DIWALI : FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

National festivals are the lifeblood of a nation. They add charm and thrill to our humdrum life. India being a melting -pot of religions, race, and cultures, it has a plethora of festivals and feasts.

Among these, Diwali perhaps is the most pan-Indian festival celebrated with great pomp and mirth throughout the length and breadth of the country. Diwali, better known as, Deepawali among the Indian masses, is a festival of lights.The word ‘Diwali’ means ‘row of lights’. The ‘di’ part comes from the word ‘diva’; A diva is a small clay lamp that is filled with oil and has a cotton wick.

When Rama and Sita returned to Ayodha, from their fourteen years of exile, and killing the demon Ravan, diva lamps were lit to welcome the royal procession. In the same manner, during the festival, lamps are lit to welcome the goddess Lakshmi into Hindu homes and temples.

The festival itself lasts five days and takes place at the end of the Hindu month of Ashwin and the beginning of Kartika (late October-early November).  A lot of preparation goes in before the actual festival. Houses are cleansed, white washed and painted. Every nook and corner of the house is swept clean.Thereafter, in the evening earthen lamps and decorative lights are put in and around the house giving an atmosphere of joy and happiness. As the night approaches, children light up the sky with their firecrackers. The streets and bazaars bear a dazzling look.

Illumination of every hue and colour light up shops and buildings. Thus, there is gaiety, cheerfulness, merrymaking and fun everywhere. There is joy on every face. On this day every one put on their best dress which has been purchased well in advance. People exchange greetings and share sweets and meals as a mark of friendship and brotherhood.

Special offering ceremonies or ‘pujas’ are held to Lakshmi and the elephant god, Ganesha. Hindus believe that, if they start out the New Year by asking Ganesha to remove obstacles  and asking Lakshmi to bring wealth, the whole of the year will be prosperous.

The festival of Diwali teaches us many values of life. More than anything else the festival symbolises the ultimate victory of good over evil. It teaches us that one day or other the evil existing in this world would be subdued by goodness and righteousness. Rama’s obedience to parents, Sita’s faithfulness, Lakshman’s unflinching love for his brother, etc., teach us many noble lessons of life The festival is a national festival celebrated by everyone irrespective of caste, creed and race. It therefore, promotes unity, common brotherhood, and communal harmony. Hence, in a world like ours, broken by narrow domestic walls of religious fanaticism and social disharmony, a festival like Diwali can bring people together, heal wounds, and can help in fostering national integration.

Of late, external celebrations of Diwali have taken predominance over its religious content. As years proceed the celebration is becoming more commercial and superficial leading to much unhealthy practices, like gambling and drinking. Therefore, there is an urgent need to put sobriety, restraint, and caution in the present-day celebration of Diwali, so as to maintain its sanctity and original grandeur.

Written by: Oshin Malviya

                   IPG2016

PARICHAY 2K16

Freshers party is the most awaited and memorable part of every college student's life. They wait eagerly for this party. In this, freshers (or 1st year students) introduce themselves or show their individual talents to the other people so that they can communicate with their seniors because  seniors are the ones who will help them in future.

"PARICHAY", the welcome party for first year students of IPG was organised by our immediate seniors on 8th October, 2016. The evening marked induction and integration of new entrants into the IPG family. We saw very enthusiastic participation by first year students of IPG that evening. They showed their talents by singing melodious songs , performing dance on old songs, new songs ,on dance forms like bollywood , semi-classical, locking and popping. Thus, on the basis of their performances students became freshers faces of ABV-IIITM ,which were selected by an eminent jury and were awarded the titels as indicated below:-

MR. FRESHER     Surya Pratap Singh

MS. FRESHER     Chetana Yelukati

BEST PERFORMANCE     Ayushi Rastogi and Gajpal Singh Gond.

The results were announced by Dr. Anurag Srivastava. The titles were conferred by last year's Ms. Parichay and Best Performer. In this party we also saw a fantastic dance performance given by the newly made dance club of college named CrowD's. One of our senior sir played Tabla which was awesome. Thus, these all performances made PARICHAY a soulful evening.

