“Let Your Pen do the Talking” NOVEMBER 2018 CAMPUS BEATS An Initiative by Department of Mass Communication

Block chain Page : 2 Aalap Raju Page : 3 Cyber crime Page : 4 Sunitha Sarathy Page : 5 Mind your mind Page : 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitates Amma for her outstanding contributions to Swachhbharat initiative in New Delhi.

Award for cleanliness again Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, has emerged on top of the Swachh Campus Rankings 2018 of the Union Ministry of Human Re- source Development (HRD) for the second successive year. Over 6000 Ahigher educational institutions participated in the rankings which are part of the Swachh Bharat initiative of the Prime Minister. Th e ranking is based on a sustainability audit focusing on campus greenery, cleanliness and maintenance, toilet adequacy in campus, tree planting and community outreach in promoting Swachh culture. Dr. Sasangan Ramanathan, Dean of Engineering, Amrita Vish- wa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, said: “Education for life, in addition to educa- tion for a living, is Chancellor Amma’s vision for the university. What is unique about Amrita is that our students get plenty of opportunities to participate in societal and green initiatives such as Amalabharatham cleanliness drives and Livein-Labs® experiential learning programmes in villages. About 1,500 students and staff members were part of the Swacchta Hi Seva on September 15, 2018, cleaning six locations in Coimbatore including Singanallur and MTP Road bus stands. Th is is a recognition for the their selfl ess eff orts.” Prakash Javadekar and Satya Pal Singh, Union Ministers for HRD, presented the award to Prof. Prashant R. Nair, Vice-Chairperson, Department of CSE at New Delhi on October 1, 2018 Prof. Prashant R. Nair, Vice-Chairperson, Department of CSE, recieving the award from Prakash Javadekar and Dr. Satya Pal Singh, Union Ministers for Human Resources Department. He gave important aspects of work should look for. Th is should be your Anusha Venkatraman public transport in India, for the better. culture using the Delhi metro and the motive all the time, he told the en- Put your Sreedharan, popularly known “I thought it would be better if I Konkan railway as examples. “In my gineering students gathered there.” as the metroman, credit- share with you my experience and opinion, four Virtues virtues are cru- Quoting Bhagavad Gita, he ex- ed largely for his ground- learnings in handling two of the most cial for success. Th ey are: punctuality, plained the importance of per- foot down Ebreaking work in changing the face important infrastructure projects integrity, professional competence, and forming one’s duty without ex- of Indian public transport, visit- the country has seen -- the Konkan social accountability or responsibility” pecting anything in return. ed Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham railway and the Delhi metro. Why I Elaborating each of the virtues A righteous performer of duty on February 26 inspiring stu- have selected them is because there with his own personal experienc- has no expectation. One should dents and faculty with his speech. are very many lessons for the whole es and examples, he taught an im- work without any attachment to Th e talk that spanned for more country to learn,” E Sreedharan said. portant lesson, that is valid to the the duty. Perform it with diligence. than an hour was conducted in One of the strange aspects of In- whole country -- if you put your foot Don’t bother about results.” he said. the jam packed Amriteshwari hall. dian politicians and their projects down and have a reputation for in- He interacted with the students Th e man, revered and respect- is that most of them fail to complete tegrity, then no one, not even poli- and staff . At the age of 83, E Sreedha- ed by all proved that he was much the project within the stipulated time. ticians can interfere in your work. ran, with his determination and more than just the metroman. But E Sreedharan, with his repu- “An engineer is not for himself. commitment continues to be an in- Rather than focusing on his personal tation and fi rm opinions , always en- He is for the country. A good pay spiration for to many, and one can life, he talked about two main projects sured that all the projects that were as- is only secondary. It is the oppor- surely say that the man is worth that changed everything in the fi eld of signed to him, was completed on time. tunity to serve the society that you every recognition he has ever got. CAMPUS BEATS ‘18 02 Blockchain: Th e Irony of Trust Digital signature all the subsequent blocks will get af- tirely depends on the computational Editorial Cryptographic Hashing is a mathe- fected and the whole block chain will power of the node called the miner. matical technique that will crunch data become invalid. Th is is called validat- Th e instant a miner fi nds the nonce Team ‘Campus Beats’ would like to (sequence of bytes) of any size to just ing a Blockchain, and it can be done value for his candidate block, he dig- extend a hearty welcome to all its a huge number called ‘the hash value’. quickly enough for even huge block itally signs and announces the block readers. Th is edition is packed with No matter who does it or how many chains with millions of blocks; just to the rest of the network. Every oth- an array of articles to get you through times it is computed, we still get the ex- a test to see the chain has been bro- er block simple computes the hash the day. For those of you who aren’t act same value for the same bit of data. ken because the hash of a block did and see whether it matches the right familiar with the inner windings of If the data changes even slight- not match the previous hash indicat- diffi culty and if it does, will accept it. the campus, this platform will ex- ly, the hash changes drastically. ed by the next block. So here is the Why should I accept a block pub- pose you to various disciplines in Vijay Krishna Menon Th e most popular algorithm for catch, if I am inclined at modifying lished by someone else? the fi eld of journalism.Unfortunate- Assistant Professor(Sr.Gr), CEN this is called SHA256 (Secured Hash the Blockchain, then I will have to me- A major mandate of the Blockchain ly, the dreaded part of college is to Algorithm-256) where 256 is the ticulously modify all the subsequent consensus is that a node should accept still facing the examinations with blocks too. So the obvious question an announced block if it matches the as much angst as you might have ow many of us know that number of bits in the hash value it done previously in your school days. Xerox is a company, and not generates. SHA256 (this is the same is who stops me from doing so? It’s hash diffi culty criteria, that is same Th e only thing that might be stop- a synonym for photocopy, or one used by the Bitcoin system) gen- not a hard task aft er all for a com- as saying, if it is mined. Th e miner ping you from doing so is the sleepy HCadbury too is a company that sells erate hash values between 0 to 2256. puter? Th e answer is equally obvious. also has to digitally sign the block he weather that started out as exciting chocolates? Th at will have approximately 10 Th e Blockchain Network stops me. has mined so any discrepancy in that and beautiful until it became grog- I think a majority do not. multiplied 77 times of numbers pos- Yes, now we are getting there. I am block’s data can be traced back to him gy and icky at its tail-end. Campus When a product becomes famous in sible. Generally, this number is very not