The printed version of the newsletter looks awesome. But the hardwork that went into its production is something that Navneeth and I discovered. 

TCS was coming the next day and we had decided that hardcopies of the newsletter would be placed on HR tables along with the newspapers. None of the newsletter team was on hand and only Navneeth and I battled it out. Lucky joined us in the last few hours.

We met at two in the afternoon on a Sunday, ready for the task. Navneeth and I learnt the nitty gritty of the new printer - the eleven items that had to be checked before the print order could be given. I'm glad we wasted just about three to four sheets in trial. We had to take prints on A3 sheets, get the odd pages on the left and the even pages on the right side of the sheets. We made out pages for 10 booklets each, a total of 900 odd pages. They had to be arranged in page order and then taken to the binders. It was seven when we finished the task and then Navneeth went to the binders and got it done. 

It was with great pride that the two of us saw the two booklets - handsome, charming and just the best newsletter anywhere in the world. To our delight, two of the HRs asked to take back the newsletters. Loathe as we were to let go of the two copies, we couldn't but grin in pride. A week later, I watched again with gladness, as the Commissioner of DOTE, requested for the copy and took it along with him. 

Navneeth, I knew, but now reconfirmed my faith that he is going to be one of the best recruits for any company. Painstaking, perfect to the last detail, ready to innovate, dream and visualise and work towards what he visualises - this boy is among the best on the team of students editors. I wonder if there's any one who can take his place in the team.

Once again, as the annual edition is getting ready, I am sure that none of this would've been possible, or possible, but at great expense ( printing outside was estimated at around Rs.50,000/ and we spent just a ream of A3 sheets, spent  ink in the colour printer and a whole Sunday afternoon, but what the heck, all in a day's work!), without the Principal's encouragement.
 

More than anything else, I felt, students are having a good experience collecting information and writing and learning how to bring out a newsletter. There's even a workshop on 'Adobe Photoshop'  to be given by Navneeth.

Saw two beautiful gently U shaped tables in the corridor and found that they were the GD tables for placement. They have been crafted from steel frames from condemned tables and benches and topped with compressed sheets by artisans from the Mechanical Department at the instance of their HOD, who also happens to be the Principal. 

Student co-ordinators were deliriously happy with the help they were getting. They are so happy that the facilities being offered to HRs do not just include shabby tables covered with some sheets, classrooms converted to panel rooms and running around for systems and rooms. Almost everything is being utilised at the Digital Library, where the interview panel rooms, conference hall and GD tables are set. This kind of centralised arrangement makes a student co-ordinator's life less miserable.

The navy blue blazers have also given our students a makeover; they look so smart, but better than all the enhanced physical appearance, what I find is that the blazers make everyone 'first among equals'. There is no difference between the students, there is a kind of equality imparted to them that gives them an edge when appearing before a panel. I love what the blazers have done to their self esteem. Once again, the initiative taken by the Principal, at the request of the student co-ordinators headed by Uday, speaks of a student-centric approach adopted by the head of the institution. 

Recruitment fever is catching up with the senior classes and one hopes to see more smiles than ever this time. 

TCS has taken in 108 out of the 165 shortlisted. 

What an exciting time this has been, since I got to see the whole process from the ring-side seat. 

I saw with pride the manner in which students rallied to create the resources needed - the online preparation in the Digital Library, the creation of five panel rooms there, the arrangement for 15 panel rooms in the ECE department, the waiting halls, the PCs and printer connected to the Net, the catering arrangements, the hundreds of calls between the Student Co-ordinators as the Guest House and the Auditorium were prepared and the sustained energy of the students as through a long day on their feet, they happily served  every need of the HRs.

There are some things which linger on in my mind - the jet speed at which the Principal  took decisions to fulfill every demand of the student co-ordinators, right from the blazers which they wanted to the printer to the  stationery and catering items to the whitewashing and decoration of the auditorium. Everything they asked for, short of the moon, was granted. Students glowed with happiness and gratitude for this Principal, who I believe has become a Super Hero to the final year student co-ordinators. 

I had immense fun co-ordinating the organisation for the day with the students, especially choosing the menu for the snacks. We literally smothered the overworked, tired and hardworking HRs with deligtful eats. 