Written by : Divya Lakhwani                    

                     IPG-2016035

             Uri Attack and Surgical Strikes

                                                                     

Uri is a small town located near the Jhelum river in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.On the tragic day of 18^th Semptember at around 5:30 am 4 militants  attacked an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri.The crossfire continued for 6 hours wherein  all the four terrorists   were decimated  but which resulted in heavy casualties for the Indian Army as well. 17 army personnel of ours were martyred  and around 19-30 soldiers have been reported to be injured.This attack came at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is already reeling under social unrest and there are daily clashes between the police and the people.These protests too, have been spurred on by the radicalization of the people,primarily the youth,by the militant groups active in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Uri attack  was widely condemned all over the globe,with the Ministry of External Affairs boycotting the SAARC summit that was to be held in Islamabad,Pakistan.Showing solidarity,Afghanistan,Bhutan and Bangladesh withdrew from the summit as well. Pakistan predictably denied any involvement despite the various proofs that corroborated the fact that the militants had been of Pakistani origin.From the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to the recent Pathankot attack Pakistan continues to turn a blind eye towards the rising terrorist activities  perpetrated towards India ,by the militant outfits growing on its soil.The Peshawar school attack appears to have done nothing to change our neighbours attitude,either.Merely stating that they are against war, everytime such incidents occur, is not the solution.Such a lackadaisical approach indicates that in all probability the Pakistani government itself is hands in glove  with the terrorist groups and thus cannot be relied upon.Despite receiving flak from all parts of the world it continues to hold fort and has counter accused India of financing terrorism in Pakistan.Perhaps Indias continuous efforts to resolve all issues peacefully have convinced the country’s  government that we cannot take matters into our own hands.

This misconception must have been cleared when the Indian government organized a covert operation against the militants in Pakistan.A surgical strike,the first of its kind,was carried out in the wee hours of 29^th September on terror launch pads along the LOC . Intelligence Bureau records, one released on September 30 for a scheduled inter-agency meeting in New Delhi, spoke  of a  major build-up, saying up to 40 jihadists had massed in Kél, facing India’s Machil sector. This unusual number was interpreted to be a preparation for a last-ditch infiltration push before the passes closed in early winter. This operation was in response to the terrorist strikes on Indian soil.The number of casualties on either side is still unclear due to the secrecy shrouding the operation .Initially, Pakistan persistently claimed that the predawn strikes never happened but after eye witness accounts and the surfacing of the  video footage of the strike they reluctantly admitted to the occurrence. The Indian Army was lauded for its bravery and dedication throughout the country. This manoueuvre has the benefit of indicating to the terrorist groups that they are not impregnable by the Indian Army, just because they are on another soil.

The news of the surgical strikes led to some quibbling between the incumbent  government and the opposition,which was to be expected ,given our country’s usual political scenario.  Shri Narendra Modi,our Prime Minister,declared that India will now start working towards globally isolating Pakistan and would continue to push to make it a pariah state.This  seems to have rattled the Nawaz Sharif government  and information resources state that a top secret meeting was held wherein the Pak army was ordered to take visible action against the terrorist groups.Terrorists have no nationality and no religion,they are a threat to humanity and must be eliminated and this can only happen when all countries work together and strive for the same.

-Ritika Agarwal(IPG-2016085)

     INTERVIEW WITH MR. ANIL TRIGUNAYAT

                                             ( RETD. IFS)

         

Q.    How was your experience today?

A.  It was nice. Basically I love meeting young people. I reached yesterday and walked through the city, it is a historic place. Here in this prestigious institute, I planted a tree and specially when we are about to sign a treaty on climate change on October 2^nd.They showed me the kind of flora and fauna they have which is amazing apart from technical skills.

