THE FIRE RISES We were told that Man discovered fire accidently. Perhaps some bloke out of sheer joblessness (what did the cavemen do apart from hunting wild boars anyway?) picked up a couple of Flints and rubbed them together. He would never have imagined what his actions led to. (For all we know, it could also have been a she!) This bloke made sparks fly out of two dumb looking stones out of an act of sheer boredom. Man later harnessed the might of Fire out of the same. It was a revolution. Fire changed things around forever. (For one thing, the cavemen now could shed off their ‘cave’ tag and sleep out in the open with fire to protect them from the wild. Ugly blokes covered in leaves sleeping in the wild with their mouths open. Not a very pretty sight, is it?) Accidently was just a small step of the revolution, of course. The real task ahead was to figure out how this miraculous energy can be tamed, used for Mankind’s greater good. Igniting a Fire, is never much of a cakewalk. Yet, the real arduous task that lays ahead is creating wonderful things with the ignition. Needless to say, this has been a revolutionary year for SPIT. It was an unconventional and breakthrough year in terms of everything SPIT could hope for. New talent, new festivals, new clubs, new everything. This magazine is one of the many factors that proudly stands testimony to the fact. For the first time, we have dared to break barriers, go the unconventional way and achieve one thing that we dearly wanted- give the annual college magazine the platform it deserves. SPark ignited the fire at the start of this year. It was an ignition for SPark itself, considering it was founded this year. We proudly claim ourselves to be the ones that ignite SP, and we have always supported and welcomed fresh new ideas that bring in a much needed change. As a result, for the inaugural edition, we have featured the Rise of the Clubs in SPIT as our cover story. The year was witness to some brilliant initiatives undertaken by maverick minds. They deserve the special mention as they bring in the much needed platform for specific interest along with adding to the beautiful vibrancy that our college has. Once you go through the entire magazine, you will notice quite a few changes from the magazines that you witnessed before. It has been an honest effort in making the magazine the mouthpiece of the college along with making it the platform for displaying the literary prowess that SPIT has. SPark is what ignites SP. A tagline, an association that no one will ever forget. But what ignites SPark is its team. All of the team members that work relentlessly to make what it is. As we make way for you to read this magazine that we hold so dear, we would like to thank all the complete SPark team. The fire has started, sure. But as mentioned before, a tougher task now lies ahead. That of sustaining and harnessing the fire. As we head into the dusk of our college lives, we shall like you all to know that it is your job now to make it bigger. To ensure that SPIT creates history once again. And we are pretty sure that you will. Here’s to all of you. To each and every one of you who dreamed and contributed in any possible to make the college what it is today. Despite of all the hardships, you made sure your dreams never faded. You stood by all the revolutions, all the changes. Because it is all thanks to you, that the fire rises.
Ritika Nevatia Magazine Secretary
Soham Kanade Editor-in-Chief
From the Principal’s Desk Dr Prachi Gharpure
I am indeed delighted to launch SPIT’s very own magazine SPark. The magazine name, I believe defines the students of SP-every one of them has a spark in them, something that sets them apart from others. The college magazine itself testifies the varied talents students here possess. I believe a college annual magazine rightly defines the college's year in all aspects be it the departmental achievements, the faculty achievements, the students achievements and along with it provides a great platform for showcasing the literally skills of the students. The year 2013-2014 has been a great year of progress and new beginnings for SPIT and I would like to congratulate the entire faculty members and students for it. I would also like to congratulate the SPark team for giving us such a wonderful magazine and setting this trend for many more years to come.
THE STUDENT COUNCIL 2013-2014 From left to right: First row – Sharmila Chaudhary - Cultural Secretary, Keshav Pasari – Cultural Secretary, Jill Gala – Ladies Representative, Akshar Shah – General Secretary. Second Row: Priyanka Hegde – Ladies Representative, Joel Wilson – Sports Secretary
From left to right: Dr. Y. S. Rao, Vice Principal, H.O.D. Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering Dr. Rita Das, H.O.D. Applied Sciences and Humanities Dr. Surendra Rathod, H.O.D. Electronics Engineering Dr. Dhananjay Kalbande, H.O.D. Computer Engineering Prof. K. T. Talele, H.O.D. Masters in Computer Applications Prof. Radha Shankarmani, H.O.D. Information Technology Engineering
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RISING ABOVE
Aashika Shetty | Uday Verma | Varun Joshi
SPIT’s brand new cultural festival kicked off with a bang. A brave step that will last for years to come…
First Flight The brave split from SPACE took
the arm. One of the major
everyone by surprise, and was
reasons behind the split was that
looked at with optimism by some, and scepticism by others. The time had come for S.P.I.T. to forge a new identity for itself, and assert its independence from SPCE. UDAAN was the focal point of
this transformation.
Several questions were raised about this decision, the foremost among them regarding the ability
“Udaan is etched in my memories in such a way, that I can proudly cherish it for the rest of my life.” Akshar Shah, General Secretary, SPIT UDAAN
Brendon Faleiro(BE ETRX) on Twitter
to attract sponsors.
would
give
Abhijit Zimare(FE IT) on Facebook
off a successful fest of its own. Several changes were made in the organizing structure, in order to work upon the flaws that were present in the previous years’ SPACE.
more
UDAAN’14 held promise, and
opportunities to the students of
was eagerly anticipated by the
our college. There were several
students of our college. It is a
issues with S.P.C.E., due to
stepping stone to even greater
which the execution of ideas was
glory
being hampered.
The S.P.I.T
possible due to the tremendous
and
success,
and
was
council had a lot of visions which
effort deployed by the council,
However, those fears were laid
were not able to realise for our
core committee, co-ordinators
to rest, as LIC, The Princeton
college. The council recognized
and volunteers alike.
Review, KIC, IMFS, Pizza Hut
the vast potential of S.P.I.T. and
and Buckaroo provided a shot in
were confident that it could pull
Shruti Pathak at pronite
The Viral Fever Show
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Paradigm Shift
The Udaan Experience UDAAN was preceded by events
first pronite, the audience was
like Dalal Street, the mock-stock
blown away with the electrifying
market
wall
performance given by the rock
painting, the Carnival, and The
band Paradigm Shift. On Day 2,
competition,
the audience was in splits and was ‘ROFL’ both literally and figuratively, as The Viral Fever videos had come to town. The
debating skills, while creativity was given the opportunity to Malakhambh
TVF act was followed by a heavy dose of Bollywood, as Shruti The Viral Fever’s act had us all rolling on the floor. The comedian could sense hilarity in some of the most yawn-inducing things. I follow their videos online, but I’d never thought that I’d get the chance to see them live, forget in my own college. -Neelesh Jayaraman (FE Computers)
Chintan Panchamia(TE Comps) on Facebook
Amazing Race. The pre-UDAAN events were ideal predecessors to the main event, and set the stage for three unforgettab le days filled with great memories, fun
shine with events like Group Drama, and Solo Dance.
and enjoyment.
Pathak
had
the
audience
entranced with her melodious
As the D-Day arrived, S.P.I.T.
voice. The MUN, Lok Sabha and
held its breath in anticipation,
Debate was the ideal platform for
and was looking forward to the
students to battle using their
upcoming events. During the
All in all, UDAAN’14 was a memory to cherish, and it surely lived up to its ambition-Rising Above
SPIT MUN It was a surprisingly difficult and a challenging experience to organize MUN for the first time in SPIT. Yet, enjoyed each moment of the organizing work. The satisfaction of people praising your event and applauding your hard work is just sublime. -Darshit Doshi, SE Computers (MUN organizer)
War of the Branches
Mr and Ms Udaan
War of the branches was an amazing experience! Something I personally will never forget. Winning the same, now that is what our team is proud of. -Abhay Sundesha, FE Electronics and Telecommunication
“At first I was surprised. I honestly thought it’d be Brendon! But when it finally sunk in, it was exhilarating!” – Soumil Rao (SE Comps, Runner-up, Mr. Udaan) “I enjoyed every bit of it! And when my name was announced, Wow! I can’t describe how good that felt!” -Sakshi Jhunjhunwala, (SE IT, Runnerup, Ms. Udaan)
SP Villa
“It’s a feeling difficult to express. A maddening experience with dance, ramp-walking, planning and plotting! Some crazy moments to cherish for a long time!” -Shweta and Arpit, winners of SP Villa
Wall Painting
It wasn’t just wall painting, but even body painting, with a hint of Holi. It was a stress buster. The morning’s slogging made the evening’s lightness even more effective. We can have this every year before Udaan, as a tradition. -Yashaswi Alladi, TE Computers
Hogathon “I was skeptical about whether it was possible to eat all of that in 15 minutes. But I managed to do it. Boy! It was fun! -Ritika Nevatia, TE Computers (Only girl to make it to the Semi-Finals of Hogathon)
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GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT Akshar Shah Hello SP. I frankly haven’t written much but this as the General Secretary might be my last chance and I feel its time I thank all the people who supported us along this wonderful journey on which we are about to draw curtains now. It seems like only yesterday about how ecstatic we were feeling when we got elected in the student council. There was enthusiasm, vigour, passion which we were focussed to convert into our first event of the year – FRESHERS. The event which was organized by SPCE-SPIT went beyond the expectations of all SP students with even the gymkhana head of SPCE proclaiming it as -the best Freshers’ night she ever witnessed. It was my first proud moment as the General Secretary of the college. We then gave SP something it had never seen before- The SPIT CUP wherein for the first time we arranged for indoor sports such as chess, table tennis, badminton and carrom inside the quadrangle which was a huge hit with the crowd. We were happy to convince the SPark founders to be the official newsletter of SP who also are now responsible for our annual college magazine. In September we organized a small lunch party on Teachers’ day with music and quizzes and prizes for all the teachers. We were happy that the effort we put in, reaped the profits of the smiles on the faces of our teachers and staff. As October came, we organized the last event for the odd semester and also perhaps the most popular one with SP- Dandiya Night. The even semester began with the preparations of SPIRIT our sports fest and Joel Wilson our sports secretary did an amazing job to make that a huge success. The Student Council of the year envisaged something this year-a vision to create history, a vision to bring transparency, a vision to redefine fests, a vision to set a new trend, a vision to rise above- The vision to have SPIT’s very first and very own cultural fest-‘UDAAN’. I always had full confidence on the talent our students had and with the support our Principal and Jignesh sir gave us we dared to dream to give SPIT something it had not previously imagined. In the first year we hosted 24 intercollege competitions and got hair-raising evening highlights from Paradigm Shift and Shruti Pathak. Surely for the students who witnessed, it was a night to remember. Udaan got onboard one of the most loved group in comedy world-The Viral Fever and if anybody reading this has witnessed it, I am sure there is no need to say anything else. It is difficult to express but Udaan is etched in my memories in such a way that I can proudly cherish it for the rest of my life. Udaan was surely a huge hit and I am sure we have set the trend for our own fest for years to come now. That’s why I’ll say this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. Udaan has just taken its first flight and for it now sky is the limit. It is said when the curtain falls, the best thing an actor can do is to go away. Maybe it’s the polite way to put it. But as we end our terms I thank the Principal and my Gymkhana head Jignesh sir for always supporting us and most importantly guiding us rightly. My council members for standing besides me, my core committee for their dedication, my teachers and parents for being so understanding and lastly to all the SPIT students for giving us such an overwhelming support, always. Allow me to modify Sir Alex Ferguson’s quote in saying, “Your job now is to stand by your new council.”