The volunteers were of commendable quality. The third year student volunteers in their blue blazers worked like ants through the day, standing sentinel at Panel rooms, serving and waiting on the candidates. About twenty students stood their ground through the whole day. There were others who worked unseen, ensuring the smoothness of the arrangements.  Arpitha, Ansen, Shankar  and Barani were exceptional in their service. These are children who are going to be assets to the organisations as managers. Student co-ordinators won my heart over with their team work and cheerful crusade for the entire student body. Uday, Prakash, Mani and Prashanth spent sleepless nights and co-ordinated the whole show with the spirit of leadership that one finds in older and wiser people. I learnt my lessons in patience and ambassadorship from them. 

GCEians are truly made of the stuff that leaders are made of.

Following an invitation from my artist friend, Prashanth from the GCE Newsletter team, I attended the inaugural function of the Painters and Photographers Club of GCE. 

The palette template looked beautiful and I was quite surprised to see a good crowd of student artists - girls and boys , there. It was a crowd of people who were regulars and who attended meetings unfailingly.

The Principal presented a talk that showed the evolving relationship between painting, photography and technology, by drawing examples from the tinsel world, the famous artists of the yesteryears and the use of technology to immortalise their work for the world. Professor Rajkumar pointed out that the thirst for creativity should never be stifled, but be nurtured. It was the song of the soul, he said. I pointed out how artists see things differently and how for engineers, the outbursts of creativity give colour to life. I invited them to contribute to the GCE newsletter. 

Then followed an excellent exercise to initiate the activities of the club. A situation was given and the gathering was asked to draw pictures of it. That was a stimulating experience. It's not a surprise that art stimulates and makes one feel more alive than ever before. 

What a Teachers' Day celebration it was, at the Department of English. 

In the afternoon, there was a slow trickle of the newsletter team into the department for a chat and the late afternoon flew away in happy chatter and plans for the future of the newsletter and the students. Uday, Prashant and Gopi shared their future plans. Prashant wants an easy life, full of fun and joy - he opts for a teaching career with an MS and  a doctrate from a foreign university. Uday is game for all opportunities, and is preparing for GRE, the Defence and the core companies. Gopi is 100% sure that it's going to be GATE and an IIT P.G. course. 

We were getting ready to leave when Navneeth who had been grinning like a Cheshire cat walked in and invited us - Ms.Majidha, Mr. Prasath and me outside. There sat a big fat cake with the most beautiful, glistening creamy cover,  ready for the cutting. Candles were lit and glowed gently. The wish for the prosperity and success of the students was made and the cake cut with much noise and fanfare. Eating the cake was only a part of it, as the rest of the cake was smeared on faces. Poor Lucky who tried to escape it all by running away from the scene ended with torn slippers and broken glasses.

The love and affection that one receives on these days is a gentle reminder to us that the teacher's bond with students just does not end in the class. It goes beyond text books, assignments and tests. It is that acceptance of one another and respect for one another that makes it easy for us to reach out in joy and affection. My heart goes to these children who with their gesture show us that teachers become more than teachers - they become an extended family.

God bless us all.

Did I mention how the alumni had their annual get together recently.
They seemed to have had a blast at the get together. Jinu and Arpitha, two volunteers were full of wonder about how really senior alumni became child like and pranced, danced, screamed and hit one another with the enthusiasm of teenagers. Around 150 students had turned up with their families, spent a day at Yercuad and then spent a day at their alma mater's, taking their children to the classes they had attended (and not attended? :) ) 
It's indeed a special moment when all those memories come flooding back and one feels young at heart, once more. GCE is always yours, dear alumni. 

GCE Salem has been selected by AICTE to be a QIP centre, enabling 6 research scholars to register with Civil, Mechanical and EEE departments.

The application for this was made in a matter of two days by the Principal and it feels good to know that we have been considered good enough to be a QIP centre. 

Another step forward in encouraging and improving the climate of research in the institution.

Aktis has recruited 6 of our students. Wow...is that fantastic news or what! 

Last year, it was 4. I'm very happy for the 6 kids selected. They must be crazily happy. Well, they've kickstarted the drives and we shall now look forward to the other companies with confidence and good preparation. 

What's more is that, the HRs remarked that the communication skills of the students has improved by leaps and bounds. If that doesn't make me happy, what else can?

I believe that all the efforts,  taken by the students, the Principal and the Placement Cell, to prepare for what I call the 'Season of Success and Happiness',  are worth the trouble and pain. 

Congrats to Uday and his team of Mechlions. They must, at this moment, remember that Dr.Jayadev had helped them streamline the process and given them all that they wanted. I hope the boys and girls live up to the faith, prepare well for all companies and prove the mettle and calibre of the institution. 

Kudos, to the children.  