alone; an entire copy of the same in the future. Sometimes it is possible Beats, on behalf of Amrita would long and is represented as a hexadec- Blockchain exists with every other that two separate miners will announce like to extend its wishes and prayers its brand name, people tend to forget the product for the company. imal sequence (a number system that node in the network. Blockchain is blocks with the same previous hash. to families aff ected in fl oods in Ker- has 16 distinct digits unlike the dec- not a result of just one computer in- Th e node has to accept both and watch ala and those coming back to their Th is is true for Bitcoin, and Block- imal system that has just 10 distinct serting data in a hash connected list, which of these blocks are going to normal life aft er the Kerala fl oods. chain too. it is a product of a network consen- grow in future. Th is is called the fork- Students of Amrita and the AYUDH If you are cyber socially active – numerals). Any data or document volunteers have contributed exten- meaning you are sold by Facebook will be reduced to the same hash value sus; every node agreeing up on each ing problem and it is resolved by wait- sively during this time of crisis. Re- and Google as their product – these every time we compute it, but given and every block that is created and ing and observing the longest chain. lief material, medical camps, on fi eld words are all over you, I ‘m sure. the hash value no one can fi gure out published. Th is is what makes things Bitcoin Blockchain is the fi rst and volunteers, donations and helplines I’ve even found videos on the You- the original data or document. To see a little bit sophisticated. At this point the most reliable implementation of have been arranged to help all those Tube that sadly claims that one can- how the hash varies for small varia- we have the following questions. any public Blockchain. Th is is fol- who were in need and distress. Stu- not understand Blockchain without tions in the data, take a look a Table 1. Who creates blocks? lowed by lots of newer and better dents, across diff erent campus of Any computer that wants to com- Who publishes them to the other implementations the most general Amrita has joined together to be a knowing about Bitcoin”. Th at’s not true at all. De-coupling municate will be assigned two large nodes in the network? and used being the Ethereum Block- part of the relief work.. Mata Am- numbers, one called the public key Why should I accept a block pub- chain which can also cater to smart ritanandamayi Math has contributed the concept from the trade name that and the other, a private key. Th e pri- lished by someone else? contracts. Th e consensus protocol is a generous amount of Rs. 10 crore to made them popular. Ok let’s answer them one at a time the next important thing in Block- the fl ood victims of the State which Bitcoin is the brand and Blockchain vate key is kept a secret by the hold- has been added to her philosophical is the concept. er and the public key is shared with Whocreates blocks? chain technology which has Algorand essence to ensure selfl ess service to Th e term Blockchain is not even everyone else. Whatever data is Every node can create blocks and Hashgraph being tight competi- humanity above all. Th is has proved used by Satoshi Nakamoto (the anon- locked (in cryptography this is called but for the network to accept and add tors for the same. Basically the con- to largely help, improve and restore ymous person, or group behind it) encryption, it’s just like locking the it to the Blockchain, the node must sensus is best defi ned as gossiping. lives of all those who have severely the founder of Bitcoin in his famous data so no one can read it) by one key solve a computational puzzle and Th e nodes fi nd about the updates aff ected. Th e student volunteers were White Paper “A Peer-to-Peer Electron- can only be unlocked by the other. show that it is computationally com- in the Blockchain by mutual gossip. directly ic Cash System”. Digital signature is a technique petent. Th is is called ‘proof-of-work’. To sum up, Blockchain is a public But nonetheless we have to come in that combines the above two ideas Th is is an ingenious idea to showcase ledger that can’t be modifi ed and val- terms with this misleading name for to uniquely authenticate a document your computational power; puzzle idated by any one. It is maintained by such a fabulous technology that will (or a chuck of data rather a set of with a solution that needs a lot of com- a network of nodes, each having an change the way we trust -- trust the bytes) by a computer. Suppose I cre- putations, yet once a solution is avail- entire copy of the Blockchain. Since data stored publicly, trust each other ate a document, say, D (can be any able, can be verifi ed by others without majority of the peers in the network with transactions, and the way we do data fi le, like a pdf or a word fi le). any much computation, very quickly. don’t have malicious intend to com- business. Th en I compute its hash value, H, Who publishes them to the mit fraud or publish wrong data, GO BOHO! Blockchain is just a public (or pri- and lock H, using my private key, P. other nodes in the network? the corrupt minority cannot com- vate) ledger where we record transac- Th e locked H will be appended Th e puzzle is very simple. pete with them; any foul play will be tions. to the document for others to see. When you compute the hash of any caught and nullifi ed by the ethical As is the problem with any ledger, Since my public key can open the block you want to publish, you need majority (society exists because there we can modify the entries, tamper lock and get the hash, others can use to fi nd a number that will make the are more good people than bad). with the data, change values and dates this to verify that I alone have signed fi rst ‘n’ digits of your block’s hash, Since so many copies exist, there is of transactions as we will. it and the document is as it is when I zeros. Here ‘n’ is called the diffi culty no single point (of failure) any one can It would be nice if we had some way signed it (they re-compute the hash and the number that achieves the dif- hack or perform the infamous DDoS to fi nd out if the ledger was modifi ed which should be the hash they get fi cult hash value is called the nonce. (Distributed Denial of Service) attack in any way aft er it was created. aft er unlocking my sign), and since So the puzzle is to fi nd the right nonce to bring down or corrupt the chain. Bingo! Th at is precisely what the no one else has my private key, no- for your block before someone else It provides absolute trust for par- Blockchain does. If you do fraud and body can modify the document solves the nonce for a competing block. ticipating entities, where risk free modify the entries in a Blockchain and re-sign it pretending to be me. transactions can be processed. Iron- ledger, you will end up fooling no Now come the interesting part of Block mining ical as it is, that fi nally absolute one, not even yourself since it can be what the block chain really looks like. trust be found in a piece of technol- checked (validated) in the blink of an Surprisingly it’s just a simple list Th is process is called Block mining. ogy and not in the human spirit. eye. of data blocks, a kind of linked list, In the Bitcoin Blockchain, this en- just that the nodes are these blocks oho chic style is one- of -the- Imagine title deeds of real estate Bmoment style of all time. Th is maintained as a Blockchain; everyone and links are! Well we will get there. summer, be eff ortlessly stylish