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VINOD AGARWAL CEO, LOGICVISION IS PERSON OF THE MONTH THE FACTS ON BITS ADMISSIONS ¦ FLYING AEROFLOT !
The BITSAA Edition
Sandpaper [2.0] May 2003 Inaugural Issue Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazine
Dr. AMIT SHETH When Academicians become Entrepreneurs
On the Road to Pilani
My College, My Country By Dilip D’Souza
In Memoriam Remembering Leuna and Vamsi
Naagarji’s The last bastion of BITS gastronomia
A conversation with Krishna Vavilala
Racial profiling grows post 9/11 BITSCONNECT The ambitious $1.5 million project
to create the best broadband network of
any university in the nation
Sandpaper [2.0] May 2003 Inaugural Issue
CONTENTS
3 EDITORIAL GENERAL INTEREST 28 My college, my country FEATURES 30 Racial profiling rises post-9/11 4 Sandpaper Online 32 Setting the record straight on admissions 5 BITSAA Roundup 7 Business News EDUCATION & ACADEMICS 8 Masala & Spice 34 Profiling Dr. Amit Sheth Series: When academicians become entrepreneurs COVER STORY 9 BITSConnect: The $1.5 MM project PERSON OF THE MONTH 12 The Impact of BITSConnect on Pilani 36 May: Vinod Agarwal, CEO, LogicVision 13 BITSConnect buzz ALUMNI CORNER NOSTALGIA 38 BITSAA International Initiatives 14 On the road to Pilani 39 Partyin’ around the world 18 Naagarji’s – The final frontier 19 Re-living BITS MERA BHARAT MAHAAN 40 A conversation with Krishna Vavilala IMMIGRANT SONG 21 Flying Aeroflot IN MEMORIAM 41 A tribute to Vamsi & Prasanna CREATIVE & HUMOR 43 Leuna Harkawat, Pilani’s nightingale 23 Cartoons 24 Poetry 44 SELECTED CLASS NOTES 25 Selected articles 52 JOIN BITSAA
GIVING TO BITS 53 BITSConnect pledge form
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 2 From the Editor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazine
We’ll constantly bring you News about our People. Through Person of the Month, we’ll inspire you with the HELLO AND extraordinary achievements of ordinary people.
WELCOME TO THE To help you tell your stories, we’ve assembled an incredibly diverse team at SandP from around the world. I expect this team to expand with regular and guest NEW SANDP ! contributors, as well as some of those writing legends from your past. We welcome them all to pick up the pen again Ten years ago I founded a newsletter for Economics at and let the words flow like they used to. Pilani. Titled Zero Deficit, it aimed at providing newsworthy information in a casual way to the Eco Group. BITSAA International got started because a dear friend and I doubt Zero Deficit still exists. Zero Deficit was all classmate, SS Seshadri passed away untimely. The desire business. It required work, it had no masala, it stirred no of a small Eco ’87 Yahoogroup, 20-odd volunteers in New emotions. Jersey, and the passion of the BITSAA alumni body resulted not only in a lifelong scholarship in Sesha’s name Magazines, like causes, survive because of people, passion at Pilani last year, but also ignited a small revolution with and money. We believe we have ample quantities of two, the birth of BITSAA International. By stirring our little and little need for the third. idea with the magic of BITSian passion, we accomplished a small wonder. Sandpaper got started to tell all of you about Naming this magazine Sandpaper made sense to my team. this collective magic, these small wonders. In management-speak, “SandP” had unparalleled brand recognition. It conjured up images and passions for most BITSAA Roundup , and Alumni Corner will tell you how of us like no other name. I was reluctant to grab the name we’re collectively bottling and selectively releasing this from BITS, but my teammates were very convincing. So passion in the years to come. Sandpaper [2.0], or Sandpaper, the BITSAA edition, was born. Unlike Zero Deficit, this first edition has all the ingredients of an Indian masala movie. Comedy, action, villains, We’ve all grown and changed, so this Sandpaper has heroes, heroines, drama, philosophy, and most of all, metamorphosed. But it remains a kaleidoscope of our passion. Sit back, grab the cheeku shake and enjoy the lives. magic.
We’ve replaced the gossip column with a more gentrified There are no intermissions. Only sequels. Class Notes that will be your companion for many years, to help you live and learn about the travails and passages of And you all are scripting the show. your friends and classmates. Anupendra Sharma (’87) We are intricately entwined with our past at Pilani. Hence Chief Editor Nostalgia opens avenues for travel down memory lane. At BITS, legendary tales of introducing non-veg food in the messes, banning the NC, of Bihari strikes, devastating fires and crazy professors were passed from batch to batch, generation to generation. History will bring to life all those tales of yore.
We’ve always been a gloriously funny bunch, so Creative and Cartoons is stocked with content to keep you smiling about this wonderful thing called life.
Business, Technology & Academics will bring news, ideas and stories of our unsung heroes. Some may even inspire you to start new businesses, to invent new technologies, to research new ideas in academia. Anupendra (left) with Venu & Sandeep at the East Coast Golfing Event in summer 2002 In Mera Bharat Mahaan and Giving to BITS, we’ll highlight charitable causes and showcase generous hearts. Through Led Zep’s Immigrant Song, we want you to tell us about your first experiences in the new world after you left Pilani.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 3 From the Editor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazine
SandpaperOnline www.bitsaa.org/sandpaper/sandpaper.html
UP TO THE MINUTE STORIES YOU WON’T FIND HERE This published version will appear at infrequent intervals. To access the latest news, stories, cartoons, humor, class notes and to find out the latest regarding the BITSConnect project, visit the website. In addition, find the 2002 Business News and archives of People in the News. In addition, delightful articles and stories such as Sagarika Jaganathan’s Moments in time , describing her white water rafting trip while at BITS, Laxman Mohanty’s Dining Dynamics, Sandeep Mukherjee’s Cricket in the Common Rooms, and the most complete BITS encyclopedia prepared by the 1996 batch, are to be found on the website.
BITSian AUTHORS BITSians IN ACADEMICS Sandpaper has started a database of all At last count, there books published by BITSians. Support our were 163 BITSian BITSian authors, and read the works of alums teaching as our literati, be it fiction, non-fiction or professors at reference. universities and research institutes around the world. BITSians IN BUSINESS All details including research interests Find out about the Top 50 BITSian and awards are to Leaders in Business. Also read about be found on the BITSian entrepreneurs who have started website. over 100 companies in the US alone.
TEAM SANDPAPER
CHIEF EDITOR Anupendra Sharma GUEST WRITERS Dilip D'Souza, Prof. KRV Subramanian, The Sandpaper team is a Prof. Rahul Banerjee globally distributed virtual EDITORIAL OPERATIONS Sandeep Mukherjee, Devesh Satyavolu, team in the United States and Pushkala Venkatraman India. We are looking to add NEWS Venu Palaparthi people in Europe, Australia BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY Mukul Chawla, Aanand Krishnan, Ashish and most of all, Pilani. Garg CREATIVE & HUMOR Antara Bhattacharya , Sagarika Send your letters, comments, Jaganathan suggestions and articles by EDUCATION & ACADEMICS Vikas Chandra NOSTALGIA & HISTORY Emani Satya Swaroop, Laxman email to: Mohanty [email protected] CARTOONIST Sabya Kar CLASS NOTES Suraj Srinivasan Visit our website at: CONTRIBUTORS Suharsh Dev Burman, Rajeev Menon, www.bitsaa.org/ Sanjay Motwani, Sridhar Parthasarthy, sandpaper/sandpaper.html Sriram Sundaramoorthy TECHNICAL EXPERT Pirasanna Venugopal BITSAA International has been granted 501(c)3 tax- OFFICE Sandpaper Magazine exempt status by the IRS, BITSAA International, Inc and is registered in New 34 Pierce Road Jersey, USA. East Windsor, NJ 09520 Tel: +1 (917) 930-1492
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 4 BITSAA Roundup Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY VENU PALAPARTHI 2002. THE YEAR THAT WAS In 2002, we set ourselves a very raising money from two East Boston, Seattle, Detro it, and San aggressive agenda and Coast fundraisers. This $16,000 Jose. It was the first time he had met endowment now funds two merit- so many BITSians in the US (or succeeded on most fronts. As a anywhere)! group, we pushed the limits in cum-need scholarships in Pilani in our first year of existence and perpetuity. As a pilot project, it demonstrates the loyalty of laid a tremendous foundation on To enable high-impact networking, which to build our future BITSians to BITS and their BITSAA organized its first golf success. If you are wondering keenness to give back. The first outing in NJ with about 50 BITSians two scholarships were awarded to what these achievements are, in attendance. One particularly read on … Krishnachaitanya and Charles spirited BITSian insisted that he had Augustine in December 2002. played golf on the Sky lawns. Needless to say, BITSians found the The global BITS community: sand traps on the course more Our biggest focus for 2002 was to treacherous than the sands of Pilani. bring BITSians together and enable them to communicate with BITSian Achievements: BITSians and learn about each other. To won accolades around the world as that end, our website, launched in they continued to blaze new trails in February 2002, has been a huge science, technology, and the arts. The Director in Boston hit with BITSians, helping us with Prof. SP Kothari organize, communicate and reconnect with each other around BITSAA International (USA): the world. We are continuously We expanded BITSAA inland developing this website as a focal from our beachheads in New point of our community. Also in York and San Francisco. At the 2002, the Sandpaper team started end of 2002, we had 7 active brainstorming a launch. This issue chapters (9 now) in the United of SandPaper has hopefully States. We launched a massive revived the magic of that old The Simputer discovery campaign and added campus rag of ours. over 1,000 BITSians to our chapters! We connected with BITSAA USA get-togethers in Dr. Dorairajan Balasubramaniam, BITSians from the 50’s and 60’s 2002: Until 2001, the only won the coveted Padma Shri in India batches – BITSAA now boasts organized BITSian get-togethers for his contributions to the field of about 60 members from the 50’s were in the Bay Area and in NY. Ocular Biochemistry – a first for any and 60’s. In fact, Harish Jain Most BITSians met their friends BITSian. Two BITSians on the (graduated in 1953) from over long weekends or “ran into Simputer team, Professor Vijay Maryland visited BITS Pilani in each other” at Indian grocery Chandru and Shashank Garg, won the February of 2003, exactly 50 stores and at universities across first ever Dewang Mehta award for IT years after he graduated from US. BITSian reunions are no innovation. BITSians were not only BITS, longer random run-ins at airports at the helm of companies that brought or shopping malls. In 2002, we computers to the common man (the Simputer), they also brought Perhaps the most notable had a total of nine (9) social supercomputers to the Indian achievement for BITSAA in events where nearly 800 BITSians scientific community (C-DAC led by 2002 was obtaining our 501c3 met each other. And that is not including the chapter events that Dr. Arora launched the status. As a tax-deductible not- ParamPadma). for-profit organization, BITSAA coincided with Diro’s trip. Diro immediately embarked on was pleased with the reception in creating an endowment by all the cities he visited – NY,
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 5 BITSAA Roundup Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
India 100 list. Among the December.” Anu Hasan won the best professional executives, Vivek supporting actress award for her role Paul of Wipro was the highest in a TV adaptation of Chitra paid professional executive in Banerjee’s “Sister of my heart.” A India according to The Week. BITSian from Pilani - Kaniha has made a name for herself as an actress BITSians who did not take the with her debut in Five Star. well-traveled path also did extremely well. Mahesh Last but always the most important Ramasubramanian won an Oscar achievement of all, our beloved alma BITSians won accolades both as for Shrek. A BITSian music mater was ranked third in India in the entrepreneurs and corporate director, Aravind (of Aravind- India Today ranking of engineering executives. Vinod Agarwal of Shankar) produced a major colleges finishing at the top in both LogicVision, was named chartbuster in Tamil. Mani academic input and curriculum. “Entrepreneur of the year” by Shankar made one of those rare Silicon India. Ten other Bollywood hits in 2002 called “16 BITSians were on the Silicon Go BITS ! ¦
BITSIAN Companies in the Silicon India 100
Company BITSIAN Position Category Nuware Venk Krishnan Founder/CEO IT Services Intruvert Raj Dhingra VP of Marketing Networking/Communications Velio Vijay Parikh BoD Networking/Communications Axiowave Mukesh Chatter Founder/CEO Networking/Communications Pinnacle Systems Ajay Chopra Founder Semiconductors /EDA/Hardware LogicVision Vinod K. Agarwal Founder/CEO Semiconductors /EDA/Hardware Cradle Tech Satish Gupta Founder Semiconductors /EDA/Hardware NetScout Systems Ajay Singhal Founder/CEO Software/Internet Exemplary Software Ravi Krishnamurthy Founder/CTO Software/Internet Informatica Diaz Nesamoney Founder Software/Internet Sierra Atlantic Raju Reddy Founder/Chairman Software/Internet
Excerpts from BITS Director’s welcome message on the BITSAA website Dear BITSian:
You are a member of this extraordinary global family, a network of BITSians with tremendous intellectual potential and technical abilities. Many of you have reached the pinnacle of your careers thousands of miles from home. As a group you have started world-class companies, won critical acclaim in academics, written books, won awards from US corporations, universities and institutions, and donated generously to many noble causes for the United States, and especially for India.
…On behalf of the Institute I extend a personal invitation to each one of you to revisit Pilani, to meet and greet your old teachers, to share your experience and wisdom with our current students, faculty and to work with us to create a bigger, more powerful, and more dynamic world class Institute.
Regards
Dr. S Venkateswaran
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 6 Business News Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee BY THE SANDPAPER NEWS TEAM BUSINESS NEWS April 23, 2003: Rajiv Maliwal, a Marlborough-based networking India's highest paid professional CEO, and Managing Director of Sabre Capital, company that makes equipment for No. 8 overall. announced the acquisition of core carrier and service provider Centurion Bank by a group of backbones, has closed a third funding December 12, 2002: Ajay Chopra, Investors led by Sabre. Rajiv is the round worth $45 million. Investors Founder and Chairman of the Board of former CEO of ANZ Investment included Argonaut and Pinnacle Systems [NASD:PCLE] is Bank. Sabre was founded by Rana Gainesborough. Axiowave Chairman profiled on the cover of Silicon India in Talwar, former CEO of StanChart. is Ray Stata, founder of Analog article titled "I Edit, I Store, I Stream". Devices and co-founder of Nextabit with Mukesh. April 22, 2003: Ramesh Harjani, November 9, 2002: Vinod co-founder of Bermai, has been Agarwal, selected as one of the most January 16, 2003: Cradle Founder, influential technical authors over the Technologies, a next -gen silicon chip President & CEO last 20 years by the International company co-founded by Satish of LogicVision Conference on Computer Aided Gupta, with Suhas Patil as Chairman, [NASD: LGVN] Design (ICCAD). raised $11 million in Series B-1 is named Silicon financing from Charter Ventures & India 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year April 21, 2003: Epicenter Smart Technology for the IPO of LogicVision. Technologies, a leading call center Ventures. Cradle also in India promoted by K Vijay Rao, named Arthur Chang, veteran of two IPOs October 8, 2002: Manish Sood's Salient with investments from Infinity Software is named in the Houston 100, for Ventures & Gary Wendt Capital (Parallan Computer and Solopoint) as the being the 69th fastest growing company in announced that it would list within the Greater Houston region. 18 months. Kotak Mahindra is new CEO. Satish raising $20 million for the company. assumes the role of VP, Business July 2, 2002: Hostile takeover attempt of Development. The firm has raised $41 Intelligroup [NASD: ITIG] defeated. The April 7, 2003: For the first time in million to date. takeover was attempted by Ashok its history, commercial and Pandey, former CEO and shareholder. industrial property insurer FM The current CEO is Arjun Valluri. Global has been named to the January 14, 2003: Under the very Fortune 1000 list of America's able leadership of Dr. RK Arora (the largest companies. In the April 14, Executive Director of Pune based May 6, 2002: Walden International and 2003 issue of Fortune magazine, Center for Development of Advanced International Finance Corporation invest FM Global debuts at No. 697 based Computing or C-DAC), India is about $3 million in Webdunia. CEO, Vinay on its fiscal year 2002 revenues. to launch its fastest supercomputer to Chhajlani, Founder & CEO, positioned FM Global. Shivan S date - the PARAM Padma. Webdunia as the world's first multilingual Subramaniam is Chairman and portal company and language technology Chief Executive Officer. January 12, service provider. 2003: January 25, 2003: Two BITSians Viewceler, a April 12, 2002: Two BITSians, Professor are named software startup Vijay Charu and Shashank Garg are amongst the 11 founded by Diaz amongst team that wins the First Dewang hottest Nesamoney, Mehta Award for IT Innovation, for their dealmakers in IT former President invention of the Simputer. Services and & Chief Software by Operating Officer March 21, 2002 Planar Systems Inc. Business Today. of Informatica, announced it has [NASD: PLNR], acquired Dome Imaging The article names raised $6.5 million in Series A Systems Inc. of Waltham, MA for $61 Rakesh Hukku financing from Lightspeed Venture million. Balaji Krishnamurthy is (left) of i-flex and Vivek Paul of Partners and Bay Partners. Chairman, President & CEO of Planar, Wipro. based in Oregon. ¦ January 3, 2003: Vivek Paul, January 21, 2003: Mukesh Chairman of Wipro Technologies is Chatter’s Axiowave Networks Inc.,
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 7 Masala & Spice Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Anu Hasan stars Padmini Chettur, Masks" (1994), "Brown" in Run, another award winning (1994), and in the same year, hit movie international with Krishna Devanandan, the dancer and duet "Unsung." With "Soliloquy" (1996) and "Run" ran to packed choreographer "Fragility" (2001) she houses: The Madhavan developed choreographic starrer "Run" played to pieces for a larger number of packed houses in the dancers. Padmini Chettur's south. Anu Hasan (’89 dance and choreographic Physics / MMS) plays works have been shown in Madhavan's sister in the numerous forums in Indian movie and here is what and abroad. Both the India one reviewer had to say government and the UNESCO about her role – "Anu have honored her with grants. Hasan looks beautiful and Padmini's latest work dignifies her role. Anu "Fragility" - a co-production of leaves a lasting Theater der Welt, impression. The dilemma If you were in Pilani Schaubühne am Lehniner of a woman when her between 1987 and 1991, Platz, Berlin and Théâtre de la husband and brother are you will certainly Ville, Paris, received rave at loggerheads, her remember Padmini reviews in Europe. ¦ happiness when they Chettur. PC, as she was finally become friends known, was in several EDC and her concern for the plays and was a core Mani Shankar, family…Anu Hasan Backstage member. movie director comfortably delivers the scores a hit with performance.” Hindi film 16 Masala December BITSians who were on campus between 1988 Mani Shankar ('78 Chemical), and 1993 remember Anu has been making short Hasan in some of the EDC & movies, music videos and productions of the day documentaries for many including "Fiddler on years via his Hyderabad the Roof" and Spice based production house called Bhairav Films. In 2002, he Trained in Bharatnatyam, got his break on the big Padmini (87 Math) never screen - Mani Shankar's debut looked for a campus job Hindi feature film, ”16 like most of us, nor went December” was a surprise for a dual. Instead, she hit. The movie was an joined the Chennai based iDream production released dancer- choreographer - by Columbia Tristar and Chandralekha. While starred Milind Soman and working with the model- “Spartacus." When not Chandralekha group, turned- busy with movies, Anu actress Hasan runs her BPO Padmini has developed her Dipannita company in Calcutta. ¦ own identity as a soloist and choreographer. She Sharma. ¦ choreographed and danced the solo pieces "Wings &
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 8 Cover Story Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Featured Article
BY VENU PALAPARTHI, ANUPENDRA SHARMA & MUKUL CHAWLA BITSCONNECT: THE $1.5 MILLION ALUMNI PROJECT TO MAKE BITS #1 6,000 PCs distributed across campus, including libraries and Around 8:30 am on a Sunday morning, 10 cars drive into the Halls of Residence, there is no difficulty in global empty parking lot of Building #6 at Cisco’s offices in San communication and research; and for the really enthusiastic, Jose. While the residents of this northern California city are some of the facilities are available 24 hours a day. A wealth still under covers, a conference room in Building #6 is filling of application software is available for use on these up, buzzing with talk and activity. At the same time, people machines. For those with demanding computer in other cities and time zones around the US are pulling off requirements, there are a number of specialist facilities, the roads, excusing themselves from brunches, returning from the flagship being the local visualization supercomputer, which gym, dialing in one by one to a conference call. is used for compute intensive and data intensive tasks….” All these people have two things in common. A degree from This sort of infrastructure is de rigueur for universities in the BITS and a mission called BITSConnect. developed world, but at Pilani, you have to line up to sit in This is the 25-strong BITSConnect core group consisting of front of a PC to send an email. With the completion of Marketing, Finance, Fundraising and Project Execution BITSConnect, BITS will soon be able to cut-and-paste the teams; a remarkably cohesive group consisting of three paragraph above in its own brochure. generations of BITSians disbursed around the US. The group is in pursuit of one goal – to design, fund and maintain one of the finest networks of any university campus in India. TECHNICAL DETAILS Ö Connects the Institute, hostel rooms, library, staff quarters and guest house Ö More than 20 kilometers of cables Ö 2-4 Mbps WAN connectivity Ö 4000 voice-grade 10/100 access points over a Gigabit backbone Ö Staff House connectivity through LRE (Long Range Ethernet) & Wireless Ö Wireless Access (802.11b) at SKY and the Reference Library Ö NMS, Router & Hardware Firewall Ö VoIP Phones Ö Voice-management Software The story in fast forward >>> State-of-the-art elsewhere is the new status How did it all happen? Here is the story in fast forward. BITS Director, Dr. Venkateswaran visited the US in late quo at BITS summer last year. At the offices of Cradle Technologies, on In 2003, life without the internet is unimaginable on the morning of September 7, he presented a small gathering university campuses. A major university website describes of 22 BITSian movers and shakers with his wish-list for its network: Pilani. At the top of this list was connectivity. BITS wanted state-of-the-art, and nothing less would do. It had some “The campus-wide network, including (all) University Halls funds that it was saving, but these funds would not be of Residence, provides the backbone of its service, with high- enough. speed access, not only to University information, but also to national and international networks. All students have Prem Jain galvanized the team into action. Pulling in two unlimited access to email and the Internet. With more than BITSians at Cisco, Deepu Rathi and Mukul Chawla, the team started brainstorming how Cisco and the BITS alumni could
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 9 Cover Story Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee help implement the network. All the 22 movers and shakers program, interviewing Vivek Paul, Satish Gupta and Prem jumped on the bandwagon. Jain about BITSConnect. A number of stories are expected to follow. By November, a project team was formed, and activity shifted into high gear. Prof. JP Misra of BITS scoped out the They say the first million is always the hardest requirements. Mukul spent two weeks in Pilani and at the Although the first $400,000 came easily, collecting the next Cisco offices, surveying the campus and putting together the $300,000 will be a lot harder. The larger donors are all network design. The cost, a daunting $1.5 million. With tapped out. It is time for grassroots giving to kick in. There vendor subsidies and Pilani’s savings, the alumni target was are over 3,000 BITSians in the US, and approximately 7,000 $750,000. And BITSAA had 9 months to raise the money. alums are now connected online to BITSAA yahoogroups By January 2003, the RFP process was launched. Bids from around the world. Most major chapters have been organized. vendors were evaluated by Prof. Misra and his team in a Our goal: To get each and every one of these alums to marathon overnight session. The core team picked Cisco, contribute something, however small. The fundraising focus Wipro and Amp (Tyco) as the leading vendors. has shifted to the rest of the world. Ajay Madhok and Rohit Sah (Delhi), Subodh Mittal and Vikram Sah (Bangalore), The entire network was finalized in one 9-hour sitting by Dinesh Mirchandani and Aashish Bhinde (Mumbai) and BITS professors, JP Misra and Rahul Banerjee, working with Ashok Agarwal are coordinating fund-raising efforts in India. Wipro and Cisco engineers. Naagarji’s kept a constant supply Coordinators have been pulled in for chapters around the of tea and samosas going through the day. At the end of the world. BITSConnect has become a global agenda. day, the BITS Deputy Directors hosted a dinner for the team. Mukul convinced the Cisco and Wipro teams that the dress With our high per capita incomes and a 30,000-strong alumni code for dinner was business casual, and was shocked when body, the BITS alumni body represents the purchasing power the hosts showed up looking resplendent in their 3-piece of a small country. But most BITSians have never given to suits. BITS obviously took the project very seriously! their alma mater, since BITS, like most Indian universities, has never asked its alums for anything. It’s not a unique Timing is everything situation to BITS. When former IIT Mumbai students first In sync, BITSAA International obtained its 501c3 tax-exempt started raising funds for their Institute five years ago, they status in February. BITSAA International had gained had to go through a process of educating their alums, getting considerable traction, opening up new chapters and them used to the idea of donating money on a regular basis. galvanizing alumni around the country. BITSConnect fell as It was a process of ushering in a change in attitude. We’ve a perfect mission for enthusiastic alums. It was a call to experienced first-hand the generosity of BITSian giving, and arms. Passions were high, and the iron was hot. believe that this transformation to pro-active donations is BITSConnect fundraising teams were pulled together from all already happening amongst our alumni community. over the US. Fundraising shifted to overdrive as the top 100 A Message From The Director BITSians were identified. The goal was to raise enough Dear BITSian around the world, money to make the first payment within 30 days. The target was easily reached and crossed, thanks to the superb efforts We have jointly embarked on a of the fund-raising team leaders, Roop Jain and Karthik mission to give BITS the most Krishna. Alumni pledges totaled $430,000 by the beginning advanced network infrastructure of of May . The Finance team of Jayan Ramankutty, Sandeep any educational institute in India. Arora and Anita Agarwal tightly monitored the budgets and This is one of many steps BITS is taking to make us not just the the funds coming in. leading engineering school in the With the launch of Phase I, BITS has become the hub of country, but in all of Asia. I urge all of you to demonstrate the energy, activity. After a brief delay due to the truckers strike in India, enthusiasm, creativity and team work is in full swing. Workers are digging up the campus, spirit that makes BITSians so unique, and BITS such and vendor engineers are crawling all over campus. The a special place, in making BITSConnect an excitement is palpable. The personal involvement of Prem outstanding success. We look forward to your support. Jain at Cisco and Vivek Paul at Wipro assures us of senior management attention to this project. Regards BITSConnect marketing, led by Satish Gupta and Venu Palaparthi, kicked off a big PR campaign globally, and soon Dr. S Venkateswaran big media started to pay attention. Times of India and Director, BITS Pilani