Things are happening at whirlwind speed and I'm finding it difficult to keep pace with the developments and happenings. 

First things first - Aktis, visited the campus and we are sure that atleast four students will be selected, if not more. 

This time, campus recruitment is all centralised in the Digital Library. Six partitioned panel rooms for group discussions and interviews, the conference hall for pre-placement talks, the computer centre available for online tests - Uday, the student co-ordinator's unstinted efforts to offer the best facilities to companies has borne fruit. The guest house furnishings too have been given a makeover and Uday tells me that everything's sparkling clean, thanks to the hard work of the students. The Principal, Dr.P.K.Jayadev has offered students all help to improve facilities so that no HR has cause for complaint and his appreciative encouragement of student co-ordinators to make sure that we are in no way inferior to private colleges in infrastructural facilities for placement must be lauded. This will have a long term impact on enhancing the brand image of the college. 

Now, on to the last two weeks. 

Dr.RSD Wahida Banu organised a meet with an advocate, Ms.Sumathy, to talk to the women working in the institution. The advocate was a good speaker, who impressed all with her direct and frank talk. She also addressed the students. The effort to empower women with the feeling that law is always helpful and benevolent to women was much appreciated. 

Freshers came to classes on Wednesday. They were happy to get acquainted with the instituion and the buildings. Orientation programmes were organised to familiarise them with the facilities and the curriculum by the department heads. 

Senior students addressed them on the best ways to become the best student - the tips and strategies to enhance their learning - what technical skills would be expected of them at the end of the final year, the importance of autonomy in their academic work, the need for acquiring confidence and communication skills. 

The first year students have had the best reception they could ever have hoped for, I feel. Their admission was smooth and fast, the post admission meet with parents short and crisp, the orientation programme , helpful. 

And, now, I'm ready to scream from the rooftops and declare to the whole wide world - Department of English has had its first ever net connection made in the Language Lab. Now, internet resources for language learning can be offered to our students. I can't stop smiling in joy and grinning. I feel like the Cheshire cat in Alice's Tales. Thanks to Dr.Jayadev. God bless him.

Revive 11.0, the intra-departmental symposium in the Computer Science Department got off to a rousing start. I was impressed by the solemnity with which the final year students organised the show. The intention is to encourage students of second and third year to explore their technical skills and to hone their research skills with paper presentations. Prof. A.M.Kalpana addressed them and exhorted them to surpass the records set by the previous year students in academic and placement rankings. I've always enjoyed a rapport with the Computer Science students and as always, I don't doubt their ability to excel at whatever they do. 

Wow...that was quite a lot of things to put down in a small blog page.

 

What makes the first day at college so remarkable? I think it's the feeling of pride that a parent experiences, the thrill of anticipation that the fresher goes through, the pre- admission fever that grips all in the campus and culminates so satisfyingly on the first day - these are the most memorable things happening on the first day at college. 

Emotions run high...parents are anxious to rush through the admission at one go, no one wants to wait and it's almost as if parents are ready to throw the gauntlet down and retreat. This year however, the admission was at its smoothest. Daring to break traditions, the Principal asked the departments to take over the certificate verification, the fees to be paid in the office and the hostel admission fees to be made in the D1 hall. Outside the principal's chamber, a line of chair against the wall, made the wait a lot more comfortable than having to lean against walls in serpentine queues. 

The evening meet was well attended, since the admissions were over by 4.30 p.m and the meeting lasted just an hour and a half. Speeches by the HODs were possessed of the spirit of brevity and that made listening to talks a pleasure. 

What  I love most about the day, is that it's not just a day for the youngster...it's one for the whole family. There were beaming grandparents, proud parents and well wishers, grim faced parents worried about the fees, scholarships that can take their burden off their shoulders, happy youngsters enjoying the sights, sounds and experiences on their first day out...

Aaahh...my belief and trust in the system of government colleges that aids and encourages literacy and education for even those from the lowest rungs of society, if only they have the will to achieve, is strengthened as in every year.