with can verify the history of transactions Each block has a header, the New course begins this breezy style.. Boho, is quite a and no fraudulence can be made as hash of the previous block (this is young style-the vogue of artists and the list can never be modifi ed (it is im- most important) and a collection trend of the hippies-the right style mutable). of data. Changing anything in it for the people who want to be free. Other prospective use cases include will change the block’s hash value. Th e easiest way to pull off a boho supply chains, power grids, stocks and Now let’s imagine a chain of such Divya Iyer style is to grab a skirt or a maxi-dress fi nance, voting, inventory manage- blocks; which are linked to the pri- from your wardrobe and then style it ment, legal contracts, medical records or block by storing its hash value in with some oversized t-shirts or crop and so on. the previous hash fi eld of the sub- mrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham er science, and business. tops and makes it look more chic by has introduced a new pro- Th ose who have passed plus-two or Th e real benefi t when the record sequent block. To start this chain, accessorizing it with a broad leather gramme, the M.Sc Integrated equivalent with 60% marks in physics, cannot be modifi ed is that there can- we need what is called a Genesis plated belt . As for the boho shoes AData Science in 2018. chemistry and mathematics are eligi- not be corruption or fraud and we block whose previous hash is zero. the exact type of footwear you need Data Science is one of the emerging ble to join the course. make absolute ‘trust’ possible as was An important point to be noted is is the ethnic inspired sandals or may when the hash of a block is comput- areas in research. Th ere is a high level of employment be the cowboy boots. For the fi nal never before. ed, it includes the previous block’s Th e course was started because of opportunities for data scientists. touch add on a turban style to give In order to understand the magic hash value. Th is will create a strong the large demand for highly qualifi ed ISRO, DRDO, NAL, and ARI and you that street style vibe. And there behind this technology we need to students having strong knowledge in soft ware industrial units are eager to sequencing eff ect throughout the you are ‘being the bohemian god- know just three concepts: mathematics and computer science. recruit students who are doing the chain. Suppose I modify something dess’. Cryptographic hashing Th is is an inter-disciplinary fi ve-year course from campus itself. in block one in the above chain, then Hala Fathima Public and private Keys programme for mathematics, comput- 02 CAMPUS BEATS ‘18 03 Amma Says Live your life Yoga day tion in the field of music? lot of share trading because that’s what celebrations RN: I don’t think there is a specif- I am comfortable with. I am also set- ic answer for that as you get inspired ting up an insurance aggregate in Ma- every time you listen to music. And laysia. So I’m just trying to put to use you cannot stop learning. I have my whatever little I can do with my MBA own set of bands and artistes who I to see where I can go forward in life. look up to, but there are way too many. But that isn’t very actively done. Music If we had to talk about Gurus, your is my first love. teachers and mentors, who would What would be your message to as- those people be? piring musicians of Amrita? RN: I did not have much of classi- RN: I would say that this is the most he fourth edition of the In- he new generation of chil- cal music training, because I had only wonderful and best time that any artist ternational Yoga Day was dren don’t respect their el- learnt music for 11 months from Bala with talent can get noticed. You have celebrated at Amrita Vishwa TVidyapeetham on June 21, 2018. ders as much as they should. Murali Krishna’s disciple, who too has the YouTube clips, you have the chan- A Yoga session was organised by yo- THow to overcome this problem and the name Bala Murali Krishna. It just nels doing reality shows. I think this started with him. After that it had all is a platform where people get noticed gacharya Sivakumar in association teach them to be respectful? been self-taught. Now, it is even better fast. The challenges lie more in stay- with the Students Welfare Association. Amma: Most importantly, the e doesn’t need a special in- as you can just go to YouTube, pick ing focused. You need to work on im- Dr. S. Mahaevan, the Deputy Dean, teachers, and students were present new generation of children must troduction. When he is on up an instrument and learn anything. proving yourself by way of continuous stage, the audience will, liter- Well, that’s what I do every day. learning process. during the two-hour-long session. realize that their whole existence is ally,H dance to his tunes. Vasantha Mullai, and Adada Mazha- One should understand that success A divine atmosphere pre- based on the previous generations. The young, charming, smart singer da topped the charts. How you felt? doesn’t mean that you’ve conquered vailed in the auditorium as the Without the old, there is no new. who has a lot of passion for pure mu- RN: I can’t really express it, I guess the world forever. Today you can feel chanting of vedic mantras be- gan, while lighting the lamp. Hence, disregarding the old is un- sic, Rahul Nambiar speaks to Campus (laughs). Most of the time when you great, tomorrow may be a little down. Beats reporters Shreyaa Laxman and are singing you don’t really know You should be comfortable with both The programme stressed on por- intelligent and can only be deemed Lathika which song is going to be received situations. It is very easy to get used traying Yoga as a comprehen- haughty and lacking in discernment. How and why did you decide a well. You don’t really think about this to fame, and it is a serious luxury. But sive tool for overall well-being of a human being rather than us- The so-called ‘new generation’ is transition from the banking sector to when you are actually making the when you fail to sustain it, you should a playback singer? ing it for mere physical exercise. nothing but the old with slight mod- song. be prepared to take it on your strides. RN: It was some kind of calling, I We want the audience to like what Do you think you are living your Sivakumarji presented various ifications. guess, because there is no specific rea- we do. So, it is a surprise when these dream? asanas. The students of Amrita A close observation will reveal son behind it (laughs). I was in the in- songs actually got picked up. Most of RN: Yes, I am. I never thought I University proved that they are sec- ond to none when it came to pre- that, in fact, the modifications are dustry for a year. Then I completed my my hits are actually in Telugu, not Ta- would be in the music field but that’s M.Com, and then MBA, and I was mil. And, I won the Filmfare Award how everybody is. You would have senting the asanas with dedication. of the nature of degeneration and about to get placed, when I decided for a song in Telugu, which I did not never known where you are going to The mind and the body, the disintegration. Values, relationships, to start singing again. I got a hit with expect. And when things like these end up. You only know your direction. thoughts and actions, all were unit- love, tolerance level, emotional ma- Vasantha Mullai in Pokkiri, and that happen, you are glad that they do. You might change your profession ed while performing the asanas. The programme helped partic- turity, understanding and other such was when I