ECE, and EE) remains an uphill task. The required SGPA last year was as follows:
+
+| Branch | Opening SG | Closing SG |
+|---|---|---|
+| CSE | 9.905 | 9.81 |
+| ECE | 9.714 | 9.619 |
+| EE | 9.667 | 9.381 |
+| MSM | 9.429 | 9.429 |
+| ME | 9.381 | 9.048 |
+| CE | 9.333 | 9.333 |
+| EPH | 9.286 | 8.714 |
+| CHE | 9.048 | 8.857 |
+| IN | 9 | 8.81 |
+| GPT | 8.714 | 7.81 |
+{:.mbtablestyle}
+
+## Final Word of Advice
+
+The truth is that changing your branch is by no means easy, but consistency and persistence go a long way in getting you what you want. It is important to remember that your college isn’t just here to provide you with quality education, being an IITian is a lot more than that. It’s about modeling yourself into a better individual, something that is only possible if you step out of your room and your comfort zones to experience the journey that is IIT-Roorkee. So although putting a semester into something that draws you as much as the idea of a branch change (and we know it does), it wouldn’t be the worst idea to allow yourself to indulge into the little joys of campus life as well.
+
+## Hear it from them
+
+> “What I followed was simple, I attended all the lectures, made notes and attempted all tutorials. Whenever I found any topic difficult, I read the textbooks referred by the professor. If I ever felt the need for additional resources for the common courses, I contacted students of other branches. Regular study and consistency is the key. It is important to understand that being completely absorbed in just studies will do no good, rather it will cause frustration. My simple advice to any aspirant is that be regular and sincere. If you ever feel stressed or bored, just knock on  your friend's door.”
+
+\- **Sparsh Gupta** (2nd Year, Branch Changer from EE to ECE)
+
+***
+
+> "The best advice that anyone can give you regarding changing your department is to stop thinking about it right up until the time you actually have to fill out the choices. I followed a similar approach but only after a set back in my mid sem examinations.
+>
+> In my experience, the most difficult part of getting my department changed was rising above all the years of spoon-feeding that we received when at school and our coaching centers. The teaching standards seemed to have dropped all of a sudden where the professors expected us to do nothing more but either rote learn the formulae or take the high road and not study at all.
+>
+> But in this process of discovering the right recipe to success, I ended up learning the true meaning of self-study. Do not let things get monotonous. You could study 8 hours a day and not get anywhere or study as many hours as you actually require and get to a place where you're more comfortable with yourself. Involving yourself in the other activities being carried out on the campus. DON'T MISS OUT. Believe me, when I say this, it will keep things interesting and if you play your cards right you might just be able to get your department changed."
+
+\- **Divyam Goel** (2nd Year, Branch Changer from BT to ECE)
+
+***
+
+> "Early on I realized that the curriculum courses were not too demanding.The actual challenge was to stay focused through the hullabaloo around.
+>
+> The start of the semester sees many students excitedly entertaining the prospect of branch change, but the interest and the will to work hard fade over time. The lectures are tedious and waking up for the 8 am class may not seem worthwhile. You might not see immediate results of your efforts. Also, the sense of having too much to do in too little time never leaves, but you gradually get better at multitasking.
+>
+> My performance in the mid-semester exams was barely satisfactory and its easiest to give up when the odds in your favor "seem" so low. But if you truly, sincerely want something, you will keep trying and your efforts are sure to see you through."
+
+\- **Jayati Shrivastava** (2nd Year, Branch Changer from PSE to EE)
+
+***
+
+> “Even while taking up chemical engineering, I had it churning at the back of my mind that I NEEDED to get into mechanical engineering; I had convinced myself that I was undoubtedly passionate about it. Turns out, after a couple of semesters into my new branch I am pursuing research in physics( which I am not entirely sure of either ). The moral here is that interests are extremely volatile and keep changing, and if you indeed are truly passionate about something, you’ll be able to do it regardless of your branch, even though it might be trickier in some cases.
+>
+> One thing you can do is to make full use of all the opportunities this campus has to offer. Never spoken in public before? Try debating. Never tried putting in ink the things that roam in your mind? Try writing for a magazine. Try making a website of your own and see if it interests you. Reach out to seniors for help. Roorkee can be a lot of fun if you manage your time here well and have some self-awareness."
+
+\- **Sudhang Varshney** (3rd Year, Branch Changer from CH to ME)
+
+***
+
+> “You might not feel so good about the lectures. Don't worry, even I didn't. Self study will help you sail through. But I suggest that you should attend the lectures regularly and try to be attentive. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t. Also having a good attendance helps you in bunking classes before the mid-sem and end-sem exams to study. Complete the tut sheets on time and attend tutorials regularly to clear your doubts.Mostly the questions asked in exams are from the tut sheets.”
+
+\- **Gurdeep Singh** (2nd Year, Branch Changer from EE to CSE)
+
+***
+
+> "Scoring a high SGPA is not difficult if someone completes the assignments in time and keeps up with whatever the professor is teaching in the class. Reference books give you confidence in the course. Match your class notes with the referred books to better understand topics you are not clear about. My mid-semester performance was just above average. At that moment, I could have concluded that branch change was not my cup of tea but my consistency and persistence paid off.”
+
+\- **Nitish Aggrawal** (2nd Year, Branch Changer from MECH to EE)
+
+***
+
+> “Staying attentive to all the lectures throughout the semester is not possible, but try not to let the workload pile up for the end moment. Also, be serious about the CWS marks as they make quite a difference to your final score.”
+
+\- **Radha Jayraman** (2nd year, Branch Changer from PSE to CHEM)