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Departmental Achievements x
Mr.Sumit Gouthaman,Atman Pandya, Omkar Karande’s paper got selected for presentation in IEEE ,Mumbai
x
Ms.Kanchan Pratiti, Deepti have presented a paper at INDICON,IEEE conference published in IEEE explore
x
Barclays and Credit Suisse selected 4 and 3 students respectively for internship
x
Mr.Sumit Gouthaman received Highest Committed Student Branch Activist award by CSI Bangalore ,2013
x
Dr.D.R.Kalbande conducted the 2-days workshop on “Soft Computing and NeuroMorphic Engineering and has received a Mumbai University Minor Research Grant for 2013-14
x
Accredited for two years by NBA
x x
Formation of Industry Institute Interaction Cell Received two consultancy projects
x x
Prof.Anand Godbole conducted 5 days course on “Object oriented programming with LAB exercises Prof.Sudhir Dhage has presented and published 2 papers at international conferences
x
In association with V.J.T.I. (Matunga), C.R.C.E. (Bandra), Eduvance (Ghatkopar) and Computer Engineering
x
Signed MoU with Eduvance, the educational arm of Vanmat Technologies Pvt. Ltd. under which department
department (S.P.I.T.) started center for research in nueormorphic engineering (CRINE) received technical support from Cypress Semiconductor Inc. and ARM university program x
Organized College-Level ‘Texas Instruments Innovation Challenge- India Analog Design Contest 2014’ and ‘One Day Workshop on ARM mbed Platform’, under the aegis of ARM University Program
x
Dr S .S Rathod, Prof Deepak Karia, Prof Narendra Bhagat and Prof K.T Talele presented and published papers on various topics in international conferences
x
Dr. S. S. Rathod received Mumbai University Minor Research Grant and was the resource person at various orientation programmes organized by Board of Studies, University of Mumbai
x
G. T. Haldankar was AView Co-ordinator for two week workshop on ‘DBMS’ organized by IIT Bombay
x
Texas Instruments (India) sponsored 4 group projects in academic year 2013-14
x
Won intra branch throw ball tournament “SPIT CUP” organized by student council
x
One student selected as intern with Credit Suisse
x
Accreditated by NBA For two years
x
Received the University Project Grant
x
Organized various workshops on Linux, security, networks, DBMS etc
x
Prof Kailas K Devadkar secured admission in P.H.D
x
Professors have published and presented various papers in International Conferences
x
Faizan Sayed, Gaurav Tripathi and Bhishm Narula secured second position in ‘Codeniti’ competition held at Xaviers Institute of Technology
x
2 groups selected to participate in national level ‘Hack on’ competition organized by Microsoft
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x
Accredited by NBA for 2 years
x
Got 15 Lac Grant for Microwave and Fiber optic Lab development under modernization and removal of obsolescence(MODROB)by AICTE in this year
x
Organized Two day workshop on Modern Digital Design and Embedded Systems
x
Prof Anand Mane got Second degree as ME and selected for PhD under QIP in GSITS Indore.
x
Prof M.MParmar was member of advisory board for National conference dated 7th&8th March 2014 in Saurashtra University
x
Prof Mrs Vijaya.N. Kamble & Prof M.M Parmar certified as “DCT(D-Link Certified Trainer )in Network Switching by D-Link
x
Harsh Selani secured 1st place in Barclay’s Multinational coding competition “Hackathon”
x
Bagged first second and third prizes in electroworks(National level Project Exhibition – 2013 )
x
Bagged second prize and consolation prize in SPEAKIT(National Level Technical Paper Presentation))
x
Prof Aarti Karande published a paper in ICICT-2014 in IEEE Delhi Section and got certified in DLink
x
Prof. Richard Joseph published paper in CSCITA-2014 in IEEE-Bombay Section
x
Prof. Nilesh N. Bane published paper in IJAIS-2014
x
Prof. Harshil Kanakia obtained certification in DLink Certified Trainer
x
Prabahkar Matkar Participated in University Level Volley Ball Competition, 2nd place in Inter-College event of Volleyball, 2nd place in inter-college event of football
x
Hitesh Kumar Bhatia Paper published in IJERT (Feb 2014)
x
Organized workshop on current trends and technologies in industry, web services, Business Intelligence by TCS
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The Problem with Genius Chinmay Kamat- Computer Engineering Class of 2011 A lot of us succeed in day to day life. Success is almost always measured on the basis of results which are often easily quantified and flashed as headlines in one form or the other. What is always left unexplored is the path to success. The more I think about it – there are only two clear routes to success. One Method and two Genius. Genius is usually defined as an ‘exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability’. The most important deduction is that (as you would say in study of microeconomics) genius is an internal. Genius is the inherent ability of an individual. It can be put to use with the same efficacy at any time of the day. Method is perhaps what you would call the learning component of an activity. Method is all about skill. Method is about improving your chances by repetitive practice. Method is about locking yourself in a room, giving up things that you like and focusing on the task in hand, by repeatedly (rather monotonously) doing the same thing. Over a longer period of time, method can take various forms and there is always a chance for improvisation. The key takeaway is that method is an external. Almost every publication in the world refers to Sachin Tendulkar as the best batsman of his generation. But very rarely, perhaps never has his success been attributed to Genius. Sachin Tendulkar is the epitome of Method – a brilliant example of how the power of Method can be harnessed to its optimum. There have been stories of Sachin being asked to practice with a one rupee coin kept on the stumps. If he batted through the entire practice session without getting bowled, he would be allowed to keep the coin. A lot of Sachin’s critics have pointed out his inability to win matches overseas. Throughout his childhood, Method prepared Sachin to play on the tracks of the sub-continent. Methodical approach would take more time (especially as compared to Genius) to adjust to different conditions abroad. It’s all but natural. Genius is the ability to score 40 ball hundreds on green-tops when the rest of the team folds out without scoring. Genius is about making Method looks stupid. Humiliate it at times. Genius is about playing an outrageous shot and getting out on a zero when your team needs you most. And then be shameless enough to smile at the cameras while biting into a Cassata. Genius could be equated to Virender Sehwag. There have been times when some very enthusiastic (rather delusional?) relatives have termed me a genius. They could not have been farther from the truth. (General Gyaan alert. Farther is appropriate when used in terms of distance.
Further denotes time span. I had noted this during the CAT preps a year ago.) My life is governed by Method to the tee. I make lists all the time to organize things. Add new items. Cut out items. Duplicate lists. Write them twice. Make new lists. I solve sums. 100 sums of the same variety. If the 101st sum is asked, I won’t be able to answer. I rarely participate in class. For I don’t grasp things intuitively. Only when I go back to my room, and re-read what has happened, I am in a position to comment on the topic. When I’m learning a new topic/skill (say driving a car, economics, appreciation of poetry), I lag behind to start with as the initial phase is all about Genius. It is internal. Only after a certain period of time, the impact of Method sets in. And I begin to make ground on the Geniuses who have the early advantage. In short, I am a Method person, and I have no hesitation in admitting it. And I am tempted to believe that I understand how Method works and can spot Method in action! Rahul Dravid’s recent batting exploits in England are an apt tribute to Method. As Genius is intuitive, it saves its bearer a lot of time. What the average John Doe can do in 10 hours, the Genius can do in 5. Let us call the five hours saved by Genius by a rather methodical and an unimaginative name as – Genius Dividend (GD) – on similar lines of the Demographic Dividend. How the GD is put to use makes or breaks a person. Lionel Messi is a Genius with the ball at his feet. And the entire world knows that. But the 2009 Champions League Final was won by a smashing header by Messi who was incidentally the shortest player on the pitch. No footballer I know works harder than Messi. He is Methodical in areas where he knows that his Genius won’t take him through. Messi from what I know has worked very methodically on his heading and tackling. Same goes with Graeme Swann’s & R Ashwin’s spin bowling. On the other hand is a very talented, natural footballer called Mario Balotelli who in the last twelve months has been involved in dumping his girlfriend on national
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television, disrupting traffic after being left out of the first eleven, scoring it with hookers, throwing water balloons on cars and partying with the Italian Mafia. No wonder Jose Mourinho was fed up with him in no time. The problem with Genius is that it almost always errs on the side of arrogance. Method on the other hand prefers to err on the side of caution. Genius needs to realize that it has to do better than Method. That it is a complete failure on Genius’ part if it gets trumped by Method. Our society values Genius a bit too much. A lot of time, effort and bandwidth is expended on discussing Genius – mostly its fads, foibles and fallacies. Genius is pampered to the extent of making it lazy, redundant. Worse, unaccountable. Genius should be made accountable for its GD. Salivating over unaccountable Genius is a waste of time. Method is a better, more honest prospect. While Genius is not affected by talk or constructive criticism, Method is sure to respond to any attention that it gets. Method makes most of its resources. Genius is perhaps wasteful. But minimizing waste has never been our motive in life, has it? Especially given the amount of food we waste in weddings. This article was originally published on the author’s blog in 2011.