Economic Times picked up the story. India Post ran a TV
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 10 Cover Story Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Why does BITS need this network? real-time video broadcasts. A third (Vivek Paul) made India We can think of four reasons. into an IT outsourcing powerhouse. From semiconductor design to plasma screens, BITSians are running some of the Firstly, our students. We are ushering in the beginning of an most successful technology companies in the world. These information revolution at Pilani. That favorite line “couldn’t BITSians feel strongly that their alma mater played a key role get a computer at IPC!” will no longer be a valid excuse for in their much-publicized success stories. They understand late submission of computer based assignments. Old test and recognize the power of the network. So even as BITSians papers and solutions will no longer be the privilege of the dream high-tech, BITSConnect is really a dream-come-true “ghotus.” Lecture notes will be on the net. BITSConnect will for alumni who have waited very long to give back to BITS provide connectivity to Institute servers from all hostel and their beloved professors. rooms, faculty and staff quarters, faculty offices, and classrooms via a gigabit backbone. This will result in greater TIMELINE access to academic coursework, ubiquitous computing access on campus, wireless access at many campus locations, web- July 2003: Completion of Phase I based learning, tele-teaching, IP telephony (in all hostel Complete Campus backbone, Staff Quarters, rooms – go figure!) and IP video conferencing. The students Institute and Guesthouse network will be free to communicate with and learn from the world outside Pilani. With 163 BITS alum professors. 30,000 Dec 2003 : Completion of Phase-II alums. The classroom will be so much bigger. Complete wiring of all Bhawans Secondly, India Today’s 2002 rankings rated BITS rated 1st Today’s leaders are training the next for curriculum and academic input but only 4th in generation rd infrastructure. Overall, we ranked 3 , but who wants third! The vision shared by the alumni is that BITS needs to prepare BITS’ ratio of users to computers is 12:1. BITS is among the its students to be leaders tomorrow. Leaders need to be select few schools in India that has a supercomputing facility connected to the outside world, to alumni, to each other. but access to these resources is very limited. Besides, Communications will allow communities to learn together, according to an AsiaWeek survey done in 2000, BITS was faster and make future generations of BITSians more savvy th ranked only 19 in Asia amongst engineering schools. We and worldly-wise. BITSConnect bring us a step closer to can certainly do better than that! IIT Mumbai and IIT achieving our collective vision. Kharagpur have completed or are in the process of completing their network upgrades. We’ve designed The back of this magazine contains a pledge form. If you fill something more cutting-edge. This is our peer group and we it out and send it in, you’d be guaranteeing that not only will have to stay competitive. BITS have a future; it will become a brand that you will always be proud to be associated with in your lifetime. Thirdly, Distance Learning. A little known fact amongst alumni is that BITS is India’s # 1 school in distance learning, We’ve got to go now. Its 8:00 am on Sunday morning in the both in terms of quality and market share. Through the Valley, and some of us have a conference call to attend. ☺ Distance Learning Program Division (DLPD), BITS confers degrees to hundreds of engineers at Wipro, Infosys and other Excerpts from BITSConnect In The Media top -tier Indian IT companies. This brings in a significant chunk of revenues at BITS, helping us subsidize the education for the students residing at BITS and allowing us to compete with comparable schools that have budgets are over May 17, 2003: Alumni get back on the rolls. Over Rs 100 crores a year. It’s an executive education model that the past few months, BITS alumni world-wide have is very successful at US universities. To significantly come together to work on funding a [$1.5 million] improve the product offerings, BITS recently started Virtual project at their alma mater… University, a program to create and deliver high-quality digital audio, audio-visual and video programs to the DLPD. The new network will allow us to deliver media-rich content to the 7,500 students, maintain that competitive edge, and stay ahead of the pack. March 27, 2003. Its payback time for the alumni of BITS Pilani. The IITs have long being nurtured by There is a fourth reason. We BITSian alums need a mission. alumni funding. Now it’s the turn of BITS to lean on its A BITSian (Sabeer Bhatia) invented e-mail as we know it students. In short its payback time… (Hotmail). Another BITSian (Ajay Chopra) revolutionized
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 11 Cover Story Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY PROFESSOR RAHUL BANERJEE, DIRECTOR, CSD THE IMPACT OF BITSCONNECT ON PILANI
There are three areas where BITSConnect will have an BITSConnect will allow real-time multicasting of lectures in immediate benefit for BITS, as outlined below. an interactive mode. For this purpose, the campus has already the Cisco IP/TV facility in place that allows Live Delivery of the lectures over the Intranet, capability of Video-on-Demand BITS Virtual University and Scheduled Video Multicasting for on as well as off- To make Internet-enabled learning possible, the Centre for campus students of BITS. Development (CSD) has launched the BITS Virtual University. Virtual University shall assist the Distance This will “virtually” reduce the student-teacher ratio on Learning Programmes Division (DLPD) in providing campus, allow more lecture notes to be placed on the improved educational support to over 7,500 students off- institute’s intranet for reference since already this is being campus. This is a significant source of revenue for the done for a few courses across disciplines. Lastly, tests and institute. BITSConnect has resulted in a move to significantly assignments may be administered and submitted online. ¦ upgrade our server farms, which drives far superior performance of the Virtual University in terms of delivery of The Power of the Network text and audio-visual course content. The external bandwidth has recently increased to 2 Mbps and as the demand In 1992, I stood up in front of my thesis panel with a 5 ft by 4 ft increases, the network will allow it to go up to 4 Mbps. chart with the results of my thesis. I had crunched about 10 years worth of time-series data for 50 companies listed on BSE Wide-Area Research Collaboration after securing permission to use PS Division’s only PC. This PC BITS has already made its mark in the field of was important because it had SPSS - a statistical software. I had internetworking research, development and deployment and painstakingly copied the data from print publications into a book, has several firsts (about ten) to its credit, specifically in the area of Internet Protocol version 6 (better known as IPv6). and then stayed up many nights at the PSD, laboriously inputting IPV6 HAS over twenty-two international collaborators, the data as the PC was almost continually used durin g daytime. including BITS. Of course, the thesis didn’t amount to much from a GPA BITSConnect shall enable BITS-Pilani to be the first ever perspective, but it was certainly one of the first uses of statistical Indian University to have a fully IPv6-capable Intranet. Also, software for academic research in Pilani. once the adequate bandwidth is added both internally and The following year, I joined an MBA program in Texas, and externally, the Institute’s could join the Internet2 initiative as part of a nation-wide research network that in turn shall be an worked on a similar project. From my dorm room, I downloaded MoU-partner to the Internet2. all the economic data from a Thomson terminal, then ran the tests using SAS, another statistical software.. I completed my BITSConnect will thus enable quality collaborative research analysis in less than a day. for some of the cutting-edge research in Computer Science like the on-going “BITS Multimedia Operating System At Pilani, I think I impressed my professor with the quantity of Project”, and Ubiquitous/Wearable Computing. data I managed to transfer to a PC. At Texas, I was reviewed on Naturally, with the increased WAN-link available now, the the quality of my analysis. improved campus infrastructure provided by the BITSConnect will also enable inter-BITS (across Pilani, Goa That’s when I realized how far behind was BITS in its and Dubai campuses), intra-BITS, inter-institute and inter- infrastructure. If only we had the BITSConnect network back industry collaboration on research projects. then...
Hybrid delivery of Campus Education - Venu BITS has developed a framework to deliver courses on the web along with the conventional method of classroom teaching. The framework envisages archiving classroom lectures in audio-visual formats that can then be replayed by Need More Information on BITSConnect? Visit the student if and when he wants to. www.bitsaa.org The facilities include the internal interface of the BITS- For more questions regarding BITSConnect, visit the Virtual University for on-campus students through the website. Here you can watch a recording of the India Post “CampusBuzz” and “IntraBITS” portals as well as an internal TV interview, watch an audio-visual presentation of interface to Faculty of the institute through the on-line Course BITSConnect, and read about the latest updates. Or send an Management Tool (CMT). email to [email protected] if you have any questions.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 12 Cover Story Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 13 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Featured Article
BY SUHARSH DEV BURMAN ON THE ROAD TO PILANI Three batch mates take a delightfully funny journey back to the Vidya Vihar campus after many years…
Burman (left), Mirchi (Center) and Misra on the Horseshoe picked up another friend (who had anywhere and have our first break at ten point agenda?!?” I lived a hostel life at BHS, Pilani Pilani itself. Misra was avidly “A and generally knew about the shooting the local scenery from his nearly fell off my futon (which BITS life as well during the 80’s), vidcam and the background score was is hard to slip out of if one has and were off. Freshly brewed inter-sprinkled with the likes of good lounged on one). “You have an coffee (from the thermos packed ole tunes from those good ole years, agenda to cover during this trip! by my ever understanding wife) plus some new stuff like Dave OK, what would be some of made the rounds inside the car, as Matthews, Morcheeba etc. We those must do items on your the CD player exploded into Red reached Loharu and Mirch screamed list”, I asked. “Parathas at Barchetta (Rush), which got Misra – Buggas, Jal T! We gotta have Kapoorji’s (sorry he died – no into such a tizzy and he screamed another snap of us!!! Well, at least we parathas), drinking in Nutan (not out the lyrics and his air guitar can have lunch, he protested – but allowed anymore), Fried Maggi impression of Lifeson nearly better sense prevailed as the thought & Chickoo shake at C’not (still knocking over the morning cuppa of the mouth watering fried paneer there – yippee), chai n ciggis at joy all over my almost unused, maggi started wafting thru the sky, samosas at Naagarji… “ hence nearly new, backseat. olfactory of our wonder years. Old stories, new g lories, pals, It was nearly 11 am and the gods I smiled as I quietly slipped a gals, good times, bad times, you started smiling as we crossed the strip of Pudin Hara and some know this, you know that, where railway line at Loharu on the final Alka Seltzers into my tote this macha is, who is in touch with stretch of our trip. The fog cleared up without them noticing. Yes, this whom, and the journey weaved its totally, the sun was out and even the was the one trip we were all way out of Delhi towards Rohtak. road improved ten-fold. The looking forward to for some The route taken was, speedometer suddenly shot to over 80 time. Been planning it over a unfortunately, the familiar & the kmph after struggling to even reach few months, across a few much travelled by: Delhi – Rohtak 50 kmph during the first three thousand miles with the help of – Bhiwani – Loharu – Pilani (we quarters of the way. We knew we a few hundred emails on varied promised to seek the road not were on a good wicket now and schedules of 3 men who bonded taken on the way back). We were nothing was gonna stop us over a decade ago and were going back, Jack, doing it again! now…woooeyeaah! deciding to revisit the starting Wheels turning round and line, where , as someone aptly Is everybody in? Is everybody in? round…brought us closer and said – “the journey begins…” The town of our re-birth was on the closer as the excitement grew. horizon and a sudden silence crept in. Somehow, by sheer coincidence, Pahari loomed on the right hand side Misra (LA), Mirch (Mumbai) & we never got around to playing of the highway and the red flag on top I (Delhi) decided to go back to ‘My Old School’ by Dan, even of the mandir fluttered in the wind BITS for a day to bask our past. though it was on the CD too – welcoming back the unsung heroes 6:30 a.m. on a cold foggy Delhi wonder why? morning of January 6, 2003, into the cocoon that cradled us into three of us bundled into my car, The fog started clearing up after the guys we turned out to be. Bhiwani as we decided not to stop Suddenly the huge iron campus gates
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 14 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee approached us with a bold BITS stay the same - as Geddy Lee 1 pm and hunger pangs started. We emblazoned and the guards aptly put it. decided to check out the RBM, sorry almost knowingly opened up the RB mess now, for some grub. We Forget washing our sandblasted automatically - just by seeing walked thru Ram Bhawan and faces, we headed straight to where the smiles on our faces. Hey, we discovered that the Bhawans were all we spent the maximum amount of were not the only ones you have now ‘8’ shaped from the familiar ‘E’ daylight hours in BITS – sky done this you know, and we will of our times. The ends were blocked – lawns. Grins abound as not be the only ones doing this quite good for QT cricket as the recognition dawned on Pappu’s in the future too… tennis ball was now boxed in! The same Alfred E Newman face. loos – another shocker – tiles man! Chais did the round The loos were tiled. There were as we sat on the mirrors, solar geysers, doors coloured amoeba but no but those huge tiles really took the ciggis. Not allowed wind out of our sails. Mirch and anymore! The new Misra promptly went to their old face of change. rooms – knocked and woke up some However Pappu poor buggas to take a snap and vid obliged us with a clips. The amount of PC’s with the four square from his students came as a pleasant surprise personal dibba and too. Oh yes, we were aptly informed refused to take a that porn mags were a thing of the single paisa for chai past and now students exchanged PC etc – still a hard drives overnight for Pappu & Girdhari together ! sweetheart! Couple of curious ‘entertainment’, as a LAN was not on students kept gazing at the old the insti agenda as yet. Technology in fogies as they became more and 11:30 am and we parked into the BITS was finally raising its ‘head’ – more vociferous with their antics guest house we were surprised ahem - P2P reigned supreme. to see it empty and even more and stories. One obliged us with surprised to see renovations. the new registration booklet to see Where were we to stay? Upon which prof was taking what What! Mal is a asking the chowkidar, we were courses. A couple of recognizable informed that a new guesthouse names, but mostly new ones and female bhawan!?! had been built next door at the hajjar new courses – Aaah, Laxmi Narayan centre and progress marches slowly on – at Malviya, the bastion ample acco was available. Phew least the limbo of the Mitra years of the senior most – as today was registration day was being washed away steadily. and we had tried to book the Mirch brought up the agenda on campus was now place by phone but to no avail. items as we were sitting on a park Luckily it was 2nd sem and not bench and eyeing little girls with donning iron gates too many parents were around. bad intent… J Promptly we shot out our ID and walls and was What! Mal is a female bhawan!?! numbers, just like we were What do you mean we can’t Meera Bhawan II. sitting for the comprees, at the enter!!! Another shocker – registration desk and were told Malviya, the bastion of the senior Cell phones also made a grand entry that we could avail an ex- most on campus was now donning into the hallowed halls this year. students discount of Rs. 150 on iron gates and walls and was Pilani was on the mobile network of the normal rental of Rs 600 per Meera Bhawan II. The female India. Was the cocoon crumbling? night for a double room with a/c populace had grown leaps and and heater n attached loo. bounds (quantity yes, but quality The mess – what a mess! Same dingy However, in order to avail that atmosphere, same benches and huge still was to be desired for – one discount, we had to go to the student commented. Some things tables, same bartans and even the insti, wait outside and seek you know, they can just never same mess servants, well aged, but audience with RK Mittal, get still around. We were informed that if change – ha ha). There is even a him to sign the form and come girl student union president here – mess food was our fondness for the back. Hmmn, the more the a first for BITS! Wow man, times day, then we had to go to Ashok/RP things change, the more they as that was the official mess for they were a changing…
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 15 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee outsiders. The sight of a dirty classrooms were now 4 digit nos. have just one or two points of entry – jhadu and pocha lying on top of and the classes and the labs, at maybe a GKW menace in the wings? the table next to a table being least from the outside, still looked Or the loos?? Stopped at smiling served just killed the scene for the same – dilapidated, unpainted, Naagarji for some samosa chat, us and we decided to skip and in various stages of sprinkled with those fried peanuts and another of Mirch’s agenda items decomposition. Some places we adrak chai. Mirch polished off some and head to the safety of C’not. never visited during our times – Rabri with chopped bananas as well. ref lib and the insti café behind the Aah the good life… Next stop - the C’not – without Mooras! Audi were rude awakenings. The Mould(y)ed plastic chairs and Audi was shut however we got to C’not – without tables were everywhere. Blue know that they have fixed chairs Mooras! Moon, Golden Dragon, and now and smoking, drinking, and Kamal etc etc. No mooras man! other toxins were not permitted. Mould(y)ed plastic Kamal (Pappu/Kallu Kapoor People were frisked before clan) had opened up a restaurant entry!!! Yikes. chairs and tables at the fag end of C’not and their Out of the D block, we saw a old place was an techie corner were everywhere. humdrum of activity on an with std/isd, fax, dtp, otherwise sacked out Monday, at typesetting, computer education Blue Moon, Golden C block. Registration was on! IPC type of thing. Decided to visit was humming and we got a whiff Dragon, and Kamal his restaurant at night and to of the T in BITS finally. It was a check out good ole Blue Moon. computerized process. Too much etc etc. No mooras Shikanji (Rs. 5, with Bisleri for for Misra too handle who had to our US friend’s delicate capture it on video. A new man! stomach) and Fried Paneer building was also being Mandir. Maggis (Rs 20) made the constructed next to the C block as rounds. BTW, Midnight Beauty well. Don’t know – Mgmt Centre The temple - still so calm and serene, comes in 4 flavours now and is maybe? despite the rising cacophony of birds Rs 25. Sitting around we noticed on the trees lining the roads of the an authentic Andhra food joint It was 3 pm now and a trip to the campus. Hey, we never got shat upon doing brisk biz – apparently now temple at Pahari was next on the despite travelling down these memory the gult and the illad (no malice cards. We drove thru Pilani town lanes. Oh yes, these roads now have or ill will here, just revisiting ole and reached the bottom of the hill. names and road signs too! Some jargons – wokay machha?) Trudged up the 250 steps and roads have no entry signs and there communities constitute over reached the top to be greeted by a are one-way streets as well. Anyhow, 80% of the populace. Maybe dog first, then a Pundit. Caught we stuck around for the evening aarti time to relook at the the still fantastic view, offered our and saw the beginning sem rush to the normalization process eh Mr prayers, and caught our breath temple. We fondly remembered the Diro? before heading down. Oh yes, two times there was massive rush at Mirch had to stop at least 5 times Post lunch and no sack! Enthu the temple - at the beginning and near before he reached the top. And was brimming in Misra’s bones. the end of sem – both for the same promised to cancel this from his We walked to Shiv Gangs and reason – God! Please help me get thru agenda for his future visits… A remembered all the naughty this sem! And thankfully Saraswati brief stopover at BHS and its things that we never did! Hah. obliged us each time… We humbly hostel in town, a quick shopping The path to the guesthouse was acknowledged that fact as we lowered trip for a tie -dye bedcover for locked but we were informed our heads and thanked her yet again. home and we were back near the that never hampered anyone. Our shoes were still there when we campus gates by 5 pm. Drove back to sky – hey we climbed down that made Misra happy were up against time vs. agenda, Went to sky and sacked on the - he was seen lurking trying to find and found good ole Giri as a lawns till the sun was going down. his old pair of rubber chappals that rd hired hand to Pappu! Smiles and Went to Krishna bhawan for more were apparently whacked in his 3 Photo sessions. A psenti walk photo opportunities for the M & sem out there. thru the still damp n dingy M bros. Also, hostels have iron hallways of the insti followed grills blocking the downstairs A quick drive thru the campus suit. We found that the wings facing outside now and all including agenda item Meera
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 16 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Bhawan, where Mirch ever so Changes after changes surprised Chais to break the grogginess and we excitedly wanting to see if he us – almost no shmokers, no were off by 6:30 am. Foggy again, but were to get lucky this time drinking outside, all ghotus, Audi this time we took the road less around. Bugga, maybe I can pull rules, this n that and the evening travelled – Pilani – Loharu – Dadri – some senior vibes here…It was went on. Mirch found solace in a Delhi. A new road, nearly two lanes 7:30 pm by now and darkness 5th yearite who was the Oasis at places, but overall an excellent was welcomed to provide the English Press co-ord. Sparkle in ride. Despite the fog, we were cover for our planned activities. those eyes shone in the moonlight touching 60 kmph. Reached the C’not time again – but alas, the – BUGGA! Mirch just could not outskirts of Delhi by 11 am and place was teeming with chitter control himself – spiel after spiel packed in some tandoori parathas at a chatter of movies watched over on how he started this, n that, and dhaba with Amul butter generously the hols, new pop bands, general how he needed a copy of the last thopoed all over the hot steamy catching up etc; we decided to OEP issue, last Cactus Flower, till surface. Yummy! move to the safety of our room. Kallu finally signalled that it was Reached back to the traffic and noise However, not before a massage already too late for comfort – 11 of Delhi by noon and soon everyone by the nai. I started and then pm!!! Apparently everything shuts was gone. Mirch n Misra almost Mirch followed too. The general in C’not by 10ish… immediately took the cab to Agra to complaint was that maalish was A quick paan – that was the only see the Taj and I started to shave and now a forgone art – no one thing open then, to round off the generally preparing to head to office. wanted one, as they were too evening and we were ready to hit Surprisingly, the Pudin hara and Alka much of delicate darlings. A the guesthouse. Seltzer remained untouched as I good tip and more smiles – the unpacked! Took out the Floyd, Dead, mood for the evening was set. Another laccha session followed Dan, Dylan, Tull, Rush, Zep, Stones in the guesthouse till about 1 am etc CD’s and put in some new ones and we decided to call it quits. We headed to Kallu’s restaurant. for the week ahead. And just as that Guys had to catch a taxi to Agra Don’t know what we ate, but feeling of weird kind of emptiness the next day from Delhi so we had had a nice time as we found started to creep in, a thought raced to leave at 6 am again. A sound some sounds guys sitting next to through my veins - yesterday, all my sleep and awakened by a wake up us. Adding fuel to the fire of our troubles seemed so far away…¦ inquisitive minds on how things knock on the door – a few rupees have turned around in BITS, we in the right hands can get you sat around and laccha’d. anything in Pilani – still!