decided not to get placed Sometimes, I really like a song but it some time later in your life. But I am somewhere. So, yeah, that happened. doesn’t do well. happy where I am. I do what I really ipants understand ways to han- virtues have gone down the drain. It was a risk but I’m happy it played When you are not working, what love to do. It also lets me travel, anoth- dle stress, the silent killer within While acknowledging the supe- out in a wonderful way. you usually end up doing? er thing I love, so yeah, I’m very happy. oneself, regular practice of Yoga. The initiative taken by the students will rior technical and intellectual capa- Who has been your biggest inspira- RN: When I’m not working, I do a set an example for the new generation. bilities of today’s youth, it must be mentioned that they are emotionally immature and, therefore, full of false Musically Aalap Shake away pride. They think they are more im- your woes portant than their parents. This is a Here are the excerpts from the in- As music has become a major part delusion. The younger generation terview with Aalap Raju: of your life, and since you have a band, do you have any plan to set up a should know that without their par- This must be the question that was asked to you by many -- how did you music institute? ents, they would not enjoy a good end up singing “Ennamo Edho” ? That’s something I have never house, good food, decent clothes The music director of the song thought about. I always wanted to and proper education. was Harris Jayaraj. Before Ko, I had travel around with my band. I have The parents lovingly and com- worked with him for the song Vaarayo set up a studio at my house. I am passionately sacrifice their whole Vaarayo in the movie Aadhavan as a quite happy with the way things are bass player. Later, I sent him a track happening right now. I don’t have a life for their children’s future. So, in of my vocals and bass together and he plan to set up a music institute now. a family, parents are certainly more liked it. It was actually a coincidence Being a Malayali, singing “Nenjodu important. They deserve respect as that he was in search for a new voice Cherthu” would have been a very well as loving and polite behaviour for singing the song Ennamo Edho, happy occasion for you. Can the Ma- hickshake factory nestled layalam audience expect more songs among the busy streets of R.S from their children. If the children mrita Vishwa Vidyap- and he selected me. I never thought like that? Puram is one of the perfect eetham’s Annual tech fest, that the song would become so pop- arrogantly and ignorantly think that Thangout place for college students Of course, Nenjodu cherthu is a termed as one of the biggest ular and that it would change my life. their parents are only doing their song close to my heart. Just like En- in the Coimbatore city. It doesn’t sell inA the country, was held on February Did your family’s musical back- duty by raising, feeding and provid- namo Edho, this song too happened anything else but only milkshakes, or 22, 23, and 24 this year. On the final ground helped you in getting a foot- ing them with all necessities, luxu- hold in the industry? like a magic. We never knew that it rather ‘thick shakes’, which is exactly day, the most popular music pro- what every customer there has come It’s true that my parents J.M. Raju would get so much support. There ries and comforts, the children must gramme, ‘Eventide,’ saw Aalap Raju, to indulge in. are certain incidents that cannot be be disabused of their misconception. Rahul Nambiar, and Sunitha Sarathy and Latha Raju are playback singers The outlet is a house turned into a explained. It is not that you get such rocking the stage along with a group in Malayalam. My grandmother, the shop having dark walls, mild lights, a They have no right to disrespect, dis- opportunities always. You have to of instrumentalists. late Santha P. Nair, and grandfather, lawn, wooden tables, plush cushions obey and be abusive of their parents. chase your dreams, and the rest just Aalap Raju is a playback singer the late K. Padmanabhan Nair too which gives you a perfect ambience. Parents, too, must fulfill their re- happens. As of now, I have not com- and a bass player and is known for were known to Malayalam music in- It is an ideal adda for gupshup with mitted to any Malayalam song, but if sponsibilities with utmost care and his works in Tamil, Malayalam and dustry in the 60s and 70s. Of course, I your friends. I get a good project, I will definitely The Thick shakes here are made alertness. They must be discerning Telugu. had the support from all of them. But all of them were worried that I may do it. with sweets, fruits, chocolates and while fulfilling the desires of their His debut “Ennamo Edho” in Ko What message you have for the coffee. They offer shakes in two- va gained him popularity and recogni- give up my education and career for children. There is a difference -be younger generation? rieties Thick shake which is thick as tion. music. So I had to complete my ed- tween blind attachment and real See, I am what I am right just be- the name indicates and regular milk In the early days of his career, Alaap ucation and I worked for six years. love. They must inculcate spiritual Only then I decided to take music se- cause I started doing what I liked to shakes priced from Rs.150-200. Raju has performed with several Belgium chocolate, Richer ferrero, riously even though I used to practice do. Doing what you like would yield values in their children right from prominent artistes including Frank choco chip, oreo are the must tries. during my leisure times. better results. Our dreams will not their first years. Dubier, Dr. T.V. Gopalakrishnan, and But the fun isn’t over yet, they do come in search of us, we have to chase Dr. L. Subramaniam. So what are your other interests? offer games like UNO, zenga and It is not enough to be good fa- our dreams. And there is no point in He has worked with many compos- Music is, of course, the most impor- are open until 2am in the midnight. thers and mothers; they must also criticizing anything and everything ers like Deepak Dev, Harris Jayaraj, tant for me. Then comes cricket. I had Slurping the generous scoops of ice be good friends and mentors to their that happens around you. We just and Thaman too. this big dream of becoming a great creams with a splash of milk com- need to adapt to changes. We should children. They must be patient with He has been part of the prestigious cricket player when I was at school. fortably gossiping with your friends understand that what is right to us them and listen to them with their event Europalia Festival’13 hosted by It was from college that my interest around is all you need at the end of may not be right for someone else. So, the day. the Indian Council for Cultural Rela- towards music started taking over my heart. Otherwise, their impatience rather than wasting your time sitting The thick shake factory without tions and has toured Spain, Sweden, interest in sports. and disregard will always be at the on judgment, just do what you like doubt is one of the finest spot for The Netherlands, Latvia, Belgium, It- So do you play cricket even now? cost of their children’s future. No, I don’t. I just watch the matches and enjoy your life. spending time with your loved ones aly, Russia, and Iceland as a bass play- in the city. er. He is part of a Neo Carnatic Funk on television. But I play Badminton Srividhya and Malavika Jenita Joseph Coordinated by AKB Band project called YUJ. as it helps me remain fit. Faculty Co-ordinator- Aswathi K B, Editoriar Desk-K.Krishna Kumar, Cheif Designer- V S Binoy, Student Designer- Deekshith Bhaskaran, Student Editor- Anusha V, Email ID: [email protected]