Art Corner Soumil Rao | SE Computers
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Road to Academic Freedom Jinal Shah | Sanjeeth Baliga
W
ho wouldn't remember those three hectic days of September 2013 when the college was working even on weekends? Those were the days when everybody were on their toes: be it professors or students or nonteaching staff. And as most of us already know, it was because a group of senior faculty members were
going to inspect the implementation of our courses for in order to grant accreditation to SPIT. Why such a special arrangement for accreditation, though? Accreditation provides an educational institution with a credential which is most often a public statement that the academic unit satisfies a set of quality criteria established by the accrediting body. It is a process of quality evaluation. It can bridge the gap between our courses and those offered abroad. While one may be misled into believing that it was only a 3 day business, that’s hardly the case. It was the result of hard work since so many years .Efforts from each and every faculty helped to reduce the complexity of process. And to add to the work, the process was new. Earlier the process was input-output based, but the new process is only an outcome based one where the emphasis is laid on the execution of a course which focuses on its application. It is a continuous evaluation process. On the D day, the faculty, the facilities, the student bodies, budgets, recruiting practices, admissions procedures, course content, and other pertinent issues where under accreditation committee. So all the paperwork given special instructions. Our infrastructure impression. The accreditation committee was infrastructure. Then visits were made to each where
manner
in
which
courses
microscopic
They were impressed by the bond between professors and students
were
review
by
the
was up to date and students were planted really
the
seeds
impressed
of
first
with
the
department and then to each class conducted, students, their projects,
and curriculum everything was under thorough inspection. Laboratories and equipment really impressed them. An interactive session was conducted with students, faculty, alumni, parents, and recruiters. Jaskeet Singh from SE EXTC, a participant of one such session said, “The final year students were told to rate each faculty on a scale of 10. They were impressed by the talent of students, bond between students and professors, and type of workshops organized. It seems that the network between juniors and seniors made itself to the top of their assessment list.” All the paperwork, faculties, and office people were under audit for the next two days. They were overwhelmed by the placement records. They were also impressed by the commitment of faculties
who
teaching out of interest not out of burden. They appreciated the management
and
transparency of administration charging not even a penny more than the tuition fee. Undoubtedly we got accreditation (Provisional for two years). committee also gave some feedback which we need to improve upon. They
Plans for autonomy underway
increase teacher-student ratio, maximize the number of research projects, make
were
stipulated Accreditation suggested the
to
teaching
process more innovative, and include something may be a teaching aid or projects apart from university curriculum also which will help students to be up-to-date with recent technologies. Improvement in this area will help us to extend our accreditation period of two years. SPIT plans to also apply for autonomy after these two years are completed. Accreditation will help us in autonomy process. On approaching the Principal about that main thing she would like to change if our institute becomes autonomous, Dr. Prachi Gharpure said, “The evaluation process needs a radical change which should focus more on projects and practical knowledge. Also I would like to introduce the culture of mandatory internships”. We, as a part of this institution need to exploit our potential and focus on projects and research so that we would not only get a better response in their next visit after 2 years but as students will definitely have better career prospects.
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The Bench Prof. Madhavi Gokhale The other day I was passing by an empty classroom when I distinctly heard someone call out. I am, as a rule, not afraid of ghosts. But when someone calls out your name from an empty classroom, logic fails and fear creeps in. I froze in my tracks. Could it be true that disembodied spirits exist? Nonsense! Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion calls such experiences an effect of the “software of the brain”. Dismissing supernatural fancies/fears/illusions, I bravely stepped into the room. Silence – except for the swishing of the curtains in the wind. A still, clear afternoon outside with the campus grounds smiling green in the sun. It was peaceful here. Advising myself to “get a good night’s-sleepor-you-will-have-more-such-hallucinations,” I turned round and made to walk out. “Hello Madam…” the voice again. A little high-pitched this time with a distinct nervous tremor. This time I knew. And the knowledge amazed me more than scared me out of my wits. It was the third bench in the second row! And it was talking to me! “Um, hello, bench” (How else does one talk to furniture?) “Madam, do you have two minutes?” Two minutes? I had all the time in the world for an extrasensory experience. Wait till Dawkins hears about this, I thought. “Of course”, I said politely. “Please do sit down” said Mr. Bench. I sat where I could take a good look at it. The bench was old. It was carved to death on the surface by generations of creatively inclined engineers; a corner of the desk was chipped off. There was a deep scratch on one of its legs; a souvenir of classroom-shifting episodes, maybe. In a corner was painted the legend SP/234/1991. 1991? That was the year I joined the institute! The bench and I had spent the same number of years here. Now that was pretty interesting. “Madam, I am on my last legs. Before I am disposed of by our maintenance supervisor, I needed to talk to someone.” “Well,” I said brightly, pretending that it was perfectly normal for benches to want to speak to people in the middle of an afternoon, “please go ahead then. I am all ears”. “I have borne the weight of 20 batches of students. I have sat through at least a thousand lectures. I have a lifetime of experiences in every grain of the wood that I am made of. I have observed innumerable students of varying backgrounds, cultures, behavioral habits… I could write a book on the subject.” I nodded my head. “I could, too…” The bench continued: “You interact with your students on a different level, madam. Your communication with them is filtered through proper rules of behavior; but I get to see them in their element! I hear them converse in the break, I can feel their happiness when they thump their hands on me in delight; I feel for them when they break their backs writing scores of assignments, discuss their dreams, hopes, fears with their classmates, when they vent their frustration on me by carving “In memory of those who died waiting for the bell to ring” or other rude messages.” “True”, I said. “I am sorry about the carving, though; we had warned students last time that this will not be tolerated… but you said you wanted to tell me something important.” “Yes, madam. I wanted to tell you that today’s students are lonely.”
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Stupefaction. Loneliness is not an attribute I would use for any student on the campus. Wherever I go, I see typical instances of teenage life; little groups congregating near the café with guitars, sitting near the Bhavans lake singing songs, milling outside the gates, talking, laughing, shouting… the less talkative ones equally busy on their cellphones messaging endlessly! I was sure that the bench was mistaken. “Er… could you explain that a bit?” I asked. “Certainly. The students of yesteryears were more relaxed, quieter, more stable. Their conversation had a quiet relaxed touch of surety, confidence, and stability. Today, I can feel the tension of the student in my joints. I can sense the over-eagerness to fill the silence with something, anything – raucous music on headphones, songs with jarring, loud meaningless lyrics, shouting; just to keep the silence out. Perhaps it has to do with them growing as only children. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that they have no one to talk to when they reach home. But they have become infinitely more restless than they were ten years ago. They laugh a little louder, unnecessarily, perhaps; talk at the top of their voices, wanting to be listened to; and simmer down only during lectures.” I was listening closely. I asked, “What is it that we can do?” “Listen differently.” “How?” “Next time, when a student speaks in class, listen without judgement. Just listen to his voice. Listen in between the words. Catch what is worthwhile in the answer and throw it back to him for further contribution. Listen with your heart-ears, not head-ears.” “But I am a teacher, not a counselor” I feebly protested. “We have an inhouse counselor to listen to students like that. Secondly, I need to complete my syllabus in time! We have deadlines to meet, assignments to be finished, practicals to be performed, tests to be taken…” “Do you know what students need most?” “Good marks?” “Wrong! They need good support. I am just a piece of wood. I can offer only physical support. It is emotional support that they yearn for. And that can come only from you and your colleagues. Do you remember Ashutosh Halbe?” “Of course! He was nicknamed “the dark horse” because he surprised everyone by blossoming into a star pupil in his third year!” “Have you ever thought why?” Sheepish reply: “No… I just thought he had come out of his shell and I was happy, that’s all…” “It was a chance remark from a professor that made him do that.” “Just a chance remark?” “For him, it was one of the nicest things that ever happened to him. I had once overheard him telling his friend that he had lost his mother in the seventh standard and had lost all motivation; that his father did not pay attention to him. Once, a professor mentioned in class that Ashutosh had really worked hard on an assignment and had great potential. I can still picture him sitting there, on the bench next to me, smiling gently to himself… and the rest is history.” “Oh…” I envied the bench its advantage over me; it got to see our students first-hand, to know them better. The bench was quiet. The afternoon was even quieter with the institute’s bell silenced for the vacations. “Dear bench,” I said solemnly, “I am so glad I listened to you. Thank you so much.” No answer. I gazed steadily at the bench, waiting for a reply, at least a “you are welcome”. Nothing. I shook my head, and stood up. Was it all a daydream? A hallucination? My own imagination? Till this day, I will never understand what happened that afternoon. I was also upset. I would have loved to listen to more stories, more examples, and more anecdotes. Crestfallen, I cast a last look at the old bench and left the classroom. But not without a firm promise to myself: to use my “heart-ears more than my head-ears.”
#whatIgnitesSP
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आवाज शेतकयाचा Sunil Nagare – SE EXTC कृ ष धान दे श हणे आपला, पण कृषीरजाच नाह रा हला.
भूमी हणे आई आपल ,
पण आईच नाह रा हल . कधी आला पूर तर कधी आला दर काळ.
पण सारकार ध हशणांच आल फ त आभाळ. याज वसूल करायला आले होते सावकार.
पण आ मह या केले या शेतक याला पाहून माजला हहकार. शेवट शेतकया या कुटुंबाला काह मळालेच नाह ,
प कारणी काढले आमचे फोटो, तर दे शात आल सुल नशह . दे शात जाती- पंतांना दले जाते आर ण.
पण शेतकयाना नाह साधे जग याचे सावर ण. ज मनीत लावला होता मी तांदळ ू ब म त.
पण उगव या ज मनीत टोलेजंग इमारती. या या ज मनीवर बांधल गेल घराण.
यालाच पा या वणा वीकारावे लागले मरण. येका या पोटातल भक ू आ ह भागवतो.
पण दरवेळी आ हालाच का परमे वर वसरतो. राजवर च पट नघतात, पण शेतकयावर नाह .
कारण ' खाणां' सार या आमचा ‘Fan Follower’ नाह .