 

Rather busy days, both at college and at home. 
The second volume of the GCE newsletter has been published and is well received. A lot of effort went into its  production and all credit goes to the team that put its heart and soul into its production. Efforts are on to bring out hard copies to present to HRs who visit the institution, UGC and AICTE expert panel members and to the Commissioner, so that the achievements, big and small, are highlighted.
Tomorrow, the first year students are being admitted. The Principal is making all efforts to make it a smooth one by facilitating their admission in the departments. Lunch is being offered to the first year students and their parents. I must say the lunch served on these days is piping hot, fantastic and much appreciated by parents. I'm told by students that this lunch is similar to their everyday lunch and if so, I think that's wonderful. 
That reminds me, the chappathi being served in the girl's hostel came under the Principal's scanner when he went on a surprise visit. He has advised the cooks to prepare better ones. It's rather sad that the best efforts of the management and authorities in providing chappathi makers, the best dough available in the market and the best brand of dalda are not complemented by the chefs at the grassroot level. Their noodles, bread, butter and jam, dosas and biriyani are appreciated, however.

Word's spreading about the NASSCOM test to be madatorily taken by those aspiring for jobs in TCS, Wipro, CTS, Infosys, HCL etc. I do hope the kids start their preparation earlier to have a headstart.
Looks like reading comprehension is going to be given a lot of importance in the verbal section. Maybe it's time for me to think of making atleast 10-15 GRE/IELTS/TOEFL reading passages compulsory in the third year CSL lab, next semester. 
It's that time of the year when placement looms large in the horizon...student placement co-ordinators want to invite the company that will recruit large numbers in the first slot given to it, instead of promises, disappointments and heart burns, when even the best students are not recognised in the flurry of the one day,one stop recruitment processes followed. 
I feel if the NASSCOM tests are successful, students will call the shots, instead of the companies. But, for that to happen, students will have to prove their calibre and mettle in all aspects.
Also, we have not yet learnt the art of advertising the skills of our students...we take things in a very simple, unhyped fashion, when sometimes 'simplicity' is mistaken for 'simplistic'.
Give the kids a break. 
As a post script, I should add, Prof.Jayadev, I heard, has assured the student placement co-ordinators of all possible help in  the smooth conduct of the placement drive. He has asked students to make sure that there were no complaints about shoddy hospitality on any account and to go that extra mile to ensure comfort and pleasantness of ambience in hosting the companies. He has urged students to start their preparation in earnestness to get the best job offers. Student co-ordinators are all smiles and full of hope.

Google throws the most surprising features at me. This morning I was taking a survey on the use of Multimedia in the classroom and on submission, I was informed that it was a Google Doc and that I could design my own survey. So, here's a questionnaire  that I've designed for my third year students in an effort to survey  how students have improved their language skills in their first three years at college.

Please find the questionnaire at the following link. Feel free to take the survey and check your responses too.

Professor Jayadev, Principal-in-charge visited the department and was shocked to see the pathetic state of the lounge adjoining the rooms -around sixty  broken chairs, tonnes of garbage, cardboard boxes filled with papers and empty covers, badly damaged ancient printers and roller printers, rusty towel hangers, magazines, 70s calendars, partition boards, broken  notice boards, albums and hundreds of other nick-knacks strewn all over, with just a narrow walking space to reach the rooms. 

What surprised me pleasantly was that, he immediately rolled up his shirt sleeves and got his department students to remove chairs to his workshop to fix them and make them usable and distribute them  to the departments  and called up the Admin ministerial staff to find out what, of the papers, was important and not. Within an hour, everything was cleared and now, we don't have to jump over chairs and push the garbage aside to find our way to the department.

Whew...I'm glad valuable space is now available for academic purposes instead of being wasted as dump yards. And, but for the vigilant eyes of the Principal, this would've gone unnoticed, as it had, for the past five years. However, it is sad, that the sanitation staff do not take their work seriously and need to be prodded to do their daily work. If this is the case in a department, there is no wonder that the first year students always complain of untidy and unswept classrooms. 

Pro-active heads, who take quick and practical actions, are not afraid to take risks and are  ready to lead by example are needed to get the wheels rolling. In his stint at office, Prof.Jayadev has initiated a number of measures to allocate rooms for the first years; he has asked each department head to specify what they need for the department. He is accessible to students, goes on rounds and is in touch with the ground reality at the institution. 
The Office Automation Software, a valuable asset to the departments and the office, which had remained unused for the last two years, was once again given a new life, again, because the Principal realised the utility value of the software, contacted the software provider, arranged his accommodation and in a week, got it going at full strength. 

I'm really taken aback by  Principals who , heart of heart, through their long years as Professors and Heads of Departments, cherish a desire to transform and usher in changes for the better, for the institution. Maybe, that's how an institution keeps growing, when changes are for the good. 

One already knew that technology was the new buzz word in the campus...but, to have a training programme for about ten days using the video conferencing facility? I would say, 'Way to go, GCE!'

