Feeds Special Issue 2016 by Feeds

Special Issue 2016

COFFEE WITH DIRECTOR ORIENTATION CLUBS CULTURAL FESTIVALS SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE SOCIAL INITIATIVES

ďż˝DITORIAL DR. SRINIVASAN SUNDARRAJAN

I am signing off from the position of patron of FEEDS. The FEEDS activity started 5 years back has taken up a very big shape today and has extensive readership reach. This magazine has become an effective medium to communicate the achievement of the Institute and various transformation activities apart from the campus news. There are number of technical, scientific and innovation biogs, photographs, painting and caricature place the quality of the Magazine at top. It has a proud moment that our Honourable President of India signed on the caricature portrait on him drawn by Sidharth. The broad survey on various issues presented in the magazine have brought out a dear indication of strengths and weaknesses of the campus. I am happy to write this editorial of this issue which is bringing out the transformation activities carried out during the past 5 years. This has been a great achievement recognized by many awards and accreditations. I consider FEEDS magazine has an excellent initiative which has brought up the image of our Institute to higher level. I congratulate the team members and wish you all the best in the years to come.

COFFEE WITH THE DIRECTOR Coming to thefinal days ofyour tenure, Could you tell us your feelings on the way things have worked out over the lastfive years r Looking back my stay here in this campus for the past three years, I feel happy and proud that I could do something which have significantly increased the Brand Image. Well compounded campus with avenues and trees, completion of all basic infrastructural requirements, state of art research and laboratory facilities, academic transformation, alumni connect, industry interface, faculty and student development activities etc. have brought beauty and vibration to the Institute. I am very happy to stand at 6.00 AM and 6.00 PM when our clock tower rings majestically followed by flag hoisting and lowering ceremony. I am thrilled to look down from aircraft, to get a beautiful bird eye view of this large campus of more than 800 acres. We could achieve many milestones during the past five years. We have totally refined the academic curriculum, delivery and evaluation methods. Setting up of virtual class rooms Jed to increased lecture activities from India and abroad. The introduction of flipped class rooms and flexibility with major and minor selection opportunity are also seen as very good initiatives. The high level committee which reviewed academic activities of all NITs, appreciated our initiatives and asked all NITs to follow the same.

Seeing several new student activities such as the task force come up, and the growth of both the college Jests Pragyan and Festember - to new levels during your term, would you say that you feel immensely proud of the capabilities ofyour students? I am a strong believer of holistic approach to higher education. Academics is a part of it. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities build up a student from an engineering graduate to a team performer. Current and future requirements of industry have undergone major transformation. Industry needs multitask players and team builders. A strong foundation of project planning, finance, marketing, event and crisis management are all critical requirements for the professionals. By becoming part of festivals and dubs, students gain practical experience in these areas. When we attract meritorious students to our campus, most of them are academically strong but lack exposure and experience in these areas. This is the reason, we have taken up a strategy of increasing technical and cultural clubs and provide focused attention to technical and cultural festivals. I am thrilled by the way our students managed heavy rain, power cut and issues of transportation of artists and international experts during turbulent period in Trichy city. These are all shining examples of capability of our students at the hour of crisis. Society orientation is a new initiative for the past two years which have gained us a place in the country as number one institution. International ISO certification of event management is a great achievement. During the past two years we have converted the major festivals to yearlong operation with organization approach. Most of the students who are active participants in these festivals achieve whatever they aspire for, admission to famous international universities and Institutes of Management .placement in leading industries etc. I am immensely proud of the achievements of our students. It has also become a regular practice for our recently graduated alumni to come back to the Institute for these festivals.

Would you say that you learnt some things from the students and youth, just as much as you were able to impart knowledge to them? Interaction with youth was accidental. When I joined NIT, I realized that the student - faculty friendliness was missing in the campus. When I asked the students as to how to get connected with them, they suggested me to start facebook page. Today I have around 10,000 friends. This has given me an opportunity to understand the aspirations and interest among youth. I learnt a lot from students during the past five years. I was also a young student decades back. Alertness, taking risks and tough decisions are common to all during youth stage of life. Now I observe many factors which have changed over years. Technology level absorption is very quick and the current day youth have open culture. Today, boys and girls know their limits within which they can take risk. They require only guidance. I am amazed by their

technology level. Many of the students impressed me a lot with their talents. I enjoyed their talents. For enjoying music and dance, you need not be talented in these performing arts. Architectural students impressed me with their creativity. Apart from this, I came across some of our students who faced challenges. Amit Chadurvedi completed B.Tech and went ahead and finished MBA and is now working with Wipro. He has impaired vision and has succeeded in facing the challenge. Some of our students faced serious tragedy ofloosing their parents and still managed to come back to normal quickly. Many had health oriented problems. I appreciate their mental strength and stability. Would you say that you have accomplished nearly all the goals that you set out to achieve when you took the office?

To some extent, yes. At the time of taking over I did set goals for five years and for 15 years. I have achieved the goals set for 5 years and already initiated actions for the goals 2025. All the transformation activities completed during past five years will get stabilized and will be highly recognized during the next 10 years. Research park will take shape and occupy one third area of our campus. At this point of time, is it possible for you to tell us who could become the next director?

Director, NIT Trichy is selected by highly competent committee and final approval is given by Honourable President of India, who is the visitor of the Institute. The committee is well aware of our achievements and goals and will select an appropriate person who will take this institute to next higher level. What is your opinion, is the intangible factor that makes NITT what it is?

Converting challenges into opportunity is the intangible factor which is there present in the gene of Institution. This factor could be clearly seen in the day to day life in the campus, as well as looking at the Alumni doing extremely well all over the world. You've always been a strong believer in the ability ofyouth to achieve great things. What are your thoughts on the coming Startup revolution and the daring outlook of entrepreneurial youth today?

Yes. I strongly believe in the ability of our students to achieve great things in life. Startup is a good opportunity in the hands of our students. At present, the startup revolution is taking a big shape in our country and the policy of our Government on Make in India encourages this revolution. Any startup will have ups and downs. Only the youth in the age group of 15-30 are capable of taking daring steps. Failures are stepping stones of success. Youth today have ample time to fail and later succeed. It is immaterial whether students go to higher study or join a Company or plunging to startup activities directly. The Major focus is conversion of ideas into business propositions. Under these circumstances, our youth are bound to perform extremely well in the startup revolution Could you share with us, a glimpse ofyour plan for the future ?

I am on mission to improve the quality of Higher Education system in India. I have been fortunate enough to work here and practically understand the requirements. With this learning, I will be enlarging my focus to train faculty in the thrust areas. I am also extremely happy to be among top class students of country. I will be widening my circle to cover the requirements of rural students. I will continue all my initiatives on research, innovation, academics, industry orientation etc. I have decided to settle down at Hyderabad.

A final sign-off statement and your projections for NITT in the future. 1 enjoyed your association. While I derived professional satisfaction and high level of reconstitution during my service in DRDO, the experience here at Nl'T has provided me a lot of mental satisfaction that J /111ve done something to the society. Before coming here, 1 took the advice of Dr.Kalam. He was very firm in advising me that 1 should stop running after professional career and recognitions and start giving back to the society. He considered the offer of Director, Nl T as God's gďż˝ft to serve the society. 1 could feel the impact of his timely advice after five years of stay in the campus. 1 am visualizing a bright [uture for NJT, Trichy during the next ten years. Research Park will come up in the campus with active participation of industries. With our academic reforms, we will be able to attract top level faculty from India and abroad. All initiatives we have taken up so far will get matured during the next five years to get us a great recognition globally. Wish you all the best.

Why the orientation program? "Like a freshwater fish in the deep, salty sea" is how most students feel initially during the change from school life to college life. A new environment, different people, an unfamiliar local language, stepping out of your comfort zone, academic pressure. lt all seems like a lot to handle. Further, difficulties arise because the students hail from different systems with varying mediums of instruction, and have unequal exposure to subjects like mathematics, English and computer science. The orientation program was conceived with the aim of making this transition as smooth as possible. A carefully modified environment to help students adapt to the transition and increase their involvement in a wide range of meaningful activities that helped the students develop skills and interact with each other. This was the underlying idea behind the orientation program. Instead of abruptly being thrown into this lifestyle, students were eased into the experience that might come to influence their future choices and decisions.

Brief Outline The orientation program was held over a period of 29 days spanning across July and August. In order to translate the concept into action, several focused committees were constituted under the overall coordination of Dr. G. Venkatesa Prabhu, Professor of Chemistry, NITT. Prof. V Ramprasad, Dean of Students Welfare, NITT, worked in close association with Dr. G. Venkatesa Prabhu. The activities conducted have been briefly mentioned further.

The various Committees constituted are as follows:

Execution, Logistics, Cultural, Visit, Monitoring and Liaison Commitees.

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Prepping the parents and equipping them with information about college policies, infrastructure and measures to provide comfortable and safe environments for students was an important part of the program. Easing anxieties about their children living in a hostel all by themselves in a new campus can help make them comfortable during the transition period. The parents had an interactive session with the Director and his team where they were briefed on topics like anti-ragging measures, the extensive hostel facilities and the vast campus.

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Students began saying goodbye to home sickness and the fear of being in a new place, from the start of the Bridge courses: inauguration program 011 the 29th July, 2013. The Considering the fact that all the first years might not be students were addressed by the Director, followed by the exposed to the basic subjects on a same level and to brush various deans, Heads of Departments etc. The away the cobwebs that might have gathered during the expressions on the students' faces revealed their joy and holidays, these bridge courses were arranged. relief after knowing that their month long schedule of Another bright feather in the orientation cap, this the orientation was not just concentrated on academics. program saw dedicated participation by the faculty It also comprised of -;::====================--------====---members. Spread over 12 bridge courses and days with each lecture motivational lectures, r- Year Orientation lasting 50 minutes, this and also devoted Programme program did a fine job of valuable time to sports preparing the freshmen training and other for the academic extra- curricu 1ar environment in college. activities. At 6 in the morning, the Motivational Lectures: students were all geared Lectures suiting every up for their yoga mood and covering a sessions which were wide range of relevant followed by the bridge topics were held to courses. The afternoons inspire and initiate an all were spent attending round development in motivational lectures the students. Spirituality and the evenings were THE TRINITY : The three architects of the orientation and personal spent playing/learning a programme. (from left Dr.G.Venkatesa Prabhu, development, psychology sport of their choice and stress management, Dr.S.Sundarrajan, Prof.V.Ramprasad) (thought they'd miss the __..::..._..:__......:....:.:...:..:.:...=ďż˝..::.=.::.=.:::.'....._ industrial expectation of PT period? Well, not so much.) engineers, how to be a The students were welcomed with a 'Welcome Kit' which topper..... the list was vast. Covering a total of 20 hours, it comprised of all the necessary details including the lent nourishment to the soul, consolation to the heart and inspiration to the mind.

ALL EARS: Students attending the bridge course at Barn

ANXIOUS: Parents and their wards during the inauguration of the orientation programme

First aid training program: With the express intent of sparing all first years from being in helpless situations during minor accidents, a first aid training program was organised by the Red Cross Society of India. Conducted on the 19th and 20th of August, it witnessed enthusiastic participation. An exam was conducted on the last day to ensure quality learning. Successful students were presented with certificates to flaunt.

Sports Training: . . Trainers from the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu shared their expertise on honing sporting skills of the freshers. Freedom of choice regarding the sport and a free T-shirt convinced even the most reluctant participants to make an effort. Cricket, basket ball, volley ball, hand ball, kho-kho, kabaddi, hockey and tennis were the sports in which professional training was imparted. Conducted over a period of 12 days, this program helped the freshmen shed some kilos and train to be fit.

Movie screenings and educational visits: The college went a step further in pampering the new comers. Sundays saw movies being screened for their pleasure. Visits to historical sites in the latter part of the day made it a pleasing experience for many. HoDs' addresses The heads of the various departments and centres of excellence delivered a brief introduction about their department to the first years. This gave the students a clear picture of the facilities, research projects and faculties of the department they would be a part of for the next four years.

Disaster Management Training: Acknowledging its importance and relevance in an unpredictable world , a disaster management training programme was organised to acquaint students with some possible situations. 30 trained professionals from the Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation instructed the students on preparedness, response and recovery to lessen the impact of disasters. Held on 24th of August, this program was well received by the students.