Q.   To start with , what are your views on constant degradation of rupees  as compared to other foreign currencies?

A.  It is not always a bad thing. Currency of a country indicates its purchasing power. In India with the growth in economy, majority of our imports are dependent on oil i.e. 60 – 70% for which we need foreign exchange. We have a system where the Reserve Bank of India keeps on managing the currency. Secondly, if rupee was very strong it will add import cost which will cause trouble for Indian exporters. Today purchasing power of rupee is much more than many other currencies and so it is sometimes good to keep our currency low.

Q.   Are you in favour of Mr. Narendra Modi’s policy of “integrating neighbouring countries”?

A. His policy is –“India first” which is very important. He has created “Act East Policy” under which all the south east Asian countries are being  brought into a closer engagement. He started “neighbourhood first policy” as we have to deal and grow with them. If our neighbourhood started creating problems it would be a setback in our developmental plans. First he invited all the leaders of the SAARC countries in the swearing ceremony and now he is trying to have good relations with Russia and America.

Q. How does tying up with foreign countries affect our national security?

A. Security is of different types- economic security , physical security. We are trying our best to have good relations with China although China wants to support Pakistan mostly. Modi says-“We can’t sit by the shores counting the waves. We have to go and stir.” India being a very large country has 1.3 billion people  to provide economic prosperity which can be achieved by foreign collaborations only. We have a permanent security if our neighbours are not willing to go on wars with us. To create peace we have to maintain relations with other countries.

Q.  How can the problem of unemployment be solved by setting up manufacturing units in India?

A. “Comparative advantage” is some having raw materials, some having man power, some has technology and all this when combined can produce industry which will provide employment. 65% of our GDPA comprises of service sector/IT but they do not provide that much job facilities as manufacturing units. Majority of Indian population is less than 30years and to provide employment to them we are having schemes like “Make In India”, “Digital India” etc. but to eradicate unemployment completely is not possible.

Q.  The government has not been able to complete the 5yr plan of foreign policy. How far do you think corruption plays the key role?

A. Corruption is the unfortunate part and we have no justification for it. We must have some strict laws to control black money. We must have tax regimes which encourages people to pay tax i.e. self-compliance. GST has come already. Those upper strata people who continue to indulge in this should be subjected to harsh punishments.

Q.  Where do you see India in the next 10 years following the current foreign policies?

A. I see India at the top and we can reach there. We are already the fastest emerging economy in the world at 7.5% GDP. We are 1/6 th of the world and they cannot ignore it. We have been a leader and as a diplomat I feel we will be the leaders. We are in space and are among the six countries in the world that have sent 8 satellites. We send the largest no. of satellites to European countries. It will take time but we will reach there.

Q.  Any message that you would like to give us or any tagline for our campus?

A. Work hard and you will be there. That’s what I think ….there are no shortcuts in life.

                                          

REPORTED BY - PRAGATI BAHETI AND ANJALI JAIN

PHOTOGRAPHER- YASH CHAUDHARY

INTERVIEW WITH HR OF SUTRA ANALYTICS

 It was a very nice experience to interview the HR of one of the most reputed companies i.e, SUTRA ANALYTICS. All in all, he was a very nice, down to earth person. Following is an excerpt of the interview:

Q: Sir, how was your day at our institute?

A: Buddy, it was a hectic day but very enjoyable.

Q: What do you like the most about our college?

A: Sports complex, but if you talk about mam(his colleague) she liked the lightening on the road and greenery in the campus.

Q: What’s the unique thing in our campus?

A: Actually, it was the butterfly conservatory which was very unique concept of your college. We went there, it was a nice area but there were a lot of spiders( laughing) , still butterflies were there.

Q: How is the coding culture of our institute?

A: Coding culture, it is fine buddy. Students are very hard working, I personally like the quality of the students. When I go to different colleges, it's rare to find this kind of quality.

Q: Sir, we have a unique concept of 5 years integrated post graduation course( B tech + M tech/ MBA). Do you feel any difference among the students of this programme as compared to the students of B.Tech only?

A: Not so much my friend, I don’t focus on the performance of B .Tech or M. Tech and compare them. I only look that how a student completes his/her work in an efficient manner and time. I only judge efficiency.

Q: What's the tagline that you would  like to give to our institute?