An ISTE sponsored FDP by MHRD delivers lectures and expert talks by IIT, Mumbai professors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Distances have shortened and learners have experts at their doorstep. 

I'm amazed, but wonder, how does it feel to deliver a talk to a camera? In the MIT free courseware materials, lectures are delivered in classes with students which is recorded. Here,  I think it  is easy to relate to the teacher. 

At VIT, at the International Conference on 'Teacher Development' that I was attending last week,  we had four video conferences, with experts from Canada, USA and UK talking to the audience from the comforts of their home or room. With the facility to offer their PPTs too alongside, it was indeed a refreshing experience. Punctuality is the watchword, because they start and end on the dot. 

I should stop eulogising all this, because I only look like a techno-moron all the time, ha...ha...ha.

I recall with fondness my days as an ordinary examiner - assessing, awarding marks, ruminating on the errors in writing, reflecting on methods to be used to improve the situation, coming up with what one believes are  brilliant methods to train students, smiling over the errant messages from students at the end of their papers, marvelling over the skill of students in masking their answers filled with 'make no sense at all' kind of words for pages on end, being engrossed in shading the miniscule circles and rectangles in the OMR sheets, etc. 

Gone is the charm, for I realised as a Chief Examiner that life is dull - one only has to assess how examiners are assessing and gently show them the direction that their assessment should take. The rest of it is filled with signing one's name endlessly...filling in details in registers, proformas, claim forms etc. Ehew...

I believed that having signed my name a thousand times would give me a saintly aura, only to realise that one loses one's sanity and any semblance of saintliness as one goes through hundreds of papers with a microscope in hand to ensure that the good ones are not denied the marks due to them and that the cat-on-the-wall kind of students get what is not due to them...if one understands what I say. :)

All said and done, this was an experience of a different kind. Showed me that I had oodles of patience and tons of adding- up- scores skills. 

Professor Srinivasan (Chemistry) is retiring on the 31st of May.He has visited every department this week, thanking everyone of his colleagues, senior and junior. 

He has been one of the best teachers I have come across in this institution. I respect him for his dedication to his profession and for the very dignified manner in which he has conducted himself all these years. 

His passion for Chemistry is reflected in his research work with his scholars. They turn out some of the best research work,  acknoweldged by the academia across the country and abroad. 

The joy he takes in teaching is to be seen - he walks with a spring in his step when he has to go to class and one often hears both pin drop silence and animated interaction in his classes. 

His role as Officer in charge of the Science Association sees him bringing out the best in the first year students. He offers them opportunities to listen to some of the best minds in the field, to organise events and competitions, to carry out project work, etc. Students adore him, both inside and outside the class.

I've seen him in his elements as a Chief Faculty Advisor - one of the best organised, methodical and perfect Chiefs possible. All records are sure to be updated and perfect under him. His compassion is also note-worthy. He has never been hesitant to ask for the rights of teachers and students under his care. 

A service of about 35 years is no mean achievement and to be a professor much loved and respected by his students is an achievement by itself.

Preparation for the Speaking Lab Exam for the first years has been keeping me busy these three days.

Tomorrow and the day after, the college is going to become one of  the most inaccessible places on earth with the District authorities taking us over. But that is another  tale...

For the first time today, I saw how technology can enthuse people and create ripples of excitement in an otherwise staid and routine life.

I happened to meet Prof.Lakshmana Perumal, the COE. He's  normally very quiet, subdued and professional . But with his new Micromax, he's turned so animated and so eager to experiment with his Nokia. He showed Prof.Anbalagan and me the new phone. 

As he explained the various features, he was truly like a little boy, so gleeful and joyous at the various applications available. His eyes shone and he was totally animated. His enthusiasm was catching.  

I'm not much of a tech freak myself, but I could see and share in the excitement, as the sky opened up before our eyes with the positions of the constellations with their names, position of planets and the moon unfolded before our eyes like magic.  It shows one the nearest gas stations, restaurants (Karuppur Punjabi Dhaba was there), the nearest ATMs, opens mails, accesses Wikiandroid, plays music, takes videos, records sounds, shows one the road maps and is all touchscreen. Oh, wow, amd  at only Rs.6000/ it seemed like the most affordable toy ever. 

But above all, it showed me that hidden inside serious academics are little boys who have not given up the simple pleasures of life, like being happy with a little thing.  