Demo by various clubs College life is made vibrant by the large number of extra-curricular activities students can take part in. The Music Troupe and Dance Troupe welcomed the first years by giving them an exclusive performance. Arnruthavarshini, a students' dub for carnatic classical music, exhibited their exceptional musical talents. A demonstration of martial arts was held too, and several people enrolled in classes organised by the Karate Club. Students were exposed to the various dubs they could join in their sophomore year to pursue their interests, or simply pick up a new hobby. FIST POWER: The Karate club of NITT giving a demonstration to the students

Aaveg In the year 2012, the first years of the batch of 2012-2016 decided to hold a cultural festival for the sole participation of first years in the college. The idea behind the fest was to bring out participation in different forms of cultural activities that would give the students exposure away from the norms of daily life. This festival started off as Hostoss. Overall, a simple set of events with the four different first year hostels at the time competing for the top spot. For the following academic year Hostoss evolved into the very first edition of Aaveg, now with a lot more organisation and plans of taking it to a grand scale. With an addition of several new events and sports as well, Aaveg existed as a means through which the students of our college could showcase their varied talents and take the stage. Above all, it brought unity among the duster of students from all over the country. This was also the first year to bring in an official set ofAaveg trophies to be won by the hostels, thus making the competition a lot more fierce. With the second edition of Aaveg, a dedicated workforce came into existence with several teams solely comprised of first years being formed. Each year the competition progressed by leaps and bounds, garnering interest in the college and making a name for itself as an independent festival. As Aaveg took to it's third edition, Aaveg 2kl6, saw the existence of the very first Aaveg core team, a dedicated group of individuals selected from the previous year workforce to bring in a structure to the test's organisers. Overall this signalled a new era for Aaveg, one that paves way to a bigger and better edition to be brought to life by the next set of people to be a part of our campus.

Orientation Progranune for the first time

Academic Reforms

The entire programme was categorised into 6 classes the early morning yoga session (taught by professionals), bridge course in the morning (handled by our own faculty), motivational lectures in the afternoon (given by experts from various fields), sports and games in the evening (with assistance from coaches from the Sports Development Authority of India), exclusive theory and field training and visits to archeologically important sites in and around Trichy. The students had undergone an internationally-acclaimed first aid training programme by the Indian Red Cross Society and disaster management training by Sri Sathya Sai Seva.

An important addition to the B.Tech programme was the the B.Tech (Hons) programme offered that year (2014) onwards.Ihe curriculum had been modified to meet the industry requirements in compliance with Kakodkar Committee recommendations, ensuring 25 per cent inputs for core courses from industry sector in the form of guest lectures.Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry were tailored to meet the requirements of specific branches. From the second year onward the syllabus received an upgradation with respect to the then current second year syllabus.

Infrastructure Development during Golden Jubilee

The list of buildings commissioned to be built included brand new flagship buildings, renovations, power projects, sewage treatment plants, road developments and multiple environment-friendly initiatives. The newly constructed buildings included Opal E Hostel, Opal Dining Hall, Lyceum, Aquamarine B hostel, the lOOKWP solar power plant for the LI-IC, the renovated barn hall and hostels all over the campus. A new Lecture Hall Complex (Orion) was constructed in the vicinity of the chemical engineering department. Boundary and fencing around our college was put up. There were three major Golden Jubilee buildings to be constructed - the Training and Placement building near the Administrative block, the Convention Hall (now GJCC), built to bear a capacity of 5000 people located near Garnet A opposite to CEESAT grounds and the indoor Sports Centre, situated behind the Library expected to accommodate around eight hundred people, amounting to three to four courts at a time.

Another crucial piece of development was that NITT had been selected as one of the two colleges in India chosen for accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation. Under this programme, experts from the International Engineering Alliance review our college in varied aspects. Our curriculum and syllabus are critically judged along with our campus. IoT Innovation Centre

Internet of Things Innovation Centre is a research laboratory, set up at the old Physics department by the 1981 Alumni Trust NIT-Trichy at an expenditure of Rs. 20 lakh. The centre was inaugurated by the Director on July 23rd, 2015. Apart from donating funds for the lab, the trust has also provided three project-ideas to be taken up by the students with mentors guiding them. The three projects that have been taken up are the "Smart Bus", "Smart House", and "An Internet of Things-Assisted Car", which have been exhibited at Sangam during Pragyan. The Smart Public Bus System aims to improve the reliability of bus timings for the millions of commuters who tend to wait for long periods. They'll get to know about the arrival timings of the bus they want to board. The system is proposed to make use of wireless

transmission. The Smart Home project aims to build a real-time feedback interface between the user and his house, and to make the house more intelligent and cater to the needs of the user. It also makes the user aware of the changes in various systems in the house and notifies him to take actions or automatically takes the necessary actions. The input will rely on the user's hand gestures and facial expressions. The Iof-Assisted Car is aimed at the racing cars assembled in our college. An electronic system will be interfaced with the car so as to make it more interactive and allow the driver to be aware of the nternals of the car during the ride. Micro-controllers, sensors and communication protocols will be used to run this system. for more details check out their Facebook page (Iol' Lab IC - NIT Trichy), and their website - iotic.nitt.edu. For contact purposes their e-mail id is: iotnitt@gmail.com or iotic@n.itt.edu.

SCIENT - Student Centre engineering and technology

for innovation

Scient is a student run, 24/7 multi-disciplinary innovation Jab of NIT Trichy. It was inaugurated on 24th December 2015 at the Student Activity Center (SAC) and was initiated by the Batch of '90 and sponsored by RECAL. Scient aims at encouraging students to come up with innovative ideas and apply their technical knowledge to solve real problems and help Transform the concepts into prototype and further assist in developing them into real-world solutions. They also aim to offer a conducive space and necessary tools to collaborate and work on projects and span across disciplines. They provide an ecosystem of mentorship, training, industry interface and material assistance to help the progress of innovation and entrepreneurship. Their projects are themed around

computational Intelligence and Analysis, Energy, Environment and Health, Mechanical Design and Fabrication and Robotics. The idea was mooted by college to the alumni and they supported by providing the space and the infrastructure. SCIEnT will be owned and operated by NIT administration and the faculty and they will also be providing technical guidance. Scient conducted a Technology Thought Leadership Seminar Series on 29th March 2016. The overall goal is to encourage students to pursue a path of technology driven entrepreneurship. Scient Activities are currently headed and organized by Srivignessh Pss.

Scholarships The Alumni of REC/NIT TRICHY have ever been helpful in bringing out the talent of the younger batches of this institute.Rf CAL has given its full fledged support to aspiring students by providing a large number of scholarships under different categories.some of them are listed below. RECAL Common Scholarship is a scholarship aimed at funding the toppers of both circuital and non-circuital branches from the third semester.The Silver 72 Trust Scholarship was instituted by the 1972 batch of Alumni- Students are awarded merit I need-based scholarship every year. Then.the Abundant Cauvery Delta Education Foundation is open for final year students of B'Iech I B Arch for scholarship from the foundation which is a Trust run by 1980 RECT Batch of Alumni. The Sri J Ramakrishnan Memorial Scholarship is instituted by Mr RChandrasekaran - Alumni of 1975-1979 Batch.Also.in memory of Sudeep Kandasami (25th April 1987 to 14th October 2010) .an outstanding student of NTIT,the Sudeep Kandasami Scholarship is directed to the 5th semester fee of the candidate who has topped the 3rd semester ECE department. All these scholarships have brought remarkable changes in the lives of NITT's students.

DA and YAA Awards The office of alumni relations, NIT-Trichy in conjunction with the students council had organized an awards ceremony to confer the alumni of NIT-T with the distinguished alumni and young achieving alumni awards on 3rd and 4th of March. Director Dr. Sundarrajan gave the opening address and talked about the variegated talents that the students of NIT-T possess and the importance of reconnecting with the alumni. He informed the crowd about the CEDI incubation centre functioning in collaboration with Sonata. He furthermore, briefed the gathering about how NIT-Trichy has grown to be recognised by all leading industrial organizations such as the CII and FICCI for effective use of technology. He also went on to speak about NIT-Trichy's Academic conclave and how NIT-T's new academic curriculum, a product of the conclave, has been at NIT's all-round the country as a new standard to adhere to. Mr. E.S.L Narasimhan, the honourable governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was the chief guest for the function on the 4th of March and spoke about the threats of cyber-terrorism in India. The event was also presided by Mr. Rajan Narayanan, president of the RECAL association. In his address, the President of RECAL association mentioned that 2016 was the first instance of implementing the YAA RECAL initiative. Further details about the same can be found at www.recalnitt.org. He further talked about the importance of the mentoring role that alumni play. The YAA awards were given to alumni aged 40 years and below. Both the DAA and YAA categories of awards were given to alumni for achievements in diverse fields namely: research and academics, corporate and industry, and entrepreneurial ventures. The alumni were conferred their awards by the Director of Nl'l-Trichy, Dr. Srinivasan Sundarrajan. The awardees proceeded to deliver acceptance speeches to mark the end of the ceremony.

plans to use exhaustive graph search techniques to enable the students to efficiently navigate through the database and find a mentor as per their requirement. After their credentials are verified, students will have access to the details of the mentors and each can choose a mentor of their choice. Initial plans of OAR are to maintain a 1:1 student-mentor ratio. Apart from establishing student-alumni networking, their site will also host an inter alumni network that'll provide an opportunity for alumni to alumni interaction. Alumni can easily get in touch with people of their batch or people residing in the same area. This will also feature a jobs forum, where alumni can interact amongst themselves to get information about job openings. The TCS Marathon held in Bangalore was met with over 1000 enthusiastic participants from NIT and its robust alumni. A highly successful evenl, it etched the name OAR in the minds of the students of NIT. Further, OAR has conducted the Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony in NIT campus and has brought various alumni prominent in their fields to their alma maier to receive their awards from esteemed former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The ceremony was witnessed by the present generation of students and served as an inspiration for them lo see and understand how the alumni have excelled in their fields and how it all began for them, in the same place that these students now stand in. OAR has actively helped in conducting batch reunions both within NIT bounds and outside. The Silver Jubilee reunion of the batch of '88 was held in NIT Trichy, and saw the alumni being left astonished at the various new buildings and facilities, while also smiling at fond memories at their old hostels and hang-out spots. Another get together that OAR organized was held in Mumbai, 2014, with our beloved alumnus Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, CEO and Managing Director of TCS, presiding over the function where the current batch of NIT stirred the audience into fits of laughter through their comical stories and anecdotes in the NITTrolling onstage performance, 'The One Night Stand'.

OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS The Office of Alumni Relations, (OAR) is an official body of the institute comprising of faculty, RECAL Office bearers and students. It aims to bridge the gap between the NIT Trichy alumni fraternity and the institute. The OAR has been working for almost all the major events at NIT and has had a significant role to play in the successes of these events. Quietly achieving their goal of connecting the alumni with the students in college, OAR strives to reach greater heights with new events and initiatives being successfully pulled off aplenty. OAR has been working on creating a detailed database of the alumni who are willing to mentor students. The site

OAR, as seen, has been a part of every major event in college and is striving towards complete Alumni-Student interaction.

RECAL The National Institute of Technology formerly Regional Engineering College's Alumni Association (RECAL) was formed with the objective of having a forum for past students of Regional Engineering College I National Institute of Technology, Trichy. Over the years, RECAL has associated itself with the institute in every possible event and been a part of the

the activity. In July 2, 2006, a new set of executives took over the affairs of the association with some dear objectives: . Re-establish full-fledged contact with the past students of REC/NIT, Trichy . To establish a regular line of communication with the Alumni . To conduct several programmes under the banner of the association for the benefit of the students. . To promote and support various activities, both curricular and extracurricular, of the institute . To plan and implement several small projects to commemorate RECAL's presence in REC/NIT, Trichy. Activities I. To consolidate the database of all the RECAL members, it was decided to fix up the coordinators for every batch since 1969 in major cities I towns to collect data about every member (registered/non-registered) for the data base. They will also act a.s a nodal person to carry forward the activities of RECAL. 2. To update the data.base to find out the missing I wrong emails ids in the current database as more than 2000 email-ids are bouncing back. It was also decided to collect data from the institute for all the batches since 1969 and then try lo trace them and make them to register. 3. To have 10 more members in addition to the office bearers. Since the current office bearers are from 1984 batch to 1996 batch, members from other batches would be targeted as EC members to have a wider representation

Centre For Entrepreneurship Development and Incubation CEDI In an effort to encourage technical innovation and entrepreneurship, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Incubation was set up in 2012 under the aegis of the Ministry of Communtcation & Information Technology, Govt. Of India. CEDI, through its Business Incubator, has been actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship through a plethora of activities ever since. CEDI's recent partnership with Sonata provides a promising platform for budding young entrepreneurs to translate their innovative business ideas into a viable product for the technology market. With the recent project competition announced by CEDI (refer to www.nitt-cedi.in for further details) witnessing active participation, "With events as these, we hope to bridge the gap between a great idea and economic feasibility & infrastructure.", says Dr. G. Kannabiran, Founder-Director, CEDI. Talking about the student community at NIT Trichy, "vVe have been partnering with student bodies like E-Cell to help accomplish our mission of promoting entrepreneurship. Our association with Ventura, the B-Plan contest organized by ÂŁ-Cell, has been very exciting." he says. Besides incubation activities, CEDI's projects also

encompass rural women entrepreneurship development, Faculty Development Programmes, Enterpreneurship Awareness Camps and the like. It is also worth noting that CEDI functions as a nodal centre for EDII Ahmedabad for their one-year Diploma course in Entrepreneurship and Business Development.