A: “VERY ENJOYABLE ATMOSPHERE”

Thank you sir for your precious time, it was nice meeting you.

                                             

                                       

REPORTED BY: Riya Khandelwal

                              Daksh Berry

PHOTOGRAPHER: Saurabh Gupta

RIO OLYMPICS 2016

Its  been  over  2500  years since the first Olympics started in  Greece. But first Modern Olympics were  held  in  1896  and  are  continued  ever since. These Olympic Games have  encouraged the sportsmanship, competitiveness and help in unifying the world. These games are held once in every four years around the world.  2016 was one such year in which the games were held in Rio, Brazil. Sportsmen from all around the world represented their country and participated with great enthusiasm.

There are total 28 sports in Olympics which include:

•    Aquatics (including swimming, diving and synchronized swimming, water polo)
•    Archery
•   Badminton
•    Basketball
•   Boxing
•   Canoe/Kay
•    Cycling- including Track, Road, Mountain biking, BMX)
•     Equestrian
•     Fenci
•   Football (soccer)
•    Golf
•    Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampolining)
•     Handball
•     Hockey
•     Judo
•     Modern Pentathlon
•    Rowling
•     Rugby 7s
•   Sailing
•    Shooting
•    Table tennis
•   Taekwondo
•     Tennis
•    Track and field
•     Triathlon
•     Volleyball- indoor and beach volleyball
•     Weightlifting
•     Wrestling (Greco-Roman and Freestyle)

With all these sports this year top five countries winning maximum number of medals are;

1.       USA

2.       Great Britain

3.       China

4.       Russia

5.       Germany

Where USA earned total 121 medals which includes 46 Gold, 37 Silver and 38 Bronze medals!

Apart from all these achievements what matters is participation, team work, sportsmanship and not losing hope. The sportsmen showed great enthusiasm as well as the crowd. They together represented their culture and unity.

That’s what makes Olympics “THE OLYMPICS”!

And when it comes to unity and culture there comes India. Winning 2 medals, one Silver and 1 Bronze, we proved others to be a great competitor. Although we won just two but the efforts made by the sportsmen over there were appreciable. But not forgetting PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar, the three of them made every Indian to say proudly that “yes! We are Indians!”

Won silver moreover won everyone’s heart: P V Sindhu

P V Sindhu’s match against Spain’s Carolina Marin at Badminton Singles FINALS in Rio Olympics will go down in history. After putting a brilliant fight, the 21 years old Indian lost 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 in a nerve wracking final. Though she has to settle for a silver, it was nothing less than a gold in the hearts of her countrymen. She has already created history by becoming the first indian woman to fight at  the Women’s Single Final in Olympics.

India’s First Female Wrestler to win an Olympic Medal

At the Olympics Sakshi Malik won her round of 32 bout against Sweden and round of 16 bout against Moldova. After losing to eventual finalist, she qualified for repechage round where she defeated Mongolia in her first bout. She won Bronze medal after a 8-5 victory over the Asian champion of Kyrgyzstan. And thus we got over wrestler with a Bronze medal.

First Female Gymnast to qualify for the Final Vault

On 10^th Aug,2016 at the 2016 Olympic Test events, Dipa Karmakar became the first female Gymnast to qualify for the Final Vault event at the Olympics with a score of 14.833. She narrowly missed out in Bronze medal, finishing fourth in the final. Karmakar is the only fifth woman to land the Produnova  vault, or the handsprint double front. The Produnova is an artistic gymnastics vault consisting of a front handsprint onto the vaulting horse  and two somersaults off.

And that’s all what we feel proud of. Moreover all the sportsmen who qualified for Olympics, everyone make us feel proud.

Written by :- Oshin Malviya
                      IPG-2016 

             INTERVIEW  WITH  MR. LUCKY  SUMAN        


                                             

              

Q.Sir how was your experience in the college till now?