#whatIgnitesSP
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Instant Coffee Nikhita Ramakrishnan - FE Electronics "What may I serve you Madame ? Would you like the plain Scotch on the rocks, or Banfi Col di Sasso, or Elsa Bianchi Malbec, Luzon` Verde, or if you're in the mood for something a little sensuous, we boast of the highly exquisite Dom. Romane Conti 1997." "An instant coffee please." Two years after I committed that mortifying faux pas, I still can't forget the waiter's expression. Let me rewind to half an hour before this legendary scenario took place. 9:00 pm. Saturday night. South Bombay. The French Conrad, one of the most exclusive seven star hotels in the city, and I was privileged enough to dine there that evening. Of the seven billion people inhabiting this planet, I had maddeningly chosen to come here with Alok Chatterjee, one of the most irritating aspects of my life. Alok, a friend of five years, was a great connoisseur of fine dining. When he had expressed his desire to dine here and had requested me to accompany him, I had immediately agreed because only a fool would refuse to a free dinner at the Conrad. However, I was beginning to regret this impulsive decision with every passing second. Alok was a completely pompous man, who at 24, had made it big overnight in a business which dealt in, so he said, legal trading of automobile spare parts. He resembled a toad in many ways. He had a fat pudgy face and black beady eyes which were never still. Within the five minutes that we had spent settling down, we had talked- or rather he had talked- about his life, his car, his money, his love dilemmas, and I could see a whole sea of remembrances rushing in for the rest of the evening. Alok never failed to give me an inferiority complex. Here was I, who had spent ever so many years slogging it out in engineering, only to land up with an internship in a dingy building in one tiny corner of Colaba, and now, after all those years of hard work, this man a twelth grade drop-out, was the one who was showing off a Rado on his wrist, was the one who could carelessly reserve a table anytime at the Conrad, and who had the audacity and capacity to order items on the menu card which he could not even pronounce. At the end of the day, though, he was the host, and I was the guest, so I decided to be gracious enough to bear up with him and enjoy my rare visit here. To give you an idea of how plush this place was, they did not bother to enquire whether you preferred plain or mineral water- they directly placed sparkling water before you. It was when I was enjoying a sip of this sparkling water that Alok suddenly caught my hand, looked into my eyes and said imploringly "Nivvi, I do hope you remember my telling you that two other people are going to be joining us for the dinner tonight?" I nearly choked on my drink. This was so typically Alok!!! Whenever he wished to reveal something that he was practically positive I would not be okay with, he started with his standard opening line, "Do you remember my telling you......" and since such an incident had never occurred, I obviously never had anything to remember. Preparing myself for the worst, I resignedly placed my glass on the table and said, "No. I don't recall." Relieved that I was taking this much better than he had expected, Alok dropped all pretence and said chirpily, "Okay, then let me brief you up. A friend and the friend's friend are coming. In fact...." he continued making a show of checking his Rado which made me want to fling something at him, "they should be here any moment now." He then flashed a toothy grin at me and said "This is going to be an amazing evening."
#whatIgnitesSP
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I sunk lower into my seat and stared at the empty glass. Five minutes down the line, I could actually picture three toads before me. I was contemplating feverishly on my situation when Alok suddenly said "Here they are! Right on time!" I decided to take the trouble to look around and take a glimpse at the company I was going to be honoured with for the next hour and a half, and I realised I just couldn't have been more wrong in my suspicions. A young man and a young lady were approaching our table. The lady seemed to have jumped straight out of Vogue's cover page. She was about 5''10, which meant that she was taller than Alok, she was taller than me, and perhaps two inches shorter than the man accompanying her. Her straight black hair were left open and a sleek pair Gucci glares were perched on her trimmed fringe. She had worn a beige dress topped with a sky blue lacy scarf and her perfectly manicured fingers were playing with the I-Phone 5. She had applied generous doses of mascara and cherry gloss, but somehow it all suited her. She flaunted a figure which was making heads turn, and as for Alok, he had long forgotten that I even existed. The man with her had a sandy complexion with dark chocolate brown hair and sported a moderately admirable physique and had worn a casual GAP sweatshirt and baggy Levi's. His hands were perpetually in his jeans pockets, and his body language suggested that he was extremely familiar with the place. As they drew nearer I realised he must have practically bathed in cologne, and his attitude was typical of those rich snobs who simply hopped out of bed and sauntered in here lazily for a weekly Sunday brunch. His facial expression seemed to mirror mine - a completely bored, disinterested look. Clearly, he too had been forced into this. Oddly enough, though they both complimented each other so beautifully in their looks, they did not appear a couple to me. I decided to straighten up a little to look suitably presentable. When they came, Alok immediately rose and enclosed the lady in a huge bear hug. A quick introduction took place by Alok. "This is Nivvi, a very close friend of mine, and Nivvi, meet Sandhya, she..." but before he could jabber any further, the woman cut him short, " It's Sandy." she said and inclining her head towards the man, continued, "Aryan- a close acquaintance" Aryan didn't bother to acknowledge the fact that he had just been introduced and Sandy, after sparing me a withering glance, decided there was no competition for her this evening, and turned back towards Alok. Sandy after her dramatic entry focussed completely on Alok, who himself was mesmerized, which at least, was understandable. Since i was out of their picture anyways, I decided to make conversation with Sandy’s friend. He, on his part seemed to have decided to ignore all the three of us and was focusing his attention on the menu card. It was then that the most embarrassing incident of my life occurred. The waiter came to take our orders for aperitifs, and since he was stationed right beside me, he began with me. "What may I serve you Madame? Would you like the plain Scotch on the rocks, or Banfi Col di Sasso, or Elsa Bianchi Malbec, Luzon` Verde, or if you're in the mood for something a little sensuous, we boast of the highly exquisite Dom. Romane Conti 1997." Unthinkingly I replied, " An instant coffee please." Hardly two seconds had passed and I realised I had made a huge gaffe. I could see the waiter almost restraining his hands to prevent them from throwing me out of the hotel, Sandy was staring at me with an expression which confirmed the fact that she had mentally added me on her list of "Do I know you?" people, Alok had chosen to ignore what had just passed with a dignified silence and was staring a little too intently at the menu, and as for Aryan, well, for the first time in the entire evening, he smiled.
#whatIgnitesSP
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My three companions ordered the Romane Conti without second thoughts, while I dealt with the sheer embarrassment which was beginning to invade me. Slowly the situation returned to normal.The only good thing about this incident was that Aryan finally seemed to have noticed that I was present at the table, and casually leaning back in his chair, he addressed me thus; "Nivvi, right?" I was in a foul mood so I replied coldly,"It's Nivedita." "But Alok called you Nivvi." "You're not Alok." "Thank God I'm not." "You're being rude." "I never knew rudeness and frankness were synonyms." "Are you an English student?" "No, I'm an engineer." "Then stop playing with words" "You don't believe in being polite, do you?" "You don't intend on stopping your interrogation, do you?" "Until the food comes- no." "Then I can hardly wait." "For what.....your "instant coffee" ?" He had touched a raw nerve there. Fuming, I ignored him. Sensing that I was slightly hurt, he said, " Look- we are four really different people who, due to pressurizing circumstances, have to bear with each other for at least an hour. Since our respective acquaintances are so obviously engrossed in each other, I thought we could continue this questionquestion session with both of us refusing to give an answer." He was smiling as he said this, and I had to admit he had a very infectious one, as I couldn't help smiling back. He began, “So, how do you know people like Alok?" "The same way you know people like Sandy" I replied tartly and we both burst out laughing, while Alok and Sandy looked on a little suspiciously. I never realised how the time flew and before long, the plates had been cleared. I realised the dinner had almost come to an end, and I was actually regretting the fact. Just as I was thinking how much I was enjoying myself, the waiter again turned up for our orders for a nightcap, and irritatingly, he again began with me. Going red with embarrassment, I meekly ordered the Dom. Romane Conti. I am a teetotaller, but decided to simply place the glass in front of me. Alok chose the same, while Sandy opted for Scotch. When it was Aryan's turn, without batting an eyelid, he replied steadily, "An instant coffee please." Startled, I looked at him. He smiled at me and winked boyishly. I winked right back and grinning widely, said, "Make that two" In life, all of us come across people who are very different from us. We like but a few of them, we are indifferent to many, we can't get along with most of them, and we can't understand all of them. Try not to find these differences, try not to point them out, and most crucially, don't bother to erase them. Simply enjoy them....enjoy the difference....enjoy being unique....enjoy being yourself and once you start doing so, trust me, even an instant coffee can be as intoxicating as Dom Romane Conti 1997.
#whatIgnitesSP
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I
n its very first year, the SPark
The
Person of the Year campaign
Monday, 24
saw over 750 students from
the college casting their votes. Many enthusiastic professors and
8%
polls
commenced th
7%
nominee
of
March 2014 and
with 3 competitors vying for the title. But in the end, Brendon
28%
9% 10%
The contest was fiercely fought
6%
faculty member also voted for the
I think it was pretty amazing. People were quite appreciative of the system built for the voting and the overall idea. Ritika Nevatia, Magazine Secretary
on
18% 14%
Brendon Keshav Aditi Joel Mohit Kritika Rohan Aniket
Voting in progress
continued till Thursday, 27th
Faleiro
March 2014. On all days, the
Engineering,
of
Electronics Class
of
2014
SPARK PERSON OF THE YEAR
their
Vinaya Tinguria | Shashank Rane | Kritika Sabhawal | Kanika Sabharwal | Dhvanil Mandalia| Pratik Velhal
choice.
Even though an exciting prospect,
voting was held in the break in
emerged victorious. Keshav Pasari
the campaign was envisioned as a
the duration of 1pm-2pm. The
was a close runner-up along with
fair platform where the person
response that the polls got was
Aditi Phadnis who was the second
with
humbling, with a 70% turnout.
runner-up.
the
most
achievements
in
deserving SPIT
gets
The faculty and teaching staff also
When
nominated for the coveted award.
contributed
the
competitors, Brendon said, ’All
It was thus quite an arduous task
Person of the Year when they cast
the nominees were amazing. I
in
choosing
to get to the final list of 8
All the candidates were mainly judged on an overall performance that
included
academic
extracurricular
and
achievements.
The other criterion that was equally contributions
important to
the
was college.
about
his
have known most of them for
nominees out of so many equally deserving options on hand.
asked
quite some time now. Aditi and
Since this is the first time a poll like this was taken in college, so I'm like the first ever SPark person of the year. It means much more given that most of the other nominees are good friends of mine and I know that they all really talented! -Brendon Falerio, Winner
Finally, 8 nominees were decided.
Keshav have really done a lot of work in varied fields. Joel is one of the best at Sports in college. I am actually a fan of theirs. And all these guys are junior to me, so I don’t know who would be my toughest competition, coz they are all right up there.’ Brendon was awarded the SPark
It wasn’t surprising that all the
their votes. The final results were
Person of the Year 2013-2014
eight people came from various
calculated keeping in mind the
trophy on the annual day in the
years and branches given the
student:faculty votes ratio to be of
presence of the Principal and
amazing pool of talent that SPIT
80:20.
several other chief guests.
is.
#whatIgnitesSP
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RISE OF THE CLUBS Soumil Rao | Nidheesh Samant | Noopur Parikh | Gunarjun Chawla
O
ur college has had multitude of bright minds, who have always unerringly come up with a plethora of new ‘hatke’ ideas to meet their goals. Be it books or quizzes or cartoons, SPITians have been there and covered that! Stealing the limelight from the daily routine of lectures and assignments, the students have innovatively created new Clubs to break the monotony. Going off the beaten track, the various clubs have flourished receiving positive response from bored students with eye out for things apart from just cocurricular. Introducing to you the Clubs present under the SPIT banner.