Calling twenty five BITSian entrepreneurs to an exclusive event with Diaz Nesamoney
On May 22, 2003 at the offices of Fenwick & West in San Francisco Meet Diaz Nesamoney, current CEO and Founder of Viewceler, an enterprise software firm that recently raised $6.5 million. Diaz is also former COO and co-Founder of Informatica (INFY: NASDAQ), a $200 MM enterprise software firm. Only 25 invitations. Learn about entrepreneurship, raising financing and the Informatica story. Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM on May 22, 2003 Price: $15 per person. Drinks, beer and snacks will be served Place: Fenwick & West Law Offices, Silicon Valley Center, 801 California Street, Mountain View, CA 94041 Tickets: Email Rahul Chandra, Walden International at [email protected] An Initiative by The BITSAA Center Thanks to For Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Fenwick & West
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 17 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY SANDEEP MUKHERJEE NAAGARJI'S - THE FINAL FRONTIER There are those who would make While modern day writers, especially he initiation of the Indian a strong case for Shankar redi, of non-fiction, are given a license to T then there were (and I fear still deviate from verity (or was it palate to western fare ranging are) still more who contend that Macavity?) ’twould for certain push from hamburgers to chicken in C’not had all that it took to titillate this piece over to the avant garde of fried batter has been fraught and tantalize our taste buds… to modern day literature if I chose to with emotion, controversy and them I, all the while quivering in touch upon hygiene issues – for there political dispute. The depiction disbelief at their audacity, choose was none! of America’s food chains as to use the strongest expletive in It was Jehangir’s paradise – “If there symbols of western imperialist my limited vocabulary – Baah! is paradise anywhere on earth, it is greed isn’t new, at least not in Still others may contend that here, it is here, it is here”– whether the context of the past few Munna Pavitra Bhojanalya is you were an animal lover or quite decades. However, it appears where the edible excitement was simply an aspiring lover. that much of the resistance has at. I choose to direct their been overcome, as India is attention to page 42 of Philip Dogs, the odd monkey, camels, dotted with KFC’s Smiling Kotler’s Marketing Management peacocks and even more dogs fought Colonel and MickeyD’s Golden where he clearly specifies that it out for scraps of edible excitement. Arches. Well not entirely! One comparison across market sectors Darwin would have beamed at the small village of indomitable is a No! No! sight of his theories being played out BITSians still holds out against in this microcosm – he may even have Sam chat, chai, shikanjee, jamun, the invaders. been swayed, in his moment of burfi and, what every man, weakness, to open an account with Each year Anne Garber woman and child in Pilani quickly Naagar. publishes a list of the planet’s learns about, the Kela. Naagarji’s finest eateries. The crème de la had it all! And then some. After For the Don Juans, de facto or not crème of the culinary world. The many a Mech Sol test did we seek quite so, what better place to woo the champagne at these joints pours comfort by drowning our sorrows woman, or, as it were in many a case, a pretty pink and the caviar’s in glasses of shikanjee. Besan the multitude of wimmin’, than at delectable… that, of course, is burfis followed to ease the pain. Naagarji’s. Perched on bent blue what I learned from the Internet. With jamuns, our spirits rose to benches, with the desiccated, barren Needless to say, on account of pre-test levels. Sam chaats tree branches above and the dirt and my humble position in the elevated us to spiritual levels that dust providing a suitable Gone With world’s food chain (literally!) would have the Buddhist monks the Wind like ambience. I’ve not actually sampled the of this world peeved at their As the McDonald’s and KFCs of the aforementioned delicacies. inefficient standard operating western world complete their That said, I’m thankful enough procedures for the attainment of Nirvana. conquest of urban India and continue for having had many a satisfying to dilute our culture, gastronomic meal at Naagarji’s. heritage and bring with them the Even an optimist would be, to calorific evils of the western world, use an expression not dulled by Naagarji’s remains our Final extensive plebeian usage, Frontier, the last bastion of our “pushing it”, if they snacking traditions. We must prevail! recommended Naagar’s to Ms I trust you gentle readers are stirred Garber’s List and ‘tis also to action and will do what must be unlikely that Sinatra would feel done to hold the Pilani fort against the urge to burst out “Naagar! the invaders. Let us raise our Naagar!” But for the discerning collective voice and say to the KFCs, Pilani populace, no gourmet McDonalds and Anne Garbers of the chef nor mass-food world…“Baad mein!” ¦ manufacturer could serve up a more satisfactory assortment of gastronomic goodies.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 18 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY LAXMAN MOHA NTY RE-LIVING BITS
thousands of students have sat on bringing you tea and shikanji. While years have passed. When them. Now these students are the SkyLab lawn remains as glorious 17 gone. Many are highly successful, as it used to be, C’Not seems to be I left Pilani for my PS-II station leading high tech companies, losing its charm. I miss those in Bombay, I had no idea that I teaching at prestigious colleges “mo odas”, where I used to sit on one would be coming back one day and universities and carrying on and put my legs on the other) and the to this place where I studied less many more challenging jobs. I crowds. Of course more of the same but learnt a hell of a lot about wish these benches could speak of kinds of shops have come up. myself. After coming back and these people, their conversations, Some things have changed, though. spending two mo nths on this and their worries and thoughts Blue Moon has stopped making its campus, I have a bagful of when they were young. These trademark “samosas” and the old man feelings and reflections. benches may have given us an “Jain sahib” is no more visible lying inkling into what made these In returning to a place which on his “khatia” in front of his book BITSians into the successful men had important influence in one’s shop. There seem to be a lot of and women they are today. life, we risk that our carefully STD/PCO booths around, signs that preserved mental images may be During my first innings here, we even this small place has become an blown away. But surprisingly. had only around 100 girls and integral part of the networked world. Pilani has remained very much 2,000 boys. But this mix has the same after almost two changed dramatically. I did not decades. This makes me happy believe my eyes at first when I After visiting many as I know I can find my way out saw girls standing in front of and even predict the dinner boys’ hostels and looking for their campuses around menu in the mess on a particular friends. It makes me feel that you day. But it makes me sad too. need not to carry out any serious the world, I believe When everything in this world is research to find out if Indian changing so fast, how can things women have really progressed in that every campus here remain the same? all these years. must have a place I’m not sure why I’m sad. Is it Today there are hundreds of that we long for the “progress” cycles in front of the “insti”. Has like Skylab lawn. and “change” that we never Meera Bhawan moved far away experienced? There’s another from the clock tower ? Or do these Sky has come to perspective – one can’t help but bicycles in some way symbolize represent a hub of admire how the Birla's could the new generation on the move? build a campus that can still community living. handle the pressures of a The two most interesting spots in growing student population and BITS campus remain SkyLab the march of time. It’s only lawn and C’Not. After visiting Today one thing I miss badly is the when I see professors with many campuses around the world, cricket in the verandah. Cricket has graying and white hair, I feel I believe that every campus must moved to larger grounds; the open that time is passing. This have a place like Skylab lawn. spaces within the hostel complex or passage of time is also reflected Sky has come to represent a hub the fields in front of the hostels. in Pappu in SkyLab, who is no of community living. What better more the young boy that he used luxury than to lie on the lawn, In the last two months I have seen to be. sipping tea while reading a novel more cultural performances than what on a sunny glorious winter I saw at IIM Ahmedabad in a whole The other day I was sitting in the afternoon. I cannot imagine a year. It makes me wonder how BITS RBM mess and looking at the better environment for debate and has become so cultural, when all our benches which have been discussion than sitting around in a cities and towns seem to be forgetting proudly standing straight for so circle on the lush green lawns, that we used to have a rich cultural many years. Year after year, with Pappu’s foot soldiers heritage. Only by preserving and
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 19 Nostalgia Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee enriching our heritage we can avoided at all costs. It may be myself the first time round, and in my claim our rightful place in the because I am not moving like a second innings, I confirmed many of world of nations. Kudos to the subassembly on a conveyer belt. I these truths. This place is truly one students. am here because I wanted to be for self reflection, with simple and I am paying from my own pleasures and uncluttered routines. I I remember that the reference pocket for this opportunity. I wish can begin to understand why we all library used to be the forbidden there was a way for us to change feel so passionately about Pilani even place for me. But today, its the the system so our education here 17 years after leaving this place ¦ place where I spend more of my does not be a burden, but instead time. This change in me only be an enjoyable experience. In the two months confirms that the old memories, Today S-9 seems to be the hotbed priorities and things may not of activity. It’s a sight to see so I’ve spent here, I’ve match the new realities about many big photocopying machines yourself. I can relate to the ref sitting majestically and churning had time for a lot of lib. Its an owl, old and wise, out copies. I wonder how we maybe like me..? survived without these things back reflection. The Today, when I see wrappers of then. BITS campus lets all kinds around, I fail to While going through the systems understand how students can be and facilities I wish we could add one do that… I can so lacking in civic sense. I don’t a few things to BITS and make begin to understand remember seeing garbage lying some improvements. I don’t around back then. Then again, I know why I feel like that. It may why we all feel so don’t think I ever thought about be because I have higher civic sense as a student here. expectations now. Didn’t Buddha passionately about Maybe it’s another thing about tell that the root cause of sorrow is me that’s changed. desire? Maybe to lead a stress-free Pilani even 17 years In coming back as a student, I life, I need is to curtail my after leaving this find myself enjoying attending expectations! classes. It is almost In the two months I’ve spent here, place. diametrically opposite of what I’ve had time for a lot of used to happen two decades reflection. The BITS campus lets back. Classes were like one do that. I learnt a lot about punishment and they were
Kasam se, kya TV hai: One of India’s best known consumer TV brands, was started by Gulu Mirchandani in 1975 Who doesn't know Onida? One of India's largest consumer electronics firms that makes and sells upwards of 1 million TV sets each year in the sub-continent. But do you know that this company and brand, which has withstood the onslaught of foreign manufacturers, was founded and is chaired by a BITSian? G.L. "Gulu" Mirchandani set up Mirc Electronics (Onida's parent company) in 1975 and formally launched Onida to assemble TV sets ahead of 1982 Asian Games. Now, Onida is a household name and ranked 2nd in India according to ORG. Onida grew at an incredible pace thanks to clever advertising and purposeful marketing. It is also one of the best recognized brands in India that is not only withstanding but competing effectively against the foreign entrants.
Gulu launched Igo in January 2002, with a Hindi-language marketing campaign titled “Kasam se kya TV hai” aimed at the rural market, which accounts for 65% of new purchases of color TVs as they upgrade from their old black and white ones.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 20 Immigrant Song Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Featured Article
BY ANUPENDRA SHARMA Flying Aeroflot categorized every airline based on An hour into the flight, the pilot a) quality of food b) quantity of announced that the Delhi-Moscow- soaps and eau d’cologne bottles Manchester flight was going to make hatever you’ve ever w available for stealing and c) the a stop in Dubai. heard about Aeroflot, I can airlines’ gullibility in believing confirm its all true. Of course, that it was their fault that our Dubai ? My thoughts exactly. my story goes back to 1993, brand new suitcases were turned when I boarded a giant Aeroflot into old, broken, belted old Indian suitcases on the 8-10 hour flights plane to Manchester, England. A I come from a family of lot may have changed since that my family members took. In then, but my memories are their opinion Aeroflot ranked rock highly opinionated fossilized forever – after all, it bottom in all three categories, so I Dilliwallahs, who have was my first ever flight out of boarded the plane expecting categorized every India at the impressionable nothing. young age of 22. airline based on a) food Well, food was one thing Aeroflot b) quantity of soaps and Enticed by the 50% savings got right. I remember the Indian eau d’cologne bottles offered by the world’s largest food served on the flight being available for stealing airline, I boarded an aging plane fabulous and I am still waiting for with ripped seats and the old fan remotely comparable fare on any and c) airlines blowing cold air that only of the higher ranked airlines that I gullibility… stopped when I tore out pages have flown since. from the safety manual and We made a 2 hour unscheduled stop squeezed them into the little There was a lot of yelling and at the glittering Dubai airport, where vent. Most people on the flight screaming on the flight, most of us rather-stretched-for-dollars were desis traveling for the first which was done by the stone- Aeroflot passengers ogled at the time, likely lured by the stories faced and rather rude flight pretty Thai shopkeepers, the Benzes of riches in exporting leather, attendants , when they did show and the Rolls Royces, the 24 carat silks and garments, the up. Most of the time they hid in gold bricks and the vast display of possibility of illegally crossing their work zones, unsmiling, consumer electronics. Needless to the border into Eastern Europe unhappy and rather bored with say, no one bought anything, and or attracted by the flourishing their jobs. when we got back on the flight, I life of Indian underworld wondered which corporate executive criminals holed up in the lawless I wouldn’t blame them had the bright idea to convince Moscow of the late-90s. completely. Many excited Aeroflot to unload its high-rollers in passengers traveling for the first Dubai. I did notice that Indians were time, did manage to make quite a running the airport, saw Arab security nuisance of themselves. I herding some sub-continental workers continued begging for water, but like cattle, saw Thai shopkeepers my pleas went unanswered, till being rude to the Indians who one flight attendant came to me daringly tried to enquire about prices, and sternly told me to “drink at and decided that this was one place the airport” as we approached that Indians were still a long way Dubai. from being welcome.
I come from a family of well- Dubai ? We reached Moscow without traveled, highly opinionated incident, but due to our Dubai Dilliwallahs, who have layover, my flight to Manchester had
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 21 Immigrant Song Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee already left. So had the line of passengers boarding for I boarded the flight, realizing that connection to Frankfurt. There London came to a standstill, and every passenger had seen me pay him was one plane waiting to take everyone began to stare at us. off. Maybe some others paid up too. off for London with a hundred I didn’t care. I was safe. I was headed seats left. As four hundred of us “Problem with your passport, Sir” for England. Some naïve British amb led off the airplane, the he stated, looking down at my passengers were indignant at the way horrible stories of passengers freshly minted passport and hand- I was treated. I promised them I being stranded in Moscow scrawled boarding pass. would write to the Chairman of airport for days (some true, Aeroflot, while wondering how this some likely urban rumors), “What problem ?” I asked. race had conquered the world. The flashed through my head. Indians congratulated me on getting a bargain. I smiled and sat down in my I raced to the front desk, past the seat. long queue that was beginning to form. The journey remained eventful. I sat next to a completely drunk Russian “Please. I need to get to England opera singer, who spoke no English, today. My whole career will be kept bending on one knee to kiss the ruined if I don’t get there today. hand of the woman sitting next to me The university said they would and sang in a deep, loud, grating give my seat to someone else if I “Have you got cigarettes ?” voice to her. Judging by the sounds did not show up tomorrow coming from him, I could see why Italian opera was more popular. morning. Please help me”, I Through the fog of rising panic, begged at the desk. my Indian instincts kicked in. I had heard of Russian corruption, The airhostesses didn’t come to our I don’t know if they understood and here I was evidencing it first aid, choosing to chatter and laugh a word of what I was saying. If hand. For once I regretted not mostly at my predicament. When we they did, I am sure they saw the being a smoker. landed in London, they stuck the logic. Any way, the airline clerk immigration cards in his pocket. He had fallen into a drunken sleep, and pulled out a pre-printed “Sorry, I don’t smoke. I have snored loudly as the plane boarding pass and crossed out dollars” I said hurriedly. the name. She wrote in capital disembarked, and we made a hurried letters “A SHARMA” and exit away from him. I still wonder if “Give me dollars” he said. handed someone’s else’s he ever made it through immigration. freedom to me. I could have kissed her! “Is five dollars ok ?” I enquired At Heathrow, the Aeroflot desk meekly in a low voice. He did not feigned ignorance about us. After an understand or hear me. I pulled I raced to the second line that hour of pleading and some phone out my wallet, holding it close to was forming literally 20 feet calls by the staff to Moscow, they me. I should start low, I thought gave us boarding passes to British away to board the London flight and pulled out three dollar bills. that was leaving shortly. My Airways, which was a pleasant, if panic began to subside. unmemorable, 45 minute flight to The security guard’s eyes lit up. Manchester. In case you want to He took the money and smiled know, there was no food, but they “Passport, Sir” said the smartly broadly. served Snickers ice cream. dressed security officer. I handed him my passport and boarding pass. “Happy flight” he said, standing A couple of years later I read an back and saluting smartly. I article in the Guardian about a smiled at him too, as a wave of journalist’s visit to Moscow. He was “We have problem, Sir. Come relief washed over. Now I know stranded and it cost him $22 to get out with me”, he said. My heart why Indians and Russians shared of there. began racing again. He took me a bond. We were the same aside, merely ten feet away. people, we spoke the same I smiled to myself. Capitalism was Since he was the only person in- language. charge of boarding, the whole alive and well in Moscow. ¦
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 22 Creative & Humor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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A mysterious location An obscure and mysterious location hidden away in the sands of the desert...a favorite watering hole for the more spiritually inclined
Saraswati Mandir The center of devotion and divine last minute crisis consultation...for most an occasional bare feet walk home is but a small price to pay
Ratan’s By the time one is past the initial scare of the 'mess grub' almost anything else tastes like nectar...even Ratan's desert insects fried inside the samosas or floating in the 'chai'.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 23 Creative & Humor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Poetry by Antara and Sagarika Rain then I could go with you, thru colder paths still. BY ANTARA BHATTACHARYA Follow in your wake, and trip over It rained today. your raven mane. Sweet smelling showers But not just yet, when there is light on the dry parched earth. still in the sky. Until then, bid me live another day! The grey steel sky above, ¦ Another drop of light wept itself dry! Crossroads BY ANTARA BHATTACHARYA A nostalgic poem Music that drowned Lennon, gentle gunshots, pleasant pipes. Another drop of light, and it'd be BY SAGARIKA JAGANATHAN Rising and ebbing, far too hot with every moment passing. But just now, it feels perfect. Life brings us to many crossroads Mild sun, spray and mist. Lets us entwine our varied paths A misty haze in the air, Dreamy breeze with its airy fingers With those we may never have met moist dampness everywhere. Swinging along branches and Or known Ruined laundry on clotheslines, whistling thru leaves. Or cared for, the housewife's misery! Ever before. Little ones in the mud, Could I live just a moment more? a new kind of dance. Oh Death, you've come at a We all dance, scattered dances Paper boats and buried memories. moment so Autumn leaves in the wind~ Umbrellas, inside-out in the wind. When summer's at its end, and the We sway gently, madly, to our Wet cotton around your limbs birds sing yet. own as you get drenched. When dreams are at their very Orchestrated tunes, notes...
best; The wind guides, but lets us go The boy next door, and, rainbows fear not the autumn When we reach the ordained spot never looked better before... Destiny, the ubiquitous architect umbrella in hand, he was rain. When, lovers, still, lie on the grass Has designed with such care a veritable knight! whispering about all the happy So we may never know why or Hot coffee and cigarette, where... an open window, a soggy sight! days. When the world is all at peace and Dark room and tube lights... I am a part of it. And so we meet the friends Friends on the telephone, Who change our lives exchange dreams and memories! When leaving is a sorry pain. In ways we can never fathom Waterlogged lanes and heavy Must I leave when I least want to. And then, the wind blows... traffic. The leaves disperse, yet again I have not said my goodbyes yet. And need they be right away? Taking with them old memories Old men huddled in the park; My love waits for me around the Dreaming new dreams... women with their shopping bags, corner And the wind prepares to let go, shelter in shops they'd never enter! yet again And life opens her arms wide. And the cycle goes on... It rained today ... The birds sing only for me
And, the moment froze in time! ¦ and the wind teases my flighty curls. And then the wind blows Could you not wait till the bitter And Destiny designs winter's days And our paths cross, yet again... ¦ Could you not sit back and follow Nature's way!
When the snow it bid my finger's a cold farewell, Credit: jcrew when pain is all but a numbed remembrance,
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 24 Creative & Humor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Pakeeza days a lady is fast asleep. Only her feet all sat, scrubbing, cleaning, women are visible from beneath the on a mission, holed up in one BY ANU GUPTA embroidered bedcover, the perfect room, a team with a purpose, one background effect. He sees her common goal. Pakeeza was the ever-romantic feet, well-pedicured, polished and classic film, much touted and painted, and decorated with henna The acetone we had stolen from mystic, with a touch of sadness. It and anklets - and goes into Chemistry class for nail polish was a popular hit of the seventies, eulogies about the beauty of her removal was used effectively. In directed by Kamal Amrohi and his feet. And then he actually falls in what seemed like a jiffy, wife, Meena Kumari, Bollywood’s love with her. everybody’s feet were nice and tragedy queen starred in it. We’d glistening, soft and well-scrubbed, heard that the movie was Imagine, falling in love with complete with garish, maroon nail- completed over a period of a somebody because her feet look polish. several years and when it was pretty. It was too much! I don’t finally released, it did not generate know whether it was too romantic And soon, we all dissolved into any excitement. It was only after or just plain silly. I apologize to giggles. I don’t know whether it the producers of the film. The did any good and got us any rave interpretation of the scene may be reviews, or whether anybody as too simplistic, but that’s how our much as glanced at us or our feet, fuzzy, young minds saw it. but it certainly gave us something to reminisce about in the times to And from the Audi, we walked come…¦ back in silence. We surreptitiously eyed the feet of every passing girl. We then eyed the feet of the sex- bombs- the popular women in BITS. Why am I an Illad?