CAMPUS BEATS ‘18 04

A watchful eye in cyber space Work as a team

n the wake of increasing cyber ply to many sectors like the IT sector, your concept. Societies like CSI can threats in India, the Narendra telecom, critical sector etc. We need to play an important role in the skilling Modi government has appointed look at it and we are looking at it. aspect of capacity-building. IDr. Gulshan Rai, a cyber security ex- Q : What do you think, consider- I’ve heard a lot about CERT-in, pert who has over 30 years of experi- ing so many issues like cyber-crime and how you built it brick by brick. ence in different areas of Information and cyber terrorism and all. What I built ERNET and many other Technology as the special secretary do you think universities and pro- things too brick by brick. The position for the department in the Prime Min- fessional societies like CSI can do? I’m in, that also started out brick by ister’s Office. He is designated as Chief You see, universities play a crucial brick. (laughs) I don’t know, I think Information Security Officer (CISO) role. In the sense that, the whole cy- it’s my bad luck that wherever I go, my performing the role of National Cyber ber part, I’m not talking about cyber job starts by building brick-by-brick. I Security Coordinator of the Govern- security since it includes that. Whole never got to enjoy a built house. I’ve ment of India. Prior to this, he was the cyber security has multi-stake hold- struggled in my life and I believe that director-general of the Indian Com- ers. They are all different stake holders this luck came with me when I came puter Emergency Response Team there. Today, it not possible to have a to this world. (Cert-In) and Group Coordinator of structure or a system which gets into a Regarding CERT-in, there was E-Security and Cyber Law Division in vertical kind of a double partnership. something pertaining to android the Ministry of Communications and A partnership should be there, be- where there was some vulnerability here are no shortcuts to suc- finest high rise building ever. It was a Information Technology.Prior to this, tween the industry academia and the that was brought out? Is there any cess. Faith and hardwork is meeting of the best - brought together he was executive director of autono- government. major thing that you’re proud of the only way out, said Mr. P.A by aspirations, dreams and passions.” mous scientific society, ERNET India TRevikumar, the chief engineer behind These are very important. So it’s a during your time at CERT-in? The best part of the construction of for over seven years, and was instru- multi-stake holder, even in the civ- First of all, I’m really proud that many architectural marvels such as the Burj Khalifa is the placement of mental in setting up of the first large il societies. And, in an organisation we were able to lay the foundation of the Emirates Tower, Burj Khalifa and the spire pipe on the tip of the topmost scale education and research network like computer societies like Computer the emergency response team. That the Dubai Frame. portion of the building. It was no easy in the country. Society of India (CSI), it’s very clear. itself is a major achievement and it is “Inspirational anecdotes, role Mod- feat. Here are excerpts from the inter- See, there are different organisations. sustaining by itself there. And, CERT, els and working with a Dream The Spire Pipe was placed without view with Dr. Gulshan Rai by Prof. Computer societies are a very old or- at one point of time was considered Team can motivate you to explore using a crane through the straight Prashant R.Nair, Vice-Chairman, ganisation. Their job was to look after a contemporary with other CERTs your best possible self, this is true in jacking method and it was probably Department of Computer Science & the interest after the NGOs. You also worldwide, including the one in the my case,” he told students of Amrita. for the first time this method was used Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyap- are a stake holder in the entire process US. So, it was a collective effort, it Ravikumar is a native of Palakkad, eetham, Coimbatore to elevate a material to such a height. and every stake holder has a role to wasn’t mine alone. My colleagues at graduated from Kannur Government As the national cyber security co- play there. So, academia is a very pow- CERT cooperated with me and each There are so many wow factors that College of Engineering in 1986. ordinator, what are the agenda items erful kind of a stake holder where they one of them was fantastic person. I come together to make the Burj Khal- He spoke about his passion for for the country as such? do the capacity development. They used to spend almost Rs. 2 crore per ifa a world renowned skyscraper. The teaching. Though he had aspired to My objective is to enable secure bring the basic foundation; they help annum to equip them with their skills. lift can cover 10 metres in less than cyber transactions so that we achieve in skilling and educating the people to It was a collective effort of all my col- become a college lecturer fate had a second, making it one of the fastest the overall objective, i.e., the vision handle these things. You and I can use leagues, I was simply facilitating them. something else in store for him. lifts in the world. Along with all of of the Honourable Prime Minister of skills if we’ve a good basic foundation. It was indeed a good job and we are The college where he studied had this, it has the greatest safety measures India. Now, in that overall vision, my Academia provides that basic founda- all very proud of CERT. We are also permanent buildings and self-suffi- that only attract more and more peo- role is to coordinate among different tion. very proud that IT Act was the second cient classrooms only in the 90s. “Un- ple all around the world to come take departments, different ministries, and Then of course there’s upgrading technology legislation. So, I’m proud til then, workshops or lab work were a look. different sections of the society so that your skill set. There’s M.Tech, diploma to be a part of it. done either with school students or at The Dubai Frame, another of his there’s a synergy and we achieve the etc. So, academia is a very important We started writing it at 1998 and RAC Calicut during the weekends, he project, is a high rise construction objective set forward by the prime aspect. They can play a role in the ca- we brought out the act in 2000 and we said. shaped in the form of a ‘Picture Frame’. minister. pacity development. They can create were the 12th nation to do so. There Facing such challenging environ- “The trapezoid golden panel, also has We’ve been hearing about this na- courses dynamically to address the was also an amendment 10 years back. ments, Ravikumar could work to- a see through sky walking bridge that tional cyber security policy and I’m challenges which the industry and All those issues and concerns that wards his passion allowing no obstacle was also installed by the straight jack- told its been reviewed adding the the government are facing. A student were there then are still valid. And to come in between. eting method. The orientation of the data privacy aspects and so on. Sir, coming out of a university needs to people who are there currently, they After having acquired enough ex- Dubai Frame is such that at the build- Is there something on the anvil? be seasoned out to address the issues are