_posts/2019-08-27-summer-diaries-vaibhav-gsoc.md

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Summer Diaries: GSoC at Zulip"
+image: "vaibhav-gsoc.jpeg"
+tags: [wona]
+author: "Vaibhav"
+category: summer2019
+excerpt: "Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on introducing students to open source software development. Many open source organizations apply to the program. Then you apply by writing a proposal for a project in one of the selected orgs. I wrote a proposal for a project in Zulip (a team chat platform) and got selected."
+---
+
+GSoC stands for Google Summer of Code. To quote [about page](http://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/about/){: style="text-decoration:underline"} of the GSoC website:
+
+> “Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on introducing students to open source software development.”
+
+Many open source organizations apply to the program. Then you apply by writing a proposal for a project in one of the selected orgs. If your proposal is accepted, Google awards you with a stipend for working full time for 3 months with that particular organization.
+
+For more details on how the program works and how you can get selected, refer to this article -- [watchout.iitr.ac.in/2019/05/summer-diaries-gsoc](http://watchout.iitr.ac.in/2019/05/summer-diaries-gsoc){: style="text-decoration:underline"}.
+
+I wrote a proposal for a project in [Zulip](http://zulipchat.com){: style="text-decoration:underline"} (a team chat platform) and got selected.
+
+## Making it there
+
+In first year, I saw my seniors apply for the program. I tried but failed. Though the effort that I put into searching for an organization turned out to be helpful. I discovered Zulip and found the community to be welcoming and extremely helpful.
+
+I started contributing to Zulip in December 2018. Searched for an issue that I could get started with easily as a new contributor and submitted a pull request for the same. All the issues on Github are appropriately labelled, so that really helped. By March I had around 40 commits on the main repository.
+
+It's not just about how good your proposal is for getting selected. What matters more is how much you contribute to the organization. By contributions I mean submitting pull requests, opening issues, and even getting involved in the community.
+
+If you want to apply for GSoC in future, you should pick an organisation based on your interests and then prioritise the one which has an active community. You really do get to learn a lot of things when working in such an environment.
+
+## Work and culture
+
+All the contributors were informed that the projects we'd be working on would be flexible and would change during the course of time. Unlike many other organisations, all the GSoC interns work on many different projects, even if some of them weren’t part of their proposal.
+
+I like to have a bunch of different things to work on at the same time. On a regular basis, I work on a project that was mentioned in my proposal. Apart from that, I am frequently tagged in issues and PRs that need my attention.
+
+Since it’s a remote internship, timings are flexible. Some (people from India) tend to work at night when people on the other side of the globe are awake, while some are awake during the Indian working hours. In any case it’s much better to fix a particular time to work.
+
+My mentor regularly asks me what I have been working on. At Zulip, we have a dedicated stream on the chat called "checkins" where members post about what they're working on or even something that's happened in their lives. It's a nice way to be in touch with everyone :)
+
+One really interesting thing is the planned discussions. These take place frequently and the topics vary from debugging to history of Zulip. Of Course they are knowledgeable. Everyone is involved and you get to hear a lot of interesting opinions.
+
+Sometimes you face challenges but that’s where you ask the community. Everyone is extremely helpful. It hardly takes any time to resolve an issue that you face. Overall my experience here has been great.
+
+## Summing up
+
+GSoC is unlike other internships. Here, you're actually expected to deliver. You're treated the same way any other person working in the organization is. It's not hard to "crack" GSoC, you just need to find an organization that aligns with your interests (and hopefully it has an active community).
+
+I've liked my time working at Zulip. If someone wants to contribute, feel free to reach me out. Of Course you can also leave a message on the [open chat](http://chat.zulip.org){: style="text-decoration:underline"}. Someone will definitely help you to get started with an issue that you find interesting. Or you could just give it a visit and get to know what Zulip is.