In silence we trooped into the BY RAJEEV MENON Hostel and then gathered in one Meena Kumari’s death that it room. In silence we all flopped on became really famous and popular. The day I received my letter of the two beds and chairs in the admission from BITS, there was room. In silence we surveyed our unrest at home. I come from a little It was the story of a courtesan, a respective feet. Solemnly we village in Kerala called Ottapalam, ‘naachne-waali’ (dancing girl) who surveyed each other’s feet. None a place that has little to offer captivated and entranced an of them even closely resembled except its rustic beauty. My dad unsuspecting young man and much Meena Kumari’s feet. We all had was visibly ecstatic, but I wasn't. I later, it was discovered that she cracked heels, chipped nail-polish had never left Kerala and two days actually belonged to a very good and unshaped nails, dry, slightly in a train with a one-way ticket family but circumstances had dirty feet. Nothing that would set was SIMBLY overwhelming, but driven her to this profession. It was somebody’s heart afire, nothing it was my dad's decision. tragic and romantic, quite a tear- that would make anybody fall in jerker and when we heard that the love with us, or make somebody in movie would play at our very own love with us fall in love with us all The struggle of a BITSian and his Audi, we all decided to flock to the over again. quest for identity starts here. The movie together and have a bit of taxonomy of BITSian follows well fun. established norms. There are the Dire straits. Something had to be Bhayyas, Gujjus, Bongs, Gults, done. Immediate attention was Choms, Surds and Illads in The movie passed in a blur with required. Camera. Lights Action. decreasing order of respect. the usual whistles and cat-calls, the Evidently, very few people from usual comments and camaraderie. And with our pedicure kits and Kerala venture all the way to Just one scene registered. And I’ll buckets and foot scrapers and nail Pilani, and we a hapless minority never forget that. Raj Kuma r, the cutters and nail shapers and nail were clubbed as Illads, even hero of the movie is traveling in a polish and liquid soap (actually though we rarely came to the mess train and in his coupe, he finds that just cheap, diluted shampoo), we
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 25 Creative & Humor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee with gunpowder and oil for lunch, Balaji within a 25 meter radius, but or read Ananda Vikatan in public that didn't stop him. Apparently places. The Choms were fondly there was a Balaji whom he had referred to as aldehydes by met and found the name so Chemistry majors due to the CHO- fascinating that he decided to prefix, but such esoteric address everyone as Balajee, explanations were usually lost on especially when he was in good the largely ignorant masses. Gults spirits. (Balaji incidentally was a and Illads sometimes clashed Biology student and his accent during mess committee meetings GRE Virus. Should you somehow made his name and his when the PH value of sambar was be concerned ? branch sound deceptively similar). discussed, but the Bongs usually He sized up my terrified stole the thunder. "We Bengalis expression, lowered the ubiquitous have a hard time stressing our BY RAJEEV MENON Baron's guide onto the bench and bowels", I was told. If I had been said "Bugger, don't be so exposed to the medicinal powers To the BITSian about to graduate, pusillanimous". of oat bran I would have suggested there are few options more that, but as luck may have it he attractive than a trip to dollar land. He had just hit me where it hurts. was only worried about his The land of milk and honey My vocabulary was suddenly vowels. beckons one and all and we vulnerable to the GRE verbal BITSian are human after all. The assault, but as I later learned, he key to this whole deal is good too did not know what a lot of GRE scores, especially verbal. those meant. You can learn all about turnpikes, talk in Fahrenheit, even memorize But he’d just successfully the area code of Vermont, but how managed to infect me with the do you tackle the GRE verbal? As virus. ¦ we will discover, the battle affects the innocent bystanders too.
The GRE virus is one that affects some more than others. It starts off The MB Wall. usually benign, but gets rough as you go along. One of my friends in particular, rumored to be still BY RAJEEV MENON doing his PhD somewhere in the Mid-West, was badly affected. He It is interesting to speculate on A was a carrier, and we of course the when the MB wall will come lot has changed since we left victims. It was lunch on a down, if it hasn't already. As a BITS. Surds want a new land, the Saturday, after an intense hour of symbol of oppression and denial, it Gandhi’s have all perished, and microprocessors. I really enjoyed is firmly etched in a lot of BITSian rupee has fallen further behind the APM's lectures and even managed minds, a mute testimony to the dollar. But the people from Kerala, to ask some sensible questions, but relentless pursuits of several also called Malayalees do not have it is no picnic learning about 'cycle otherwise sensible aspirers over an identity. We are still called stealing', when it is lunch time and the years. Meeting a lady in front Illads, Madrasis. Mallu was my you are experiencing interrupts, in of MB can be a humbling first choice, but it offers no clue real time. In any event, I couldn't experience, as I found during my that we are from Kerala, so I have gulped down more than a first outing. A generous wingie of propose we be called Kallus unless mouthful or two, when a scream of mine who wishes to retain someone has a serious objection. ¦ "Hey, Balajee..." spanning a anonymity, challenged me to meet couple of octaves suddenly jolted a certain coveted lady and invite me and sent an amalgam of stuffed her to our Bhawan nite, thus
parathas and red hot meat curry on promising her an evening of an unscheduled flight up my embarrassment and us some cheap nostrils. It was him. No, my name thrills. is not Balaji. In fact there was no
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 26 Creative & Humor Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
The provocative nature of this an undertaking for the feeble When I went back to get my recos gesture, and the reward of ten minded. milkshakes if I pursued this, made me jump out of my lungi and into Needless to say, my trip was more socially acceptable attire in a unsuccessful. My reputation flash. I could sense the adrenalin preceded me, or so she said, and as I raced towards the promised that was that. No lady, no respect, land, for a piece of glory. The even worse, no milkshakes. In chowkidar who sits outside the about my third year, a couple of gate promptly gathered the daredevils risked their lives and relevant information and to my honor, in that order, and did the utter disgust, instead of sending unthinkable - they scaled the wall. out a dignified message to the lady No mean accomplishment signaling my arrival, let out a considering the enormous athletic bellow that emerged from his inner prowess it called for, not to sanctum and tore out his larynx, an mention the sheer audacity to go in 1985, I took a bike ride around act that must be painfully familiar with it. No, there were no the monument, trying to capture its to those who have endured this Rapunzels to usher you in, but you essence and savor the moment for ordeal. To complete the exercise in were guaranteed a place in history, the tough years ahead. I mentally masochism, yet another wing mate and an urgently called meeting rehearsed the scene where I was of mine had by then strategically with the Dean in a few hours. running towards the wall, a positioned himself behind the There was a hasty trial conducted bamboo pole in hand, poised for a bushes close by, for the perverse behind closed doors and justice vault across the wall, cheered on pleasure of watching me age promptly served as the women at by the raucous chant of "Menon, before his very eyes. Subjecting a the receiving end, literally, were Menon ...." from my ostensibly young and truly impressionable summarily suspended. The judicial exuberant buddies as I willingly soul like me to such trauma would system has considerably evolved committed hara-kiri. I had a hard be illegal in most civilized since then, we are told, to punish time accepting that it was all over, societies you would hope, but you the guilty as well. bar the shouting. ¦ have to remember that this wasn't
MMS graduates currently in Academia
Professor Position Department University Ram Ganeshan Asst. Professor of Operations Mgmt School of Business College of William & Mary
Reena Agarwal Professor of Finance McDonough School of Business Georgetown University
Nagesh Murthy Asst. Professor of Operations Mgmt Dupree College of Management Georgia Institute of Technology
Ritu Lohtia Associate Professor of Marketing Mack Robinson School of Business University of Maryland
Sharmila Chatterjee Associate Professor of Marketing Edward Ageno School of Business Golden Gate University
Deepak Agarwal Asst. Professor of Marketing Krannert School of Management Purdue University
Madhu T Rao Asst. Professor of Information Systems Albers School of Business Seattle University
Kumar Venkataraman Asst. Professor of Finance Edwin Cox School of Business Southern Methodist University
Ananth Seshadri Asst. Professor of Economics Department of Economics University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sanjay Putrevu Associate Professor of Marketing School of Business Brock University, Canada
Ashok Kapoor Professor of Marketing Department of Marketing Delhi School of Business
Munindra Kakati Head of the MBA Department Department of MBA Gauhati University
P Narayanan Professor Business Program ICFAI Business School
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 27 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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BY DILIP D'SOUZA MY COLLEGE, MY COUNTRY
but cherished: that too was our cannot hope for and does not even Left alone in my room, BITS experience. know about the aspirations we had -- that's another thing altogether. suddenly the only certainties I had were the clothes in my bag All these years later, I often and the cheque for my fees. The wonder where those friends are, In an era of scams of every five years that stretched in front what they are doing. I know many description, possibly the greatest of me seemed endless, are now eminent in various fields: scam in our country goes unremarked: unknown, threatening. I got up off the top of my head, I can think that something as simple as a chance and looked around: the of a dotcom entrepreneur, a at becoming educated has turned into expressions on the faces of the talked-about writer, several CEOs, a privilege for the few. Our others in VK Bhawan were just and numerous fine mothers and Constitution is very clear. One as hesitant and unsure as mine fathers, all from my class at BITS. Directive Principle of State Policy must have been. Oddly, that urges the Government "to provide made me feel better. I was not free and compulsory primary the only one who was scared. “…I certainly education within ten years of the Here was a good lesson for a framing of the Constitution." That is, first day at college: shared had never run by 1960 such primary education trepidation is a fine stimulant. should have been in place. Over forty We had all come to this tiny into the sheer years later, you only need to look out town on the edge of the Thar of a window, nearly anywhere in my desert in Rajasthan, where there variety of country, to see what we have done was the incongruously green with this requirement. If you don't see campus of an engineering Indians I met at least one child out there who is college. Many of us had left clearly not in school and never will home for the first time, fresh at Pilani. My be, wait a few minutes. You will. from generally protected More likely, several. Each of them is childhoods. Twenty-six years country in one more Indian who will never so and change ago, I first got to much as know what or where Pilani know Ravinder Kichlu and microcosm…” is, let alone things far more important Neeta Gupta and Humayun for their lives as Indians. Khan and Salil Agrawal, along I wonder if they ever stop to think with dozens more from every The excuses abound. Naturally. corner of my country. I don't what college -- this particular college -- has meant to their lives. know about the rest, but I Actually, the Constitution only says certainly had never run into the I also wonder if they realize just the State must "endeavor" to provide sheer variety of Indians I met at how immensely privileged we that primary education. Our leaders were to go to Pilani. To go to Pilani. My country in might choose to hide behind that microcosm: that was my BITS college at all. To be educated at loophole -- after all, whatever you do, experience. all, in my country. Nothing wrong you can always claim to be with privilege, let's be sure. On "endeavoring." But it doesn't need an They had come, like I had, to the other hand, there is something education to see that not only have learn a little about science and eminently wrong when the they not provided it, they never really overwhelming majority of Indians engineering. We did not know it endeavored either. From Nehru to that first day, but we had als o are denied the same opportunities Vajpayee, Azad to Joshi, Patel to come, as generations before us for education as we had in Pilani. Advani, for those in power or those It's one thing to come by privilege had come to Pilani and aspiring to it, primary education has elsewhere, to learn a little about by working hard for it. But when always been a distant and forgettable life. Exhilarating, exasperating, we happen upon it by default, cousin of such other priorities as a because most of the country dusty mosque in Ayodhya and buying
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 28 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Bofors guns. Result: primary fact, we have more illiterates education, we have also deprived it of education for all remains a today than we had Indians in a voice. But there's more than that at dream. Then there are people 1947. We also have the world's stake. If we want to live in a who say we are still a young largest pool of illiterate humans. prosperous and secure nation, country, that 55 years is not The world's largest pool, think of education for all is in our own enough time to have it, of wasted human talent. interest. accomplished the hard task of taking education to such a huge If getting rid of illiteracy was hard All those years ago, some four illiterate population. I feel in 1947, it's twice as hard today. It hundred wide-eyed boys and girls confident these same people, or gets harder every day. arrived in Pilani with me. Some their descendants, will be saying struggled, some sailed through the the same thing for the next 55 It's been said before, but it can next five years. Many did not study years as well. By repeating it, always be said again: there's no what they had wanted to, many others they prevent education more lasting solution to so many did. And when we left that sandy nest, becoming the national endeavor of the problems that hound my we flew off in innumerable directions, it must be. country than educating our people. pursuing every kind of career Whether it is corruption, child imaginable. Today, I have lost touch They also ignore the example of labor, population or disease, a with Humayun Khan and B countries around the globe -- Sri national commitment to free and Ravikumar and many other friends Lanka, Costa Rica, Malaysia, rigorous primary education is the from Pilani. But nobody can take China -- that have made first step we must take. away the five years we shared education and literacy a priority pursuing something very special: an over the last half-century, and What's more, it is those of us education. are seeing the fruits today. What privileged enough to have got an they also ignore is that with our education already who must Even 26 years later, how many others literacy rate of perhaps 60%, realize this and demand it. For by in my country can say the same? ¦ over twice as many Indians are depriving half my country of an illiterate today than in 1947. In
Two Institutions, One Visionary: JANAAGRAHA & SANGHAMITRA Ramesh Ramanathan, a successful banker, quits to focus on urban development and improving the lives of the poor around Bangalore. A BITSian is the key architect of two social movements - Bangalore's Janaagraha movement for Urban Development and Sanghamithra- a pioneering micro-credit institution! Ramesh Ramanathan, MSc Physics from BITS and MBA from Yale, and the former MD and European Head for Structured Products at Citibank now presides over one of India's most successful urban movements and also serves as a Vice Chairman for a trail-blazing organization that strives to improve the lives of the poor by lending them money! Residents of Bangalore appreciate Ramesh's work as the Key Architect of the citizen movement for a Better Bangalore (Janaagraha). But many don't know that a micro-finance company for which he is vice -chairman, is changing the economic landscape of India. Sanghamithra, whose motto is "I shall destroy poverty," delivers credit to the poor who organize themselves as self-help groups. Over the last several years, Sanghamithra, with the help of international aid agencies, has shown that the poor are bankable, that they have credit discipline, and the potential to improve income s and make a profit. Sanghamithra has disbursed Rs. 460 lakhs so far and 97% of the loan recipients are women. The organization has a loan repayment rate of over 99.9%!
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 29 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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BY SAGARIKA JAGANATHAN RACIAL PROFILING GROWS IN A POST-9/11 AMERICA The author paints a balanced view of the arguments for and against racial profiling in America. This phenomenon has started to affect Indians who live here in sometimes a subtle, sometimes a not-so-subtle manner. It is a constant reminder of how our world changed as a result of the changes being implemented by the authorities in the wake of September 11.
When President George W. Bush been confined to Hispanics and According to a 2001 Washington Post declared in a February 2001 speech: African Americans. Just recently, with survey 52 percent of African- "Racial profiling is wrong, and we will racial profiling of Middle Easterners, American males polled believe they end it in America," little did he exp ect have Indians begun to feel the brunt. have been victims of racial profiling. to eat his own words shortly thereafter. Approximately 60 percent of What then is racial profiling? Americans polled believe racial Now, more than thirty months after the According to Americans for Effective profiling exists. Over the past couple Al Qaeda terrorist group brought down Law Enforcement (AELE), "Profiling" years there has been intense national the twin towers of the World Trade is the interdiction, detention, arrest or debate on whether racial profiling is a Center, and the Bush administration other nonconsensual treatment of an myth or a reality. authorized the arrest and indefinite individual because of a characteristic detention of possible terrorists on or status based on race, national origin, “There's no credible evidence that American soil, racial profiling is very citizenship, religion, ethnicity, age, racial profiling exists, yet the crusade much the many-headed hydra of public gender, or sexual orientation. to abolish it threatens a decade's worth controversy. of crime-fighting success,” wrote Heather MacDonald in ‘The Myth of There are many high profile cases. Racial Profiling,’ “The anti-"racial The three Muslim medical students, profiling crusade thrives on an who were detained by Florida ignorance of policing and a willful authorities for 17 hours during a mid- blindness to the demographics of September weekend of 2002. Arshad crime,” she argues. Chowdhary, an immigrant Indian from Pittsburgh, was booted out of his Representative John Cooksey from Northwest flight because the captain Louisiana made it clear that if he saw found his last name to phonetically “someone [sic] come in that's got a resemble that of a terror suspect. In diaper on his head and a fan belt December 2001, Uday Menon was wrapped around the diaper on his handcuffed and taken away because head, that guy needs to be pulled the ticketing agent informed her over." superiors that a foreign sounding person was making too many enquiries Among other things, it was the about the seating arrangements at a evidence of data collection, especially from studies conducted by the Post in Broadway show. New Jersey and Maryland, which These incidents, along with several Views among the common public, transformed racial profiling from what others in the time frame, are proof however, seem to run the gamut from many had labeled a minority- enough that fear generated by the 9/11 informed observations to random community perception, to what most attacks is pervasive and, coupled with ruminations. people now accept as a national ignorance, is a dangerous threat to reality. Consequently, the focus of the Jim DeTar, a business news reporter individual freedom, particularly that of debate seems to have shifted from from the Bay Area says “police in immigrants who often believe in whether or not racial profiling exists to some U.S. communities statistically whether or not it is essential. America if you complied with the law, stop more black people and other you would be all right. people of color than they do white The U.S. [government] says it is Despite all the debate and speculation people.” Another Bay Area veteran, engaged in a war on terrorism. People surrounding the issue in the current Bob Schiffer from San Mateo has a of Middle-Eastern origin, or who look timeframe, it would be naïve to different take: “It is a streamlined like they are, were initially singled-out presume that racial profiling is a fall- method to eliminate crime and for security checks because of out of the 9/11 aftermath. Its been terrorism from the American soil.” heightened concern that Al Qaeda cells around a very long time. Only it has might be waiting to engage in more terror acts. The government did seem
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 30 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee to go the extra mile to assuage damage draw accurate comparisons, the debate born Canadian author cancelled a to sensitivities. President Bush visited on traffic stops and data measurement portion of his book tour for “Family mosques and authorized the arrest of are likely to continue. Days” after overenthusiastic security hundreds of people for racially agents at American airports targeted motivated attacks. In the litigious society that we live in, him every single time he boarded an lawsuits are likely to mushroom too. In aircraft. Feeling like a second class Now that racial profiling is accepted as January 2003, the State of New Jersey citizen, he has even contemplated a national reality, the focus of the agreed to pay $775,000 to motorists shaving his beard to avoid being debate has shifted to whether or not it who were victims of racial profiling. conspicuous. Rohinton Mistry , as is essential. Studies are underway to In June 2002, ACLU filed five many of you know, is Parsi. better understand racial profiling. Hot- lawsuits accusing three major airlines button issues being revisited now to of blatant discrimination against five He cancelled his tour, saying he was get a better understanding of racial men who were ejected from flights fed up with traveling within the US, profiling are traffic stops by the police solely based on prejudices of airline and returned to Canada. and the legitimacy of data collection. employees and passengers and for An officer may stop a motor vehicle or reasons wholly unrelated to security. Rohinton Mistry went home. As I sit pedestrian upon a reasonable suspicion in my apartment in Mountain View, that the pedestrian, driver or an However, the law is increasingly on California, I feel totally at home. So occupant has committed a motor the side of the enforcers rather than the do millions of other Indians, Pakistanis vehicle violation or other offense. citizens. And it is only getting tougher. and people of Middle Eastern descent Such stops conform to AELE policy After the Oklahoma City bombing in who’ve chosen to live in America. and procedures. 1995, the U.S. Congress passed an The next time I hear of someone being antiterrorism bill that allowed the singled out at the airport for an extra government to use secret evidence to layer of security checks, I may if the Racial profiling…is now detain and deport immigrants person was a victim of profiling, suspected of terrorism. San Jose suffering in silence to enjoy the accept(ed) as a national resident Fardeen Akhtar says the law comforts of this home reality. The focus of the that has since been used almost exclusively against Arab and Muslim I will also hope, as the initial fears debate (has) shifted from immigrants. The ‘Patriot 2 Act’, subside, that civil liberties of citizens whether or not racial entitled the Domestic Security as well as residents will be given top Enhancement Act of 2003, is going to priority and we will all--immigrants or profiling exists to increase government powers not--be able to express our opinions whether or not it is substantially. Its ramifications in freely, without fear of being terms of compromising civil liberties questioned or threatened with essential. of a certain segment of society in an deportation from the homes that we irrevocable way are likely to stir a have now come to love."¦ hornet’s nest. “Data collection may not be the solution to racial profiling, but proper Dr. David Cole, Georgetown data collection and analysis is a critical University Law professor declared the first step in developing solutions to Patriot 2 Act “radical”. “It authorizes end racial profiling,” says Oakland secret arrests. It would give the statistician, Shawna Williams. Attorney General essentially “I believe that data collected at traffic unchecked authority to deport anyone he thought was a danger to our stops is not credible unless the persons economic interests. It would strip identify their race” says Captain Davis. citizenship from people for lawful But can an officer inquire about the race or ethnicity of a driver ? Captain political associations, and ... it has not Davis adds that the percentage of stops been put on the table so there can be a discussion about it”. police conducts on persons believed to be a certain race should be measured. Is America, the upholder of free In response to public outrage over speech and liberty, turning into a police state? asks Joseph Farah, writer racial profiling, over 400 law for WorldNet Daily. I should hope not. enforcement agencies throughout the Rohinton Mistry Freedom of speech and action requires Credit: The Globe & Mail U.S. have implemented some form of traffic stop data collection. But what there to be forums for debate. Then constitutes “proper” data collection why is the Patriot 2 Act not open to discussion? and “credible benchmarks,” seems to be as yet undefined. Till we figure out I’ll give you one last example of racial credible ways to analyze the data and profiling. Rohinton Mistry, the Indian-
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 31 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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AN EMAIL FROM PROFESSOR KRV SUBRAMANIAN TO BITS74-75 YAHOOGROUP SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON BITS ADMISSIONS On April 30, 2003 the Ministry of Human Resource Development took BITS Pilani to court to ask it to join the All India Exam process. The case has been settled. India’s famous lawyer, Shanti Bhushan took the stage on behalf of BITS and the Jaipur High Court ruled that a private educational institute can choose how to admit its students.
But around the world it has triggered a raging debate amongst BITSians. Should we stick with the current process? Should we join the All India Engineering Entrance or the IIT Joint Entrance exams. Should we conduct our own. Emails are going back and forth. Online polls have organized. Emotions run high.