Sri Krishna Juice Stall: This fourteen year old juice shop located in the Shopping Complex serves a variety of fresh juices and milkshakes at a reasonable cost, It is popularly known as Juicy and is a haven for people seeking to quench their thirst.

Angel Bakery: A variety of bakery products including pastries and puffs along with juices and ice-creams are sold here. Cakes with a minimum weight of 250 grams can also be availed by pre-ordering. However, it is situated in Opal and is accessible to girls only.

Buhari: Situated in the Shopping Complex, Buhari serves a range of delicacies. Mary Brown, which is located inside its premises specialises in burgers and fried chicken.

Staff canteen: Staff C specialises in south Indian varieties and can be found to be jam packed during the morning break owing to its close proximity to Orion. Vasantham: Located in front of Lyceum, it is frequented by students and professors alike. A variety of items comprise its menu.

Cafe Coffee Day: Known for its coffee, it is probably the most overpriced place in the entire campus. However it is the most popular hangout for a majority of the students and a refuge for those pulling all-nighters. Coke station: Although it serves a small number of items, it is a favourite hangout for students in large groups. Aavin booth: Be it milkshakes or coffee, it can be found in this small outlet located just behind Coral hostel. Packed snacks can also be bought here.

Classics: Classics can be seen brimming with students

during lunch break, mainly because of its closeness to LHC and Orion. Bakery items, noodles and fried rice are a few of the items available here.

Neelkesh Caterers: Located in F mess, this newly opened eatery functions from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am every . night. A wide variety of food items ranging from chats to pastas is served here. Although unknown to a . - majority of the populatton, Neelkeshtdehvers food to the residents of. Opal till lO;OOpm. , ., .tasty Chaat Khazana: A].so known as JIM Canteen due to it being situated behind the very same. 'Its'mehu" comprises ofchaats, p,arathas and sandwiches to. n,ame.' · ,(few. Sodas ant.hoft drinks too are ii.vaHablti here"-.ind " .,, -the' p,rk-ili,g,i{re�${>�le.' . ,,., ,y ', , '

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Chennai bakery: As the name suggests, they serve bakery items along with a few other dishes. It is situated in H- mess. TAN-TEA: This stall has been set up by the Tamil Nada Tea Plantation Corporation Limited and specialises in tea. It is situated opposite Buhari.

Amul shop: It is perhaps the only shop specialising in ice-creams in NITT. Amul is located in the Shopping Centre and provides relief to the poor souls suffering. from Trichy's heat. "' · Vinayak Tea Stall; A stall selling tea, cgtfee and snacks, , . it is located near Sapphirehostel and operates from 7:00 pm everr;.e.venfng.

Apart: from- the above, mentioned places, there are a fe'W stalls selli�g snack& which are .set .up during cfass hours close. to LHC and Orion. These stalls have been? . sponsored by CED! ((;'.'...entre .for Entrepreueurshtp ·,Dey:elqpment of India), · 'r.

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CLUB� NIT Trichy has a highly diverse and richly varied student body living in campus. While bonds formed within students of same native state and language are common, it is vital that students from various parts of the country communicate and interact with each other, sharing different cultures, different practices and working towards building a more open minded, adapting individual. It is in the dubs and associations of NIT Trichy where language barriers are broken and friendships forged. NIT Trichy boasts of an incredible number of dubs. ranging from birds watching to coding clubs, from the Thespian society for acting. to various technical teams. It is in these groups that a students' opinions and views are challenged, changed, and one learns and explores a myriad of avenues and opportunities. It is said that NIT Trichy has a place for any activity a student wishes to pursue, and a peer group for any interest a student wishes to carry forward. Be it culturals, arts, technical associations, writing, or sports, the college offers a peer group that can help one elevate his passion and knowledge to the next level, and train a student towards scaling greater zeniths in any field of interest. Our college has dose to half century clubs, each comprising of students from all batches, different departments and different social backgrounds. In an institute that aims at making the best brains of the country work together, these clubs play a pivotal role in ensuring an amicable environment for students. The reason for these clubs to exist and flourish is firstly the support administration provides. From financial backing to permissions to work during class hours, from on duty permits to attend competitions at other colleges to covering the cost of travel, the administration backs every club through and through. Every club is supported by a faculty member who is in-charge of the club's needs, and is meant to guide the club in any way possible. The dubs are allocated a budget at the beginning of each academic year, and cheques are delivered and bills reimbursed. The administration also readily provides students with access to halls in Administration building, Lecture hall, Student Activity centre and various other places in campus for the clubs to hold meetings and events. For an NITTian, it is a great ordeal to clear the inductions procedures of the clubs, and to be a part of one. Be it a technical association or a cultural society, each club takes a large amount of time, effort and energy from a student's life in campus. Any NITTian would take pride in the clubs he is a part of and a huge amount of a student's learning on campus comes from these clubs.

Music Troupe

Amruthavarshini Carnatic Music club of NITT Storming into the music scenes of NITT in 2006, Amruthavarshini has served as a platform for professionals and budding artists to pursue their interest in Carnatic music. The club gives an opportunity for students to perform to an audience in campus, and out. Manoranjani, their flagship event, is conducted each year to encourage school students to continue music.

Fondly called MT, the Music Troupe comprises some very talented musicians of the institute. Apart from conducting Tarangini and Gigahertz during Festember (eastern light music and rock music respectively), MT also enthralls the whole of NITT during Crescendo, their annual concert. MT's performances have bagged prizes all over South India. They were also invited to perform in the Lions Club and BHEL, Trichy.

7-time Saarang (IIT-M culfest) awardees, the best eastern dance team of Tamil Nadu, the best theme dance team across South India-that is DT, the Dance troupe of NITT. Formed in 2001, this passionate group has earned its position as one of the best troupes in South India. What is mind-blowing is that this team has accomplished all this without a professional choreographer guiding them. They are loved wherever they go.

Thespian Socierv One of the oldest clubs in campus, the Thespian Society is a group of talented dramatists who put up cultural plays in fests across India. They also host their own performance during Festember and during the semester. Members of the Thespian society actively pursue dramatics even after college.

Fine Arts Society The film society ofNITT, Frappe is the one-slop shop for anything related to documentaries, short films and movies. Frappe makes acclaimed promotional videos for Festember, Pragyan and Nittfest. They make and screen documenlaries and hit movies for students. Members of Frappe participate in a number of movie making competitions and have met with considerable success.

The Fine Arts Society of NITT is responsible for the ambience and surroundings during both Festember and Nittfest. Besides this, they significantly contribute every year to the Arts Gallery during Festernber. This club has successfully outdone itself year after year, providing a stunning ambience to augment the themes of both Nittfest and Festember.

Balls B Picasso Aayam It is the literary and debating society of NITT This dub conducts a weeklong series of literary events known as Litweek once every semester. It organises and hosts all the English literary events for Pestember, Pragyan and Nittfest. In addition to this, the club also hosts an open quiz (Pragyan open quiz). Members of Balls By Picasso have met with remarkable success in literary events.

The Hindi cell of NITT, their primary aim is to promote and foster the national language of India. They do this by conducting 'Umang', a week of Hindi literary events. They are also solely responsible for the Hindi literary events during Nittfest and Festember. Apart from this, they also

This team comprises of students from first and second year. They represent the institute in National Cadets Corps meets every year and have performed extremely well at the events. They hold their flagship test- Lakshya, a three day series of events to test brains, brawn and patriotism of students. NCC students from many institutions turn up to participate in the same.

A ekshaa As the social service club of NITT, Apekshaa conducts English, science, math and computer science classes regularly for the students at the REC School. They also host the Independence day celebrations. The most notable of their contributions is their conduction of the Joy of Giving week. They also regularly visit Ashrams throughout the year.

This is the Tamil cultural, literary and linguistic club of NITT. They organize all the tamil literary events at Festember and NITTFest. They also hold their flagship event- Vithai, each year to encourage students to take pride in their language. They represent our college in events around Tamil Nadu, and have performed considerably well.

Builders, Hive Also called the B Hive, this club is made of Civil engineering students of NITT who wish to pursue Civil engineering beyond what is taught in class. They aim to promote Civil engineering and Architecture in the country. They conduct the civil core engineering related events at Pragyan.

Cognitto Cognitto is the free thinkers association in NITT. 'Ihey frequently challenge the system, take radical ideas and present distinctive viewpoints. They invite guest speakers from around the country to orate to students in college.

Connect NIT

Designer's consortium The Designer's consortium is a fledging club started by a set of design enthusiasts from the department of Mechanical engineering. The team dreams of a club to fabricate their innovative products to cater to the needs of the society. The club has evolved with over fifteen completed projects wider its belt in just one year. It aims to allow students with a flair for Mechanical engineering and a passion for industrial designing to look for flaws in designs of products we use everyday.

LEAP The League for Environmental Awareness and Protection is the environmental club of NITT. They have taken initiatives to promote green technology inside the campus. They hope to make the campus cleaner and greener.

Connect NIT aims at building a network among all the NITs in the country. It is a national level collegiate club with its headquarters at NIT Trichy. It was founded in 2005 by the Ministry of Human resource and development (MHRD), under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP). They frequently conduct events and contests to forge bonds across the nation, notably ZeNITh, an inter NIT quiz competition and Capture NIT, the photography contest.

The Entrepreneurship Cell of NIIT was started in 2005 as an effort to encourage students to look at entrepreneurship as a career option. They conduct a host of events - workshops, guest lectures and other activities throughout the year. Their flagship event, Ventura, an annual B-plan competition, garnered more than 500 plans last year. E-Cell has a mentor network to provide resources for students starting up.

Leo Club A social club of NITT, Leo Club conducts Vibes - an intra NIT cultural event Apart from this, the Leo club also conducts the PAN card camp for students and Quizzards, a quiz event for the schools of Trichy. The Leo club is affiliated to the International Lion's club, from which it has earned laurels.

Founded in 2012, the aerornodelling club of NIIT aims to create a greater interest in aeromodelling in students by conducting workshops throughout the year, both as part of the mechanical engineering department symposium, as well as independent workshops. Apart from this, they also participate in various competitions. One of their biggest achievements was winning an aeromodelling competition at PMU University, Thanjavur, where the winning team received a special award from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Responsible for robotics since 2005, RMI conducts a workshop for freshers to cultivate interest among students. They also conduct events under 'Robovigyan' during 'Pragyan, the annual technological festival of NITT. They participate in various technological fests across the country. RMI's biggest draw has to be the various projects which they undertake. Right from the robotic arm that could play tic-tac-toe (2010) to the automatic Rubik's cube solver (2013), this club has shown that it can produce some top class machinery.

Truly the haven for shutterbugs, Pixelbug is the official photography club of NITT. Since its inception during Festember 2012. it has covered various facets of each and every event taking place in college. Ptxelbug uploads all the photos of events such as Pestember, Nittfest and Pragyan to Pacebook. It also conducts workshops and photo walks for enthusiasts.

The Phoenix club, NITT was established as an activity group in 1995. It started off as a junior wing to the Lions Club of Srirangarn, and has been a part of the Model United Nations of India. It is now affiliated to United Nations Council of India and Bhutan. It conducts the annual Model United Nations of NITT and also organises the farewell ceremony for the final years. Nostalgia.

Rotaract Club Founded along with its parent organization - the Rotaract Club of Trichy in 1967, the Rotaract Club of NITT hosts blood donation camps; Horizons, an inter-department cultural fest exclusively for the second years and Pestecole, a cultural event for schools in and around Trichy.

Started in 2003, Spider is an amalgamation of coding and electronics. Their basic focus being microcontroller processing, they annually host mu-con, a workshop on microcontrollers. They frequently hold web development workshops. Spider is one of the few clubs in NITT that can boast about a patent to its name, namely CARS (Car accident recovery system). It is an Android application that sends messages to one's friends in case of an accident.

Nakshatra This is the science and astronomy club of NITT. They conduct regular star gazing sessions in college. They also host interactive sessions and bring guest speakers to college to spread the love of astronomy and science. They've also conducted space and science quizzes in college.