Speakers Club The one complaint that recruiters have from engineering college students is lack of proper communication skills. Well, do they have that complaint from students of SPIT? Of course not! Thanks to the Speakers Club, an initiative by Prof. Ms. Madhavi Gokhale aimed to improve the communication and interpersonal skills of students. Held on a weekly basis in the break, it is amazing to see how Ma’am takes care of the problems faced by individual students in a wide variety of public speaking skills. Training for interviews, debates, elocutions, competitive exams are some things which happen by default by this walk-in club. Students finish their lunch boxes as quickly by 1:15 and rush to room 008 on the dedicated days to learn while they have fun. It is always difficult for Ma’am to send students back to class at 2:00 after the club finishes its activities as the students always want more. So many years since the inception of this club and yet students always come out of the room learning something new and carry forward.
Shutterworks Flash and click. The usual background activity to almost all events taking place on our campus- photographs. Armed with their cameras, an array of lenses and a keen sense of photography are the men in blue- the ‘Shutterworks’ team. They are the people behind the camera who make beautiful pictures possible. And it was all started by – Shivaji Vidhale. Shivaji as he recalls used to go on random photography walks and click random pictures of random people. But he always seemed to have a nagging thought that his ‘subjects’ would have a problem with that and consider him to be a weirdo. But he soon realized that people like getting their photos clicked. So he formed Shutterworks, a common platform for photo lovers like him. Shutterworks is someplace where people having a passion for photography can meet, discuss and share their fortunes (or misfortunes). The biggest advantage of this club according to Shivaji is that it is not only fun, but you also get to learn a lot. Members keep learning from each other all the time about the various technicalities of the art of clicking a picture. The talented team consists of Nishit Kagalwala, Rohan Sarode, Gaurang Alat, Sanil Vartak, Kevin Desai, Amey Thombre, Kreena Mehta and Shivaji himself.
People at Shutterworks firmly believe that if you give anyone a camera and they’ll do their best to take a great picture, it’s all about guiding them and giving them an encouraging push. They want everyone to travel, explore and have fun which is their message to everyone out there. It is all about taking up the initiative to actually pick up a camera and go click pictures, the rest will follow. So unlike any other art form, anyone can have fun photographing, not just the people who practice it. LOCK, LOAD and SHOOT.
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Star Gazers
The Book Brigade
When they said “Reach for the Stars”, 3 young
While talking about all the prestigious clubs of our college, one that really jumps out of the page for its uniqueness and simplicity is the Book Brigade. A novel idea by a group of entrepreneurial second year students, this club is essentially all about managing available resources. To put it in simpler words, it is just a book sharing club or a dynamic library! All its participants can share their book collections to swap it with another fellow member’s coveted collection. In this way its members have the ability to try different genres in books varying from thriller to romantic comedies.
visionaries from Electronics and Telecommunication took the challenge head - on. The result: Star Gazers. The brainchild of second year students Yash Goliya, Kalyani Bhopi and Jiger Jain, Star Gazers is a novel initiative to educate its members about Astronomy and recognize it as a hobby. “The Universe is outside your window, waiting to be explored”, goes their slogan. Founded in August 2013 under the mentorship of Prof. Nazahat Jahan Balur, Star Gazers has members from SPIT as well as SPCE. Yash Goliya, the Chairperson, aims to expand this innovative club to other colleges in
The best part about this club is that no third party is
Mumbai.
being involved in the exchange. All its members initially submit a list of books they would be offering
In less than a year since its inception, Star Gazers has
and this information is common knowledge. The
conducted a telescope observation event called “Visit
students directly interact and have to get their books as
to Moon” which received a healthy participation from
and when ordered by other members. The exchanges
students and faculty members alike. In February, Star
usually take place on
Gazers
Thursdays when the brigadiers can order the book of their choice from the veritable assortment offered. It is very neatly segregated into tiers of membership – GOLD – people who share 10+books. Its free!
started
collaborative
study
sessions
via
Coursera. 25th, 27th, 28th March was observed as “Celebrate Astronomy” Week. Through this week, interactive and informative talks by professionals from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (T.I.F.R.) and A.G.C.A. were organized. A telescope event to observe Jupiter’s natural satellites and a Solar observation event
SILVER – people who share 3-9 books. Its Rs 50/BRONZE – people who share 0-2 books. Its Rs 80/-
to observe 2 sunspots were some of the highlights of the packed Star Gazers’ event calender. Under the guidance of Dr. Madhavi Gokhale, Star Gazers plans to launch an astronomy magazine “Anant”. It aims to garner
interest
and
spread
awareness
about
Astronomy. Star Gazers has epitomized out-of-the-box thinking and exemplary vision in its voyage to unconquered spaces - to infinity and beyond.
The geniuses involved in the making of this club are Aditya Menon, Jash Mistry, Ameya Prabhu and Kosha Parekh who have put in a commendable effort to get this club off the ground. They have received a great response from the students by enthusiastic and avid book readers. It has been successful in airing the fact that our college has paved the way for some of the most unusual and practical methods of solving the major problem plaguing the literature community lack of funds and absence of good libraries.
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The Anime Club If you are thinking of long spiky haired characters shooting projectiles, you are on the right track. But if you are thinking of a cat chasing after a mouse in a hilarious attempt to catch it, well you are way off, my friend. The general trend of people is to confuse Anime with Cartoons – and this is exactly what ‘Anime Club’ founder ‘Nidhi Nair’ wants to change- a class at a time. Nidhi being a member of Robocon first realized there is an anime culture in our college and she wasn’t alone in her fandom while working with her team. A few of her Robocon team mates actually understood the lingo she spoke and spoke back to her in the same lingo, “much to the annoyance of other team members” says Nidhi. That’s when she decided to bring together like minded people and make a club dedicated to anime. The objective of this club is to spread the anime culture in S.P.I.T and make a forum for anime lovers and enthusiasts to share and discuss about all things anime. Anime Club is open to anyone and everyone who wishes to join this culture. So, the next time you get confused between an anime and a cartoon, you know who to approach.
SPQC Thursdays, like any other days in SP are dull-ish. Wait, but Thursday isn’t your typical day is it? Not really. Thursday evenings in SP are somewhat different with an after college battle of brains and clash of knowledge. The reason for this is of course- SPQC –Sardar Patel Quiz Club. Founded in the January of 2009 by Chinmay Kamat, Siddharth Deekshit and Rohit Ajitkumar, The club was started by the founders as they felt a basic void to quizzing in the college and they aimed to improve the "general gyan" amongst the students attending SPQC. It is one of the few clubs which appeals to the wide audience of both SPIT and SPCE. Soham Kanade and Pranav Kundra are the current brains behind running the club and organizing events. Both of them feel that the club is a marvellous example on how one can learn and have fun at the same time. From organizing quizzes and deciding a specific theme to appointing the quiz master, every task is handled by them and their small SPQC family. The club focuses on enhancing the thinking ability of the students. This club has earned the reputation of entertaining the public in their own humorous and cognitive ways. The free entry and smartly tabbed themes to the quizzes are few of the many reasons as to why this club has such high popularity. The curators mentioned that every event they organize receives an astounding response from the students of all the branches. This year enjoyed a good response from the FEs. Well that kind of response is not easy to get and speaks volumes about the club and its events itself. That being said an increase in response from the FEs will bode well. So don’t be startled if you see some new trend flowing around the college. With the Facebook page, advertising the club with catchy photos and details about the upcoming events and themes of the quiz, steps have been taken in the right direction to improve advertising. And guess what the icing on the cake is that SPQC will be featuring its own T-shirts. With all the committees taking majority of the spotlight in college, it’s a triumph in itself for SPQC to be so prominent and the kind of response it gets just shows how successful it has been in achieving its goal.
DEBSOC The Debate Society – founded by Aditya Shetty, our Alumnus currently working with JPMC was surprised to find that there was no debating culture in the college. When he won the first tournament with Atman Pandya while representing our college, he knew the need to form the club was pivotal. Despite having no seniors to guide them, the founders approached Prof. Madhavi Gokhale and principal Dr. Prachi Gharpure for support. There has been no looking back ever since. This team of 12 members practice usually on Wednesdays after college and on Saturdays for major competitions like NLS Bangalore, IIT-B, RVCE Bangalore, MDO, UDAC, VIT, ILS Pune, IIT-D and many more spread across the country. The roots of the club are so deeply established that now it gets invitations from prestigious colleges to participate in their competitions! The club members hope to expand so that there is no end to this passion.
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Crimea: Hornets’ Nest Pradnya Bhangle - SE Electronics
E
arlier this month, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine after a controversial referendum considered. Moscow's annexation of Crimea on 16 March came after protesters overthrew pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych in February. It followed months of street protests sparked by Mr Yanukovych's decision to reject a planned EU trade deal in favor of closer ties with Moscow. Russian troops then proceeded to seize most of Ukraine's bases in the peninsula, including a naval base at Feodosia. Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine has long been a global breadbasket due to its extensive, fertile farmlands. Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine continues to maintain the second-largest military in Europe, after that of Russia, when reserves and paramilitary personnel are taken into account. Crimea and historically as the Tauric peninsula is a major land mass on the northern coast of the Black Sea that is almost completely surrounded by water. The peninsula is located just south of the Ukrainian mainland and west of the Russian region of Kuban. It is surrounded by two seas: the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov to the east. It is connected with the Ukrainian mainland by the Isthmus of Perekop and is separated from Kuban by the Strait of Kerch.