Professor KRVS, or Raja as he is known was at BITS from 1974-00, and left only recently to start his own company, Answerpal. KRVS sheds some light on the process, shattering myths, providing facts and outlining the BITS admissions process that will certainly educate those who seek to participate in this debate. the statistical distribution of marks, the the statistical data over the years do not ello all: H numbers offered admissions - board show that the system favors just a few I never intended participating in this wise, number ultimately joining BITS - boards. discussion on BITS Admissions, board wise, state wise, region wise are all although my involvement with BITS and maintained. Indeed, many of these 6. Some more on why few people join Pilani often urged me to do so. Sorry, statistical analysis are reported in the from other boards. The last date for Durai, I was neither "sleeping" (I was Annual Report of BITS each year. receiving applications at Pilani is 30 June trying to proactively help BITS and 2003. There are a number of boards could not participate in the discussions), 4. Let me share a few things I have which have almost never released the nor am I a "giant" in any sense (except personally observed by being on the results of Class XII exams before this for the dangerous paunch). But Nattu Admissions Committee (the 1.08 date. Examples of these are UP, posted a mail meant for the Diro and Committee as it is called) during 1989- Rajasthan, Punjab (and oh, there are well, I have to write some things March 2000. The main boards from others too). During those few occasions here...Mostly, ramblings... which persons join are the CBSE, AP, when these results were released on time, TN, Maharashtra (if I were to just list 4). we found that the number of applicants 1. There are about 28 Boards in India Is that strange? No. Consider the from these boards were relatively that let students through the XII class percentages of applications received smaller. For BITS this is not the first (going by whatever name). Some Boards from these boards. The largest numbers time its admissions policy is coming are very large (deals with large number come from the very same boards. In a under scrutiny. Almost every year, BITS of students) like the CBSE, some state statistical sense, the proportion of needs to present compelling data to boards like TN, AP, Maharashtra. There persons getting admitted from among the various probes - from courts, to statutory are also boards that deal with much applicants in each board is fairly close. government agencies, ministries, smaller numbers, relatively (Vidharba). What I mean to say is that the deviation parliament, etc. And, please, let not BITS takes into consideration every (variance) is small. anyone insult the BITS system by board that deals with a reasonably large suggesting that there is a systematic number of students, and that comes to 5. I know that the predominant talk is doctoring of this data. Ask Nattu, about 28 or so. that the lingua franca of Pilani is whether any of us had any breathing time Telugu/Tamil. That is a fact. But what it to indulge in such "creative pursuits". 2. The BITS Admissions Officer accepts allows one to incorrectly deduce can the marks obtained by the board topper damage the integrity of BITS. Contrary 7. My own $0.02 about WHY a large directly from the Board (and from no one to most suppositions, the board that proportion of chappies from the South else or heresy). The system respects that delivers the largest number of admissions get into BITS as against the national each board has its own checks and to BITS is CBSE (it was so till 2001). It distribution. Guys note that this is purely balances to ensure fair play, efficiency, is also a verifiable fact that among the my deduction based on data that I have etc. If at a later date there is documentary persons admitted from CBSE, there are had access to (and analyzed) at the evidence that there was manipulation at significant number of persons who hail Educational Development Division when the Board's highest level, then BITS does from TN, AP and/or whose native tongue the present Diro was the Dean - I could (and has indeed done this at least on 3 happens to be Telugu/Tamil. Often the be hopelessly wrong. BITS offers a occasions, I remember) strong steps to insinuation is that the system favors a variety of degree programs ranging from deal with the admissions (even canceling few boards. This is not correct as the Engineering to Sciences to Management admissions in some cases) and the board ratio of persons admitted to applied from to Humanities. If an applicant needs to itself. each board do not dramatically vary. In improve his/her chances of getting fact, this piece of data is the one that has admitted, he/she must not "cross out" any 3. The data on number of boards, often been used by BITS to educate option. There are so many times I have number of applicants from each board, people on their incorrect perceptions. No, seen guys with huge percentages just
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 32 General Interest Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee apply for EEE, CS and Mech, (or a select JEE, how come we are getting 60-70% constant debate regarding nearly all few) and crossing out all other options. of toppers each year? Inefficient aspects of education. Too many things Based on the competition, if he does not admission system? Unbalanced system? change at BITS, but admission seem to get the above 3, he has kicked himself Move along, guys, the days of having have fewer changes (oh, there have been out of reckoning from all others. Do a this infra dig about BITS being a rung or changes in admissions too, although large number of folks do something like two lower than IITs are over. The present these are non-glamorous details). That this? Believe it or not, yes, a fairly generation appears to know their mind does not mean there is a lack of debate significant proportion do this. And what better! on that. Far from it, I have participated in is the pattern of filling applications from some many such discussions that have CBSE, AP, TN, Maharashtra? In this 10. I have heard of some amazing gone for such long hours that I have category, the number of persons crossing arguments against the point 9, above hardly spent any time with my daughter out options at all is very insignificant. from well-known educationists that at home. The decision to go with the These guys appear to be ready to go to populate the MHRD, UGC, and the current system is based on logic, data, BITS and do anything. Applicants from infamous AICTE. One common one is analysis, etc. Just work out the logistics certain geographical areas appear to be that being the topper in a board is not an and the costs of conducting yet another focused on applying only for a few indicator that the person is actually exam! And please do not forget to write specific disciplines, while conscio usly meritorious! The not-so-subtle the tangible benefits (the other scheme crossing out the others. They do this in insinuation here is that (a) boards can be failed to offer). Tell me what you see... spite of the detailed instructions stating manipulated, (b) it takes only a "ghotu' to the consequences to them. Now to claim be a topper, but..., (c) why can't the same 13. One of the primary considerations that the BITS System should also take guys get through JEE to prove for BITS is to make use of the marks care to ensure statistical uniformity of themselves... Well, I really don't want to awarded by the Boards and respect it. distribution from among states is a real comment. I have told what I think of One of the main behind the common tall order. Of course, never mind that the those arguments to the former Dy. Sec. entrance exams is that diverse Boards are common entrance exams too cannot be of UGC, a former Director of IITD, a of different standards, different structure, designed to produce this. The only Professor of IISc, and I can tell you, they different everything. Granted that system that can be DESIGNED to have no love for me at all! differences exist. While several provide such uniformity of geographical institutions chose to bring about a system While talking about entrance exams, distribution would be some form of a 11. of "normalization" through common "quota system". In my opinion, BITS has we almost seem to accept the JEE as a entrance examination, BITS chose direct rightly rejected the quota system! holy grail. Yet another $0.02 of mine. admission through the use of Please take time to compare the syllabus "normalized percentage". Unfortunately, 8. Does the BITS system get the of the various courses done in any board there are several "common" entrance meritorious students? This is a tricky for class XII and the syllabus and examinations and the proposed one is area. I am going to cite an example to coverage of the various subjects just to add to the pool. show this tricky situation. Assume that a examined in JEE. The overlap in person from CBSE gets 97% and gets syllabus, coverage, topic and emphasis is 14. I will not be able to write on into BITS, while another with barely very small - almost in every board, even aspirations of special groups of persons 56% in CBSE, gets through JEE and though there are some significant and their interests in the BITS admission joins IITK. Are they equally meritorious, variance. I am not questioning the JEE policy. I am not saying that their or one is more meritorious than the decision to prescribe that. In their aspirations are wrong. It is just that it other? I will leave the thoughts to you wisdom, they solemnly think that such is does not fall into the category of all. You will be surprised at the number the coverage required for a good thoughts I wanted to address here. of apparently logical deductions people engineering (and a few sciences) And, oh, there is no hidden agenda can come up, all seeming to be equally education. If that is required for good 15. compelling. engineering education in IITs (a few that behind this posting of mine. I am not follow JEE), is it not prudent for the capable of personally benefiting from the 9. I started this long write-up with a mandarins at MHRD to push NCERT, BITS admission policy. I have a 15 year mention that about 28 boards exist, and CBSE,ISC, etc. to upgrade their old daughter who would complete Class BITS often gets reasonable applicants curriculum to prepare persons for a good 12 after 2 years. If I were to have from 25 or so (the rest send in just too engineering education? My $0.02 says benefited, I ought to have continued in tiny a number to be considered that nothing of this kind will come out, BITS! Indeed, many tell me that I have significant). So it is no big assumption to since this move will destroy the aura and been foolish to leave BITS at such a take 25 boards in the field. And how exclusivity of JEE. Indeed, the very stage, but then, that is an entirely many toppers do we get each year? Each move to have AIEEE and to exclude JEE different, uninteresting story. year, we get between 15-18 board says all I want to and much more! I really think, it is enough said on this toppers in BITS! Insignificant statistic? Uniformity, indeed! Call me cynical, but from me! I hope Nattu is able to support Think again. This is between 60% to my money is on the thing that this is a bit the factual nature of the data I 70% of the toppers of ALL boards of of a power game, a turf war, if you will, mentioned. secondary school education in the among the various agencies - UGC, country. One can argue: if they are all so MHRD, AICTE among others! - Raja ¦ good why don't they join IITs? I have another $0.02 of my opinion on that, 12. Regarding the suggestion for an based on statistical evidence, but work entrance exam for BITS. Let me tell you his out yourself! Assuming that at least that there is no emotional attachment to 50% of toppers would also appear in the the existing system at BITS. There is a
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 33 Education & Academics Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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BY VIKAS CHANDRA WHEN ACADEMICIANS BECOME ENTREPRENEURS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF PROFILES
Let’s start with your memories of A week after I accepted OSU offer, I BITS. got a better offer from Wisconsin – What prompted you to leave the better not only in terms of money and commercial world and enter I was “76EEE056” at BITS. Of the duration, but also overall. Wisconsin Academia? 21 years spent in getting education, was “rated” higher in Databases than and nearly two decades thereafter, I OSU. Well, Prof. Chandrasekaran’s letter had its intended effect. I did not I came to give the aspect of not having a look back at my BITS days more boss a very high rating. It started with my than school days. BITS was back out. Looking back, I do not regret my decision. first and only layoff. I had moved from certainly more fun than graduate Honeywell to Unisys, attracted by a studies. I remember learning to live higher position, higher salary and better independently, the camaraderie, the technical focus. I got an out-of-turn raise unique experiences of OASIS and and three levels of management told me the practice schools, and the how much they valued me, I was walking character building that involved on water. But two months after that, knowing good students from all Unisys decided to close down our entire over India. I recall that our location. I felt that many things were professors were mostly good to beyond my control. excellent, sincere, and some were also inspiring, but even more important was the educational At Bellcore, I was introduced to bureaucracy. My boss’s boss’s boss had process and curriculum, including the selection of reading materials. to approve my travel. After I already won an externally funded project based on my Name: Dr. Amit Sheth proposal, I had to write a report on why Tell us how you came to the USA, we should accept the funds! and transitioned into life here? Academic Position: Professor of Computer Science, Director of the So I said to myself, if I can bring in my It was relatively well planned. I Large Scale Distributed Information own funds why not do so in a University remember going to the IIT-Delhi Systems Lab, University of where I can decide what to propose and library during PS2. I decided to Georgia. how to carry out the research? focus on Databases, the area I liked the most. Two of the most Business Position: CTO, Semagix, published Professors in Databases And this was what I did exactly. External Inc. were at Wisconsin and Ohio State funding has allowed my LSDIS lab to set University. up a vibrant research environment where Entrepreneurial Ventures: we carry out world class research. Once I got in, I knew I would not · Founder & CEO of Taalee, a VC stop at a Masters, but complete my funded enterprise software You have worked in Industry, in PhD. M aybe this was because my company. Acquired by Voquette academia and as an entrepreneur— which one you like most and why? father was a professor. Inc. (now Semagix) in 2001. · Founder, Semantic, a web I was lucky to have assistantship technology startup True-- I have had opportunity to have offers from OSU and Wisconsin. · Founder, Infocosm, Inc. varied work experience—in industry OSU's offer came first with a letter R&D, as a professor, and as an entrepreneur. from Prof. Chandrasekaran, strongly Former jobs: R&D labs at Bellcore advising that it would look upon (now Telcordia Technologies) badly of Indians if I accepted their Unisys, and Honeywell. In academia, what I enjoy most is my offer and backed out if I got a interactions with graduate students. One “better offer” later. of the things I am most proud about is an Education: PhD (1985) and MS award from UGA for helping in career (1983), Ohio State University & BE advancements of my former students. This (Hons), BITS (1981) was determined based on interviews of
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 34 Education & Academics Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee and inputs from UGA graduates. I see sudden up tick in Indian Do you have thoughts or advice to am in routine contact with almost all applications for the PhD program. BITSians on pursing graduate studies? my former students, whether MS or The applicants who are considering a PhD. PhD due to difficult job market When I came to USA in 1981, the conditions today will reap some good majority of the Indian graduate students As for entrepreneurship, I enjoy it long term benefits. came here for PhDs. During the 90s I saw because I am able to do it on my a significant decline in this trend, with own terms and in parallel with my Any thoughts on how to select a most students dropping out after continued association with UGA. university? completing their Masters. In my My primary purpose for start ing department, no Indian student finished his Infocosm and Taalee (now There are three key factors: quality of PhD from 1997-2001, during one of the Semagix) was to demonstrate the teaching (for MS and PhD both) and greatest bull markets in American value of research carried out at the research, selection of the right history . Jobs and careers in the business LSDIS lab. There are two ways to advisor, and an area of studies. The world appeared much more attractive than prove impact of research—through most important, in my view is to studying for a doctorate degree. commercialization where research ensure you know what you like. A Prospective students were also advised by translated into technology and then student who knows his research and their seniors that it was not worthwhile to operational products driving career interest even before completing do a PhD. economic engine, and through MS equivalent coursework is likely to trend-setting publications that others be far more successful than the one A PhD made it easier for me to lead care to cite and use in their who doesn’t know what he or she projects and gave me a few years' lead research. likes for a year until after joining the over Masters graduates. It handed me graduate program. This is because the opportunities to work on more exciting student who knows his/her interest projects much earlier than those around Dr Sheth’s top three can use that to make crucial decisions me without PhDs. It seemed to me that reasons for doing a PhD in selecting the university and/or the senior management in R&D in my advisor. industry were more likely to trust a PhD 1. If you want to have a with a research-oriented project or a high degree of I think, too much importance is given project involving development of newer technologies. Besides the greater independence and “self to the ranking of the university or specialized education, the experience in governance” in your career department. First of all, most the rankings are trailing indicators— writing papers and proposals, and reflecting the past. Second, the experience in conference talks prepared 2. If you want to be a influence an advisor has in your me much better to market my ideas to thought leader in your area success is often far more critical than management, customers/sponsors and of specialization the university and department. I peers. think, selecting the advisor is 3. If you want an option to simple—find someone who you Whether you are in industry or academia, would like to be like. Go to citeseer you have to sell—it is just that audiences be a professor (even if and see if he/she is in top 1000. Or see are different. In industry you sell to your some time in future) which if he/she has done things that you customers and upper management. In would bring more job would like to do, or has funded academia you sell you your research security projects in the area you wish to sponsors and your peers who evaluate pursue. An advisor who has not your proposals. Some techniques are I feel that the focus on coursework worked in industry or consulted with different but some are the same. Even in during bachelors and masters simply industry substantially can hardly help industry, you are generally selling the does not allow for training one’s you prepare for that in any substantial promise of your product than the product other faculties and capabilities. It way. An advisor who has not either itself. And if you have a good PhD takes an effort to become a thought founded or consulted with a startup advisor, he/she will help you hone this leader. Perhaps a PhD does not cannot help you understand critical capability rather than just do help a lot in becoming a business entrepreneurship. And make sure narrow research and publish some leader, but if you want to be a your advisor does not have 10 PhD technical papers (which are nevertheless thought leader, especially involving students or is too busy to spend unavoidable). He/she will guide you on technical vision, PhD has a lot to quality time for you. An advisor— how to effectively formulate ideas and offer. Again, tying it back to my advisee relationship is, in fact, fairly their value propositions, and how to exp erience, it is a PhD that gave me close to the old tradition of guru effectively present them. He/she will help the freedom to go to academia. shishya parampara. If you have a you gain leadership skills. ¦ And, from academia, I decided to great advisor, you will be armed with launch a couple of companies and all the tools and techniques you will dabbled in being an entrepreneur on need to take on a challenging and my own terms. I am delighted to satisfying career path.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 35 Person of the Month Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Featured Article
INTERVIEW BY AANAND KRISHNAN, ASHISH GARG & MUKUL CHAWLA MAY PERSON OF THE MONTH: DR. VINOD AGARWAL (’68)
Vinod left a stellar career in academia to commercialize his theories that led to one of 2001’s few successful technology IPOs with LogicVision, as the stock rose from $9.00 to almost $15.00 by the end of the year. LogicVision a small chip testing company that is reducing and eliminating the need for capital and labor intensive testing. LogicVision has kept Vinod on his toes, with a weak economic environment and a recent set-up in Bangalore, but he finds time to focus on BITSConnect. Vinod’s faith in his alma mater is reflected in his teammates - Chairman Navindra Jain and India-head Hitesh Bhatnagar are BITSians. He has plans to recruit at Pilani.
Vinod, can you tell us a little bit past 30 years is that since chips have about LogicVision and its enough transistors on them, why don’t technology? we make a tester or multiple little testers on the chip itself? This way we LogicVision is a public company can test the chip using these testers (NASDQ: LGVN) in the instead of testing the chip from semiconductor space. Our products outside. This is exactly what we do at help customers design chips that can LogicVision by providing a total test themselves. LogicVision has solution, which includes automation, over one hundred customers verification and complete design for worldwide. Blue chip customers putting tiny but comprehensive testers from Cisco to Sun Microsystems in inside a chip. the US, Sony to Matsushita in Japan, and ST Microelectronics to How fast has LogicVision been Name: Dr. Vinod K. Agarwal Ericsson in Europe use our expanding? Position: Founder, Chairman & CEO, products. We are the largest LogicVision, Inc. [NASD: LGVN] provider of the so called built-in LogicVision has over a 100 Selected Achievements: self-test (BIST) technology with employees and is headquartered in 72% market share. San Jose, CA with offices in Tokyo, Founded LGVN in 1992, raised UK and Canada. About six months $100 million and took company I find it really interesting that I have ago we also started a center in public in October 2001 been working with the BIST Bangalore that has around 20 people technology for almost 30 years. right now and is headed by a very One of the very few tech IPOs of When I came to the US in 1973, my seasoned executive, my batch-mate 2002; stock rose 60% by year end very first graduate level course was from Pilani, Hitesh Bhatnagar. I am Voted Silicon India Entrepreneur on Semiconductor Testing. I went very excited about growing the of the Year 2002 on to do my MS thesis, my Ph.D. prospects for LogicVision in India Nortel/NSERC Industrial Research thesis and all my research during the and the rest of the world. Chair Professor at McGill 16 years as a Professor in the BIST Going back and working in India has University for 16 years with over area. And now for the past ten 100 publications years, LogicVision is the leader in been a pleasant surprise for me. I the commercial offerings in the thought about starting in India many Fellow of the IEEE (1992) for same BIST area. I keep telling years ago but was discouraged due to contributions to the field of BIST and fault tolerant computing. people I have a long way to go the lack of IC design engineering expertise in India at the time. because I have been doing the same Co-inventor of several U.S. patents thing for almost 30 years, meaning I Recently there has been an influx of on embedded technology. must be very slow. chip design knowledge in India and this has helped the chip business to Prior Jobs: Professor, McGill Our technology is very innovative grow in India. We most certainly will University (1978-94) and Wayne State U (1977-78) because normally complex start direct recruiting from Pilani and semiconductor chips are tested on other institutions. Education: PhD, Johns Hopkins multi-million dollar testers. Also, University (1977), MS, U Pittsburgh the size and cost of these testers (1974) and BE (Hons) Electronics, BITS keeps going up while the size and (1973) price of semiconductor chips continuously goes down. Hence, the idea I have been working on for the
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 36 Person of the Month Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