PSI Racin Automotive technology is the name of the game. The Pure Science Initiative (PSI) was started to stoke the enthusiasm of students interested in mechanical engineering and aspects related to it. The highly-skilled PSI racing team builds various automobiles from scratch, for competitions such as BAJA (All-Terrain Vehicle design and construction) and SUPRA (Formula l racing vehicle). They also conduct an automotive workshop for Mechanical and Production Engineering departments.

rE�IlVAL� lN 1.Holi Holl in NITT tends to be more of a hostel affair where everyone pitches in. The general procedure is for someone to get the biggest speakers in all the land and set them up in the courtyard. Meanwhile, another team of students would have secured the colours and balloons required for the ensuing celebrations. This would culminate in a two-hour sequence where onlookers could be forgiven if they saw naught but a cloud of colours and music. Throw in some cold glasses of "Ihandai' and you have a truly memorable day splashed with colours and_h_a,._p._pi_n_es_s_.--------

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D Of course, in the land of the Tamils, iL's hard to overlook occasions such as Tamil New Year. In NITT, it is celebrated about seven days after the actual date. The occasion is usually marked by a prayer service in the IlARN, attended by Tamil students from across the campus. Delicious food and drink is served after the end of service.

8. Tamil New Year

The Beginnings: Pestembet began life as an inter-hostel festival. Starting out in 1974, the culturs} phenomenon eventt1ally became highly successful. Subsequentiy; it was extended beyond college bounderies in 1976. TI1e name Pestembet was short for ''.A Festival i11 September': a term coined by D1:G.Kalyaiiaraman, a student of the 1978 batch. Pestembet was inspired along the lilies of Mardi Gras, the cultural festival of !IT-Madras, and the forerunner of the current Saarang. As far as one can tell, these two tests were die fast of their kind ili South India. They paved the way for many more cultural Iests which were Iieid in die same vein. 01iginally a zero budget fest, the electronics, trophies (there were no cash prizes), and backdrops were made entirely by students themselves. But wiiet had started off witli a modest participation of 5 colleges and a budget of INR 5000 is now one of the most anticipated events in all of India. Festembei was an instantaneous hit from the very second year after it went national. Students from colleges as far as Kolkata came down to participate. What really set Pestembet apart from Mardi Gras, diough was the hospitality it ottered. Pestembei was not just in-house enrertainrnenr; but a carnival for everyone and everything in its vicmity. T11e A-Mess by itself drew lmge crowds to Pestembet. T11e simple reason being they used to provide free, quality food to anyone and everyone who entered the campus. Pestembet is 4 splendid days of an inter-college cultural, literary and arts extravaganza, and arrracrs dirongs of adolescents who get togedier from all over the Soutl: of India to showcase their talents, take part in cultural events, end most importantly make new friends. TI1e essence of this cultural festival, and whet makes it so special, is its junta, and die ambience, which is modelled on a yearly theme. For die first years, especially, Pestembet is die time you truly feel like part of the amazing' NITT family! You wiii probably spend die four best days ofyour lst semester then- Hangouts, FOOD, making friends, informal events, and hollering away and grooving to the pro-show rhythms. Location: In die earlier editions ofPestembet; die place where all events were conducted was distributed among the Mechanical Engineering department, the erstwhile cmema hall (rechristened "BEE Audi'; and die free space behind die Admin buildings (ptesently die Barn). The Mechanical department hosted all die music-related events. Ci11ema hall had die valediction ceremonies and the NSO ground was used for die fireworks displa)( TI1is was until the barn was constructed. Ever wonder how the barn hall got its name? The stage originally constructed was nothing but a thatched roof structure which resembled a barn ... and rightly so, the name stuck. An interesting thing to note is that, even with the college's modest population of 750, the bam's capacity would frequently be exceeded. T110se unable to get into the barn were in for a treat at several of the informal stages setup by die sponsors. For Festember 2015, an independent stage at the Architecture department was setup. Dubbed as "TI1e Ark':

it was a novel idea. It saw really great performances by the Gigahertz finalists, Airplane Poetry Movement and Max Godman. Additionally, the Ark also hosted Festember Exhibitions which saw various works of art including pencil sculptures and miniature models of daily objects. The OAT, renamed as the Golden Jubilee Centenary Hall (GJCC) was the biggest advance this Festember. Fitted with a LED backdrop that could be seen even from the rooftops of Garnet, the GJCC made sure that nobody missed out on all the fun of the proshows.

The teams: The best part of the whole fest is that each and every aspect of the three-day gala is taken care by the students themselves. The different teams (Organizing Committee, Marketing, Events, Publicity, etc) carry out their responsibilities in a very meticulous manner and make sure that nothing goes wrong in the festival. This inculcates the skill of managing each aspect, team spirit and the mental ability to face any kind of crisis which might arise during the festival. In 2012, when the fest had to be held under horrific weather conditions the Festember OC guys did a commendable job in arranging the inauguration ceremony in the OAT. Crowd control has been one of the most neglected issues of Festernber. Most of the students surely must have experienced it during coupon distribution. Lots of blessings were showered on the organizing committee members by overjoyed students.

Food Stalls: Any edition of Festember simply has to start from the food stalls. Indeed, some of us can claim to have become connoisseurs at picking out the places that give maximum value for money. A feature of previous editions of Festember is interesting to note. Students would form teams and bid for the food and beverage stalls, and conduct the sales themselves. Records show that the bids received were often as high as INR 16,000, way back in the '80s. As the fest grew in fame and fortune though, so did the quality and brand-appeal of the stalls. Dominoes, Subway, Cafe Coffee day and several others graced the food stall area in front of the barn. Cuisines of all cultures were scoured for by the marketing teams, as Arabic, North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Italian palettes all made their way onto the plate of the hungry NITTian at Festernber. Initially employing a system of food coupons for the students to use out of a prepaid account of money for fests, Festember 2014 saw the use of electronic food cards for the first time.

Social Responsibility: A Pestember Social Responsibility team was created for the 2012 edition of Festember, becoming the first in a chain of similar teams. With the purview of spreading awareness about breast cancer, they brought an awareness vehicle to spread the message throughout the campus

during Festember 2012. A bunch of like-minded people, who aim at doing more than just yapping, or complaining about the stagnancy of everything. They are a huge bunch ofNITT students who are actually willing to take the leap, and have found many ways to do so. The 'greEN'DEAVOUR RALLY(by FSR)which will start at the Marina Beach, with an aim at spreading awareness and rallying support with a signature campaign, as well a curtain raiser for Festember which will be held in various malls. Apart from this, the 'Gold Dustbin' is another movement, wherein every room in NIT, will be requested for donations, or anything they can dispose, and the materials will appropriately be taken care of, or recycled effectively, and one lucky donor will be the recipient of a gold coin, by means of a lucky draw. FSR is also undergoing various projects though out the city, such as helping out Orphanages and the Physically Challenged and spending time with them.

Innovations at Festember:

Pesternber was traditionally a three-day event, with each day being dedicated to Drama, Western Music and Classical Music respectively. It also featured literary events in English, Hindi and Tamil, some of which still take place today. The Audio-Visual Quiz was a novel feature that attracted lots of participants in the 80s, when the television was a rarity. In those days, Trichy did not have the sophisticated audio equipment necessary to support these events. It was at this time that Mr. Venkatasubramaniam aka Katni, student of REC-T, designed and constructed the audio systems himself. To date, his name can be seen in the OCTA Sun Lab plaques as the sponsor of the Lab. Model making, soap carving, clay modelling and sculpting were popular art events that garnered huge participation. The backdrops for the stages were put together using individual cha rt papers by the Institute's Architecture students. Each day of Festember featured a different backdrop and a different sponsor. Some of the informal events also have an added retro twist, with good old party sports. One can also start strategizing for the paint ball wars, which are going to literally bring colour to each of our faces and clothing! With a lot of convincing, One innovative concept that was in place during the '80s in Festember was the 'Buggy'. Introduced in 1981, it was a three-wheeler designed by the students of then RECTians and powered by a scooter's engine. One of the busiest entities of Festember, it served as the ship of the REC campus during Festember, plying in and around the campus carrying students and goods alike. It formed a vital component of the OC and Festember itself.

Notable alumni of NITI: Rarnani, a famed guitarist, who was invited by Ilayaraja to join his troupe, was a student of the Chemical department during his college days here. In the same league is Deepak Narayanaswamy, a multifaceted individual who acted in

the film 'Alaigal Oiyvadhillai' before joining college. He was also proficient in harmonium and drums. Shoba Radhakrishnan, a renowned dancer running a dance -school in US now, was a part of the 1985 batch. One more prominent alumnus is K.Rajaraman from the Metallurgy department, who was the convener of Festember and was instrumental in making Festember an inter-college event. Now settled in the US, all of them were good in academics during their period in RECT (now NITT). Pro Shows:

In the late '90s, pro shows took on prominence with noted celebrities coming down to perform in front of the students. Lakshman Shruti(1997), Unni Menon(1992), Harish Raghavendra(2002), etc. were some of the instant crowd pullers. A Lakshman Shruthi pro-show is still known for the intense performance, lasting till 2 AM. At one point, the troupe started playing songs of the audience's choice. The pro night was a fully sponsored event with Pepsico being the lead sponsors for some years. From Pushapavanam Kuppusarni, Kadri Gopalnath, Drums Sivamani and Ghatam Karthick to the current crop of singers like Naresh Iyer, Benny Dayal, Anuradha Srirarn, Suraj Iagan, Salim-Sulaiman have all set the stage on fire with their performances. Eminent yesteryear actors Nagesh, S. Ve. Shekhar and Major Sundararajan have also graced Festember with their presence. The Tamizh debate has seen stalwarts like Solomon Paapaiya, Dinidugal I. Leoni, Raja and Barathi Bhaskar as judges. Festember 2011, themed 'Vegas', was an enormous success, in terms of participants, visiting colleges, and also, most importantly, the singularly striking array of celebrities, and maestros in their respective fields, like the Violinist duo-Ganesh and Kumaresh, Javed Ali, Suchitra, Suresh Peters, Crazy Mohan, and the rock band Mother Jane, among others. Apart from being a host to such stars, Festember has also given a boost to the careers of numerous stars Unnikrishnan, the famous playback singer, chose singing as a career over cricket when he won the classical music competition here in Festember. Latha Rajinikanth, Sivakarthikeyan, Ghatam Karthick, Haricharan are the other notable personalities who have made it big after their successes in Festember. Over the years, there have been participants who have shot to fame overnight with Naveen Iyer being a classic example. Naveen, a performer in A. R. Rahrnan's troupe, is a flutist par excellence in both western and classical music. Hailing from the Hindustan College, his scintillating performance in Festember won him the first place in light music seven years back. Conclusion All in all, Festember is a festival where people lose themselves for a span of three days and have the maximum fun participating and enjoying the cultural events. Truly a significant part of the college, Festernber moves through each year tackling difficulties and making each edition a bigger and better one. This festival is definitely a fest to remember

NIT Trichy

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Engineering and technology are inextricably tied together, and to celebrate this idyllic marriage, the students of NITT organize Pragyan every year. It is an internationally acclaimed technical festival that takes place every year, here at NIT Trichy. Being the brainchild of the collection of brightest minds in India, Pragyan was conceived in 2005 as a platform for engineering students to showcase their skills and knowledge in enjoyable, practical. and innovative ways. Pragyan has the unique achievement of being the only student-run organization which possesses an ISO Certification (recently updated to 9001:2015), and its flagship event is the techno management festival that takes place in the final weekend of February. The academic experience guaranteed by this fest is unmatched, which includes interaction with technical savants, management gurus, and exposure to the latest technologies. Time and again, Pragyan has stood out of the league of its counterparts, by redefining its limits to achieve bigger goals. As an organization, Pragyan conducts events throughout the year, with the techno-management festival held at NIT Trichy being its crescendo. Pragyan also organizes social initiatives and outreach programs round the year. During the festival, the events continue round the clock, along with brilliant guest lectures, scintillating exhibitions, and enjoyable informal events.