On 6 March 2014 the Crimean Parliament voted to "enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation" and announced that a referendum on the topic would be held on 16 March. The referendum asked the people of these regions whether they wanted to join Russia as a federal subject, or if they wanted to restore the 1992 Crimean constitution and Crimea's status as a part of Ukraine. Election officials in Crimea announced 97% of voters had voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation. The United States and the European Union stated they considered the vote to be illegal, and warned that there may be repercussions for the Crimea ballot. On 18 March 2014, Russia and Crimea signed a treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in the Russian Federation. During the transition period which is scheduled to last until January 1, 2015, both sides will resolve the issues of integration of the new subjects in the economic, financial, credit and legal system of the Russian Federation. Earlier, Russian troops stormed and seized the Ukrainian naval base in Feodosia, a port in Crimea. Witnesses said several Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters were involved in the raid. Between 60 and 80 Ukrainian troops were captured and taken from the base. Crimea Russian forces consolidated their control of the Black Sea peninsula over the weekend. Thus, increasing its strategically importance to Moscow. On Saturday, six Russian Special Forces armored personnel carriers broke through the gates of Belbek air base, firing warning shots into the air. In separate incidents, pro-Russian self-defence forces stormed the Novofederoskoe military base as well as a Ukrainian ship, the Slavutych. This endangers Moldova's separatist Transnistria region. Now, Ukraine's fledgling government ordered troops to retreat from Crimea on Monday, ending days of wavering as Western leaders tried to present a unified response to Russia's increasingly firm control of the peninsula. Ukraine, as well as the United States and other Western powers say Crimea is still a part of Ukraine. Russia insists its actions are legitimate. Crimea had belonged to Russia until 1954, when it was given to Ukraine. The region also has a majority ethnic Russian population and other long historic ties to Russia. The estimate of the total population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was at 2.352 million people which include mostly Russians:1,450,000 (60.4%). Moscow pursued its own course, even as Western leaders have denounced its actions as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and a breach of international law. No G8 meeting -- a group of the world's seven top industrial powers plus Russia -- would take place in Russia this year as previously planned. A meeting of the G7, which is considering a collective response to the crisis during talks in The Hague, are meeting on the sidelines of a long-planned summit on global threats to nuclear security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia is unfazed by the prospect of being expelled from the G8.
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EU leaders imposed sanctions against people. The total number of people facing EU asset freezes and travel bans is 33. The biggest stick, in military terms, will be the Mistrals; a pair of 21,000 ton warships capable of carrying over a dozen helicopters, in addition to a well-deck for amphibious landing craft would face considerable obstacles. It brought a reminder that Europe's economies are still struggling to emerge from recession, that unemployment remains stubbornly high and that there is growing discontent with the political establishment in many countries. Arriving in the Netherlands for this summit, President Barack Obama said the US and Europe were united in imposing sanctions that would bring "significant consequences to the Russian economy". The United States announced its own new round of sanctions against 20 people and a bank that U.S. officials say is linked to Putin and senior Russian officials. Washington had already announced sanctions on 11 people. The Americans have imposed sanctions on some of the Russian president's inner circle and they have moved against Bank Rossiya - one of the Kremlin's favourite banks. However, powerful Russians spend much more time in Europe than in America. It is where they invest their funds, where they buy their football clubs, where they party and where often they choose to educate their children. Europe's leaders, if they chose, could still hurt those closest to President Putin, but so far they have been very cautious. It was perhaps best summed up by the German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who said "I'm very worried the unlawful attempt to alter recognized borders in our European neighborhood, 25 years after the end of the Cold War will open Pandora's Box." Putin's moves are resurrecting deep fears and anxieties. India and China endorsed Russia’s position in Ukraine. This is due to Indo-Russian long-standing ties and Moscow being Delhi’s top arms provider. Moreover, Russia and the former Soviet Union in the international community solely backed India during crucial moments such as following its 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests. India’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday also released a statement noting that there are “more than 5,000 Indian nationals, including about 4,000 students, in different parts of Ukraine.” At the same time, India’s overall interest in Ukraine is fairly negligible — certainly less than China’s, for instance—and thus Delhi might assess that it has more to gain by publicly sticking by Moscow at a time when it desperately needs support. India also has plenty of interests in certain regions along its peripheral, and at certain times—such as during the Sri Lanka Civil War—has intervened to protect various societal groups with strong ties to India. At the same time, such an international precedent could be used by Pakistan to justify intervening in Kashmir.
So is this Cold War Two or a lesser realignment in world politics? Much depends on Russian actions during the coming days: an invasion of eastern Ukraine would likely trigger a fullscale trade war, but consolidation of the hold on Crimea, with continued covert support to militant Russian groups in Donetsk or Kharkiv, would pose a trickier dilemma to Western policymakers. Their debates will take place among the G7 leaders, in the corridors of the Berlaymont, headquarters of the European Commission, and at NATO. To what extent are previously planned diplomatic engagements with Mr. Putin now toxic? How can partnership with Ukraine be strengthened? And does the long slide in European defence spending need to be checked? Some of these answers are becoming clearer. There will be no G8 summit in Sochi, there could be further steps against President Putin's inner circle, and increased deployments of NATO forces to the Baltic republic will be maintained. But many uncertainties remain, including, at the most dramatic level, whether further Russian military action might lead to large-scale sanctions, US troop cuts in Europe being reversed, and a new diplomatic ice age.
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The Biggest Stage of All Mrdvika Iyer | Uday Verma - FE IT “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that,” said Bill Shankly, one of the greatest footballing managers of all time. Its Samba time! The stage is set. More than 700 players. 32 teams. 31 days. 12 host cities. One game. One dream. We have waited for 4 years. And the countdown has begun. Yes, the sporting spectacle will return on the 12th of June, and now it will take place in the heartland of football-Brazil. The millions of football fans across the globe have a major question riding on their minds - Who will it be this time? Will the true Goliaths, Spain, create history by winning two World Cups and two European cups on the trot, or will the perennial underachievers Germany finally fulfil their vast potential? Will Brazil be buoyed by the passionate home support, and bring back the glory days of old, or will the dark horse Belgium manage to spring a surprise? While this might be the last World Cup for aging veterans like Frank Lampard , on the other hand, young talents like Neymar and Eden Hazard are looking forward to displaying their skills on the international stage. Another question that is a subject of discussion among football fans worldwide is that whether club stalwarts like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney finally manage to transfer their emphatic club form to the international stage, and bring international success that their nations have craved for so long? Germany is widely tipped to win their first World Cup since 1990. They have a vast pool of talent, with young stars like Mario Gotze accompanied by experienced players like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Phillip Lahm. Spain is not far behind, as they are banking on the experience of Andres Iniesta and Xavi to lead them to further glory. Belgium is the ‘dark horse’, and are more than capable of turning the tables on their opponents, riding on the talents of Eden Hazard and the defensive marshalling of Vincent Kompany. The home team Brazil is looking to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2002, and the emergence of Neymar has given them a shot in the arm. The beaten finalists Holland also have point to prove, while England is hoping to finally break its World Cup jinx. Argentina have the demigod-like Lionel Messi as their talisman, who is waiting for the elusive trophy which will grant him a place in the Pantheon of World Cup-winning greats like Diego Maradona, Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Charlton. Subverting the patriarchal paradigm, the viewership among women has increased drastically over the years. Last but not the least, will Columbian pop star Shakira’s new song for the World Cup ‘La la la’ create the stir or sound as plebeian as its name? Much like her wildly popular and played ad nauseam song for the 2010 World Cup ‘Waka Waka’, her lyrics mix in football-related lines like "hear the whistle, kick the ball" along with references to the host country, Brazil. The FIFA World Cup 2014 promises to be better than any of its predecessors, with attacking football set to be the mantra of the hopefuls. With millions of fans watching, The World Cup will bring talent players into the spotlight, and one team would be able to say ,”We Came. We Saw. We Conquered.”
“I don’t play against any particular team. I just play against the idea of losing.”
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What Ignites SP Sonali Mukherjee | Aayush Patial
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vents, workshops, initiatives, festivals like Udaan… such diverse things are a part of our everyday SPIT lives. And in the hustle and bustle, there are these small stories, these memories which we somehow forget to document, which are lost at the end of the day. We have all wished we could somehow capture them and give
them a place in the college that they deserve. That’s what SPark is here to help you with.
Launched on 15th September 2013, SPark is the official editorial and newsletter of SPIT, and an assortment of enthusiastic editors and reporters who get you thoughts on matters of importance as well. Split Columns, Reports and Alumni with a dedicated the juiciest titbits of the latest on campus and Third year students spanning all the
not just the news, but the seniors’
Documenting College news and happenings
into three major clusters, SPark covers team in charge of each field getting you happenings. Comprising of First, Second branches of SPIT, this ensemble of
energetic writers make sure that you never miss
a moment of any event, however small it
may be. Team SPark has yet another cool factor,
their aliases! Each member of team SPark
has his or her special superhero alias, the Editor-In-Chief, Soham Kanade leading this league as the Batman, and the heads of the sub-teams following up with Man of Steel- Chintan Panchamia, Iron Man- Digjay Patel and CatwomanSanjana Agarwal. The first years are actively involved in their chosen sub-teams and are as much part of the team as their seniors. SPark boasts of a total of 11 First year students and 15 devoted Second Year students in its team.
SPark: Genesis When CollegeShack was formed, a lot of bloggers were offered a common platform to express themselves. This team was initially led by Siddharth Raikar, who later took up the role of being a mentor to the current team. The original team consisted of Soham Kanade, Digjay Patel and Sanjana Agarwal, who currently share the top positions in the hierarchy with other Third Years. Soham’s realization that there was much unexplored
The SPark logo
potential in the college and his want for an official college newsletter is what eventually led to the birth of SPark.
Team SPark Columnists
Reporting Team
Alumni Team
An ensemble of about 10 devoted
Another fragment of SPark, the
We
writers, the columnists are a jolly mix
reporting team is the backbone,
experience our seniors and pass outs
of fun and seriousness. In this golden
keeping a track of all the news
can bring to us. The alumni team of
pot, one would find articles ranging
worthy events on campus. A bunch
SPark headed by Vinaya Tinguria,
from social issues all the way to
of 15 enthusiastic reporters from all
Digjay Patel and Dhvani Chheda,
hilarious comic strips that provide
the branches of the college, led by
brings us the interviews of such pass
you with your weekly dose of both
Sanjana
Amogh
outs. With an aim of making students
thought and laughter. Led by Chintan
Kulkarni, aim to ameliorate the
learn from the experience of the
Panchamia and Pranav Kundra, this
knowledge of the students about the
seniors, questionnaires are prepared
talented set of writers transport you
college.
reports
and sent by the team to the particular
into a world of their own, relaying
everything which goes on in the
alumnus to be interviewed. Their
news to you through their streams of
college through the entire year.
stories,
well-placed words. SPark brings to
Every event, every seminar and every
different aspects of college life are
you major columns like Geekonic:
controversial topic is reported in a
then shared with the students so that
The Geek Haven, Current Affairs-
subtle manner. Regular meetings and
they may grasp some invaluable
The Real World, Guest Authors-
fine distribution of work amongst the
lessons and boost their skills in order
Your Thoughts, The Sunday Column
members ensures that each and every
to handle the hardships they may
and Comic strips- For the laughter
aspect is covered properly, helping
face in the future. A marvelous team
riot, on a weekly basis. A blend of
the students explore the college and
combined with a brilliant idea gives
talent, thought and humour is what
know more about it.
us the Alumni team of SPark.
Agarwal
This
and
department
all
know
the
experiences,
wealth
views
about
constitutes the jovial Columns Team.