also building it up in the same perience in construction, he set off for The policy is being reviewed from ing divides Old Dubai and New Dubai in the industry and the society in all spirit in which it was created. So yes, Dubai in 1992. time to time and it’s a dynamic and areas – policy, maintenance, R&D, di- I do feel very happy and proud to be on either of its sides.” He attended a job interview and was regular affair to review the policy and plomacy, legal etc. Academia can play associated with these key projects. He believes in destiny that brings hired immediately to supervise the there’s a intention to bring forward a a major role in developing technology Apart from that, I was associated with people together, and it was this destiny works of the Emirates Tower. revised, upgraded policy. Also, to ad- and developing short term solutions. almost every common computeriza- that bought him to work with the best dress the emerging issues of the tech- We don’t need any large solutions. tion projects like income tax, PAN etc. “This was my first high rise con- of best, building high rise construc- nology challenge is also there. Areas Any solution has many components; That’s why I say that my luck, or rather struction project and I was the site en- tions that made history. like AI, Machine Learning, IoT differ- they’re all built on components. If an- my fate that I never enjoyed a finished gineer. This project led me to be to the He continues to be drawn to sky- ent aspects of these technologies are yone requires a proof of concept, then work. dream team of Burj Khalifa.” scrapers and points out that the name applicable to different areas. These ap- academia is the best place to proof When asked what made the Burj of his personal dwelling also coinci- Khalifa so special Ravikumar simply dentally has a connection to the sky. smiled and said: “Everything. A com- His sons have been named in a way is a good remedy for anemia. Why Recipe Corner bination of finest engineers, architects, that they too, are linked to the sky. not make it interesting by making a resources and material made it the Anusha V Dry fruits Ladoo ladoo out of these goodies? INGREDIENTS Dates – 50gm YUKTI 2018 Almonds – 10gm he New Year for Shrishti, the Cashew – 10gm can be augmented even while raising Literary Club of Amrita, began Raisins – 10gm one’s voice. with the customary welcoming Dry coconut shavings – 10gm The Quiz Krieg introduced its hous- Tof freshers to its fold. Honey es -- pun-dora, funda-land, cluetopia, METHOD The first programme for the day was and buzz guard – all named after char- Chop all the nuts and raisins into fine a joint performance by the members acters of movies, and novels. pieces and mash the dates to make of the Peek-a-book, and the Kaleido- There was a series of pun intended a paste. Mix all the ingredients and scope comprising an array of fictional questions for the audience. add honey to it until it can be rolled characters from Marvel and DC com- They were given goodies too for firmly into balls of medium size. ics, Shadow Hunters, Harry Potter, their participation. Walnuts and figs can also be added and Hazel Grace. Bhavan, the Hindi literary club, in- for extra flavour and nutrition. There was quiet a banter between troduced Bhava, and the poetry wing 2 to 4 ladoos can be made out of these characters to decide whether DC presented a poetic melodrama. 100gms of these ingredients and can or Marvel is better. The Clarion wing for budding writ- be stored for a week. At Peek-a-book, usually discussions ers introduced themselves in different Make sweet memories with your Hola friends! In our quest for cook- they shared, left me drooling even on various books take place. languages. friends while making this nutrition ing and eating healthy and nutritious before I tried my hands at it. It was Whereas at Kaleidoscope, the dis- The Dhwani wing helped us look rich sweet! food, this time we approached Dr. not only yummy and addictive but cussions are basically about movies. back to yesteryears of Malayalam lit- Recipe by Tharini Devi and Dr. Jhansi Rani also filling and added to the daily Another performance by the Ta- erature. Tributes were paid to Malay- Dr. P.R. Jhansi Rani (Assistant Profes- who have encouraged many students nutritional intake value as the nuts mil Siragu focused on creating events sor) and alam writers. in our campus to cook and exper- and dry fruits used in it are rich in based on Tamil literature. The various Dr. N. Tharini Devi (Assistant Pro- The programme concluded with the iment new dishes in the kitchens iron, anti-oxidants and polyunsatu- forms of Tamil dialects left the audi- fessor) taking of a group photograph of the of the Nutrition and Food Science rated fatty acids. Everyday intake of ence in splits. Food and Health Science Department office-bearers of Shrishti. Department. Something sweet and nuts and dry fruits maintains cardio- Coordinator : Saundarya Abhirami The debate wing of the club show- healthy,the dry fruits ladoo recipe vascular health in perfect shape and cased how the quality of arguments CAMPUS BEATS ‘18 05 Suron ki Sarathy They hacked their way up would suit Indian music. Though I along with him. Warriors of Heav- have been into professional singing en was an international project in from the age of 4, it was all western which I worked with him. He builds music and jingles. So I was particu- everything from the scratch. Initially it larly not sure whether my voice would might feel like a bare skeleton, because suit an Indian film song. Then even- one doesn’t know how it sounded like tually this happened. In the same year till the final output came. So it is fan- Harris Sir asked me to sing for a Telu- tastic to work with him. Every music gu film, Vasu. There was a love theme director that I have worked with have and dance theme which did extremely a different way of working. Everyone well. So I think it was the Telugu film has essence, some can be inspirational that kick-started my career and not while some are quiet painful to work the Tamil film. Though the film was a with. “ blockbuster, the song that I sang was In this long span of singing career only part of an album and not the with different music directors, what unitha Sarathy, an energetic and movie. Later, the ‘Thoothu Varuma’ is your most memorable experience? ecstatic singer was totally in love from Kakka Kakka set everything in “There are a lot of memorable mo- with Amrita Campus as she kept place. “ ments with everyone. Be it Ilayaraja, Son praising the beautiful sunset and It’s quiet rare and hard to find A R Rahman or Harris Jayaraj, there Tech Computer Science and Bengaluru for the Ministry of Defence. weather. female percussionists. How do you have been many moments on stage Engineering (CSE) students Team Exalt won a special award Coming from a family with a lega- easily pull off the role of being both and while recording as well. These big of AMRITA Vishwa Vidyap- and cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh in the cy of singing background, has it ever Beetham, Coimbatore, have put up a Students’ Innovation category from percussionist and a singer? people always give you room to ex- influenced your career? “I don’t play the instrument often. plore a side of you that was remaining stellar performance at 36-hour-long Ministry of AYUSH for developing “Yes, I always wanted to sing. My During some events, I enjoy playing untouched probably due to the fear Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2018 an app for Ayurveda unit conversions. mother was a singer as well. But then, it. I have performed at