A. It has been great…wonderful.The best experience was to get involved in SGM ie. Student Gyan Movement. When I  came in first year,I got to know that  SGM was first started by  M.Tech students and they were only a part of it .So,I was the one who insisted IPG students to also be a part of it.So I  started teaching the students in the second year itself.What I faced at home was that we all have qualities but our family tends to suppress them,be it dancing or be it singing and insist more on studying..The same was with the children here .Their parents  used to tell them that study and study,don’t indulge in any other activity.So when I saw them,I thought that if they are good at studies,they can excel in other fields also.So SGM taught them  how to dance and take part in other activities.This continued and now the situation is that IPG, M.Tech, MBA ,P.Hd, the whole college and all the faculty members have become a part of  our SGM family.

Q. What inspired you to come out of the academics and join Student Gyan Movement?

A .My life situations became my inspirations.I mean when I was in school,in tenth standard,my family also persuaded me to give up dancing and only study.So this passion of dancing remained buried somewhere deep inside me.So I thought that no matter if I was not able to do it,if I was not provided with a proper platform,at least I can provide a path for others like me to walk on.That was my only  inspiration.In fact,not only me,anyone who comes to volunteer in SGM has one or the other  story of inspiration behind it.

Q .Sir how was the programme today?

A. I enjoyed the programme very much.It was very good.Students of SGM also took part in it.So it was nice seeing the young talent.

Q . How is Gwalior different from your hometown?

A .Gwalior is good but my  native place is better  primarily, because of the backward society here.People here think that studying is not meant for girls.According to them, after completing senior school, if they go to college, then they will be spoiled ,so better  get them  married .Even when I was in second year, one of my  students  in SGM , who had just completed her  twelfth standard  ,was forced  to get married .I felt like crying seeing such a  mentality. How could they even think of that? She had just turned 18.So these sort of things are very common with the society here.People do not want girls to move forward and prosper more than boys.They want girls to handle household chores only.

Q. Sir in what direction are you working to eradicate this backwardness?

A . We go and talk to their parents  and insist them to send their children to study,ensuring  them  all round development of their ward.Not only they send their  children to study but also  help us to spread this message to more and more children and their  parents. SGM started with a strength of 50 children studying in first to twelfth standard.And today 130 students are a part of SGM family.Its not only my pleasure,but  of everyone who  volunteers to teach these children.

Q .Sir what tagline would you like to give to our institute?Any message for  the students ?

A .For the students: Show Your Talent and show your presence.And I believe that this institute provides a very good platform to nurture your talents.

REPORTED BY : AYUSHI RASTOGI

                             ANJALI JAIN

PHOTOGRAPHER: PRIYANSH SAXENA 

                                 

Interview with Mr Sunil Goel(Member of Paytm selection panel)

Q.How was your day today?

A.The day was great.I think it has been great interacting with all..It was a great experience coming here in terms of interacting with both the students and the faculty.I am looking forward to the years to come.

Q.Sir how was your interaction with the students and what are the improvements that can be made?

A.I think overall students have been  doing  a good job .That is why we have assigned good positions.They have been doing a lot of projects and are involved with the industry,be it a part of internship or their B.Tech projects.So I think the way knowledge is being imparted to the students is great as it is made a part of the curriculum.

Q.What are your experiences working in paytm?

A.I have been working with paytm from the last two years and it has been great.I always say Paytm is hundred startups within one startup.We have been growing both in terms of business as well as technology.There is this freedom associated with the engineers that you can go ahead and solve the problems of the common man and paytm is one company which is trying to solve problems from the very  primary level.

Q.In  what ways do you think technology is going to change India in the next few years?

A.We have to basically improve the common man in India.Today for example if we go to one tier villages the people there cannot even open their own bank accounts,as simple as that.This process seems to be so complex for them and I think Paytm is one company which has the vision that each and every person of india is a part of national economy.Paytm is doing a great job and in the next few years it will be serving five hundred million users and has already  covered a large part of India.

Q. Sir what are your views about Digital India?

A.That is a pretty good initiative by the government. It was a much awaited venture and if we go back to the common person there are a lot of people today who only need basic services,which can be provided to them with just the click of a button.These kind of ventures complement the Indian economy.It helps India moves one step further.