#whatIgnitesSP
of
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Events Covered Acting as the pensive for memories, Spark covered our beloved fest Udaan with undying enthusiasm by segregating the events into Pre-Udaan, Udaan and Post-Udaan and assigning them to mini teams each consisting of 3-4 SPark members. Udaan with SPark team members, striving to capture each and every little detail that might be missed by many a common eye so that every intricate memory could be stored to later be woven into a grand story of the little unnoticed elements. It has also covered various other major events for the college such as the sports festival-
The SPark website featuring various articles
SPIRIT and reported about several major achievements by students in the college. Apart from this, SPark’s Facebook page is never vacant. Constant stream of world news is uploaded, asking for people’s views on State or National decisions, inviting people to take a more active part in the happenings of the world around us.
Public’s reaction to SPark In vogue amongst the students of SPIT, SPark, in its first year itself, has succeeded in capturing the imaginations of almost all the college students. Seen as a
transparent and student friendly
team to work in, it has managed to attract
interest from the students of all
branches through all years. Most of the that SPark helped them discover many a never were aware about. With every people with all sorts of queries, this team
‘Good platform to bring out literary skills in students’
just a bunch of people, but more like a
first year students went on to say things about the college that they SPark member available to help has triumphed in being more than friend dishing out information
when needed to every student in the college. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to hence say that SPark has been a colossal success in its inaugural year. Even faculty members such as our very own Madhavi Ma’am talks of SPark as a good platform to bring out the literary skills that our college possesses. She also mentioned that it has considerably boosted Inter-departmental bonding in the college by giving us a common platform to put our thoughts forward.
The Editor-in-Chief SPeaks “SPark had its share of hurdles, yes. My idea wasn't very well received initially as it opposed the traditional magazine system in the college. But I think what matters more is obviously the number of hurdles you face. It only makes you notice the negatives in you and helps you overcome them. I'd say SPark is one the best things that happened to the college this year. There are a lot of things that I would have wanted to go differently and more efficiently, but SPark has been launched with a lot appreciation nevertheless. All credits to the SPark
‘It is about the legacy that we shall leave behind for the juniors’ - Soham
team. More than anything else, it’s about the legacy that it shall leave behind when tomorrow, the SEs will take up the job to manage it.”
To wrap up, SPark stands for SPIT, collectively for its departments, working towards its goal of binding the students and the alumni closer to the institute, to form a family in itself. SPark is more than just a newsletter, it’s an effort, an effort to put forward all those emotions, in words that we feel each day just by being a part of SPIT.
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Dying Star Soumil Rao - SE Computers
She took my hand Held it against her chest Crying her heart out She cursed the uninvited guest Her hairless head gleamed The orange sun shone to the west I took her into my arms And did what I could best Stroking her back in hope To put her soul to rest Praying to turn back time A tomorrow she’d trade for yest Looking into my eyes, Searching for hope, at best She could merely see herself Defeated, in this cruel test A day and she’ll be gone A sparrow out of this nest I smiled and promised to her Mourn I won’t, and all the rest Celebrate her life instead This colorful adventurous fest That’s when she ran out the room For something I couldn’t have guessed Returned, she did, to steal my breath In her wedding gown, she was dressed A brilliant star she was Best seen, when the night’s darkest By my side she fell asleep that night But that sleep, was her longest
ART CORNER
Shubhankar Kulkarni SE EXTC
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Behind the Scenes Darshit Doshi
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here are a lot of people which are responsible in making us who we are today. Some of which are very evident and obvious while some are never known to us. But there are always a few which we ignore or forget either because we feel it is insignificant or we just cannot identify their contribution to our busy lives.
7 in the morning when he takes his position right next to the entrance. He quietly spectates a bunch of fitness enthusiasts do their morning yoga. Filling up the registers, starting up the electric switches, coordinating the cleaning staff, putting away the lost property in a nice corner are just side duties before his day kicks off. So what does he do? Well, meet our watchman, Mr. X, who according to you spends all his day just standing in that corner next to the entrance. Trust me, his job is much more than that! So as I approach him to interview him, he asks “What did you lose?” “What made you say that Uncle?” “Well, that’s what most students approach me for. Locating lost property” I didn’t know whether to smile on his innocence or like always let my ignorance overpower the beauty of his selflessness and give an indifferent shrug. I wouldn’t be wrong to say – he is probably the person associated with the college the longest. 12 years. 7 to 7. Same place. Same chair. And yet his lips didn’t have a single reason to whine about. In fact, he proudly boasts of how glad he is when students get placed in the best of companies. As he revisited his memories of countless batches he’d seen graduate and bid goodbye to the college from the same entrance, he mentions his favourite moments to be the ones during the fest, “Of course, the work load increases. But it makes me so happy to see you young children bursting with energy and enthusiasm!” Twitching his eyes, he sees you running from a long distance. So what if he hard of hearing? He can read your lips yell “Lift! Lift!” Imagine, right from 9 in the morning till the college shuts down he sits there monotonously pressing a few buttons and waiting for you to enter the lift comfortably. His seat - A small stool at the corner of the lift which he needs to ditch during peak hours to make space for that one extra person. While he could have cared less and not bothered to do this – it is amazing to see how he still remembers which student and which faculty will get down on which floor. Four years to this job, and never a mistake! You enter and he knows which button to press. You enter in and in a matter of seconds, you start swiping your phones left and right. On the other hand, he is still sitting there, no mobile to fidget with, trying to converse with you.
“Aaj exam hain kya?” he says. Barely taking your eyes off, you say, “Yes yes, we have an exam” and get rid of the conversation. His expressions, irrespective of your indifference are the same – smiling and welcoming for the next person to enter in. What really drives him to this monotonic job round the clock every day? When asked, he smiled to say, “I’m no less than you all. Just like you, I get relieved to see a weekend arriving on Friday!” and we laughed off. Just like any other passenger in his lift, as I started to leave, I could only think of how “People come, people go but life moves on.”
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“Do copy EXTC assignement, das rupaye ke A4 sheets, paanch copy iss experiment ke – 3 alag lag, 2 aage-peeche” “Two copies of this assignment, 20 A4 sheets, 5 copies of this experiment printed back and forth”, running out of breath, this FE students barely finishes his sentence when the next student begins his long list! I had to wait for 20 whole minutes to interview Alam, ‘apna xeroxwala’ near the old shack. It’s funny how I addressed the watchman and liftman with a ‘Mr’ prefixed to their names but with Alam, it has always been just ‘Alam’. Despite being an employee of SPJIMR, he has very much become a part of the S.P.I.T. family. I’d like to describe him as a fun, jovial and hard working at the same time. Come submissions, and he is the busiest person on this planet! Of course there are ups and downs to his job but he makes sure no student ever leaves his counter dissatisfied. Just like his casual and friendly behavior, he says he loves interacting with students and sharing stories in or outside college. To be very honest, I’d have never thought of chatting this long without a selfish motive with any of the three people above if not for this interview. We may not be the next Munnabhais in college giving a Jaadu ki Jhappi to every person we want to thank, but next time you see the watchman smile at the entrance or see the liftman wait for you, make sure you express your gratitude and acknowledge them with a smile. It makes their day!
Art Corner
Heisenberg
Sardar Patel
Chintan Panchamia, T.E. Computers
Jinal Shah, S.E. IT
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The Night Is Bright Yash Goliya – SE EXTC Astronomy is omnipresent, literally! The paper which you are reading right now actually came from the remains of a dead star. You are a “star child” or a product of a stellar supernova. Our favourite day of the week, Monday, comes from the celestial body „Moon‟ and „Day‟. This is why astronomy is an integral part of our lives. Yet astronomy is fading away from our lives. In this article let us explore the past and current scenario of astronomy in India. Also we will discover what astronomy has to offer. Exploring the cosmos began about 3600 years ago in India. The ancient people were able to see the transition of stars from one constellation to another. This is how astronomy took shape in India. The oldest Indian astronomical text is “Vedanga Jyotisha” written by Lagadha in 1400 BC. In this text he mentions about seasons and even leap years! Although astronomy originally began as astrology in India, it later swayed towards science. Aryabhata was able to determine that the Earth rotated on its axis by noting the westward motion of stars. As time progressed so did Indian astronomy. Indian scholars made a huge impact on Islamic astronomy. The sine function and shunya (zero) are one of the many concepts which Arabs adopted. These concepts are required for computation of celestial movements. Europeans later studied these concepts by Arabic translations. This is how ancient India made a profound effect on astronomy. Nowadays the astronomical scenario has changed drastically in India. People have a common notion that astronomy is just a leisure providing hobby as it does not solve our problems. Well, astronomy has done a lot for us. The reason why you can send hundreds of Alok Nath memes over Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is because of astronomy. WLAN was developed as a method to sharpen images from radio telescopes. I bet you will now feel that astronomy is indeed important. “Why send Mangalyaan to Mars when India cannot even feed its hungry?” this was the most common argument by which people criticized India for exploring the Universe. Logic fails when the same people justify the cost of Indian Premier League (IPL). The cost of Mangalyaan is $ 95 million whereas Mumbai Indians, an IPL team, had cost Reliance Industries Limited a whopping $ 111.9 million! Despite these social hindrances and economic hardship Indian astronomy has been able to make a mark on modern astronomy. Chandrayaan-1 detected the presence of water on the Moon. Now India is optimistic to reach Mars by Mangalyaan. It seems that Indian astronomy is finally gaining momentum and progressing in the right direction. Leaving the past and present scenarios of astronomy behind I would now like you to visualize astronomy as it is. The marvelous colours of excited gas in Helix nebula or the “Eye of God” in pop culture, can give Michelangelo a complex. We live in a stunning Universe where every sector seems to be another masterpiece. So try sacrificing your “idiot box” for a night and enjoy the riot of colours left by supernovae and stars. Even the powerful electricity-guzzling city lights cannot dim the Andromeda galaxy. Note that the city lights may be a few kilometers from you but the galaxy is about 2.4x1019 km away! This makes all our human technologies seem insignificant and tiny. The fact that light is visible only when it falls on an obstacle is thought provoking. This is the reason why „empty space‟ appears to be dark. We can see galaxies, stars and nebulae which are trillions of kilometers away with an organ, our eye, of negligible size. Isn’t this amazing? This also makes us wonder how can light travel such enormous distances without fading away. Astronomy offers us many more mysteries to ponder upon. Are we alone? Can we travel back in time? How was the Universe created? Did God create the Universe? In short, astronomy is an intellectual hobby. It helps us evolve as a human and believe that no matter how small or insignificant we are, we can still make our world a better place. I hope that you will embark on a life changing journey by trying to imbibe the fine elements of the Universe within your intellect. Melisandre from Game of Thrones said that “The night is dark and full of terrors” but the fact is that “The night is bright and full of stars”. So when will you start “Counting Stars”?