TV shows, and within oneself. So they take that cre- by winning the top prize for devel- Dr. Sasangan Ramana- I didn’t get encouragement from my stage shows. I play a little bit of Har- ative thing out of you which is really oping innovative digital solutions for than, Dean-Engineering, Am- family members as they were very monica too. Onstage I prefer sticking beautiful. “ 340 problems posted by 28 Union rita Vishwa Vidyapeetham said conservative. They were very appre- to singing. “ Have you ever wished to take your Ministries and 18 State Governments. that he was extremely proud hensive about I taking up a career in The event was held onof the students’ achievements. Is there a difference when it comes passion for music to the next level of singing. I used to compose and sing a March 30 and 31, 2018. “ A true reflection of the charac- to studio recording and live singing? direction? lot of western music. I got into movies Termed as the largest hackathon ter of Amrita, where we believe in “Not exactly. I think if you are a “I have actually released many of my with a lot of hesitation. The first movie in the world, and in line with Prime our students, nurture and encour- singer it doesn’t matter where you own materials. For the last Valentine’s I signed was in 2002. Later I got used Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of age them to pursue their passion. sing. You can sing inside a bathroom, Day, I released a single, Nimmathy. I to it and yes now I am a full-fledged New India, it was inaugurated by Winners’ included first year to third in front of an empty hall, or an audi- sent it to Rahman sir, he liked it and playback singer.” Union Human Resource Develop- year students, sending a strong mes- ence of even 2 lakh. It really doesn’t tweeted about it as well saying it was The first step to the music indus- ment Minister Prakash Javadekar. sage to everyone -- believe in us (the matter. Live music is a tough test. Be- ecstatic. I have written a lot of com- try was through Virgin Voice choice From among the over one lakh stu- youth) and we (the youth) will take cause, in a studio you can indulge in positions for many music directors. award. How was the experience? dents who participated in the events as India to greater heights,” he added. modifications, which is not possible Writing just doesn’t mean composing “That was in 2000. It was an all -In- 1,2000-plus teams, the top 5% teams Three more teams from AMRITA when going live. But the advantage lines, it includes the music part as well. dia contest with Virgin Records, and were selected for the grand finale to featured in the top 10 teams in In- in stage shows is that the feedback is In fact, for ‘Sound Story’ of Resul Poo- Channel V. There were almost 45,000 be held at 28 centres all over India. dia for various ministries. This is the instantaneous, and you can connect kutty sir, I composed the English and entries. I found a place among the Team Vision and Team Cy- second successive year of the univer- miraculously with the audience. I am Hindi song.” 1,500 shortlisted, and later among the ber_Cena of Coimbatore centre sity participating in the hackathon. a total live person. What is your expectation tonight? ten. And I won.” won Rs. 1 lakh each at the event. In 2017, an AMRITA team won How was it working with music It is going to be a rocking event. You were introduced to the indus- Team Vision developed an app for the Deloitte Innovation Award. maestro A R Rahman sir? Nothing could go wrong here. Look at try by Srinivas, and Sujatha who are ‘export cost indicator’ and ‘trade route Twenty-seven innovations and “He is a person who brings out the this place, it is beautiful, and the hos- well-known singers. So did it ever map indicator’ at Mumbai for the apps developed in SIH 2017 are be- best in you. No matter how tired you pitality is amazing. I just loved all of it. affect you as you had to meet up to Ministry of Commerce and Industry. ing deployed in various ministries. are, he makes sure he gets whatever There is an energy here which is really their expectations? Team Cyber_Cena developed an It is expected that over 100 innova- he wants. He extracts 100% quali- good. “I was not nervous. I was confused app for white listing of USB devices tions and apps from the SIH 2018 ty from us. He is very chill to work which can be subsequently used on edition will be put into use soon. as I was not sure whether my voice with. He plays the chords and we sing Sruthi Suresh and Vinayak Mohan the Internet as well as on Intranet, at

Detailed report on the cleanlines drive organized by our students in next edition CAMPUS BEATS ‘18 06

in and out of their campuses alike. opportunity to present themselves to Most students face the problem the world. It gives them an identity. of depression because of excessive On the other hand, bullying can hap- Mind your mind stress and emotional baggage. What pen over social media. Addictions are do you have to say about it and what very common and unusual behaviors do you recommend for natural re- take place. Young people need to be covery from this issue? more aware. As I said, I am optimis- One has to be aware of their own tic so I’m hoping that it will not be too emotions which include self-aware- much of a problem in the future. Cy- ness and self analysis. You need to ber hacking and bullying affect a stu- have the ability to reach out to peo- dent’s mental health. So they need to ple in times of need. Young people do know how to use social media careful- face anxiety. Some youngsters come ly. They need to know about real and to my clinic and ask me to give them fake virtual profiles. Anonymity gives one good reason to live. Such suicidal people the freedom to misuse the thoughts are common in young peo- platform provided to them to com- ple during low moments. Secondly, municate. Bullying is common over always have a good social network- social media and if you find someone ing. Always keep in touch with your getting bullied or harassed, recom- family, friends, and teachers. Always mend that they reach out for help. reach out and talk about your trou- Stress and Anxiety have almost bles. When young adults stay away become a regular part of student very year 13.5 million lives pessimistic in the student’s behav- lows the secretion of endorphins. from their families for higher educa- life. And students today face the could be saved if mental ior? Endorphins are endogenous opi- tion, they should reach out to their stress levels of asylum patients of the illness problems were ad- I would say that I am an optimist oids that are produced by the brain, friends. There is also a possibility that 1960s. What would you say has led to Edressed. Almost all the countries and that today’s youth are very smart which are pleasure chemicals. A lot of a person may not have friends to share this? face the problem of tackling mental and intel¬ligent. They have a lot of in- research, particularly in ‘The Lancets’ their personal thoughts with. In fact, Michael Foucault has stated that issues prevalent among individuals. forma-tion about the outer world and recent publication have shown that one of my patients confessed that he our educational institutions have been Commemorating World Mental they are more self-aware when com- 30-40 minutes of exercise is man¬- didn’t and couldn’t trust his friends, as designed to resemble the asylum of Health Day, the students of Amrita pared to the previous generation. This datory and is the ideal amount of his friends have always betrayed him, the 60s more than actual classrooms. Vidyapeetham were given the op- is something