Q.Sir what are the qualities that you look for,in the candidates at the time of recruitment?

A.I would not say one thing but a few things together are to be taken care of.One of the things,besides speed and vigilance,is primarily aptitude.It means how much ‘self-initiative’ attitude a candidate has.People join Paytm.They have to take full ownership of things from Day 1.How much things they can do or what have they done by taking their own self initiative means a lot. We not only ask questions related to algorithms but we also ask questions how to code just to make sure that the knowledge they read or they learn in their curriculum is a lot more practical in nature and they can actually implement.

Q.Would you like to share any new concepts paytm is trying to introduce in the market?

A.One of the things that we are trying  is the payment bank.We came from recharges four five years back then we started Wallet two years back at marketplace and the next big thing that is on the agenda of paytm is the bank.It directs towards the same goal of financial equilibrium.We try to bring more people into this system.People will have a totally different banking experience.The team is working there.

Q.As our institute combines the study of IT and management,so how do you think this combination can be unique?

A.I think its pretty good.It has been always my perception that technology and business go hand in hand.Lets take an example.We have a lot of stress on startups right and people who really want to win that world need to understand not just technology, they also need to understand business challenges.Unless they don’t understand that,they would not be very successful.So at the end of the day you need to see how to use technology to solve a real need and make a business out of it.So this blend of IT and management is really a good combination and I think that people can really make good advantage by mixing all this with what exists in the real world.A lot of this knowledge is driven by books and curriculum.So once we go into the reality,we can actually see what really works and what does not.And if people can successfully combine that knowlwdge with lot of technical stuff that happens in the industry and the economy,we can really prosper then.

Q.Sir as a student of first year from where should we start and which computer language should be preferred to be opted for?

A.As far as anguage is concerned,I think it does not matter in today’s world.My perspective is you can choose any language as it is not a barrier.C++,Java,Python or any other programming language would work.At the end,your programming skills matter and they can be built up in any language.The question is if you can start from small things and be able to build research projects,which are long term initiatives and be able to convert them into large scale projects.So students can start with smaller ideas and with a period of time,with the collaboration of the institute and the faculty,they build stronger ideas,which will be an advantage both for the institute and the students.

Q.How do you manage yourself in difficult situation and what is your success mantra?

A.Moments come and go. Nothing is static.We always feel that we are in a worse situation but actually those would be very small. See today if I am having any problem I should not take it in a negative way because at the same moment,there will be hundreds of people suffering more than me.We need to keep a different perspective towards problems. Then slowly and gradually we would calm down and tackle the situation.Then we get strength to focus on our work.I believe on persistence.If you believe in something,always persist for it.Success does not come to you overnight.If you ask any successful entrepreneur,in the first few years he was not even recognised.So persistence for longer duration helps a lot.

Q.What message would you like to give to india youth?

A.When I was in my college fifteen years back at that time India was very different and today with the economy opening up,there are more and more opportunities.The Indian youth has the capability to make right choices.They are not less than anyone else in this world.India can establish a lot.

Q.Sir please share something about you career and field.

A.I graduated from IIT Delhi in 2002 with a dual degree course.After that I spent my first three years in Austria.It was primarily a research company.Somewhere in 2005,my startup worked.I left my job.In 2011 we sold our company to a US company.Two years later,I came back to India.I was always more of an India person.And then we started another company which focussed on e-commerce.It ran for almost one and a half year and then that company got acquired by Paytm.

Q.What tagline would you like to give to our institute?

A.As an institute you are doing a great work.We need more such institutes.We have really good students.When I see resume of students,I am literally surprised as in my time,there were no such competitions like coding competitions and now you see resumes,they have their names in top 100 in India or top 50 or top 10 showing their techtalent.You need to be a really good engineer at the core of it and that is what is really coming out.

INTERVIEW CREDITS-

REPORTERS:AYUSHI RASTOGI   &  VISHAKHA GUPTA

PHOTOGRAPHER:NIKITA SHARMA