What hurdles did you face in to. My experience as a Professor also us to learn, but also to have fun and just raising capital for LogicVision? taught me to respect professors back be ourselves. We spent a lot more time in Pilani. I feel that we need to having fun and in cultural activities than When I set out to get venture provide better recognition to our with academics. That sort of environment funding for LogicVision, many VC Professors in Pilani for their is ideal to foster the entrepreneurship and firms rejected us in the beginning contributions to our success. hones your managerial skills. The and it took more than a year and a experience of organizing events and half to raise the 3 million dollars I Coming from an academic getting things done in the institution, needed. Dr. Navindra Jain, background, how do you want to academically and culturally, instilled in us Chairman of our Board of Directors, see BITS evolve in the years to a sense of confidence, that doesn’t come and the gold medalist from our come? from just taking courses. batch in Pilani and a very successful entrepreneur was a significant angel BITS Pilani is at the helm of the IT I was a part of a gang, called the “7 investor in the beginning and revolution in India and has a greater Generals”. The 7 Generals were Anil throughout. Since then we have had role to play in the future. The recent Sethi, the highest executive at Sony to go through several other rounds efforts to organize and bring together Canada, Harsh Bhargava, Commodore in of venture capital funding, raising the BITS alumni are a great start. The Indian Navy, Hitesh Bhatnagar, President about $50 million overall. We went BITSConnect project is going to go a of LogicVision (India), Anand Jain, based public in October 2001, raising long way in improving resources for in UAE, and Kamal Lakhotia and Shirish another $45 million. students and expose them to world- Chinoy, both running their own class infrastructure. Coming from a companies in Bombay. We did a lot of I learnt that if you have a vision that research background, the next area I things that were not always appreciated by you want to follow through and if want to see Pilani grow is as a the Professors (laughs). One year, I was the passion exudes then people will research institution, churning out Chief Editor of Hindi magazine, at the be willing to fund you. Of course, world-class research work. time called “Rachana”. It was during our you need the right story and the time that we set OASIS on the path to right management team, but without become a national cultural festival. I am the passion none of it works out. actually amazed how successful OASIS Being a professor must have had has become. We certainly did not dream its own set of challenges. What do this success for OASIS. you recall most fondly about LogicVision Facts Is there any specific piece of advice for being a professor? Chairman: Navindra Jain* budding engineers from Pilani? I always wanted to get involved in CEO, Vinod Agarwal* research and that is something that LTM Revenues: $16 MM From my experience as a professor and as still drives me. I wanted to be a Employees: 100 an entrepreneur, I’ve realized that Pilani scientist when I was young and once produces some of the best engineers from Headquarters: San Jose, CA I graduated, a faculty position at our country. We need to have confidence McGill University turned out to be Market value : $29 million in our overall capabilities, not just in our an excellent opportunity for me. I Stock price: $1.87 technical skills. The younger people need had no real problems on my tenure 52Wk high/low: $9.6/$1.3 to make the best out of their years in track and also held an endowed Pilani. Just be yourself, have confidence chair position funded by Northern Source: filings, Yahoo, Bloomberg, LGVN and things will work out great. ¦ Telecom. I soon found out that * BITSian teaching and research also involve Tell us something about your days getting funding for your projects, in Pilani. which means that you also need to have good entrepreneur skills. My days at BITS were the best days Eventually if you do things right, of my life. We were in an things move the way you want them environment, which not only allowed
India Today 2002 rankings of Indian Engineering Colleges
Infra- Student Admission Job Procedure Factual Rank COLLEGE Academic Reputation Curriculum structure Care Procedure Placement Rank Rank 1 IIT Kharagpur 2 4 3 2 3 1 4 4 1 2 IIT Kanpur 3 3 4 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 BITS Pilani 1 2 1 4 4 5 3 2 6 4 IIT Mumbai 4 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 13 5 IIT Chennai 5 5 5 5 5 1 2 5 2 6 REC Surathkal 17 16 20 20 25 23 7 11 7 7 IIT Roorkee 7 7 7 7 8 9 6 6 - 8 Inst.of Tech., Varanasi 13 9 6 6 7 11 12 10 20 9 College of Engg., Guindy 8 8 9 9 10 7 10 8 17 10 IIT Delhi 6 6 13 8 6 10 8 7 -
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 37 Alumni Corner Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Facilitate the creation of an eco- community with any and all of their BITSAA Int’l Alumni & system that consists of entrepreneurs, academic-related queries and initiatives. BITS-focused Initiatives venture capitalists, professionals, The academic council is being created to (in addition to BITSConnect) academicians and the students of start initiatives aimed at strengthening BITS the links between BITSian in academics, “Sow-the-Seeds” for BITS alumni in the United States, the entrepreneurship on BITS Campus Institute and current students at the Institute. The Academic Center website CEVC and BITSAA are working for BITSian students will be a wealth of together to bring you events and resources for students applying to PhD, workshops around the world. The first Masters and MBA programs. Led by of these events is a meeting with Diaz Dr. SP Kothari, MIT Sloan and Nesamoney in San Francisco on May 22. Professor Krishna Saraswat, Stanford, Announcing: $15,000 SS The CEVC will be hosted shortly on the Center will also aim to build the www.bitsaa.com , with tools, resources, BITS brand around the world through Seshadri Memorial advice and lots of information for the 160+ BITSians teaching at Scholarship Fund BITSian entrepreneurs and venture universities. Other alums involved capitalists. In case of any questions include Prof Baheti, NSF; Prof regarding the CEVC, please contact the Maheshwari, USUHS; Prof Ravindran, SS Seshadri or Sesha passed away a person listed below: Penn State; Suraj Srinivasan, HBS and few years back. When his Economics Vikas Chandra, Carnegie Mellon. Class of 87 batch decided to put a Contact:
scholarship in Pilani in his name in Anupendra Sharma Glo bal Coordinator Contact: August 2001, BITSAA International Suraj Srinivasan was born. A scholarship fully pays for [email protected] Academic Council Coordinator one deserving third year student at [email protected] Pilani. This scholarship came about The BITS Centre for by the generous donations of BITSians Entrepreneurial Leadership in the US, particularly on the East In development: BITSAA Coast. Sesha, a student of Economics (BCEL) & Civil Engineering, will always be Alumni Directory & Job Bank remembered as a gentle, smiling giant The CEVC team is working with the The alumni directory, being developed to all of the classmates he leaves Institute and the BITS student body to behind. by BITSAA with the underlying data launch the BITS Centre for from the current directory as well as Entrepreneurial Leadership at Pilani. other information at BITS, is This scholarship was set up at the The Centre will leverage BITS’ currently under construction, but will same time as Vamsi’s and has $8,000 resources, the energy of the student be launched in a month or two. This in funds. You may donate online at body, and resources and ideas of the directory, based on benchmarking alumni body to create a vibrant, thriving www.bitsaa.org to top-up our funds, or similar directories at the world's top contact our Trustee to make a culture of entrepreneurship on the BITS contribution. campus. A number of students have business schools, is intended to be our been identified, and Professor V S Rao most important resource in keeping in has been named interim Director for the touch with the BITSian community. Contact: Centre. BITSAA working on this effort We will inform you when this site is Sandeep Arora include Aashish Bhinde, Vivek Pandita, launched. Trustee, BITSAA International Satish Gupta, K Vijay Rao, Dinesh [email protected] Mirchandani and Anupendra Sharma. T: +1 (609) 203 1117 Since we started encouraging people to post jobs on the yahoogroups, Contact BITSAA has been flooded with job Announcing: BITSAA Center announcements, which has been a USA boon to our students. To improve this for Entrepreneurship & Anupendra Sharma process we are developing a board to [email protected] Venture Capital (CEVC) easily post job announcements for
The CEVC, founded in November 2002 India BITSians. by Anupendra Sharma, has a mission to Aashish Bhinde foster entrepreneurship amongst BITS [email protected] If you would like to volunteer to help alumni. It has quickly grown into a core us in our technology development global team of 14 dedicated advisors and Announcing: The BITSAA efforts, please contact our CTO. coordinators with backgrounds in Academic Center entrepreneurship, venture capital and private equity. The objectives are to: This Center is intended to keep students, Contact: faculty and BITSian in academics Prasad Thammineni Nurture entrepreneurship amongst the connected to each other. Over the next CEO, jPeople BITSian Alumni few months we will develop a list of [email protected] objectives that will help the BITSAA
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 38 Alumni Corner Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
PARTYIN’ AROUND THE WORLD Coming soon: BITSAA in the College of Military September 7, San Francisco and after the event was over, the Events in London, Sydney, Los Engineering. lunch with the Director: Dr. S. cocktail platters were devoured Angeles/Southern California, Venkateswaran had a private by a hungry group of golfers. January 24, Hyderabad meeting with senior BITSians. Atlanta and Chicago. Check Inaugural: The Hyderabad The tournament was won by www.bitsaa.org for details Mukul Chawla gave a chapter had its inaugural bash presentation on BITSAA Ravi Mehra ('67) with a with over 250 guests, one of the International, and the Director splendid score of 82, twelve largest held this year. The party strokes ahead of Rajen spoke about the needs of the 2003 was held at the Chiran Fort institute. Tibrewala ('65) and Ara Club, with alcohol, music and a Pararajasingham who managed April 5, Dubai: The active 40- DJ blasting music. It was a September 5. Seattle meeting to complete the round in 94 strong chapter organized a small great turnout. with the Diro: Mythreyee strokes. picnic for BITSians and their Ganapathy and Vidur Luthra families. of Microsoft organized a March 16, Silicon Valley Annual Event: The third 2002 welcome for the Director, who March 22, San Francisco: was in town to meet his son, Silicon Valley Annual Event Silicon Valley chapter annual also a BITSian. was held on , March 16 at the event held with 200 guests at Santa Clara Marriott. It was the the Marriott Santa Clara. The September 28, New Jersey August 23, Dallas & Houston largest event yet with 250 focus was on dinner, dancing Music Nite: After an Kickoffs. Two excellent events guests. and BITSConnect. The theme extraordinary music nite in with a total of 95 alums and was Giving back to BITS. With 2001, Tirthankar Das and guests. This was the first ever June 29, 2002, Boston a play/skit by BITSians about Rasika came back for another event organized by BITSian for Kickoff: This event was a great marrying a BITSian, Mr. & Ms. electric performance. The the South Chapter. Manoj success with over 35 BITSians (not including their spouses and India - San Francisco dancing Director came from India, and Saxena, Preetish Nijhawan, and singing for everyone’s 250 guests showed up. The Shailendra Sachi and PS Raju children) from batches ranging entertainment, and a mime that auction sold bats, gloves and spoke at the events. from 1966 - 1997 attending it. reflected on BITSian life, it was Anna Kournikova memorabilia. The event also featured talks by eminent BITSians entrepreneurs a fun-filled evening. The BITS movie that the July 28, New Jersey Golfing Director brought with him Event. As the mist lifted off the including Prashant Rao (CEO March 8, Mumbai: The first stirred a lot of emotions. He splendid greens at the High and President of Reflexis, Inc.) Mumbai chapter event was a followed it up with a great Bridge Hills Golf Club in NJ, and Satish Tadikonda huge success, with the BITS speech about BITSAA in the 28 BITSians and guests teed off (Founder and principal of Director, Vivek Paul, Rajiv US and the power of the at the first ever BITS East Coast Tribiosys, Inc.) Anupendra Maliwal, Shashi Warrier and network. golf outing. After an excellent Sharma (of BITSAA Dilip D’Souza. Over 300 breakfast of bagels and coffee, International) informed the people showed up, with lots of September 23, Boston: Dr. S. eager golfers grabbed their audience about BITSAA media in tow. The alcohol Venkateswaran met Dr. SP lunch boxes, jumped into their International's upcoming events flowed freely. Kothari , MIT Sloan, Mukesh golf carts and headed over to and roadmap. The party topped Chatter, Axiowave and a play this gorgeous but off with an excellent informal January 26, New Delhi Picnic: number of BITSians. The video challenging, par 71 course. The quiz conducted by Srikanth On a beautiful winter afternoon, presentation on Pilani was a big outing was sponsored by Babu (‘92-97), and the team a number of families got hit. Radiant System's CEO, Venu sold over 20 BITSAA T-shirts together for a picnic at Kapil Myneni, a spouse of a BITSian too. September 14. Detroit dinner Chopra’s SKN farms off and a strong supporter of BITS Mehrauli Road. There were lots with the Diro: Dr. S. January 5, 2002, Bangalore of fun-filled events including Venkateswaran, Director BITSians came from all batches Kickoff Event: Event tambola, musical chairs, drinks galvanized the first ever - 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. It was organized by Subodh Mittal and of course, lunch. meeting of BITSian alums in an excellent mix of CEOs, and Anant Kansal at the Eden the area organized by technologists, venture Park restaurant. ¦ January 25, Pune Dinner: The Krishnaraj Inbarajan at capitalists, bankers, consultants Pune chapter, with over 100 Deven Kataria’s house. The and corporate executives. Beer, members, got together for drawing room was standing laughter and conversation dinner at the Officer's Institute room only. flowed freely during the game, BITSians doing what they do best, at alumni events around the world…having a party !!!
Heavy metal BITS style!!! Acoustic guitar and vocals ! Drum solo !!
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 39 Mera Bharat Mahaan Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY PUSHKALA VENKATRAMAN HOUSTON CALLING: A CONVERSATION W ITH KRISHNA VAVILALA (’56)
a meek and shy 18 year old into a He asked the very Professor that set self-confident young man ready to the examination paper to sit down and take upon the real world. BITS answer all questions within 3 hours. being strictly a resident college, the close interaction with students Mr. Vavilala fondly remembers the from other Indian states time when Dr V S Lakshminarayanan broadened his outlook immensely. punished him for failing to wear the proper uniform. Mr. Vavilala was Mr. Vavilala remembered the made to run three times around the Name: Krishna Vavilava (’56) woman warden of the Arts BITS building on a cold wintry College who would never allow morning – all for wearing a gray Education: EEE (BITS) her students to go out without instead of the official blue sweater. Resident: Houston, Texas prior permission and without a South Indian students were not Associations: Director, India responsible person escorting them accustomed to the severe desert cold Cultural Center; Founder, Third out and bring them back to the of Pilani and since there were no hot Eye think tank, Active Member, hostel before night fall. On water geysers in the hostels for Democratic Party; Federation of occasions like the BITS College bathing, students had to walk all the Indian Associations; American Society of Indian Engineers; Anniversary Day the girls from way to the mess kitchen and beg the Telugu Cultural Association the Arts College would be Maharaj for a bucket full of hot shepherded in a procession into water. Nevertheless, Mr. Vavilala Award: Mayor of Houston Award, 2002 for exemplary community the auditorium to their reserved feels those tough times prepared him service front row seats led by their well for the life ahead. principal amidst cat calls, claps and whistles from the engineering At 65, Mr. Vavilala an Electrical Mr. Krishna Vavilala ('56), has students. worked tirelessly towards Engineer is happily settled in Houston spreading Indian culture in the with his wife and two daughters. He United States since he first came His innocent question about keeps extremely busy by working for here. He has also been active on “segregation” of guys and girls in Indian organizations that work the political front. In 1996, he the present day BITS brought a towards spreading the Indian culture. introduced a motion in the Texas smile to my face and he was He is often a part of committees that State Democratic Party visibly shocked when I told him welcomes Indian dignitaries into the Convention urging for US about the Music Nites, late night country and thus he had the support to India over China. Mr. department work, Oasis, gate calls opportunity of meeting with several and the 11.00 PM curfew. Vavilala has also published dignitaries including Morarjee Desai, numerous letters in the national Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi and Atal mainstream press such as the There were no movie halls in Behari Vajpayee. He is also an active member of the Democratic party. Houston Chronicle on a wide Pilani at his time. The students variety of subjects ranging from craved to clandestinely go and see Indo-American relations to movies shown at CEERI. Mr. Vavilala, is spearheading a Taliban’s tagging of Hindus in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Statue Afghanistan. Dr. V. Lakshminarayanan was the Project in Houston on behalf of the Principal of BITS during Mr. India Cultural Center. The statue will When he undertook the 1,400- Vavilala’s time. Mr. Vavilala become not only a landmark tourist kilometre train journey from his recalls the time when students attraction in the City of Houston and home town Rajahmundry to squat in front of his house to make future generations of all Indian- Rajasthan, he had no idea that bitterly complain how tough that Americans proud of their Indian those four years at Pilani would morning’s test paper had been. heritage. Perhaps he is motivated by transform him completely from Dr. Lakshminarayanan said “Don't our very own beloved Gandhi statue worry. I will look into the matter.” on campus. ¦
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 40 In Memoriam Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
BY ANURADHA GUPTA MEMORIES & TRIBUTE TO VAMSI & PRASANNA The Twin Tower tragedy had the entire world horrified and millions of lives affected. One such poignant story seemingly of despair, has a message for people to not give up and live on for the sake of their loved ones.
When we attended the BITSAA came in, we all were shocked and client in Boston. Unfortunately, his East Coast Alumni get together on almost defensive. dedication to the completion of that October 13, 2001, we were project meant that he missed a flight shocked to hear that good old, home to Los Angeles on Monday and cheerful and dedicated Vamsi was on the Tuesday morning flight from the 1988 batch was on the instead… Boston-LA flight that crashed into the WTC on Septemb er 11. What if he had managed to speak to her? He left her a message before he A software engineer with DTI boarded the plane, telling her that he Technologies, Vamsikrishna would be home by lunch and would moved to the US from India 10 surprise her with a meal he was going to years ago, earned a master’s prepare… degree from the University of Missouri and was working on a What if… second one in Engineering We told people that Hindus do not Management from California believe in suicide, that they believe They had so many plans; they wanted Coast University. He and his wife, in reincarnation and that their Kalahasthi Prasanna made their journey towards learning and her to go through the demanding two- year graduate program she had begun home in Los Angeles and had evolution does not end with been married for 2 ½ years. death…except that sometimes one only a few months earlier, and establish can’t handle despair beyond a her career somewhere in the United point… States. Vamsi was prepared to go with BITSAA proposed instituting a her wherever her career might take her. scholarship in his name at his They were going to start a family. alma mater and we all resolved to We heard that Prasanna, a USC raise money for it. Vamsi’s wife, graduate student in the International And now it is the family and friends she Prasanna was actively involved in Student Program for Foreign- raising funds. We read that DTI Trained Dentists since April 2001 has left behind who are haunted by so had also established a Benevolent had moved to US only a year back, many questions. Account for Prasanna’s benefit and was found in her Catalina Street that was supposed to be open till apartment on Friday, October 19 The University Director of Student November 1, 2001 and DTI was She was 25 years old. Near her Counseling Service, Bradford King had creating a scrapbook to celebrate body, they found a letter from New referred her to Nadadur S. Kumar, his life. Notes, letters, York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani associate director of the Office of photographs and other dated October 12 inviting her to a International Services. In their regular remembrances were being memorial service scheduled for chats, Kumar reminded Prasanna that collected and had to be placed in a October. 28 to mourn the death of counselors, even Indian ones were scrapbook that would be presented her husband. available to help her. Bradford even to her. offered to walk her across to the From her friends I learnt that though counseling center. But it was her choice to not go in for professional counseling, But none of that was meant to she was devastated, she was happen. determined to move on and not because of the stigma attached but complete her dental course. because she felt she was doing fine, as However, a few questions haunted did everybody else. On October 20, A BITSian friend her… called me, overcome with emotion Prasanna would see Osama bin Laden and told me that Prasanna, studying to be a dental student had What if Vamsi had not missed his on CNN and say to Kumar, “What did I do to deserve this ? I am a simple committed suicide the previous flight ? Vamsi had been working day. When newspaper reports 15-hour days and weekends in order person. Why am I being punished? Why to complete an XPI project for a this senseless terrorism?”
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Kumar said “She had a bright called her friends and relatives. And And life becomes livable once again. ¦ future but the pain was too much on Friday, it had all ended… to bear. It was because of the World Trade Center. Whoever did A memorial service was held for this should understand that so Prasanna Kalahasthi at USC on Oct. The $15,000 Pendyala many beautiful, innocent lives 30, attended by a large number of were destroyed.” Vamsikrishna Memorial her fellow students and professors Scholarship Fund and family. Harold C. Slavkin, dean Her family and in-laws flew over of the USC School of Dentistry, and from India for the funeral. They Dixon C. Johnson, the executive stayed to offer her support and director of the Office of offered to take her home. She International Services, each gave a refused to go. She felt the best eulogy, as did Kumar. way for her to remember her husband was to stay in the Prasanna’s station at the University program and complete it. Kumar is empty now except for a large remembers her saying, “His piece of paper with a note that memory is only going to reads, “Dearest Prasanna, We shall strengthen my resolve.” miss you a lot! Love, your friends The scholarship was instituted by BITSAA International in the first and teachers.” semester of the academic year Both families went to Ground 2002/03. Zero at New York to say their Leaving us all behind was prayers but she refused to join Rs. 30,000 is given to one second Prasanna’s decision. We all know it year student of BITS on a merit - them – it was just too painful. was the wrong one, but we have to cum-need basis, every year. They offered her all the assistance respect her for that, however and Kumar says that financially, All students of the University in saddened we all are. The families, their second year are eligible for the she had no issues; there was Kumar, the University and all their scholarship tremendous emotional support and friends tried their best but failed, academically she was in one of and there is no point in wondering The student is chosen by a the best programs – there was a Scholarship Committee consisting of what they could have done faculty at the Birla Institute of lot to look forward to…but the differently. Technology & Science. pain was unbearable… Academic performance in the It has been over a year since the previous year is be the primary Prasanna did reassure her families dreadful plane crash that changed criteria for selection of the student, that L.A. was her home and that the lives of thousands around the once the student has demonstrated she would move on. Her brother world. With the ceremonies, the financial need was moving into the apartment funerals, the messages, the hunt for Krishnachitanya P has been named she and her husband had shared Osama, it is hard not to linger. But the recipient of the first Pendyala near the USC campus to be with its best to move on and pray for Vamsikrishna Memorial Scholarship her, and she also had a new, better things to come…My Award. Krishna, a resident of extended family that included her Chirala, Andhra Pradesh is a 4-year message, one shared by BITSians student completing his BE (Hons) in friends, her classmates, and around the world, to grieving Instrumentation. people at the University. As a families who lose their loved ones Hindu, she believed in This fund currently has $8,000 in it, in any situation, is to hold on. and still needs to be fully funded. reincarnation and that she would Don’t lose hope because your loved be reunited with her husband one ones are gone. They would have To contribute money towards the day. Her families left, but as wanted you to continue with your fund in a tax-free manner, or for any other questions, please contact Kumar says, they had to return lives, to pick up the pieces, and to under such unfortunate Sandeep Arora, Trustee & CFO, move on. Prasanna was doing just BITSAA International by emailing circumstances. that, except for that fateful moment [email protected] or calling +1 of weakness. Remember, time is a (609) 203-1117 She attended class on Oct 18, great healer, and even though the You may also add funds to this Thursday morning, called Kumar scars stay with us forever, the scholarship by contributing online at about 3:30 p.m. to chat and even deepest wounds eventually heal and www.bitsaa.org and selecting the get better. Vamsi Fund on the donation page
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FROM LEUNA ’S FRIENDS & FANS LEUNA HARKAWAT THAMATUR, PILANI’S NIGHTINGALE PASSES AWAY
April 20, 2003: Everyone who was in BITS between 1987 and 1991 will remember Leuna Harkawat - a amazingly talented singer and a truly wonderful person. Leuna lost the battle to breast cancer on April 19, 2003 in Secaucus, New Jersey. Leuna is survived by her parents, her husband Satish Thamatur, her 3-year old daughter Anisha, and thousands of BITSian fans who remember her songs from the music nites at Pilani. She had the warmest and most dazzling of smiles ! Her father told us yesterday that she kept smiling even as she battled cancer for over a year. Doctors and the nurses marveled at her bravery and cheerfulness in the face of so much adversity. Leuna fought her illness right until the very end. Leuna, who worked at UNICEF, was an enthusiastic supporter of many worthy children's causes including Asha. BITS East US was very fortunate to have her here. Leuna loved BITS with a passion and worked hard for the success of the BITS East Coast kick-off event in 2001.