that I remain optimistic exer¬cise which is essential in order at some point of time due to which he He had introduced the term, ‘Regi- portunity to interact with Dr. Arun about. Now, what I am pessimistic to have the best result when tackling started feeling the onset of depression. men¬tation’ which is frequent in men- Wangili, a psychiatrist. He offered about, is not the student themselves stress and anxiety, and for the promo- Loneliness can be quite problematic. tal hospitals, schools, and colleges. a new perspective in the way that but their lack of knowledge about the tion of good mental health. Of course, However, social media can act as a Colleges, these days, let young people students needed to address their policymakers or political economy. diet is very im¬portant. Diet simply positive thing which helps you reach assert their creativity. Students should problems and confront their minds. Their lack of investment in mental compliments your exercise. If you eat out to people and communicate with always advocate for themselves, and Why did you decide to get into the health issues and lack of opportu- healthy food, you stay fit. Nowadays, them. College is a time for making they should try to understand what is field of psychiatry? nities for them to seek help would obesity and malnutrition is a serious friends and it is the best thing you can good for them. They need to have a say After completing my MBBS, I did an result in significant poor behavior. problem, a resultant of eating either do. If you cannot make friends, then and should be a part of policymaking internship where there was a rotation, Would you like to comment on too much or too less. To improve the you definitely have a problem and in institutes. They should look out to in which I was assigned the depart- the Millennial Problem, which is mental health of the students and that should be shared with someone. express themselves in college maga- ment of psychiatry and I was inspired that students of today have very low to stay fit, youngsters should avoid You can approach the college coun- zines, discussions, and debates. The by my lecturer. We are all inspired by self-esteem, in spite of having so snacks and packaged foods which is selors who are there to help you out. way female and male stu¬dents deal someone or something in life which many opportunities than ever be- harmful to health. Considering that Most youngsters and teens often end with these problems are very differ- makes us take strong decisions. I had fore? we live in a tropical country, fruits up searching for a partner and since ent, as the females isolate them-selves always been psychologically inclined. I do agree that self-esteem is a major and vegetables are recommended. their emotions are highly charged. whereas the males tend to show anger. When I was in medical school, I used problem in today’s world, but millen- Universities like ours, often have When they go through a breakup, This is an aspect of gender learn¬ing. to read lots of books and I had a keen nials face a lot of unique challeng¬es high competition for grades. How they go through a lot of low moods, Our popular culture allows men to interest in literature. Fyodor Dostoev- which did not exist before. For exam- would you say that students tackle and to cope better with that, a per- show their disappointments by acting sky, Tolstoy were my regular. All these ple, there was less competition. Now, such pressurized situations? son should be mentally stable. It is out. Women cope with their difficul- things made me choose psychiatry. we have more expectations, a sort of The first thing is time man¬age- human to search for someone to like ties in a different way that adheres with With respect to student psycholo- con¬sumer-oriented culture which ment. Second would be to maintain and someone to love, and to face such their resident culture. It is a product of gy, what would you recommend the puts more pressure on them to behave a proper routine. We have 24 hours a scenarios a person should be ready to conditioning. Adding to the point, I do youngsters to improve their mental in a certain way. I think the millennial day but youngsters have a lot of things tackle like situations. Again, reach out not believe that men who cry are weak health? problem is a product of our cultural to do. They need a good time-table; it to people and talk about your prob- in any way. I have seen my friends Well, the young people of today can norms. Anthro¬pologists have stud- is all about how we spend our time. lem. Rejection is inherent and will cry It is good to let our emotions out. do a lot to prevent a lot of damage to ied this and said that youngsters of We expect that we will spend only happen to everyone. The fact that you If men and women ex¬press their their mental health by simply protect- different cultures do not face the same a half hour on Facebook but we end do not get rejected itself, is a very un- emotions by crying, would you ing themselves. What they could do problems. Each culture conditions up spending 3 hours on it. Another healthy style of living. We need to say say that it is on the road to recov- to achieve this, would be to adopt a the youngster to act in a par¬ticular important thing is good stress man- yes in accepting that we have been told ery or it is just an individual step? productive lifestyle. They need to han- manner. We have had anthropol-ogist agement. Integrate relaxing things no. If an individual is well-ground- Crying can be good and it is a ca- dle their stress better because being a Margaret Mead who said that “it is in your day, like listening to music ed then it should be enough to thartic experience. People who cry, let young person today is harder than be- our culture that shapes our attitude.” or going for a walk or reading some keep a check on such situations. out their emotions but going about it fore. Accompanying stress comes pres- Different cultures produce different books. Don’t feel guilty about relaxing. Mobile phones are now a days tak- alone is not a solution to any of the sure which could be from their fami- thinking patterns among individuals Many youngsters feel that the harder ing over the natural interaction of problems. The troubles faced have lies, friends or their own selves. They of the same age group because the you work or the more you strain your- humans. How does it affect the indi- to be dealt with appropriately. Just are open to a lot of judgment, so pro- environ¬ment that they are exposed self, the more successful you are. This vidual’s social capital? acknowledging that there is a prob- tecting their mental health is of par- to causes a response. It isn’t generic. is not true. Be assertive. Learn to say Now a days, mobile phones are lem and expressing it is not enough. amount importance and they need to What’s your stand on the relation No to the things which you don’t want about social media. I see young peo- There needs to be a con¬scious effort learn the techniques for its betterment. of diet and exercise with mental to do, particularly referring to young ple becoming more aware of how to that is made to solve the problem. In your years of experience, what health? women, there is gender discrimina- use social media in a safe manner. is that specific thing that you have My stand is that physical ex- tion, harassment, and bullying which Social media has its own ups and Shreyaa l and Deekshitha observed, which is optimistic and ercise is very important as it al- are major problems faced by them downs, it gives them the ability and

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