category/interiit/index.html

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+category: interiit
+---

category/memoirs/index.html

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+category: memoirs
+---

category/summer2019/index.html

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+category: summer2019
+---

css/base.scss

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ body {
 	@include box-sizing();
 }
 
-*{	
+*{
 	font-family: Lato, Merriweather, Open Sans, sans-serif;
 }
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ body {
 
     .desc {
       font-size: 22px;
-      width: 7em;
+      width: 7.3em;
       position: absolute;
       bottom: 0;
       color: #ababab;
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ body {
   .social {
     height: 100%;
     padding: $pre-nav-logo-height * .623 0;
-    font-size: 16px; 
+    font-size: 16px;
     font-weight: bold;
     color: #ababab;
 
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ nav {
     text-decoration: none;
     color: rgb(174, 170, 170);
   }
-  
+
   .cover-title-label {
     font-size: 14px;
     font-weight: bold;
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ nav {
 
   .head {
     width: 100%;
-    position: relative; 
+    position: relative;
   }
 
   .date {
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ nav {
     height: 100%;
     width: auto;
   }
-  
+
   &.tall {
     width: 100%;
   }
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ nav {
 
 .tinted {
   background: black;
-  
+
   img {
     opacity: 0.6;
   }
@@ -764,7 +764,7 @@ footer {
     position: static;
     color: #d1d1d1;
   }
-  
+
   .excerpt {
     margin-top: 10px;
   }

css/posts.css

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+/* INFOGRAM ARTICLE (Gender and sexuality survey) */
+.gender-sexuality-infogram {
+	width: 1040px;
+}
+
+@media (max-width: 1000px) {
+	.gender-sexuality-infogram {
+		width: 100%;
+	}
+}

css/table.css

@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
 .mbtablestyle {
   border-collapse: collapse;
   margin-top: 5rem;
-
 }
 
-.mbtablestyle td, .mbtablestyle th{
+.mdtablestyle {
+  border-collapse: collapse;
+  margin: 2rem 0;
+}
+
+.mbtablestyle td,
+.mbtablestyle th,
+.mdtablestyle td,
+.mdtablestyle th {
 	border: 1px solid black;
-    padding: 0.5rem 1.5rem;
-    padding-bottom: 2rem;
-    vertical-align: top;
-}
+  padding: 0.5rem 1.5rem;
+  padding-bottom: 2rem;
+  vertical-align: top;
+}