The very first Pragyan was held from 29th to 31st January, 2005. The idea was to have a technical festival whose responsibility was borne by the students of the institute, supported by the then director and alumni, and was guided by an advisor, drawn from the institution's faculty. Having met with success, there was no looking back. With every passing year, Pragyan has steadily expanded its horizons, and in every direction. The early editions involved around only a thousand participants from 70 different colleges, in and around Trichy. The 2015 and 2016 editions had more than 5,000 people visiting the campus over four days, with the footfall reportedly touching as much as 5,300 from over 400 colleges. Guest lectures, one of the crowning glories of Pragyan, have lived up, without fail, to the hype, year after year. Team Guest Lectures brings to the audience eminent personalities like Jimmy Wales (co-founder of Wikipedia), Dr John Mather (Nobel Laureate who won the prize in 2006), Dr Tessy Thomas (from DRDO, the first woman to head a missile project in India), Peter Schultz (co-founder of the science of Fiber Optics), and Archana Sharma (CERN scientist, and also the only Indian in the team that discovered the Higgs-Boson). Another staple of Pragyan is Crossfire, the interactive panel discussion. Packed to the brim with energy and enthusiasm, this is an interactive panel discussion among some of the best debaters from around the globe. The event has been a part of Pragyan since its

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conception, with topics of discussion varying from the initial 'India as a Knowledge Superpower' (2009) to the somewhat contentious 'Failing Educational Institutions?' (2013) Since its inaugural version, Crossfire has seen successive progressions, and has now transcended into something that is greater than a mere annual panel discussion; its growth has made it a de facto podium for non-conventional deliberations in subjects that are regarded polemic and disputable elsewhere. Sangam is an intra-Nl'I'T forum for exchange of knowledge between the students, academicians, technocrats, industrialists, and corporate. Here, the students get an opportunity to turn their innovative ideas into working models, which are then judged for the best innovations. A similar event for inter college competition is Anwesh, where innovations are displayed by students from different colleges across the country. Based on the famous Rubik's Cube, the Pragyan Cube Open was added in 2013 and has broken several records in the speed cubing world. In Pragyan '13 we secured a record in the India Book of Records for the most number of people solving the Rubik's Cube at the same time, in the same place. Labyrinth, an online cryptic maze, inspired by Cryptex has addicted international participants as well. With INR 20,000 at stake, this proudly takes its place as one of the best events of Pragyan so far. Pragyan also pits the best in their field against each other in a battle of computer whiz and cunning, with Bytecode.

The very core of engineering concepts is put to the test here, in the form of Junkyard Wars, NITiro (a Remote Controlled Car racing event), and NFS Aqua. In all these events, the seeds of technology are sown, and the ideas that sprout forth are plentiful. Pragyan Workshops Team has delivered top quality technical knowledge and hands-on exposure to all participants, year after year. They have covered a wide range of management and engineering topics, with experts organizing each one of them. Everyone has walked away wiser and more curious about the lengths to which technology can evolve. Exhibitions are where we showcase some of the most advanced, cutting edge technologies present in the world. These promise to unleash the fruits of over ten thousand years of human civilization in a span of Just four days. In the last few years, we've had BHEL, HAL, ISRO, Fog screen technology, Honeywell, Touchmaglx, CVRDE, etc in all their magnificent glory and splendor. Pragyan, being a techno-managerial fest exposes budding entrepreneurs to events such as The Ultimate Manager that lets you test your management skills, Pragyan Premier League, and Dalal Street for all those stock market enthusiasts out there. Not only does Pragyan host technical and managerial events, it also serves as a platform for displaying various talents from around the world. Infotainment brings a multitudinous assortment of artists from

various walks of life, like alternative music artists, laser shows, 3D Mapping, celebrity comedians, and many more - a different collection each year to the diverse audience that visits Pragyan. From the prime inspiration for Pragyan - the society - Pragyan has always been returning to society by achieving sustainability in technology, engineering and research. The contribution to society has been achieved over years through a multitude of of innovative events like GREENgineer, Jagriti, B Green, and a lot more. With the inception of Pragyan Social Responsibility (PSR), this has reached large heights, owing to the coverage of wide aspects in social contribution. Jagriti, an amalgamation oftechnical acumen and social conscience amply highlights the social relevance of Pragyan. Jagriti is an event that aims to be a forum for young minds to come up with solutions for problems around us. It is a medium for the student community to use their knowledge for in serving their ultimate goal of service to the society. GREENgineer, an event to inculcate the importance of going green by motivating students for competing in designing green solutions to technological problems, while meeting the economic constraints. Another part of this involves improving the already existing technologies to a whole new level. This event also encoutrages the presentation of ideas that have the capability to change the society with action plans. B GREEN, an event held to ignite the importance and also the development of feasible green technologies in building construction, design and installations. It is a competition to showcase the creative abilities to design a building according to the problem statement, keeping in view of the payback invested in green technologies. Pragyan Social Responsibility (PSR) is an innovative initiative created with inspiration from corporate social responsibility programs instituted by many companies towards the empowerment of local communities around them. In the January of 2016, Pragyan held a one-of-its-kind event in the Youth Business Summit, which took place at Hilton Hotel in Chennai. The summit brought together a multifarious assortment of people ranging from students to entrepreneurs and business professionals. Its aim was to give students exposure to the world of business and entrepreneurship, and it achieved that end with the w1canny perfection that one has come to expect out of Pragyan. With the ascent of the years, Pragyan has been expanding its boundaries. It has succeeded in providing unlimited amount of exposure to the advancements in various fields. It has allowed for interaction with people from all walks of life - be it the really popular and famous personality who has done authentic research on one end, and the other end being the confused twelfth standard student deciding about her future. Pragyan is an organization of substance which has helped inculcate ideals of teamwork and management from the organizing side and the spirit of competition from the participant's end. The vision of Pragyan is to emerge as a top-notch techno-management festival of the country, and at the same time not lose its basic foundational values with which it was started. It is this vision that brings together all the members of Team Pragyan, and drives them forward to perform exceptional achievements.

A Way Of life at

NITT

NITT has been a force to reckon with in all fields, specially in the area of sports. NIT Trichy has a history to boast of when it comes to sports, right from the age of REC Trichy. From intense practice sessions every evening, be it heat or rain, to friendly games within hostels, NIT Trichy has it all. The sporting structure at NITT is an excellent model. Every sport has an induction procedure held, where new talent is exposed to college level rigor, and the best are chosen for the institute teams. All teams together make up the Sports Contingent of NITT which comprises of nearly 250 members, and travel together to represent the institute at various national level meets. There are two major sports events organized in NITT, INTERNIT, a national level face off between all the NITs, and Sports Pete- an inter-department sports meet organized by the contingent.

INTER NIT: For an athlete in any NIT, this is one of the biggest opportunities to reveal their full potential. Contingents travel to various colleges around the nation and compete vigorously to bag their coveted trophy, and an overall trophy is presented at each centre depending on which college has bagged the most prizes. Every year, NIT Trichy takes up the responsibility of conducting a couple of sports events in campus. The sports scene in college witnessed a tremendous boost in 2013-2014, NIT Trichy's Golden Jubilee, when over a dozen sporting events including athletics was conducted here. Over a thousand participants from all over the country were accommodated in college for the four day event and all the sporting arenas were updated and equipped to handle the participation. NIT Trichy played host to over 18 different institutes for the Golden Jubilee edition of Inter NIT. Not only hosting the events, NIT Trichy emerged as the Overall Champions as well. NIT Trichy has always been a cut above the rest with regards to sports, and in the year 2012-'13, NIT Trichy won the overall trophy in six different centres of Inter NIT. SPORTS FETE: The inter department sports fest is the ultimate showcase of talent and bench strength ofNITT sports teams, as the departments face off against each other in over 25 different disciplines, ranging from athletics to water polo, and from hockey to kabbadi. Intense department rivalries come into fore, and previous editions of Sports fete have been decided based on a half point margin. The Sports Pete scene in college got a lot bigger in the year 2016, with the inclusion of an overall trophy, which combines NITTFEST and Sports Fete scores together to declare a department as the Overall champions in college. In Sports Fete 2016, over 1200 runners ran the 10 km marathon, and participation in events was immense. The hunger to conquer higher summits is always there, and the boost given by Inter NITs spurs NITT to tackle larger challenges, entering open competitions. The contingent participates in open national level tournaments held by BITS Pilani, Manipal Institute of Technology, llTs and other colleges to test their mettle against the very best. The squad is known to win the hearts of the spectators and give a tremendous fight in every sport, no matter the result. NIT Tnchy won the Overall championship in TIT Kharagpur's Shaurya, in the year 2012-'13. In a system where sports are often dismissed as leisure activity, the pride every sportsperson wears on the field is incredible. The cricket team proved in 2012 that NITT is capable of great heights when they won the Trichy District First Division Cricket League, stunning more iJlustrious opponents and teams filled with professional cricketers. Such was the reception for this feat that three NITT cricketers were awarded special prizes at the awarding ceremony ofTDCA in 2012. NIT Trichy also has an innate tendency to explore, and more sports are constantly added into the fray, with Kho Kho and Handball being the latest additions. The Kho Kho team has fared remarkably well since its inception, bagging the Gold medal at IIT Kanpur. The Sports culture in NIT Trichy is ever electric, and with the construction of the new indoor sports complex, brighter times lie ahead for the ever hungry sporting fraternity of NIT Trichy.

11 NIT Trichy played host to as many as 18 NITs that came

down to campus for the inter NIT sports meet in 2013

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supply; from limited internet access to WiFi in all hostels, and from limited extracurricular facilities to a new Sports Center and Student Activity Center. These are just a few of the infrastructural progressions NIT has made in the past few years. Other buildings have been constructed and more are being planned and built, such as the new Training and Placement Department building, and the Management Studies Department building. Here's a look into the changes NITT has seen: Toe Central Library: Among one of NIT Trichy's most impressive infrastructural developments is the Central Library.It is a modern three storeyed library with a vast multitude of resourcesThe library is open from 8:30 AM to 11 PM , while the working hours are cut slightly for weekends when it doses at 5 in the evening. It is situated opposite to the civil engineering department building. It is considered as the largest library in any NIT campus in India. The building also houses the Centre for Entrepreneurial Development and Incubation (CEDI) and a Counselling Cell in its third floor. From the time of its working.the library has collected more than two and half lakhs of documents consisting of Technical books, reports, standards, CD-ROMS, Audio Visual Educational Cassettes and back volumes of

wit untu Computer systems wit internet connection. Wi-Fi facility for laptop users is also provided. The library gives access to an extremely useful and unique collection of e-resources along with softwares like MATLAB.TI1e E-Library also provides access to data available in international journals with archives via platforms such as ASCE,PROQUEST SCIENCE.The online management platform of the library which works on the intranet of a college is called LIBSYS and can be accessed it via the link http://library.nitt.edu:8080/webopac/ From 29 March 2013,the library underwent a significant improvement with the installation of CCTV Web cameras in the Central Library(the entire building is under camera surveillance).The RFID Technology of Document Identification and Library Security System were also implemented for the library functions and services.Regarding memberships-the institute holds a membership with British Council Library, Chennai and DELNET, New Delhi and provides ILL (Inter Library Loan) services to the users. Electricity and Water Supply: The transition from having no power for most part of the day to no water for days together, to having almost no power cuts and continuous water supply was a gradual, yet profound

change. Following a week long complete water scarcity in most part of the campus, owing to the incessant day long power cuts, installation of generators in all the hostel and academic zones was a highly welcome step. This not only saved the students from the scorching heat but also from them burning the midnight oil, quite literally. TI1e very recent installations of ACs in most of the hostel zones came as a blessing in disguise for the searing temperatures. TI1is has considerably eased the pressure, especially amidst all the exam tension. Sports Center: As a part of the Golden Jubilee Initiative, a staggering expanse of 18,000 sq.ft was allocated for the construction New LHC

of a much needed indoor Sports Center. The construction of this new building started a year and a half back and is scheduled to be completed shortly. Under the guidance of our director, Dr.Srinivasan Sundarrajan and our physical director, Dr.Rajendra Kumar, NITT has undergone phenomenal progress in the arena of Sports. The New indoor Sports Center will be a milestone in the development process. This new building will be furnished with courts to facilitate sports like basketball, volleyball, badminton, athletics, kabbadi and yoga. It will be completely illuminated enabling students to play until lOpm. Being an indoor complex, students needn't fret about the weather, and can enjoy the facilities all through the year. The building is big enough to accommodate 200 people at a time and will have a gallery running around the whole

place for viewers. It will also be provided with an artificial flooring with cushioning effect apart from the sport-specific flooring that differs from sport to sport. The promise of such state of the art facilities has made the new Sports Center the most awaited development on campus. It definitely will improve the quality of sports in NITT and hopefully urge all students to embrace sports into their daily life. Eco Friendly Campus: Our college, keeping with the global trends, has incorporated greener technology, and a more eco-friendly attitude towards shaping the campus. Solar panels have been installed in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, the Centre for Energy and Environmental Science and Technology, and also on many lamp posts along the roads. New trash cans have been installed in every road to keep the campus hygienic. Toe trees on the roadside of the Lecture Hall Complex show the campus at its greenest. Toe League for Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) is an initiative by the students of NITT to bring about a greener and cleaner campus, and also to create alertness among the populace about the environment and the consequences of their actions toward it. The overall attitude of the campus with regard to the environment is changing drastically in the direction of greater awareness and measures to saving the surroundings. Students, along with the faculty and Administration, have started to become more responsive to the needs of the environment, and are also becoming more eco-friendly with their material - reducing wastage, recycling old material, and reusing the still-functional. This environment is ours to protect. And the campus does an amazing job protecting owÂˇ environment.