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Corruption Is That Tree Omkar Purande - SE Electronics August 15th 1947, for many a day we became free But the same marks the planting of a poisonous tree For 3 years we were busy making a constitution that suited But no one was aware about the tree which was being rooted Years passed by and we were ruled by different leaders They were the minerals and the fertilizers, mind you readers Today the tree has grown and bears the fruits of poison Youth are compelled to have them; such is the darkness at the horizon Taking money and giving kind seems an easier way to earn And now its base is to strong, and the tree is tough to burn Before its shadow spreads and covers the entire motherland We youths need to rise up and utilize the time at hand Because as the people say, “Where there is a will there is a way!” Way is not difficult, our nation can still be made free, But before it’s too late my friends, please recognize “Corruption is that tree, corruption is that tree”
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The Boy Wonder Saurabh Netravalkar, Computer Engineering, Class of 2013 has represented India in the U-19 Cricket WC and now is a Ranji Cricketer. Apart from being in list of players for the IPL auctions this year, he had an excellent academic record and was placed in a dream company when in college. The Boy Wonder on balancing Cricket, Education, Work, Personal life and more… When did cricket become a career I feel blessed to have an extremely option? supportive family and I wouldn’t be able to achieve so much I grew up playing galli cricket in without their support and my building. I joined my school sacrifice. My dad still comes for summer camp when I was 9 and each and every match that I play that is when I started playing and watches all my matches for season ball cricket. The the entire day. The subsequent year, I only condition I was selected in the was given that my U-14 team. Our I used to take it as a studies shouldn’t be school team used to challenge, study as fast affected. But barely reach the 2nd as I could and then rush personally, I used round in the interto play. I just couldn’t to enjoy studying school tournaments, and learning new but we used to play spend a single day things. So, I never with enthusiasm. without playing cricket. let cricket affect my Soon after, my father studies. In fact, the took me to the ELF desire to play Vengsarkar Cricket sharpened my studying skills.. Academy for an open selection trial of U-13 boys. To everyone’s Mom used to say, “No playing till surprise I was selected for my fast your homework is done.” I used to bo wling. We used to have take it as a challenge, study as fast training 5 days a week, from 3pm as I could and then rush to play. I to 6pm. This was when my just couldn’t spend a single day journey began. Either my mom or without playing cricket. my dad used to travel with me by Representing India in the Undertrain to Churchgate. They used to 19 world cup was one of the peak sit and watch me play for 3 hours. points of your life. Tell us about They not only encouraged me for your experience. cricket but also made sure that I My selection in the Indian U-19 was regular with studies. At the Team was a consequence of same time, I was playing both Uconsistent performances at all 14 and U-16 school tournaments levels from the age of 13. During from the age of 11. Our batch these years, I was selected for started a trend of playing serious National Cricket Academy cricket and we started to win (Bangalore) training camps. matches more often and Finally, the selection happened. eventually reached higher stages The feeling to represent the of the tournaments. After being country cannot be described in on the bench for ELF club for words. It is certainly a supremely almost a year, I got selected in the proud feeling, but at the same team. I grabbed the opportunity time it comes with a huge by performing well which helped responsibility. But after wearing me to get into the U-15 Mumbai the Indian Jersey, my energy Team. I was passionate levels automatically quadrupled. throughout, but being selected in I knew I had to give my “best” the state team, made me realize effort at every moment and just that if I continue to work whole enjoy my time on the field. Prior heartedly, I can make it big. to the World Cup in New Zealand we went for a couple of tours. Was your family supportive of Once to Australia and later on to your decision or were they South Africa. As a team we shared reluctant in anyway?
Digjay Patel | Dhvani Chheda
a good rapport since we were together during our month long camps. It was an awesome experience training together as a unit, getting the opportunity to travel to different places, and learning to adapt to different climatic and pitch conditions. Individually I did quite well, both in Australia and South Africa and we won both the tournaments. We reached the quarter finals in the World Cup. The proudest feeling was when our National Anthem was played before every match. It invigorated us and gave us that extra push. Having an aggregate score of 74% is truly exceptional. How did you manage to be so consistent in academics even with your rigorous cricket schedule? I have always been very curious to know about new things and ask a lot of questions till I understand concepts properly. I am a firm believer of "Aim to excel and to strive to be the best in whatever you do”.First year of engineering was the most difficult year for me to manage. During the 1st Sem, I
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possibility was that if I performed went for the World Cup in New well consistently, BPCL could Zealand and could appear for only hire me as a sportsman. So I felt 2 papers (Maths and Physics). But that leaving Imagination was a I covered it up in 2nd Sem by risk worth taking, because even if appearing for 10 exams instead of I failed I still had my the usual 6. In fact every odd computational skills and I could Semester used to be tough as it is go for my Masters or apply for a always a peak time for the cricket job depending on the situation Season. I received immense later. support not only from my friends but also from the professors when With these remarkable feats in it came to attendance, practicals this season where do you see and journal submissions. yourself as a cricketer in the You were placed in one of the coming 2-3 years? dream companies, Imagination, in Obviously, the ultimate goal is to your final year. How difficult was represent the nation, and excel at it to come up with the decision of that level. rejecting this job offer and This year, I managed to make my continue pursuing cricket? Ranji debut and was amongst the 514 players that went under the After playing for India U19 my hammer for IPL auctions. I feel performance graph wasn't rising that my sincere efforts are paying as it should have been. I wasn’t off. Next season, I getting selected in the wish to go to the state side consistently. next level (i.e. So it was a low phase Now my only focus is to getting for me on the cricket get better and better as a established in the front because I was cricketer. I think the Ranji Team. If sacrificing my practice results will follow that happens hours for studies. My automatically. chances for IPL focus was getting split and other higher between academics opportunities will and cricket. I kept brighten). But all this is at the telling myself that I’ll keep back of my mind. Now my only moving till I see a path, but won’t focus is to get better and better as give up. So, I was facing a big a cricketer and if that happens, I dilemma, when I was placed in think the results will follow Imagination. It was a great profile automatically. offered. The posting was in Pune. I spent a lot of time just thinking Like every other alumni, you too about different possibilities. If I must be missing college. Tell us were to join Imagination, it would about any 3 memorable moments have meant taking my cricketing at SPIT that you still cherish. carrier to a virtual end. With all The 4 years spent in SPIT were that I even had the constraint of the most enjoyable years of my not being in Mumbai. I was life so far. I made some very close already playing for Bharat friends, and most of all I Petroleum (BPCL) as a Sports discovered myself better which Scholarship Cricketer and I helped me mould my personality thought that instead of doing a job in these years. Some of the most now and regretting that I could memorable ones are: have given one whole hearted Being with the college cricket shot at cricket, I should continue team as well as the Inter playing for BPCL on scholarship. Department team (We won 2 At the same time I can learn consecutive years). It was a really whatever I can through online awesome experience playing with courses and can develop mobile them. apps in my free time which could The different days in college i.e. help improve my C.V. One more Traditional day, tie day etc. Even
the college festivals were awesome. We had organized “Amazing Race” in Space and that too was lots fun. The B.E Trip: I never managed to go for any I.V in the first 3 years of college. But, I made it a point to find time and adjust my dates for the B.E trip. We all had a great time together. According to you, how important is it to have a good mix of curricular as well as extracurricular achievements on our resume? I feel curricular and extracurricular activities go hand in hand. The lessons learnt in one, automatically helps us to excel in the other. I feel each one of us has a passion and love for some particular field and pursuing that along with academics has many benefits. Also, pursuing your passion gives you happiness and satisfaction. All these factors help us to remain focused on studies as well. At the same time the vice-versa is also true. Engineering studies have helped me become a thinking cricketer. Whenever you learn a concept, always think how you will apply it and create something new. You just need to take the initiative to learn. Don’t be afraid to fail. Also, now after BE, along with 2 classmates, I created CricDeCode, a cricket diary cum statistics analyzer android app. When I look back, I see that we started off only with an intention to learn android programming. Then, suddenly the idea popped up. We began to work on it just to learn and get better. Then slowly as we got the hang of it; we actually made a professional implementation and launched it on Play Store. In short, just one saying, “Start by doing what is necessary. Then do what is possible. And you’ll suddenly find yourself doing the impossible.” And lastly, enjoy your college days, they are by far the best days of my life!
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EAT-OUT LOOKOUT Soumil Rao | Harsh Mehta After Cricket (read as Sachin Tendulkar) and living traveling in local trains, Eating comes up on the list of things Mumbaikars' are extremely fond of. Eateries in Mumbai can be broadly classified into 3 categories1. Cheap roadside eateries near open gutters 2. Moderately priced restaurants built over closed gutters. 3. Starbucks, where you’ll probably have to sell a kidney or two. And that’s just for the Service Tax. Here are 3 places that one ought to check out in the (hopefully) 4 years of engineering.
GETTOGETHER RESTAURANT Location- 4 Bungalows Category- Moderately Priced Gettogether Restaurant
A former Dhaba, the image makeover has made Gettogether an ideal place for group eat-outs. Serving Indian, Continental and Chinese, the menu offers a lot of options, especially for carnivores. The tandoori cuisine needs special mention - it is excellent. Priced at around Rs. 500/- for a meal for two, the place is a must-visit. Road House Bluez
ROAD HOUSE BLUEZ Location- JP Road, near Andheri Sports Complex Category- Costly-ish Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam. If you find these names enticing, you’re in for a treat at this happening, vibrant diner. Classic rock and pop music, karaoke nights, good food, well priced drinks and a groovy ambiance make Road House Bluez an amazing hangout place.
GOODLUCK SANDWICH SHOP Location: Off S. V. Road, By-lane near Paaneri Showroom. Category: Cheap Goodluck Sandwich Shop is a rather inconspicuous stall one might encounter while walking from our college to station. At Rs. 25/- for a toast sandwich, the place is delightful. Satisfactorily hygienic, the joint is great for an evening refuel before heading home.
ART CORNER
Siddharth Raikar, BE Computers #whatIgnitesSP
Aayush Patial, FE Electronics
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Nostalgia - Batches, 2014
From top to bottom #oneLastTime: Electronics, Computers
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Nostalgia - Batches, 2014
From top to bottom #oneLastTime: Electronics and Telecommunications, Information Technology
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