May 2021

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Editorial

Tejasvi Chebrolu, Jaidev Shriram

Welcome to the May 2021 issue of Ping!, the third one to come out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first pandemic release was during a much simpler time – when home quarantine could naively be confused for an impromptu holiday. The period around the second issue saw students coming to grips with the isolation of homestay, the monotony of the every day, and our psyche during the lockdown. The cover of that August issue echoed that sentiment partially – a sense of being trapped in one’s head, forced to reflect and reevaluate parts of social life otherwise taken for granted. This magazine echoes a different sentiment – one that’s more outward-looking – a fight for normalcy obstructed by a relentless pandemic, which is captured in the cover design by Pratyay Suvarnapathaki. Read more…

Origin of CND

Pahulpreet Singh

It has been over ten years since the emergence of the Computational Natural Sciences Dual Degree program, commonly referred to as the CND program. This program’s nature is not known to many, especially outside of IIIT-H, due to this program’s distinctiveness, with few counterparts in other Indian colleges. The unique nature of this program raises the question of its genesis. Read more…

Plagiariser’s Dilemma: Why Should YOU Care?

Mayank Goel

18th Century England had a legal system that was stretched thin and could barely keep up with the list of offences it had. A way to deal with this problem was the arbitrary threat of being punished, that is, a person convicted, even for an offence such as pickpocketing, was executed. The idea was that the randomness and the severe penalty would act as a deterrent. Dealing with Plagiarism in IIIT is somewhat similar, except the penalties aren’t as severe. Read more…

Parliament Perception

Shivansh Subramanian

For the most part, IIIT-H is a fairly student-friendly college. About 250-300 people per batch make the faculty-student ratio suitable, enabling communication between them. To facilitate better representation of students and their issues, the only point of contact between the Faculty, the Administration and the Students is the Student Parliament. It is a democratic body that represents students regarding all the problems they face. Hence, it ensures that every student has an equal voice. However, the problem with the idea is that the Parliament’s power to make any impactful change is not enough. Read more…

Math @ IIIT

Abhinav Menon, Bharathi Ramana Joshi

Maths is widely acknowledged to be of central importance in research in any field, but at first glance, the expected variety in maths courses is conspicuous by its absence in IIIT. This article takes a deeper look at the situation, first comparing the maths requirements at IIIT with those at other colleges and universities, and then detailing the various opportunities the IIIT student has for pursuing maths (academically or otherwise). We then discuss what can be done to improve the situation (to the extent that improvement is needed). Read more…

What If Online Classes Were The Norm

Abhinav Menon

He was chilling with his parents and brother in the living room. But something was different – something felt weird. The walls were still blue, the floor still white, the sofa still leather…so what had changed? The portrait of Charles Babbage on the wall? No, that was still there. Wait…it was different. Duller. Less – well, sparkly, sort of. It looked like it had been made on cloth or paper or one of those rare things. It definitely wasn’t electronic, like it used to be. Read more…

Sheets to Lull To

Pratyaksh Gautam

Music spawns countless genres, with new ones popping up by the dozens every few years. Among the genres to come to prominence in the last few years, lo-fi stands out as one of the more “un-interesting” ones. It isn’t bizarre, avant-garde, nor is it dominating the top 40. It doesn’t have any artists who constantly make headlines for their fashion or relationships. Read more…

Hotel California

Abhinav Gupta

Arguably one of the greatest Rock n’ Roll songs of all time, Hotel California has left a legacy in the world of music that is truly unparalleled. The song has become a cult classic, played over numerous rock stations to this day. It has consistently shown up in cinema, is frequently mentioned in pop culture and has been countlessly covered by musicians all around the world. Read more…

Why Top Gear Currently Sucks

Abhigyan Ghosh

A magazine as well as a TV show, we are talking about the TV show only here. Top Gear has been one of the most commercially successful programmes of the BBC since its relaunch. It has become a significant show in British popular culture, with episodes also broadcast internationally in many countries in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and more, making it the most widely broadcast factual television programme in the world. Its success has led to various forms of merchandising, including live tours, special DVD editions and books, as well as spawning a variety of international versions in various countries, including the United States, Australia, South Korea, China and France. Read more…

Blood Isn’t Always Thicker Than Water

Harshwardhan Prasad

Almost everyone uses “blood is thicker than water” to justify choosing family bonds over the bonds we have made. However, the actual quote is – 
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
The original meaning of the phrase is that bloodshed on the battlefield creates a stronger bond between soldiers than simple familial or genetic ties. In principle, it reflects that the bonds you choose for yourself can mean much more than the ones you are born with.  Read more…