would continue to lighten every life around ear All: am really shocked and saddened by this D her. I news. Leuna was such a wonderful friend. Leuna had the sweetest of smiles, the purest of Her memories will last forever in our hearts, Always cheerful, ever smiling and thoughts and kindest of hearts of all people her pictures and her voice. May her soul rest in affectionate. I recall fond memories of music I've met and it just feels devastating to see her peace. - Tirthankar Das ('86) leave us like this. Personally, I will treasure club. and more recently a few years ago when every moment she graced my life with her Sandeep Arora and I had gone to her house in Edison and later when Ranjan, Tanuja and I presence. When I saw her lying down so Yes Leuna Harkawat, as we all knew her was peacefully yesterday, me mories flashed back had visited Leuna and Satish in her home in a delight to be with, a gem at heart and an from BITS.... us laughing over another singer Jersey City. She was the same sweet person as embodiment of sweetness. I remember playing taking away the song she wanted to sing for she was in Pilani. nothing had changed. Alas... the keyboards for her songs, always a great the music night, her being so thrilled to wear the Mausam is NOT Mastana anymore.... - effort not to sound too "noisy" compared to her first pair of jeans in BITS, her being so Ganesh Anand / Daga her sweet and husky voice. She was always nervous before tests because invariably we dear to our hearts. Her smiling face, her euna was the most wonderful and sweetest would have scheduled practice for her in the L laughter, her voice and her radiance are always music club, her talking about what/how much person in Meera Bhawan in our times. She etched in our memories - Simu Thomas ('88) she wants to do for her family, about her cooked for us and took care of all of us in our dream of supporting orphans and wing. She had a great sense of humor and needy children after she started humor is what got Satish (her husband) and working. her together. Satish and Leuna were one of the most romantic and humorous couple The first time she sang on stage was that we know. Unfortunately God's sense of when we played a medley of 10 humor is really cruel. Anita Anne Sakuru songs with 8 females singing on ('87) stage, one after another. This sight can always remember Leuna as a vibrant did make the BITS junta loud and I wild. She was literally shaking like a warm person. I remember how we all leaf. "Bhaiya, ye log tamatar to nahin studied for our D Courses...and how she marenge na".... I had would poke me in the side when I dozed off answered..."Yahan tamatar to nahin to sleep while studying. She was forever milta hai..lekin bottle se daaru positive, radiant and always had only nice khatam ho gayi to shayad bottle things to say about everyone. This sad phekenge" Ironically, we had a few occasion has made me realize how transient empty bottles land on stage that life really is, and how fate plays such a cruel hand with the nicest people. I feel night. Sincere that she was, she'd always be ot the message late last night and was quite G especially sorry for Satish - I have met them prepared with her song. Her husky voice did in a state of shock. Don't know how to react.... wonders to songs and won the hearts of all both in 1998 at their home and they looked the Those days at music club cannot be forgotten. BITSians. Some of the songs she rendered picture perfect couple - each "Janu" (if I get I remember singing Bade Acche lagte hain the word right) to the other and how loving were "Babuji Dheere Chalna", " Khilte Hain with leuna - my first song with her where she Gul Yahan" with Murali, "Mausam Mastana" they were to each other. I also remember how had done the "Aur? ..." part. May her soul rest both of them would remind the other to carry with Ranjani, "Sheesha Ho Ya dil ho", "Kora in peace. VP Krishnan ('87) Kagaaz tha Ye Mann mera" with Murali. their cell phones when they got out of the house. Inane incidents, but they leave such an ey guys, Yesterday was a very strange H impact on one's memory. Simple gestures The last time I met her was at the BITS experience. The smile on the photograph that Alumni function in 2001. She was the same conveying a lot about their love for each was next to her, is how I remember her. I will other...I pray to god as Anisha grows up, she and looked so happy with Satish and Anisha. always remember her amazing voice, her She had expressed to me that she has big plans learns about how great her mom was and I positive attitude to life and her soft spoken hope god gives Satish, Anisha and all the for Anisha. "She has to learn music". Leuna nature. One of the memories I have of her is had always wanted to learn music ! but never family members and friends the strength to that scared look on her face just before her carry on. - Shobha Balsubramaniam ('87) got to do so. She wanted to make sure Anisha songs would start. But when she would start did what she couldn't. Her leaving us like this singing...WOW!!! What a lovely person. - should not be viewed as a conclusion to Sandeep Nalgundwar ('87) anything. She has left a sequel in Anisha who
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BY SURAJ SRINIVASAN & ALL THE BATCH REPRESENTATIVES SELECTED CLASS NOTES For a full listing go to the website Tonya and they have a one year Manisha Dahad (nee Kabra - Vinod and Sarita Sawhny old daughter Ava. 86C4) lives in Hitchin, Hertfordhire with husband Sudesh and four year live in Chandigarh, India. 1950 Vinod is the CEO of Bharti Govind Shankar Narayanan old daughter Tanika. Manisha has Televentures and Sarita is the (Govoo - 86A1) works for TAS recently started a business forum and has been in London UK for for Asian women entrepreneurs in The 1950 batch was the 5th Media coordinator of CII the last two years on an the UK. to pass out from Pilani in (North). After BITS, Vinod completed his MBA from assignment with Tetley Tea. the year 1953. Four batches The assignment ends soon and P. S. Devarajan (Deva - 86A3) has - 1950, 1951 (two), and XLRI, Jamshedpur and was he is scheduled to return to just returned to Hyderabad India 1952 -graduated from the with Godrej and Godrej GE Mumbai in early 2003. Govind after living in New Jersey, USA for then Birla Engineering till 1999. After that he has been in the Cellular industry. is married to Avanti and they the last seven years. He is now College (now a part of are blessed with three year old currently setting up home and BITS). They have a son Arnav who twins - son Vinayak and actively looking for suitable job is 15 years old. Our contact daughter Kaamya (sp). Govind opportunities. He is married to Most of the 1950 alumni is [email protected] recently took some time off Archana and they have a two year are either retired or self- from work to complete a old son Aamish. employed doing their own Masters in Finance degree at business. The retirees are Rajiv & Nutan Wakhle, London Business School. Kinnar Ghiya (86B5) completed settled down in various keep moving all over, MS in Systems Engineering and parts of the world including currently in Chennai with Raymond Miranda (Gerry - MBA in Technology Management some in the U.S. Some of Britannia Industries 86B3) works for Oracle and after graduating from Pilani. He has them, settled in India, Ltd.,General Manager, as lives in Phoenix Arizona. He is been working for Intel for the last 5 retired from senior profit centre head for South married to Lekha and they have years and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, positions held in the India. Nutan is a Nutritionist a daughter Isabelle who has with wife Nisha and 2 week old Government of India. Some and Dietitian. Aditya our son just turned one. daughter Ameya. held high ranks in the is 16 yrs, and is in 12 Std, Indian Army and the Indian aspiring to be an engineer Gourango Banerjee (Banjo - Aparna Durvasula (nee Guruzada Air Force. God bless him !! email 86B3) teaches economics at the 86A3) lives in Maryland, USA. She
[email protected] University of Texas at is married to Naresh, with two kids Our batch celebrated the Brownsville. He is married to Samir 7, Ankitha 3. Has her own 50th anniversary of joining Malini and their son Avik too firm and works as a freelance the Birla Engineering Arun and Mala Mehta live has just turned one. programmer. College in November of Down Under in Melbourne (Australia). Living here has 2000, which was attended Sanjeev Singh and Aarti (nee Ravi Baid (Baid, Jabba – 86B2) by fellows from Delhi, been fun for the last 10 Ranjan - 86A5) have recently has been running his own company, Chandigarh, and even from years. Arun works for relocated to Canada. Sanjeev is Alliance Infotech at Delhi. He is the U.S. There were more RICOH in the Office Automation Division. I also heading the Logistics married to Shilpa, and has 2 in Mumbai, Gwalior, Department of a company in daughters, four year old Srishti and Jabalpur, Jaipur, Bangalore, enjoy tutoring Maths and Toronto, while Aarti is working 1 year old Yushika. He is generally Hyderabad and other places Science subjects to the with Xerox Canada in seen hanging around the office or who could not make it to aspiring Year 12 students Marketing. Prior to the move, trying to grow goatees. the reunion. and it is very rewarding. We have two sons Adi (16 they were both living in the Years) and Sarrva (11 years). Middle East for ten years. They Arvind Gopalakrishnan (Adoor – This is a great place to visit have a five year old daughter 86B5) is working with Baid in 1975 for a holiday. See some of Arushi. Delhi. He is not married and does you soon " My email address not have any kids. He is also seen is [email protected] Chandna Sethi (86C4) is hanging around the office listening Ashok and Anjali married to Srivardhan Sharma to the same old music and trying to (Shri - 85A3) and lives in the grow sideburns. He likes old monks Galgotias' have been living and working in Dubai, south of France. They have a a lot and reckons he is generally UAE since 1986 . Ashok year old daughter, Indira. going senile. Has not played the runs a small company 1986 guitar for 2 years now. Upasna Kapoor (nee Kumar- called Triveni trading company which specializes 86B3) was just blessed with a Luke Lenus Solomon Lenny G. Ram Kumar (Ramku) is in 'Packaging Machinery second child, Shiv, a baby Abrao (Lenny – 86A1) runs his Asst. Professor at the and Materials' as well as in brother for two year old Joya. own stevedoring outfit in Cochin. College of William & She heads her own Oracle He is married to Priya and has a 2 'Cable Management Mary’s Business School in Systems' . We have two consulting firm and lives in year old daughter. He smokes India Williamsburg, VA in children son Aditya (17 Minneapolis with husband Kings, drinks the same booze and is Operations & Information yrs.) and daughter Aparna Sanjeev. mostly seen haunting old school Technology. He is married to pals. He has also not touched the (13 yrs.) drums for years.
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Texas at Arlington (1994). Sandeep co-founded BITSAA in the past. Vedhanarayanan was Suraj Srinivasan (86B5) Venu is married to Kranthi International in the US. married in 1996. He enjoyed every went to IIM Calcutta right who is an alumnus of moment of his life in BITS, except after BITS and then worked Guindy, Anna University, the days before tests and Gopi or C.P.Gopinathan and till 1999 in India primarily and did an MS in Texas comprehensives. Ritu nee Vinayak (both second in Madras where his last Arlington. Venu co-founded job was with a retail chain BITSAA International in the sem., MMS) live in Madras. They run a computer training Uday Sareen (Eco/EEE) is married that he co-founded. Since US. institute. to Ishita and has a son and a then, he has been pursuing daughter. He works with Citibank a doctorate in business Sripriya Singh nee in Mumbai and is responsible for administration at Harvard Vidur Luthra (Eco/Comp Sci) Srinivasan (second sem., the Western Region. He went to Business School and will lives in Bellevue, WA with his Mech.) Sripriya lives in FMS Delhi for his MBA soon after be graduating in 2004. Noida with her husband wife, Gunilla, and his three graduation and has been with Suraj has been married to children, Yasmin , Ruben and Jagdeep Singh, and their 2 Citibank ever since. Radha who was working in Linnea and works at Microsoft children - Saloni (born '96), India as a Chartered and shuttles back and forth and Sameer (born '99). Accountant and is now between the US, India and Alok Gupta (Eco/Mech) is a Jagdeep founded a factory pursuing her CPA. They China. Before joining Healthcare investment banker with that makes machines used in have a 4 year old son, Microsoft, Vidur worked at Rabobank. He lives in Mumbai manufacturing. He is an Krishna. Andersen Consulting in New with his wife and two children. He alumnus of IIT Delhi. Delhi. Vidur graduated with an completed his MBA from IIM Madhu Rao (86B3) and Sripriya met him as her PS instructor. MBA from Cornell University Calcutta and still listens to heavy Amrish Kacker (86A7) in 1998. Gaurav and Vidur metal have been married for two were housemates at Cornell. years. Amrish works for Shanti Shri Katuri Amit Mathur (Eco/EEE) lives in Analysys, a UK (Comp.Sci.) lives in London and works in Risk telecommunications Stamford, Connecticut with Gaurav Sharma (aka Anupendra) (Eco/Instru) Management for Abbey National consulting company, while her husband Srinivas (also a started an investment banking bank. He worked with Sanwa Bank Madhu is with The BITSian). She has a daughter advisory firm in New York. He and Citibank/Navios in New York Wildlife Conservation Gayatri (born '98). Shanthi worked in Mergers & after his MS in Economics from Society. They live in idyllic currently works for Oxford rural Cambridgeshire with a Health Plan. Acquisitions at JPMorgan and Tulane University, prior to moving few scores of sheep as Salomon Smith Barney after to Europe. He is married to Parul his MBA from Cornell. Gaurav and has a daughter. neighbours. Sanjay Anand or Beta and Vidur ('87) were (Comp.Sci.) and Anju nee housemates at Cornell. He lives Naveen Dureja is married and lives Gupta (EEE) live in Seattle. in New York with his wife in the US. He recently moved from They have 2 daughters, Aarti Rachna and son Rohan and co- 1987 New Jersey to California and is still (born '98) and (Nov '02). founded BITSAA International as funny as ever. Sanjay completed an MS in with Venu and Sandeep. Neha Goel nee Modi Computer Science from Arizona State University and Lincoln Chaudhary works for (second sem., Pharmacy) Srikanth Jammulapati or works at Microsoft. Anju got Net2Phone in New Jersey Neha lives in NOIDA with Jamul (BioSciences, Chem.) an MS from University of her husband Nitin Goel lives in Salt Lake City, Utah who she met while doing an Washington, and has worked at a few different companies. with his wife Nimmy (Nirmala Ramana Y. Mulpury (Eco/EEE) is MBA at Fore Foundation in Challagulla, '88 batch). They President, CTO and co-founder of Delhi. Nitin works at a have 2 children Maya (born MetricStream, based in the Bay trading house in Delhi. Abhay Katailiha and '00) and Vishal (born '03). area. He worked at Oracle after They have a daughter, Meenu Sharma (both After BITS, Srikanth did an graduating with a Master's Degree Drishti (born in '00). second sem., MMS) live in MS in Biotechnology from in Engineering-Economic Systems Bombay. They have a University of Texas, San from Stanford University. He is Neetu Khilnani (second daughter called Anoushka Antonio in 1995 and currently married and lives in San Francisco. semite, MMS). After (born '95). works as a Bioinformatics working in Bombay for a Programmer Analyst at Myriad Genetics. Nimmi did an MBA Thillai Rajan is currently working while, and in Los Angeles Sandeep Arora (MMS) at Infosys Technologies Limited in from University of Utah in for a few years, Neetu is Sandeep lives in NJ with his Bangalore. Graduated in 1994, now doing an MBA at UC 1998 and works as a consultant wife Rupali and son Neil. worked for a year in Thermax, Irvine, which she will for Mercer Human Resource Sandeep currently is Director Consulting. completed my doctorate from IIM complete in March this of Business Development at Bangalore, and spent a few exciting year. L&T Infotech based in New years in the VC industry before Jersey. He co-founded and V.P.Vedhanarayanan joining Infosys. Married to Kavitha Venu Palaparthi sold Spark5 a company (Chemistry/Civil) 87B2A2484 in 1999, and the rest, as they say is (Eco/Comp.Sci.) is Vice creating B2B solutions for is in Chennai at present, but is yet to come ! I should be updating President and Head of the Healthcare Insurance very soon relocating to Korea, this page quite frequently. Do send Business Audit and Risk industry which he sold to to work with Hyundai heavy in your details and look forward to Assurance for Americas at Webify Solutions (another industries as HSE engineer. He a larger page with details about Instinet in New York City. BITSian company). Prior to has worked at Engineers India most of us. Venu holds an MBA in that he worked for a number limited and Petrofac of years at at Intelligroup. International Limited, Sharjah Finance from University of
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Sumith Mathew pastures of Austin, Texas avid soccer player, and plays (Comp.Sci.) completed his where he is currently outdoor and indoor soccer. 1989 M.S in Computer Science rollerblading to his heart’s from Colorado State content (when not working!). Anupam Agarwal (Pom – Civil) University in 1997. He has works for Ernst & Young. He is Raghavendra Chinhalli been working at Sun (89A3PS116) was, much Microsystems since then, and Rahul Jalali (Rali/Jallu – married to Meera Gopinath (91 Comp.Sci.) is currently a batch), and they live in the Bay to his chagrin known at currently lives in San Jose, Systems Manager for Walmart Area, CA. BITS (1989-93) as Eli. CA. He is married to his Information Systems in Currently, he is a Technical BITSian sweetheart Amitha Arkansas. He is happily Analyst with an insurance (92 Chemical). Tarun Bharti (EEE) works for married and the proud owner of brokerage firm in mid-town Oracle Corporation in Redwood Manhattan. He has been in a nice new home. Srikanth Srinivasan (Maps Shores, CA. He is married to Sunita the US since 1996 working Sharma (also from the 91 batch). - Comp.Sci.) completed his chiefly in the data Kalyan Chakravarthy (Kalci Ph.D. from Duke university warehousing and business – Comp.Sci.) works for IBM in in 2001, and has been Mahendra Lodha (Slud/Lodha – intelligence realm. He is upstate New York.. He is working in Intel, Portland EEE) works for National happily married to married to Jyothi and they live Charumathi, an Managing since. He has been married in Poughkeepsie, NY. Semiconductors in Santa Clara, CA. Assistant Director (Internal to Priya for 2 years and they He is happily married to Saritha, Audit) at Kean University, live in Portland, Oregon. and they have a beautiful baby girl, since June 2000. They are currently expecting Pankaj Vyas (Pankya – Anushka (who recently celebrated their first child in 2003, and Comp.Sci) works for Cisco in her first birthday). He lives in Santa have also recently purchased Bangalore, India. He is happily Clara, CA, and as expected has a Anirban Deb worked for a new house. married to Dolly, and they superb sound system and CD many years programming have a cute daughter Shraddha. collection at home (given that he internet applications, before was in Sounds at BITS !). he quit and decided to Dinesh Ramamoorthy follow his dream of (Eco/EEE) – worked in India Bhaskar Thiagarajan (BAT- learning computer graphics, after graduation with HCL EEE) completed his MS from Balaji Subramaniam (Bee/Stud B ever since he saw the etc., and was then in the East the University of Michigan. He – Mech.) completed his MS from Titanic ! He is still a coast (Virginia) in the USA is currently working for the University of Arizona. He then photographer- but now his for a while. He joined Oracle Anritsu in the Bay Area,CA. worked in the Bay Area till 2001, computer is his camera. He Corporation in Feb, 2001 is He is married to Arthi, and they and moved to Orlando, FL. He is is at George Washington currently working there. He live in Los Gatos, CA. currently in Minneapolis. University in DC doing his married Bhavani in 2002, MS. His only other hobbies and they live in Mountain View, CA. Prabjot Singh (EEE) is these days are Salsa working for Tata Consultancy dancing and all things Services (TCS). He is currently Hispanic. Suryanarayanan (Suri – in Japan (has been there on 1993 Comp.Sci/Maths) – currently project work since 2001) and is B.Muthukumar works for Sprint in Kansas. happily married. Aparna Seshasayi (a.k.a Appu) (89B5A4357) is settled in He finished his MS in completed her Masters in EE. She is Engineering Management Nasik. His own business is Deepak Sharma (Chemical) currently at Honeywell, Bangalore, with his uncle, and with Honors last year from India. Although Instrumentation is Kansas University. He has completed his MBA from manufactures automobile Rochester Institute of her passion, she also spends time been married to Aparna for 2 parts. He’s married to Technology (RIT), Rochester, pursuing her interests in poetry and Gayathri, and has twin years, and they live in literature. Aparna is married to Kansas City. NY. After that, he has had daughters Shreya & short stints at Xerox, Pratap Parashuram who also works Swaroopa age 3 yrs. Lives Johnson&Johnson, and Merck.. for Honeywell. Appu, the with his parents, sister and Sivasubramaniam (Sisu – He is currently working as workaholic has learnt to spare time her family in Nasik. email : Comp.Sci.) is currently in Product Marketing Manager for for her family and friends after her [email protected] Cincinnati, Ohio where he Cypress Semiconductors in San fast -track love affair and marriage om works for Atos Origin. He Jose, CA. He recently married to Pratap. has been married to Karuna in August, 2002 (they Kadambari for 2 years and is met while he was at RIT), and Praba Subramanian is pursuing very active in the cricket lives in Mountain View, CA. her Masters in Public Policy at 1991 league in Cincinnati. UCLA. After a six -year long B. Mangalaganesh (Manglu – courtship period - before, during and after her Pilani days, Praba K.Chandrasekar (KCS – Anand Sankaran (Sana – Chem/EEE) is working with Comp.Sci.) completed his IBM in Kuala Lampur and has finally got married to her soul mate, Comp.Sci.) has been Ram, in 1998. Praba & Ram have a working for Cisco in the M.S in Computer Science plans to move to Australia. He from Oregon State is married and has a daughter baby girl named Kirthana. Aside bay area for almost 5 years from family and friends, Praba is now. He is married to University in 1997, and then named Shruthi. joined Sun Microsystems in also interested in understanding Lakshmi, and they live in health policy issues that affect Sunnyvale, CA. the bay area in California. After a few years there, he Desmond Wright (Dez) lives children and the elderly. decided to leave for the in San Jose, CA, and works for greener (and cheaper !) Intuit. He is happily married to Nicole. As in BITS, he is an
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 46 Class Notes Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