as well as installation of a number of air conditioners throughout the Barn. The renovations came just in time for the first year Orientation, a new initiative implemented for the incumbent first year batch, as well as in time for the Convocation ceremony for the Batch of 2009-2013. The Renovated Hall was inaugurated by Waste Water Treatment Plant: Another tremendous end product of the Golden Jubilee Infrastructural Development 2013, was the instalment of 2 waste water treatment plants, one near Opal and the other most used one, in the northern end of the campus. This plant is located in a deserted corner of the campus, a couple of miles from the Amber hostel. It is properly equipped with a screening chamber for grit removal, clarifier, aerator Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor(CSTR),sludge drying bed, collection sumpdual media filter and a safe solid waste disposal system. The treated water is also efficiently used for gardening purposes around the plant area. Compound Wall: Though NIT Trichy boasts of the vast expanse of 800 acres ofland, with this came a lot many perils. This huge stretch of land coupled with the irregular shape of the campus gave rise to security problems. There were multiple entry points into the campus and no proper compound wall to secure it. This was a gateway for intruders from outside to break into our campus and unwanted break outs from within. Keeping track of the visitors entering campus also proved to be difficult. This pressing issue was addressed in the Golden Jubilee Infrastructural Development Scheme in 2013 among others. Safety and security were given paramount importance and arrangements for construction of the much needed compound wall was made immediately. Under the guidance of the Chief Of Works, Dr. Samson Matthew and our beloved director,Dr. Srinivasan Sundarrajan, a sturdy fortress was built encompassing our campus.

Cycle Track and Benches: In an attempt to make the College Avenue road safer and less congested, the 204 academic year saw the construction of cycle tracks along the road. Along with this track, benches were also set up along the road, providing students places to sit under the shade of the trees. Street lamps were also installed later on along the cycle tracks. The cycle track and benches were later extended upto the Department of Architecture. Barn Hall Modification: The Barn Hall of NIT Trichy saw major renovations in the summer of 2013. These modifications included a complete relaying of tiled floors, changes in lighting, as

Online Portals: After the installation of Wi-Fi in the hostels, accessing the internet has become much easy when compared to the past and with the increased active LAN users in the campus a vast array of portals are hosted in the college's intranet.Some portals are sources of information and collect information from the students, some are for queries and complaints, and some for entertainment and file sharing.These portals reflect the way NITT functions and portrays the efforts the institute and its students put into learning, organizing and achieving in their vision.

nitt.edu The official website of the college -Students have easy access to syllabus, notices and also information on interns, scholarships etc.The site serves as the the unofficial face of the college. Webmail is a dedicated portal to serve the e-mail requirements of the students and faculty.

mis.nitt.edu This site provides for pre-registration of courses, registering for electives and formative assessment and also for giving faculty and mess feedback.Issual of hall tickets.updates of students' attendance records and other details of students can be accessed via this site as well.

nptel.nitt.edu NPTEL provides E-learning opportunities through online material given by the college professors. DC++ is a free and open-source, peer to peer file sharing client while strearning.nitt.edu is a portal that streams videos of the important functions that occur in the college and was initiated in the golden jubilee year.

samrat.nitt.edu This is the site where one can get to know of one's CSG dues. l.e the amount spent every month on printing using Octa printers.

pearl.nitt.edu This portal serves as a universal link with many resources directly hosted from the server or Links to redirect to the proper server that you are looking for. This portal hosts many a feature right from security updates to official forms for download and many more.

tp.nitt.edu Provides updates on placements and students can seek help for their placements through the portal.

CTM.ails Another important portal, specially designed and accessible only by the Dean Academic.It is integrated with the Webmail. All the CT I semester time tables, or information regarding holidays, etc. are sent to every teacher through CTmails, to their webmail.

library.nitt.edu:8080/webopa.c/ This is the standard portal of the library which is used to search for the availability of books, e-books, etc. and it maintains the record of the books borrowed.

emc.nitt.edu TI1is is the link for students to report any complaints regarding the electrical maintenance in the hostels. Powered by the Computer Support Group include the websites for Festember, Pragyan and Nittfest. Beyond these mentioned portals and websites, many others are hosted from the CSG like the RECAL website that connects alumni, portals of official dubs like RM1, Delta, Spider- which is used for hostel and mess allotment.

WiFi: After a long wait, in January 2012, the much awaited Wi-Fi for hostels was finally provided. Opal hostel was the first to be equipped with routers followed by their installation in Zircon and Garnet. The need for internet connectivity from the comfort of the hostels had long been a demand of the students. The director aimed to develop the spirit of research in the students. The internet is the fastest and most efficient way to access all the information that a student wishes to acquire and also the medium for application for internships and to pay fees. In order to improve signal, boosters were installed in Amber, Garnet and Zircon which made it easier to connect.

Renovation of First Year Hostels: Before the arrival of the 2018 batch and having just finished Golden Jubilee celebrations, the renovation of the first year hostels was completed in August of 2014. The first year hostels, namely Agate, Coral and Diamond were repainted fully to welcome the new first years. The ageing electrical wiring and plug points in the historically significant hostels were also reworked and extra outlets were added to make the hostels more tech savvy. Additionally, new toilets were constructed in each wing to reduce the crowding in the central bathrooms. Jade, formerly a hostel for post graduate students was made into a first year hostel to accommodate the students more comfortably. Before this change, each room in agate, coral and diamond housed four people in a somewhat small room. With the inclusion of Jade, this number was reduced to three in a room which provided a more comfortable amount of living space. Towards the end of 2014, insect nets were also installed in each room of the hostels so that the freshers could open their windows and escape the heat ofTrichy. New SAC: The new SAC has been officially opened for use starting 2016. A brand new building with a large number of rooms available for the various clubs and interest groups operating on campus. Originally a school turned into a student activity centre, the colorful sight is located dose to the NIT Temple and it's close proximity to the Opal Hostel proves to be quite advantageous for the girls, although it remains to be quite a hassle for most boys hostels. However, students can rejoice as facilities are being made to provide a WiFi connection to the building thus allowing teams to meet up and work effectively.

Some other facilities introduced at the new SAC include: Sound Proofing for the Music Troupe's room. A mirror for the Dance Troupe of NIT Trichy A dedicated work area for several other clubs such as Blurr India Pixel bug Ground Zero Arnruthavarshini All cultural clubs have been allocated a room for themselves and tech clubs that previously Jacked a workspace now have a dedicated area to do so. Orion:

The Orion building was officially inaugurated as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations held in the month of August 2014. Conceptualized and designed by the architecture department of our very own college, it houses the classrooms of students studying from third to eighth semester from every engineering branch except the department of metallurgy which anyway, doesn't have classes. It also serves as the centre for examinations during the business end of the academic year. Built in the shape of two circular buildings joined by a common pathway, this two storied structure has 36 rooms; 18 on either side with 6 rooms in each floor. Each room has a capacity of nearly 150 students and is fitted with state-of- the-art sound systems and a projector. The well ventilated rooms more than make up for the lack of air-conditioning. To top it, lift services make this perennially populated construction an epicenter of professionalism. Situated in the south-west corner of the campus, the location is equidistant from student hostels and the various departments. Its strategic co-ordinates thus allow favorable commute for students back and forth during the day. NITT has seen a successful replacement for the old Lecture Hall Complex as the pillar of world class education. Golden Jubilee Convention Center:

The Golden Jubilee Convention Centre is the open air theatre situated between Orion and the Garnet hostel. It acquired its name as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations held in our campus in the month of August 2014. Previously just called the OAT, it was built in 2013 for the purpose of hosting high profile events held in the campus. Currently in its final phase of construction, it is expected to be finished and eady to use for the 42 nd edition of Festember scheduled to happen in September 2016. Covering a staggering 25000 square feet, it included 4 bays, a balcony view and a VIP box. Four fans are fitted

to provide additional circulation. Its construction is a reflection of the grandeur of the gigantic campus; a grandeur which captures the traveller's eyesight as he/she travels on the adjacent highway. It has hosted some of the flagship events of Festember like Choreo Nite, Tarangini and Gig-A- Hertz. Additionally, Vishal-Shekhar, Shaktishree Gopalan, Sunburn and other acts have steered the rapt audience from atop the stage. Come September, magic awaits at the GJCC. Helipad: The summer of 2014 saw a change in the landscape of the large empty land next to the hospital, as the entire campus geared towards preparation for the Golden Jubilee festivities. The empty land was converted into three state of the art helipads, to provide a mens of landing for the helicopters of the chief guest of the celebrations, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

MiG 23: Our campus boasts of an MiG 23BN, SM202 aircraft on proud display near the Department of Architecture, clearly visible when one passes by through the Trichy-Tanjore highway. The aircraft was presented to the institute by Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj (who is also an alumnus of REC-T, class of '77!) upon being conferred the distinguished alumnus award on March 19th 2014. Soon after, the Director of the institute approved the development of MiGold Plaza, a golden jubilee park for students, around the decommissioned vehicle - a fitting site for a relic as glorious. In the officer's own words, "TI1e aircraft serves to remind you that engineering is something you have to imbibe in your life" Today, the MiG serves different roles: something to brag about to friends back home, an opportunity for a picture for students from other institutions and a memoir to reminisce after we pass out but essentially, it is a testament of cutting-edge technology India is capable of. It is a reminder of the responsibility we pledge to as student of NIT, Trichy - to contribute in technological advancements of the country. It is an icon of pride and inspiration to those who choose it to be. Messes: Circa 2012, the choice of messes for students to dine in was decided on the basis of proximity of a student's hostel to his mess. The male first years would have a pair of exclusive messes to themselves - one that catered to vegetarians and one for the others. Upon progressing to their second year, the students would be assigned a floor in the Mega Mess complex nearest to their respective hostel. This came with a caveat. The menu for any

particular semester would be fixed, and could not be altered. Furthermore, change of mess could not be done during the semester. But in 2014, starting from the golden batch, the procedure of mess allotment underwent major changes. Acting upon an initiative led by NITT's in-house R&D club, Spider, students were able to select their mess for the subsequent semester via an online portal. In addition to that, tenders inviting separate caterers to serve North Indian cuisine were floated. These supplemented the existing South Indian kitchens and provided the student community with a wider range of options to choose from. TI1e female students too, witnessed some impressive alterations from the status quo. A new mess building was constructed beside Opal A to accommodate the girl students more comfortably. Two caterers were assigned to take care of the Opal messes, instead of one, giving the female students a choice in caterers as well. Eventually, in 2016, the girl messes too began to offer distinctive cuisines to assuage the needs to North Indian students. With an increase in the number of messes, from the existing six to ten, plus the addition of a pure-veg mess, the capacity of each kitchen has now been capped at 600 from the earlier 800 students per mess. Of these, the newly-constructed mess halls opposite to Amber and Aquamarine will serve Andhra and Keralite cuisine on a regular basis. The long standing request for an exclusive mess to serve North Indian food for the Opal hostels had been fulfilled, Additionally, instead of combining the pure-veg facilities with the first-year messes, the new mess hall opposite Garnet C will now function as a pure-veg outlet, open to all male students.

MESS SQUAD Circa 2012, the choice of messes for students to dine in was decided on the basis of proximity of a student's hostel to his mess. The male first years would have a pair of exclusive messes to themselves - one that catered to vegetarians and one for the others. Upon progressing to their second year, the students would be assigned a floor in the Mega Mess complex nearest to their respective hostel. This came with a caveat. The menu for any particular semester would be fixed, and could not be altered. Furthermore, change of mess could not be done during the semester. But in 2014, starting from the golden batch, the procedure of mess allotment underwent major changes. Acting upon an initiative led by NITT's in-house R&D club, Spider, students were able to select their mess for the subsequent semester via an online portal. In addition to that, tenders inviting separate caterers to serve North Indian cuisine were floated. These supplemented the existing South Indian kitchens and provided the student community with a wider range of options to choose from. The female students too, witnessed some impressive alterations from the status quo. A new mess building was constructed beside Opal A to accommodate the girl students more comfortably. Two caterers were assigned to take care of the Opal messes, instead of one, giving the female students a choice in caterers as well. Eventually, in 2016, the girl messes too began to offer distinctive cuisines to assuage the needs to North Indian students. The arrival of the New Year also brought an interesting turn of events to the finalized mess tenders for 2016. A 'penalty clause' was included in the tenders, an increment in the number of mess halls was accomplished and the 'mess squad' was created to maintain and uphold mess standards. Additionally, the successive semsester will see the commencement of a pure-veg mess, as well as the inclusion of regional cuisines and non-vegetarian dishes into the regular mess menus. The terms of the mess tender for 2016 were agreed upon after a discussion between the hostel administration, the wardens and students. According to Convener of Hostels, Dr A Sreekanth, who presided over the meeting, the inclusion of a penalty clause to punish sub-standard quality of food had been in practice since 2014. This year too, he said, had been a walkover for the hostel administration to get the caterers to accept the imposition of a penalty clause. But

But whereas in previous years the clause had merely been an empty threat, there is a real possibility that the soon-to-be formed 'mess squad' could give it some teeth. This mess squad, Dr Sreekanth explained, would be an autonomous body comprising of student volunteers acting in coordination with their respective RSCs and Hostel Wardens. Members of the mess squad would be empowered by the hostel administration to organize raids and conduct inspections upon a mess' kitchens at any time of the day. If these searches yield any discrepancy in the preparation of food, the quality of ingredients utilized, or reveals unhygienic conditions, they are empowered to impose fines on the caterer as they see fit. The tender also specifically lists the violations that caterers could be penalized for, if found guilty of the same. Furthermore, the mess squad can also make recommendations to the mess committee with respect to the monthly performance of a caterer. This input, along with the regular feedback from students will be taken into consideration when the payment is disbursed to the caterers at the end of each month. Per the terms of the new tender, the committee could potentially fine underperforming caterers upto 25% of their monthly payment. With an increase in the number of messes, from the existing six to ten, plus the addition of a. pure-veg mess, the capacity of each kitchen has now been capped at 600 from the earlier 800 students per mess. Of these, the newly-constructed mess halls opposite to Amber and Aquamarine will serve Andhra and Keralite cuisine on a regular basis. The long standing request for an exclusive mess to serve North Indian food for the Opal hostels had been fulfilled, Additionally, instead of combining the pure-veg facilities with the first-year messes, the new mess hall opposite Garnet C will now function as a pure-veg outlet, open to all male students. Dr Sreekanth has also mentioned the possibility of the creation of an 18-hour food court lo be accessible to all students. He revealed that a caterer has already been identified to run the complex, which is likely lo be in the D-mess building, and added that students could be availing services from around mid-February. Also, on a trial basis, students could soon be seeing the inclusion of non-vegetarian dishes in their regular menus, from the month of January onwards.

28. J>ENALTY: Failure to ;upply food in terms of (('U:3.lity, qw.::i.tity and a; per the menu indicated io AD.Denn -m will :ittt'llct pe:wt:,•. For not adlwtnr to contrnctl13J condito::,s, the RAC shall be �H to rimpose pecwty ss deemed fit Oll the cate..--er. Penalry imposed sh.all � adjasted agamst

due 10 thJ! caterer. a. If ve�etable;; kept for use is foucd to be of peer qualiry or rotte.:i,' sr.a1e»' spoilt,' IJl!ected, thtn a

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peD31Iy of Rs. !,000/- for each OCC3StOD. Wlll be mJpOSed. b, If poor quahty of rice is used for preparation o: meals, idly alld doss, a peoal1y of Rs. 3,0001for e3ch occasion '\\ill be imposed. c. Oil once used sbould not be reused, If reuse of oil ii. found. penalty of Rs. 2000!- for each OCC3siOD would be ?eYied. d, Items lib t.\Ste eDban.cers Akt Aji-no-moto, balo.ng soda, coloffll.$ it� etc. an bmned Gild lbey sbol.l!d ao, be used. Ifcbeya.-e foUDdi1ube kitcheii.pre:mises pe.:wtyof&.·2000/- for e3cb occasion i\ill be imposed. e. K.llchen should be kepi dean, lf it is Dot t:kept clean, a �· of Its. 2000/-for each occasion '\\ill be imposed. f. If there is 3:lY dr,fation in the, approved Menu wirhout prior pmni ssioll from mess committee, a penalty of Rs. 2000,- fo: each occasica will be impoc:..ed. g. Ifm.e;s Caterer or hisre,pre;eotati'.•e ma.o.a�is not prese.n.t io me mess whentbe E'ood is served, a pe:ulty of Rs. 2000,- fo: ea.di occasio:1 will be imposed. h, Insects found m my of me p::epued food wrn i:mite "peoa.l�· o! Rs.2,500,'i. If !ood for 3.ll}" meal, g�s ever or e.wu.sted lllithm � of mess aJ1d \\"aitm� time is more tn3D l 5 IWDutes for JWlC.b and di.nne:, md JO minutei- for bl'Mk&.st then a one of Rs.2,0001would be imposedoo tbecstew. The timing for th.at me.al will be- e.�en.ded@Qui\'alent to deb}· time. j. 1.:mva.il.abiliry of me sug�sci.0-.11 bookt com;>lai.nt ugiste:r ou the cOUllte: :md/or diKoura� the comp13i.nt would impo-<...e a fine of Rs.l,000/1:. 1.:Dde:an utensils i.D a day would attract s fiDe Rs. 2,000/1. If a Mess C.cmminee agrees that cmam food was not prol)ffl}. cooked, 1ben a fine of Rs.2.,000

\\ill be imposed. m. D&re1)allC)" on personal h)�eoe ofwo:k�r,, di::ling: ball etc., will ,all a CD£ of Rs.2,000.'n, If the cater& formd to M\"e used unb.nmded J bad I duplicare qualiry of a:xy mess commodices, G fine ofRs.2,000J- will !'be� fore,·�· occasion of such� o. 1'012 compliance of the safecy D:<>nns will m\.-ice. a fine of lu.5,000! per offence,. p, Presence of UD:wamed iteim in :ood �ucb as blade, �s, met.1l wires, nails, cockroaches, ci�arettes, dothe, rope. soft plastic, erc., will anract a penalry of Rs.5,0001- . q, J\.'1isbeh:l,1o:- of the mess woxter deployed by lbe Cateru would result in a fineC>fRs.1,000/-. r. If tbe ��o\•u food '3lld othe; d:isl)osable uem.s are not disposed outSlde the �rl prtnuse.s within the same da)r th.e:i a peaalry of Rs.2 ,0001 will be i:mpos.ed. s. F or any penalty previsions stated above (i) First v:olru:oo of the role rmpltes fioe as per the abeva rules and (ii) Second. and subsequent vieladoas of the same tu!e \\itmn 30 day:; of the previous 6:ne will attract triple the mztial 3.lltOUllt of fine on the caterer. t. Co:ltinuous bad perfonD.3ll.Ce (for any rwo months m a semester) a'lll result ill termin.JtioD of the CODtract. u. Refer A11ntnr.-V for feedback form to be used by l!le Srude:n Dumm for R.eviewmg the Pafocm:mce of the carerer. ,.. The ChieflVarden, HAC:NTITH shal: be the Co:upete.nt AU'thonty �eg_ard to un;,os.i�Oll of Pe.natty. The C.3te:er �· appe.al to the HAC for reduc.tio:L'wan."a' of pena.11·. Toe decisio1 of me Cb.iefWa:deo slull be fiJJ..ll and biil.dmg. w. If the food quality is not up co the mac:k and J or i.nsuffiden1 qumtity oo i.nspecton, 10 to 50% 3mount oftbru d3)· \\ill be deduaed. On three such occurrence; :he contr'3ct will be- liable to be te.rmi..o.ated. If a "i\ntte:i complaint is received (a roinimn:m of 10 stwie.Dts) oD shorta:e of food for three days in a month, 3.D amount eqwva.lent to 100 s:u.dent$ cwly :ate sh3ll be d.eduCited from the p.3ymeoc. x. Mess Squad Consritute..d by RAC :is autho1ized to ,i.sit the mess, stores and kitchen and inspect the qualtty of the materials any time. Me.55 scruad is also authorized to

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:recommend the penalty as aboll-e a-w to the HAC. The penalty v.,.U be Implemented on the caterer.

Onus on Students to be Responsive and Responsible. The increase in the messes, is likely a move by the administration to stimulate an improvement in service by promoting competition amongst the caterers. However, if the student body at large remains unresponsive in matters such as giving honest feedback, problems become harder to tackle. The previous system of relying solely on student feedback forms proved to be inadequate, as students often took a lackadaisical approach to filling out the sheets. As a result, the hostel administration was unable to effectively gauge a caterer's performance. Consequently, students who are subjected to the effects of continued poor service find that there is very little they can do about it, besides venting on fonuns such as the college Calendar board. Hopefully, the institution of the new mess squad can effect a change to the old system and force caterers to be uncompromising on quality. However, according to Dr Sreekanth, this does not empower regular students to take matters into their own hands and organize raids of a mess kitchen. He encourages the students to take a level-headed approach and report any irregularities that they notice to the mess squad, and allow them to take it from there. He added that he would like to see the mess squad operating as a self-responsible unit, capable of organizing periodic inspections of the messes to ensure quality and hygiene. On a last thought, it is noteworthy that the mess squad will be a common body, responsible for the adequate functioning of all the messes. While finer details such as the strength and composition of the team are not clear yet, the question of its effectiveness over such a wide spread of locations is one that initially springs to the mind. Only time will tell, but for now, one does have to give credit where it is due for atleast making an attempt to improve conditions as opposed to say, none at all.

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2. AITA/WHEAT 3. :MAIDA 4. SALT S. BUITE.R. 6. JA.\.1 7. OIL 8. ICECREA.M 9. 1fil.K 10. TEA 11. COFFEE 12 . .KETCHUP 13. GHEE 14. PICKLE 15.BREAD 16.CHIPS 17. D.U

18. PA.PAD 19. Curd 20.Clucken

Brand Permitted to be used for CookiM: Par boiled rice - Tamil Nadu Pon.ni Kerala - Palakkadan Marta Double Horse or Pa\'lZbam Aashirvad" Pillsbury/ _4.nnapuma R.ockfortJ Naga Tata i Anna Puma/ :,1 arure F� Kristal for all purposes Amul/ Aavin

Kissa.n / F111toman Sundrop, Nature Fresh. Godrej. saffola, Gold winner, Mr. Gold, Ri�� b1.m oil, Kera F � Coconut Oil .A.run/ .�ul! Kwahtv walk (in dufe.rem flavours) kwin. nu1k alone should be used for all purposes (higher &t content)

Brook Bond, Lipton, Tara, Chakra Gold. Nescafe/ Bau•' Green label �·faerif Kissan A.a.,rin J>m,af Mothers t'Ruch.i/ Sakthi/ A.acb.i.•uswnt Any Standard Brand Potato Good quality. clean, fresh and stone/ dust free any standard brand urge size Aa·,'lll. milk (3%fat undilured milk) Suzuaa . vendro1>. iodrei

To reach out to the writer, contact abineshacmopgmail.com or discuss more with the editorial staff at feedsnitt@gmail.com.

SOCIAL INITIATIVES Student activities have grown exponentially over the course of the past few years, and concurrently so has the recognition for the need to give back to society. For some of us, this recognition only impotently fades from a wistful thought into an unaccomplished regret as time passes. However, there has also been a stark increase in successful social initiatives all over. The student body has become more pro-active in the cause, and is joined by the Institute on this behalf. NIT Trichy has publicly held the belief that technical excellence sans social responsibility is no good. Bearing that in mind, the Institute has given utmost importance to social responsibility through clubs, fests and various initiatives throughout the year, and has even received recognition for the same, in the form of distinguished awards like the Best Institution in the Country for excellence in CSR presented by FICCI. Even older initiatives like the Campus Development Committee (CDC) have been given a new lease of life under the then new Director. Many clubs, like LEAP, have several green schemes implemented and organizations do their part too, like HUMANITTY that annually coordinates the Joy of Giving Week. An unofficial digital newsletter, the NIT Trichy Chronicle, has also associated itself with social responsibility actions like a 'Clean NIT Movement'. The PG students founded the Pupil for Pupil Committee (PPC) whose main aim is to help poor and needy children get access to educational materials. An integral part of every fest in the college, the Social Responsibility Teams work tirelessly throughout the year to give back to society and to wisely manage the consequential impact of the fests.