Prathibha Narayanan New Jersey Institute of Income Analysis. Here is one Finance, from FMS, Delhi. He is (a.k.a Prathi) works for Technology. He is now a person who is REALLY married to Aparna of the 95 batch J.Manheimer in New Consultant at Art looking forward to summer. and is a proud father of a daughter, Jersey. Prathibha is married Technology Group. Despo Aditi .He is currently working for to Kumar Venkataraman says “ Most of my consulting Household Bank at Portland. (a.k.a Kamal ’88). Kumar work is in Seattle, but I love Harish Shivram (a.k.a [email protected] & Prathibha have a baby to come back to New Jersey Vodka) works at Intel in Bangalore, India. boy named Shashwath. on the weekends and take a Abu Sebastian (Booze). Pursuing Prathibha has always been drive to NY City and just PhD (ECE) at Iowa State Univ, the help -line for her friends have a good time!” Party On Padmapriya Krishnamurthy Ames, IA. [email protected] and the fact that she knows Despo! (a.k.a kutti PP) is currently at almost everyone in her Infosys Bangalore, India. When town says something about she is not programming, she is Ashwin Menon (Ashwin). He Sanghamitra Bhattacharya her ability to reach out to honing her musical talent that works for Wipro, Bangalore, India. (a.k.a Sang) completed her people. she displayed in Raagamaalika [email protected] Masters in concerts and Music Nites at Telecommunications from BITS. Anuradha the Nanyang Technological Nandagopal Kribanandhan Chandramohan is University, Singapore. Sh e is (Nandu). Graduated in MS(CSE) pursuing her Masters in currently at Lucent from Penn State Univ, PA He Computer Science. She is Technologies India Ltd, works for Motorola Corp, Phoenix, currently at Intel, New Hyderabad India. Lately, she 1994 AZ. [email protected] Jersey. Anu and her has been touring the US and husband Harish catching up with old friends. Amrita Sudheedran, after Mahalingam ('86), have a Sang says “I’m enjoying life Balaji Rangaswamy (Krab). passing out from BITS in 1998, Graduated in MS(CS) from SUNY baby girl named Ananya. with her parents in India”. she worked with IBM India in Binghamton, NY. He works for Anu as usual, is fun to talk Pune and Bangalore for two to and gives her honest Bloomberg L.P, New York, NY . and a half years and shifted to [email protected] brutal opinion about Gayathri Belapurkar (M.K. Gayathri a.k.a. Gui), Sun Microsystems where she everything under the sun. works as Senior Security worked till Jan 2002. She got The energetic Anu finds Consultant for SenaSystems, married in December 2001 to Prashanth Mohan (Pondy). He time to manage her career, works for Infosys, Bangalore. Inc. a boutique firm that her BITsian sweetheart family and a part-time Samonnoi Banerjee after 7 [email protected] education! specializes in Information Security Engineering in New years of courting !! She is now Jersey. She is married to settled in Mumbai with Raghunath RN (Rags). He works Nishi Mittal – Sadly, we Abhijit Belapurkar. Samonnoi and both work at for Infosys, Bangalore. lost a beloved friend a Accenture, Sam with [email protected] couple of years ago. consulting and she with their IT Although, we have nothing Sripriya Krishnaswamy center. She has been taking (a.k.a Sripi) is currently at to say about what Nishi has lessons on the keyboard during Lakshmi Kumar(Lux). Graduated XO Communications, Dallas, been up to, we still have the last year. in MS (ECE) Iowa State Univ, Texas. She is married to fond memories. We only Ames. He is working for Texas Prakash Kumar. Sripriya wish that the bubbly Nishi Instruments, Dallas, TX. writes, “ I would love to hear Divya Muralidhar (Dimu, [email protected] were around to share her Freshie) completed her life with us. from ex-BITSians from our batch.” Masters in EE from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Anand Lakshmanan (Lana). Graduate in MS (CSE) from SUNY Nandhini She has been working as a Kavitha Venkatesan (a.k.a Buffalo . He is currently working GanapathyRaman (a.k.a Research Engineer at VK) is pursuing her Ph.D in Nandu) completed her M.S Motorola's Arlington Heights for Intel Corp, Santa Clara, CA. Bioinformatics at Boston [email protected] in Computer Science and is facility since October 2000. University in Boston, now at Intel Corporation, Apart from work she goes for Massachusetts. She is kathak and keyboard classes. Portland, Oregon. Nandhini Sridhar Nagarajan (Oona). is married to Karthik. married to Ashok Ramu (a.k.a Trash,’91). Kavitha is Graduated in MS(IE) from SUNY as usual, scintillating the Soumya Krishnamoorthy Binghamton, NY. He is currently culturally active Boston graduated wit h a masters in EE working for Sanmina Corp, San Preetam Dandapani (a.k.a Jose, CA. Thom) graduated with an audience with her vocal from the University of M.S from the University of chords. With a dream come Maryland,College Park in 2001 Wisconsin -Madison. He true marriage, she travels the and has since been working as Srinivasan Venugopalan (Chinu). works for Oracle as a continent with a laptop and a an analog design engineer at Software Developer in the PhD almost in the bag! Applied Micro Circuits Corp Advanced Planning and (AMCC) in Andover, MA. She Akshay Anand: is working as a Scheduling group. Preetam enjoys the Boston area and tries Business Analyst in a Financial R Ganesh (MMS) is happily married to Veena to keep active with sports Services company in Manhattan, Jaganathan. completed his MBA in related, cultural and volunteer NY. He has completed his MBA Finance from Arizona State groups in Boston.' from University of Illinois at Univ in 2001 and is working Urbana Champaign . Venkatesh Jayaraman in Santa Monica, California (a.k.a despo) graduated with a Mortgage Real Estate Arun Subramanian (jan): with an MS in CIS from the Investment Trust in Fixed Did his MBA, specializing in
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Vaibhav Kumar: is Systems for 3 years. He is SaiVivek T (Sai) took the so no activity on the relocation working with HLL in getting married in late Feb software path and after a front! Bangalore, India as a brand '03 to his sweetheart, couple of years in TCS, moved manager of Lipton. After Padmaja, whom he found 3 over to Verizon in Maryland. Harish Yerneni (95B3A4): I am graduating from BITS, he years ago at WIPRO. He’s also currently pursuing a currently pursuing my masters in completed his MBA from part-time MBA degree from IIM -A and joined HLL. UMBC. [email protected] industrial and management Abhishek Duggal: is engineering at Montana State working at Agere Systems, a University, Bozeman. I will be Gururaj Choudari: is spin-off from Lucent Prasanna R (Golt) currently is graduating in spring 2003. At working in TCS as a Technologies as a VLSI employed with Daimler- present, I am looking for a job. software professional in designer. He completed his Chrysler in Germany. Obtained Delhi. He was one of the Masters in Analog VLSI a Masters from University of few in our batch whom we design from Texas A&M Ulm, Germany. Vijay Vempati (95C7): Graduated from University of North Texas had thought would never University and is presently [email protected] with masters in Information end up in software. based in Allentown, Technology. Currently working for However he is happily Pennsylvania. Recently he Fidelity Investments, Texas settled with his wife, Usha has enrolled at Stern in Delhi. Management School in 1995 University of New York and Srivatsa Kediyala is currently is working towards an MBA working in Lucent Technologies, Nalin Dave: This guy is degree. Bangalore. working at Infosys Veena: After completing a Technologies. He has spent dual in BITS (B5A4), I started a lot of time in Japan in the N. Mahesh: is in Norway on my MS in Industrial Kamesh Meduri: Joined TCS in last few years on working for Citicorp. He has engineering at University of Aug 2000. After training at assignments from Infosys. also started his own rock Illinois, Chicago. Happily Trivandrum and 2 yrs in Chennai, I Presently he is back in band along with few other married to Satheesh am in San Antonio, Texas, US on a India and is located at BITSians and they have G.Subramanian('92, a.k.a GSat, Websphere assignment. I visited Bangalore. recorded a number of songs. of Art n Dee fame) since BITS with my parents during Nov August 2002. We are settled at 2001 and had nice time with my Portland, Oregon, where my few of batch mates doing ME there. Rubal Sher: is based in Arunkumar (Dara): He is husband works and I will be Bangalore, working for with Nexgen, Mumbai, the looking for a job and start work Velanki Software Systems. company he joined after here once I graduate this Srividya Subramanian (a.k.a Before this he was working BITS. He is a frequent semester. For now, I am Kuki) After graduating in 1999, in Wipro Systems and traveler to US and is enjoying working remotely I've been working on a PhD in made a few trips to US on considered a guru at his from Oregon and the free time Immunology at the University of assignments. place of work. that it in turn gives me. Texas Southwestern Medical Center [email protected] in Dallas. Nishant Banthia: is a Krishna Chythanya Vutkuri management consultant at Naren Mohan wrapped up (a.k.a KC,VKC): This C6 stud Malavika Raman: I’m pursuing Tata Strategic Management his Masters in Electrical after shaking Wipro and HP, is my Ph.D at UT Southwestern group (TSMG), Mumbai. Engineering at the University now making waves at Medical Center (Dallas) After passing out of BITS of Texas at Arlington and is Microsoft, Redmond. He can inPharmacology. I got married last he also had a short stint at currently employed at be reached at year to Madhusudan Natarajan who Reliance Industries before Ericsson, Dallas. [email protected] recently moved here as faculty. I'd joining IIM, Lucknow. He [email protected] love to get in touch with Bitsians in is currently on an the Dallas area...the only one I assignment at Mithapur, Siridhar Vellanki (95B4A3): know is Kuki/Srisu (who also goes Gujarat and is actively Santosh Gopalan (Santy) After having lovely time in to school here). Madhu and I just wrapped up a Masters in searching for a life partner. BITS, I am almost done with bought our first home, so between wireless communications my MS in Computer lab and settling down to married from SUNY at Buffalo and is Engineering at Texas A&M life I'm pretty busy! I will keep you Chetan Unadkat: is a currently employed at a University, College Station. posted !! consultant with Accenture closely held wireless Will be joining Microsoft and is situated in Mumbai, broadband firm in San (never dreamt), Redmond India. After BITS, he had a [email protected] pretty soon. Music and cricket Pushkala Venkataraman: Did my short stay at Pune with are major driving force behind MMS at BITS. Worked for about 3 Geometric Software before me. years after which I got married to taking up his MBA at Anand Venkatachalam (Pi) Vijay, a banker working in New XLRI. after acquiring a few years of work experience through York City. I now live in New Jersey Sandeep Mukherjee: After and am doing my Masters in IS at ABB in India, he went for a BITS I completed a Master's in NJIT. I am also a research assistant Hardik Chokshi: is a Masters Degree in Electrical Industrial and Systems here. budding business Engineering from University Engineering from Ohio State consultant with TCS after of Utah. He’s currently University and have been completing his MBA from employed at Stryker working at Nationwide since Balaji Raghavan: Joined IBM Indian School of Business Endoscopy in the Bay area. June of last year. I've been in Global Services, India in 1999 (ISB), Hyderabad. Before [email protected] Columbus, Ohio, since Pilani directly out of College. Still taking up his MBA he was working with IBM as a Sr.Software working with Wipro Engineer on IBM's e-Business
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 48 Class Notes Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
(Websphere suite of do after I get a job. I just Technology. SP was with works for the research lab that products) products. Had wish, I could go back in time Hughes Software Gurgaon till offers him the most challenging some short trips to US (esp to those dayz in BITS. Jan 2003 and recently moved to work and a compelling pay packet. NJ/NY). Last trip to US- Motorola. Among those who have already Returned to India for a used his services are Fujit su and vacation on Sep 9, 2001 a Kannan Palaniswamy IBM. couple of days before the (a.k.a "pkanns" and "The Aanchal Yogesh (formerly C") :I claim to be the guy Aanchal Roongta) and Yogesh WTC crash...I cancelled my with the maximum height, Sundaramurthy are the first Tarun Desikan (Taklu, plans of going back weight ratio in our batch. BITSian couple of our batch to 96A3PS036), works at a optical immediately..This recent Started my career with GE get married. They work at networking startup in California trip being turning point in Medical Systems in the National Instruments. after finishing his MS at Stanford. my life. Started spending Operations Management time with my parents & my Leadership Program and then brother Madhavan Srinivasan has recently moved Bandarupalli Sasikiran, Krishna became a Six Sigma Black (Madhu,96'batch BITSian, to SAP, Bangalore after a stint Reddy (Kris) and Harsimran belt. I quit GE a coupla currently working in John F of two years with I-flex Singh work with Cognizant months back to try banking Welch center (GE, solutions. He's currently with a Technologies, Chennai. (?) and then moved on to Bangalore). Finally, getting group that caters to Software teaching six sigma to guys settled in Bangalore in my Product Management for the selling lexus in the desert newly built individual Public Sector industry. V.Srikanth(96A4PS223,Vumma) (again!! - but a bigger desert is working in Covansys Chennai house :-) Whether, he's comfortable this time). and also pursuing his ME SS from working in SAP technology or BITS DLPD program. He is very not, he insists he's picked up a Jai Krishna (a.k.a busy organizing cricket matches in Present, I currently consult in smattering of German to start Jackie): Life after BITS his company and he won best research for an Investments with! start ed with second sem PS batsman award twice. firm based in Chicago. Got a which was spent mostly in Masters in Finance, and a sneaking out of work and Srinivas V (Vasu / Sherni, beautiful (in all respects) V Sriram (96A3PS080) is a design watching movies. For those 96B2A5496) works with SCT wife who I patiently wooed consultant for the Embedded who know Chennai, it Software Solutions Bangalore. and quickly bullied into helped that my PS station Sy stems Group at HCL wedlock on 29th December Technologies at Chennai. was on Mount Road where 2002. most of the cinemas are. State University of New York, Binghamton plays host to After PS I spent a boring 8 Srinivas Eushakoila (Srini, annai, Satish P (Satti, 96B4A4328), months at Mascot Systems. Future, Chicago has taught 96B3A6487) is working for TCS, Satish Chaparala and Shiva After that I joined Oracle, me to expect the unexpected. Chennai. And he is currently Kalyan Mandepudi (Shivki, Bangalore and three years Randomness applies to the 96A4PS226). Satti is doing his working as Tech Lead in one of the later am now Senior weather here as much as it complex projects in Insurance Masters in Mechical Member, Technical Staff at does to the financial markets. Business Domain. Engineering. Satish Chaparala Oracle. After pretending to Though I prefer taking things is writes in to say “After study in BITS, I am mostly as they come, the general relieved that I don’t have to plan is to get an MBA and finishing my masters in Sriram Sankaran (Thangamani, mechanical engineering with 96B1A3606) is doing Ph.D in write any more tests and head back to India to give specialisation in electronic comprees ever! Life in my country a little of what it Electrical Engineering at the packaging, I am working University of Illinois, Chicago. Bangalore is as languid as gave me. ever and I’m living out my towards my doctoral degree. My research involves credo – Do not believe in Also at UIC, Chicago is Siddharth miracles; RELY on them! Stuff on the side, Beards for determination of material Charity (an annual charity properties for various lead free Ramakrishnan (Hamsa). After a brief tryst with a Master's in effort with a bunch of beard solder alloys.” Shivki just Ravi Kiran Yekula:... growers naturally headed my finished his Masters in Computer Science, Siddharth is probably never heard of moi and the less fortunate Industrial Engineering. now avidly courting his passion in this name.. Kongi as I am less hairy ones that simply Biological Sciences. At present he is pursuing a PhD in the field of known among BITSians. I pledge), Shaolin Kung Fu, Gopi Maguluri (Gopi, came to US just like some Music, Books and the city of Neuroscience. Bored with the 96A4PS247), is at Boston of my wingies and D-mates Chicago for all that it has to inanimate, digital media, his conceiving about the things offer. University. He worked at research now lies with the brains of snails. I can pursue here but it Mahindra and Mahindra as part of their R&D team at Nashik turned out to be very (Scorpio??), for an year before different than I moving to the US. Karthik Hariharakrishnan contemplated. Oh well! I 1996 (Coonoor, 96A8PS073) is doing an graduated from University MS in Electrical Engineering. of Missouri- Rolla and still A certain Narendar Shankar Currently on the hunt for jobs. stuck here seeking for a job Aparna RV, Vikram (Papa for everybody), has been Having fun with hordes of Bitsians and...... When I am not Pandita and Srinivasa making waves with his at Univ of Illinois at Chicago. searching for jobs I am Prasad Vangaru (SP) are research on wireless security(or either over the phone trying rather the gaps in it). At present working for Motorola, Jagadeesh (Jaggu, 96A8PS153) is to get in touch with all my Bangalore. Aparna just he works for HP Labs as friends (usually max the Research Associate. Legend working in Texas Instruments, finished a Masters from Dallas since Sept 2002. cell phone minutes!!) or Illinois Insitute of has it that he has become a dreaming about things I can white-collar mercenary and
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Ankur Jain finished his Prasanth a.k.a Pashu Hughes Software Systems. Arizona State University. Kumar MS in photonic devices, (96A6C6506) is in the Alphonse has finished his Gautam (KG) is pursuing his PhD and now working on a Ph.D second year of his MBA GMAT and plans to apply for at the same university. on Biomedical imaging in from IIM Ahmedabad and an MBA next year. Rumor has University of Florida. will be graduating in March. it that he will soon be shifting Quite a few of our guys are at He did his summer training to Sasken Technologies. Sito at Goldman Sachs, London and Subhash are putting night Purdue too namely Vignesh Shravan Kumar trading Currencies, Power, outs working on Internet (Viggi), Srijan (universally Chargonda (96C5C6653) known as Dada) and Gautam Oil, Gold and Government Telephony/SIP. Kayship in is working as a Research Upadhyaya Securities. Final placements addition to software has been Associate at INSEAD, start in a couple of weeks doing a client facing role and France on Project time sweeping the women off their Sagnik Nandy, Rahul Lahoti, Management Simulation feet. since Aug 2001. Tulika Agarwal,Urvashi Rao and Girija are all at UC San Diego to Naveen Kumar Patha working on their PhDs. V Rajesh (Glow, 96A4PS195) now Nagavijayalakshmi (Naga) (fundoo rajesh) is at UC Riverside. works with Accenture; He is working in Hughes Aashish Garg is at UC Santa finished his bachelors in 1997 Software Systems, Barbara. Abhijit Pethe is pursuing Mechanical to do his Gurgaon. a PhD with Professor Krishna practicals in software at the Lets start off with all those Saraswat (BITSian Prof in EE in world's database company, ie people who decided to give up Stanford). Ashok Balasubramanian Oracle, Bangalore. Worked their single status and decided (Ska) is doing his Master’s there for 2.5 years, then to get married in University of Hawaii, moved to Accenture. Prasanna Venkatesh Kannan Honolulu(very difficult to (PV) who is currently doing his concentrate there??) Abhishek Singh and Master’s in Computer Engineering Anil Sharma (96A7PS026), Sunayana Saha got married at UC Santa Barbara will be shortly Arunangshu last year. The two are pursuing taking up a job in Singapore in his Sreenivas Kolanuvada Chakraborthy(96A7PS004) their Master’s in the US. Amit are of interest. (Banda, 96A4PS208) is and Nikhil Das got married as well this putting night outs at ADP Kolar(96A7PS049) work at past year. Anupama (Bio Sci) Wilco international, Celstream Technologies. is married. As are Anu (MMS), Ajit Sharma (A3037) is currently Hyderabad. Rumor is that Nikhil will be starting his Mrudula and Sandhya (C6). doing his MS in Analog VLSI at he is getting married to one MBA at Carnegie Mellon If you are married and your Oregon State. big shot. University during the Fall of name isn’t on the list you owe 2003. us all a huge party. Malaiappan Srinivasan (malai- Anukul (96A3PS072) B4A2529) is doing his Master’s in Worked with Bhanuprakash GVS Quite a few decided that they Water and Environmental Orbitech/COSL for a year, (96A1A7207) and had not had enough of studying Engineering at the University of did a little bit of Europe Himanshu Gupta and went from School to Surrey, Guilford Surrey, UK. trotting and then decided to (96A7PS033) are ensuring College and then Back to get back to academics.He is that the bits and bytes go Graduate School Shankar Ajay (shaq) is pursuing currently pursuing his places– by building software Masters in VLSI at Wayne for Cisco. Bhanu has been his Master’s in Bio-informatics at State University,Michigan. with Cisco since June 2001. Anand Krishnakumar (Instr), the University of Michigan at Ann Harbor. Himanshu is working on engineer at large, is pursuing optical systems and has his Masters in Computer Manoranjan Das resolved to dump the TV and Science at the University of (96A2PS284) is working at Sam Satriani (Sushil Agnel spend time with books. Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Mathews) is pursuing his Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Consulting, Mumbai. postgraduate program at the Loyola Aravindh (aavi), Vishwanath Institute of Business Administration Krishna Hegde at Chennai. (96A7PS034) has been (vichu), Amudhan Vel Satish Chandra Sista working with Hindustan (ammu) are pursuing their (Sista, 96B3A3408) is Lever – after a 15 month Masters at North Carolina State Ram Kumar and Hariram (both working with O2micro Pte stint as Business Leadership University. Ketan Bhatt is Ltd, Singapore. MMS) are working with Oracle in Trainee that saw him sell doing his PhD at NCSU Hyderabad. soap at Adyar, study social Aparajit (Appu, cohesion in rural Rajasthan Saurabh Kumar, Ram 96A4PS217) is doing his and learn the smarts on Anand Morzaria (mooz) and Koundinya and Anush Ananth Vyas are working as Master’s in Mechanical strategy and finance at IIMA, Srivatsan (Gujilee) are he works as Systems Operations Analyst with J P Engineering at University pursuing their Masters at the Morgan Chase in Mumbai. of Texas at Austin. Manager and handles University of South California. information management for Saurabh’s has planned to stick the Levers sales function. to USC for his Phd too. Sreenivasan (A3) and Ganarajan Chaitanya Reddy (96A3PS089) just finished (faku), who started off an exciting and challenging career with Master's thesis. And still Alphonse Reddy , Mayur Shah, Vivek Iyer, Schlumberger Oilfield Services, are very very single. Siddharth Toshniwal (Sito), Arvind (heman), Payal Guha Interested? Subhash Nayak and Vishal now in Mumbai and Kuwait and Kaushik (kottai) are respectively. Kayship (Ketchup) work for pursuing their Masters at the
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Sreenivasa Raghavan Niranjan Kumar V.S . N.Krishna Prasad (Sepaki, with Leapstone Systems, (naamka), (Ninja) (Comp. Sci.) is Chemical) is pursuing his Hyderabad. Venkatavaradhan engaged in his PS-II in Tata MBA at NITIE, Mumbai. (pappu) and Anjani Elxsi, Bangalore S Md. Rafi (MMS) is working in Kalyan work with Sun Aha, about those who have Trina Systems, Hyderabad. Microsystems in Bangalore. As are Shameek M.Srividya (Alfa) (Pharm. decided to enter the dragon. & BioSci.) is doing her These guys are all set to make a Chakraborthy (Subo) and Kalyana Madhuri Kotta (Maddy) PS-II in CDRI, Lucknow. dhamaka in the dragon. Need Samik Das(DJ) She is deeply interested in any cash, just contact them. (Chemical), Sudhakar Ramabhotla (Pilli) (Chemical), doing something related to Molecular Biology. Murali Krishnan M (Big Moose) Rahul Patil, Jasmeet Udit Kumar (Tidu) and (Chemistry, Chemical) are working Singh Dhall and Kannan Muthusamy work with Ashish Panpalia popularly in Infosys Technologies Ltd. Wipro in Bangalore. CGPA, Projects, Mid-terms, known as PAN (both EEE) are Bangalore. So are Praful Mantale Semester are so imbued in working in ST (fool alias mentle, Comp. Sci.) and these guys that they can’t Microelectronics, Noida. Kedar Gavhane (Comp. Sci.). K B Balasubramaniam imagine themselves without and Uma Raghuraman them. Right, these guys are Suraj Bharech (Comp. Sci.) is T.Vikas (EEE) and Rajeswari (A7044) work with pursuing their higher studies. Orbitech Solutions Ltd. in working as a software engineer Gopinath (Info. Sys.) are working with i-flex solutions ltd, Bangalore. Chennai. at Spyglass Software Ltd. in Madhur Khandelwal Noida. While, Srinivasulu (Khandu,) (Comp. Sci.), R. Reddy K (Comp. Sci.) is with Kaushik K and Maya Kumar Aravinda (EEE), Chinmaya Computer Sciences Anand Narayanan (anna) (both Comp.Sci.) are presently works with I-flex solutions Mishra (EEE) are pursuing Corporation (CSC) India Pvt. working as Junior Software ltd in Bangalore and is now their Masters at Texas A&M Ltd., Noida. in Nigeria on product University, College Station, Development Engineers with Dell International Services, Bangalore. implementation. Texas. Srinath A (Comp. Sci.) Currently working as a project Rajeev Kumar (EEE) works in Vivek Saraf (EEE) is leader at INSEAD Business Tele Soft, Bangalore. pursuing his Masters at School, FRANCE. 1998 Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh. Raghavan Damodaran (Rags) Ravi Mantri (Civil) is in (Info. Sys.) Presently working with Sterlite Industries Ltd., Let’s start off with all those i2 Technologies, Bangalore as Mithun D'souza (Mooze) Silvassa. people who are in the last Consultant, SCM Solution Center. phase of the Golden period (EEE) is at University of Wisconsin of their life. Aromal Amal Joshi has joined Madison pursuing an M.S. Vikram Rai (Comp. Sci.) is degree in ECE, Majoring in Geometric Software Solutions, Pune. working as Software Engineer at Shruti Ramaswamy (Eco. Photonics. MerIndus Consulting Pvt. Ltd. & Mech.) and Chaitanya Bangalore. Tamane (Eco. & Mech) are Rakshak Anand (Mech.) is currently doing their thesis Anup Kumar Sultania working with Steelage - (Sult) (EEE) is pursuing MS P. HemaLatha (E&I) is currently and enjoying their Psenti- Gunnebo Industries Limited, in Electrical Engg. at Univ of working in Velankani Information Sem at BITS. Mumbai while PTR Pavan Minnesota, Twin Cities. Systems, Bangalore as Software Kumar (Mech.) is in its Engineer. Mohan Kumar.T (Moku) Baroda division where as (Mech. & ME-SS), Karthik Sampath (Kazam) Raghavan (Mech.) is at Bhaskar Choudhari (Mech.) is in Chennai’s division. V.Renuka (ET) is Customer (Mech. & Comp. Sci.), University of Illinois at Support Officer in Allsec Shankar Raja (Shanky) Urbana-Champaign, doing Technologies, Chennai. Nithiya N (Mech. & Info. Sys.) and his Master’s in Mechanical Pradeep Reddy (Y2K) is BITS PS faculty at Mumbai. (ET.)also works in Allsec Arjun Biswas (Civil & Info. Engg. Technologies, Chennai. Sys.) are doing their PS-II training in Bangalore. Abhay Mumbare (Mech.) and Radhesham Shah (Radhe) and Antony Vivek Justin J Rahul Jaju (Jaja, Mech.) are (Anto) (Chemistry) is Sudeep Subhedar (Susu) (both working in Tata Consultancy Sandeep Singla (Civil & pursuing his ME Software Mech.) are working in Cognizant Services, Mumbai while Comp. Sci.) is doing his Systems at BITS, Pilani and Technology Solutions, Chennai. PS-II in Novell, Bangalore. Prateep Reddy (Mech.) and is also working as a TA at While Hareesh V. H. is creating the CSD. Shreeniwas (Mech.) are at terror in CTS, Hyderabad. TCS, Chennai. Phani Kesava Mallela (Phani) (Maths & Comp. Ashis Panda (Civil) is doing Nakaraj Sukumaran (MMS) is Rama Krishna G (MMS) Sci.) doing his PS-II Rural Management at IRMA, Senior Executive, Business works as a Software Engineer program at Honeywell, Gujarat. Development at Cybernet Software Bangalore. Systems, Chennai.
______MAY 2003 SANDPAPER 51 Join BITSAA Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazinee
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