FE STE MB ER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Festember Social Responsibility, the social wing of NIT Trichy's cultural fest, Festember, has played a key role in the inculcating a sense of social responsibility among the student populace. What initially started off as a social initiative by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) of our college, has transformed into FSR - a social wing that since its inception in 2012, has held a vast number of number of unique events both inside campus and beyond the walls of NIT Trichy. Comprising solely of student volunteers, Festember Social Responsibility has transcended beyond the conventional activities of a cultural festival, and has added a new dimension to Festember. A few of the events organized by FSR are: Gold Dustbin: Gold Dustbin is the flagship event of FSR that is held in the even semester of every academic year. Student volunteers collect unwanted items from students staying in hostels, and after segregation, these items are sold. The proceedings collected from the event are given to The Synthika Trust orphanage in Lalgudi. In 2015, old books collected from the event were used to set up a library at REC School. Channeled Clarity towards Charity (CCC): This event was held 2013 as well as 2015. In 2013, the event was held in Bishop Heber School, where 200 students from various schools in Trichy participated in a number of competitions, giving them a platform to hone their budding talents. The proceedings from the event were donated to the Kangaroo Trust. In 2015, in what was a massive leap for FSR, CCC was held as an outreach event in PSG Sarvajana Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. The event saw participation from over 400 students in various competitions such as Paper Presentation, Mock Parliament, Painting, Ads-ap, and so on. Vatsalya: Vatsalya, an out-of-the-box event held in 2014, was aimed at bringing together children from the orphanage and the elderly from the old age home of Annai Ashram, Trichy. The fun-filled day saw story-telling sessions by the elderly women, dance performances by the young children, and a rangoli competition. The event ended with a cake cutting celebrating the 60th anniversary of Annai Ashram. Pages - The event was held in 2015 and led to the establishment of a library in REC School. The books were collected from Gold Dustbin, as well as from faculty member of the campus. The event, aimed at being a long term initiative, was inaugurated by the Director of NIT Trichy, DR. Srinivasan Sundararajan.

PRAG YAN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Pragyan Social Responsibility (PSR) initiative, created with inspiration from the corporate social responsibility programs instituted by many companies to contribute towards the empowerment of the local communities around them, has played a critical role in improving the image of the institute as well as the fest. The main objective of PSR is to help empower communities surrounding NIT- in short give back to the society we derive so much inspiration from. The PSR team has around 20 inductees, along with volunteers from SPIRIT-ed, LEAP and Apekshaa. Pragyan'l2 saw three schools around NIT receive aid namely REC middle school, one in Ayyampati and one in Valavandhankottai. Various activities were organized including motivational talks aimed at helping students overcome restraints placed on them, sessions helping economically backward students understand that monetary shackles are no reason to not dream big and videos explaining basics of English and Science. Schneider agreed to provide solar powered lamps to villages in dire need of essential amenities and those students who lack financial support were given funding under the Pragyan banner for education in polytechnics. Pragyan'l4 was more successful on this front. PSR recruited people from other clubs to join in and educate students in Ilth and 12th grade about future opportunities in various fields. PSR also raised an online campaign through Wishberry, a crowd funding website, collecting an amount of 75,000 INR to meet school requirements.

"Better safe than sorry. With several lives lost due to rash driving and ignorance, it is evident that a few simple safety measures can save a number of lives': Last year, Pragyan Social Responsibility took an initiative aimed at instilling road safety consciousness among the road users. Necessity to wear helmets and seatbelts were felt through distribution of cards, and smiles with care for their safety. Also, REC middle school students received a demonstration on how to operate MS office as part of PSR's social responsibility wing. Throughout the years, numerous activities and initiatives have been put forth by this team, some of them immensely successful and some of them, not so much but the final goal of giving back to the society, providing them help and guidance for a better environment, thereby a better nation is in close sight. .

HUMANITTV It is a Social Responsibility organization that was started in 12 September 2014, focused on bringing together all the social responsibility clubs of NIT Trichy. It serves as an umbrella organization that coordinates social responsibility events around the year. Their mission (as read on their Facebook page) is "Spreading Joy - with NIT, Trichy's touch!" Their first event, entitled "HumaNITTy'l4", took place in the second week of October, 2014. As part of the week-long celebrations, some 200 children from orphanages and ashrams from in and around Trichy were treated as guests for the celebrations of 'HumaNITTy' for the entire day. That year saw the distribution of new clothes to the needy as opposed to old ones, which was the norm up to a year ago. Toe second edition of HumaNITTy, "HumaNITiy'I5", took place in the first week of October 2015. It started out with the 'Gala for Kids' event that had also taken place the previous year. This was followed visits to the REC middle school, Karunai Illam Old Age Home for Men, and Anbagam Ashram, where members of HumaNITTy handed out educational accessories, laboratory equipment, sports items, stationery items, school bags, plates, clothes, and other necessities. Apart from their usual event that takes place every year, HumaNITTy was also involved in the flood relief operations during December 2015, when the floods became uncontrollable, displacing a lot of people from their homes, and harming many more. Their work during this crisis is highly commendable.

UHHAT BMARAT ABMIVAH Envisioning the nation's development, a seed - the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan - was sown to transform and develop the rural sector of India. Launched by the MHRD in 2014, the scheme connects government institutes such as IITs and NITs with villages that benefit from them. Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, institutes take local villages under their wing, study their problems, and work towards providing solutions. The main objective is to build an inclusive India. The institutes and villages will mutually benefit from this programme. Projects undertaken to solve the woes of the villagers would return meaningful inferences. Simultaneously, the villages also improve due to these efforts.

NIT Trichy's Three Villages Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, members of Pragyan decided to undertake an in-depth study of the problems faced by the villages- Solvanpatty, Kothampatty, Nodiyur - in the Kandharavkottai taluk of Pudhukottai district. Assisting them in their efforts were workers from Kovai Farms, an establishment located near the villages. Over the course of their analysis, they discovered severe shortcomings faced by them, the biggest being an abject lack of drinking water. Many of the villagers are forced into a makeshift lifestyle, commuting long distances on foot to work jobs in the city. In such a situation, basic education and food access have become the earliest casualties, with health and sanitation following. The three villages adopted by the college represent true real-world systems, and it is up to the students to solve the issues plaguing them.

NITTFEST SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Yet another festival in NIT-T joined the social responsibility initiative; NITTfest, for the first time in 25 years, started NSRNITTfest Social Responsibility this year. NSR aimed to tackle social issues and promote the wellbeing of the society which surrounds the college campus. In an attempt to in� participation and interest for NSR's activities, NI'ITfest decided to make NSR a 'zero-points event' where r�tatives from all departments participate in social causes. This would not only encourage the spirit of healthy competition, but also benefit the society.The 1st edition of NSR kicked off in the month of March where representatives of all ��ents went to the NIT-T school and conducted an art competition. The best artworks would be displayed as an exhibition in the 4 days of NITTfest. This gave school students incentive to participate in large numbers where their artwork was ultimately displayed during NITrfest. �uture editions of NITTfest would see NSR expand it's functioning to outside the college and become bigger and more

impactful than ever.

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AWARDS & DIGNITARlďż˝S NIT-Trichy has always been high up on the scale for students who wished to pursue engineering. With the continued excellence of its students, it was only a given that the campus would be recognized for it. Over the past few years, notable dignitaries have graced events and inaugurations in the college. Besides that, several awards were bestowed upon the institution as well. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, a close friend of the director, Dr Sunderrajan, visited the campus on 26th February 2014. The late scientist and former president was to speak on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the college. Full of vigour and seemingly-relentless energy, Dr Kalam spoke eloquently on the Power of Youth. The past history between the director and Dr Kalam was evident on the stage, as the dynamic duo chatted warmly post-Kalam's speech. Notably, this was Dr Kalam's second visit to NITT in an official capacity. He had visited the campus seven years earlier, in 2007, to inaugurate the present Barn Hall. About a month prior to the late scientist's visit, the institute was visited by one of its great sons. N Chandrasekar, the erstwhile CEO of India's largest IT services exporter, TCS visited the campus on the 3rd of February. An enthusiastic gentleman with a knack for making sma.rt decisions, Mr Chandrasekar wholeheartedly jumped into the task of interacting with the students. He conceded jovially that the attention span of a student may not exceed much more than a few minutes. And to prove it, he spoke only for ten minutes about his work and the impact that he hoped to create through that. Upon ending his speech, he turned over the mike to the organizers and spent the better part of the next hour listening to the students and answering their queries. But Dr Sunderrajan wasn't the only one who was capable of pulling in high-profile guests. The Young Indians initiative, led by an alumnus of NITT, with the assistance of Pra.gyan organized an interactive session for the students with the Union Minister for Civil Aviation. The event occurred at the Barn on the evening of January 8 2015.

Aside from talking to students, the minster also inaugurated the new DoMs block. Additionally, the college exchanged MoUs with industries and educational institutes, and formalized the adoption of three villages. NIT Trichy has signed MoUs with the Center for Land Warfare Studies (CLaWS), D'Gipro Systems Private Limited (DSPL), The National Research Centre for Banana and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) respectively. CLaWS and D'Gipro, based in New Delhi, will offer short-term certified programmes dealing with defence acquisition and technology-utilization management. The second MoU involves the National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli. The institute, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will provide students with access to research and learning in fields such as manufacture of precision farming tools, bio sensory equipment as well as advancements in agriculture technology. When formalities were completed, the minister, after a short address to the gathering, left the floor open for questions. Answering his call, students posed several questions to the Union Minister, ranging from the potential of the aviation industry in the future to the role of youth in aviation today. Perhaps the most high profile visit by a figure of note would have to be the visit by the Honourable President of India, Dr Pranab Mukherjee. The President consented to in presence as the chief guest on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Reunion, which saw individuals spread across five decades converge upon the campus. The President also did the honours by presenting distinguished alumni with trophies or tokens of appreciation for the good name they'd brought to their Alma Mater. The visit was memorable for numerous other reasons. It prompted an upsurge in construction projects across the college. It led to the completion of the helipad field, which was built for the express purpose of conveying the President in-and-out of the premises. Subsequently, the facility has seen usage on numerous occasions to transport high-profile guests to and from the campus.

In 2015, on the occasion of the distinguished alumnus award ceremony, the governor of Andhra Pradesh, ESL Narasimha consented to be present for the occasion as chief guest. The honourable governor felicitated the deserving alumnus of the year and spoke at length on the serious threat posed by cyberattacks. He stressed heavily on the need for developing nations to invest sufficiently in counter-threat infrastructure. That year also saw several illustrious figures visiting the campus during the orientation period. Although primarily for the benefit of acclimatizing freshmen, the card for that orientation was quite impressive. Mr. Ravi S. Candadai, an Indian who successfully joined the American Foreign Service elevated the stage with motivational discourse. Mr Candadai, who is also a brother-in-law to the director, read several excerpts from a self-help book that he had penned. Quite affable and cheery, he endeared himself to the audience by acquiescing to their demands for a selfie with him. Mr Candadai was followed a couple of days later by Mr Sudeep Nagarkar, a rising author the likes of which has never been seen before, since Chetan Bhagat. Mr Nagarkar spoke about the challenges he faced as an engineering student in college. He stressed to the freshmen in the audience of the need to trust in themselves and to never give up. Rounding off this gauntlet of speakers was the young CEO of Project Potential, Mr Zubin Sharma. A social entrepreneur who isn't afraid of getting down to the field if it helped make an impact, Mr Sharma played a series of videos and displayed pictures of the work that he was involved with. He noted that an engineer needn't make a difference in the lives of his fellow men through

his innovation alone. Sometimes, he concluded, the will of a person to do good should come before his ambition. For vigilance awareness week, which was held from 26th to 31st of October, the college observed the occasion by organizing a series of events, including a joint pledge to be taken by students and faculty alike to combat the evils of corruption. Present as chief guest for the inaugural function was a famous IPS Officer, who was in the Special Task Force responsible for the encounter of Veerappan. The Valedictory function was presided over by the famous retired IAS officer Deva Sahayam, an expert in the anti-corruption movement. Recognition has poured in as well, in terms of the silverware won by the college. In 2015, CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) felicitated the institution with the "Best Industry-linked National Institute of Technology in India" award. It was also awarded by Ernest & Young, the FICCI HIGHER EDUCATION EXCELLENCE AWARD for Social Excellence. Two years prior to that, the Madras Management association had presented the institute with a "Managerial Excellence Award" in the educational institutions category. The awards in turn, are reflected in the surge the institution is making in the rankings. In 2015, the Architecture department of NITT was declared to be one of the nation's best. It scored highly in terms of quality of education and infrastructure. Additionally, in that very same academic year, the architecture department successfully captured two trophies at the Annual NASA Convention held in GCPIA, Surat

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Feeds is the official monthly magazine of NIT Trichy. Conceptualized and initiated by students of 2012 batch, it is completely funded by the institution and free of cost. Send your feedback to feedsnitt@gmail.com. To read online visit: www.issuu.com/feeds.nitt