I also went to bid goodbye to the Principal, Prof.P.M.Kavimani, who is assuming charge at Chennai as Addl.Director at DOTE. I wished him well and promised him that the GCE newsletter team would keep him updated on its developments. He, in turn, came up with an exciting suggestion - setting up a Community Radio for the benefit of the students in villages nearby, the women, farmers and others who could tune in and listen to our broadcasts. I know that Anna University Chennai has an FM station since I was one of their guests giving a talk one evening. I don't know if this will become a reality, but the idea has germinated and I hope the valuable suggestion given by Prof. Kavimani will bear fruit.

The FDP is over...with a info crammed session by Dr.Shanthi Thilagam from NITK, Suratkhal. 
Dr.Chandrasekhar has accomplished a neat and well organised task. His smiling face in spite of what must've been a hectic spell of organisation must be mentioned. Some people blow their tops  or sour up when things go wrong, but his smile only remained the same. Everything went off like clockwork and I would've loved to have given a feedback, but then people might think it's an inside job, praising oneself, since I would be representing GCE. 

The past one week has been one of discovery for me. I'm attending this training programme on 'A Paradigm of Advanced Computer Networking and Soft Computing' from Monday along with 66 others from different parts of the state. 

I'll confess...I signed up, because I needed to meet AICTE norms regarding staff development, but surprisngly,  what a good week it's been.

I found some incredible teachers in the resource persons -  Dr. Thamarai Selvi from MIT, Chennai,  Dr.Vaidehi from Anna University, Chennai, Dr. Ramamoorthi, Dean/Sri Sakthi Institute of Tech and a former TPGT and GCTian, and Dr.Purushothaman, most notedly.

From Dr.TamaraiSelvi, I learnt how to be confident and passionate about education. She introduced me to Grid Computing and Cloud Computing. Her session moved fast from the evolution of Knowledge Age to Evolution of Sharing. Grid computing falls back on Service oriented Architecture for its operation, wherein companies can 'Publish', clients can 'Find and Use'. It is a collection of distributed resources connected by a network. 

She also touched on e-learning under cloud computing and invited teachers interested in it to work with her. That sounds interesting as I'm also introducing  technology in the classroom and her work sounded interesting and worth exploring. 

Her second PPT on Teaching and Learning methodology was an interesting and enthusing one. She focussed on Bloom's taxonomy and encouraged teachers to consider 'productive pedagogies' which would induce higher order thinking and listed out the strategies that we should inculcate in students : Creating, Evaluating, Analysing, Applying, Undertanding and Remembering'. I felt that this is what students should be taught in classes, not the rote learning/ shallow, surface level kind of learning that goes on now.

Dr.Vaidehi was the quintessential professor, calm, sedate, confident in the knowledge of her area, concrete and illustrative. She gave examples wwith which one could relate to the topic. She spoke on Wireless Sensor Networks. Her example when she explained why a packet should be dropped - A teacher tells everyone to pass a message : 'I want to meet Anita'. The message goes around and finally comes to the teacher herself. Now, the message must be dropped, as it may otherwise be duplicated'. Oh, how well I understood that concept.

He rexplanation of Cluster Head of sensors : A person selected as a Class representative for a semester/ A professor appointed HOD for three years and rotated after that. She explained how vineyards are monitored using WSN and how in Health Care, a patient is monitored for changes in breathing, ECG, posture, pressure, etc by video, ECG, Noise etc. Her example of Ambient Intelligent Home as the future of Wireless Infrastructure was fascinating. What was even more wonderful was that, she was heading project teams carrying out these studies. 

Dr.Ramamoorthi was full of information and knowledge gathered over his nearly 35 years of academic work. He explained how Neural networks use bio-mimetic techniques. An example he gave of Lofti Zadeh's Good Hybrid vs. Bad Hybrid was hilarious. 

Good Hybrid                                Bad Hybrid

British police                           British cuisine

German Mechanic                    German police

French cuisine                          French mechanic

Swiss Banking                          Swiss lover

Italian Lover                             Italian banker 

He said the correct components must be selected to build a good hybrid system. 

He also gave an interesting story in the course of his talk. A paper was being reviewed. The reviewer sent the following report: 'Good and original, but, what is good is not original; and, what is original is not good'. That was a light hearted  info presented with humour.

Dr.Purushothaman's session on Cryptanalysis was the stealer of the show. He presented a session that showed how encryption and decryption in the web are easy for one who knows how to do it. He presented classical techniques such as Substitution Technique, Caesar's Technique, Modification and Fabrication. The revelation that the letters of the English alphabet offered simple sets  of  26 factorials caused surprise that the English language which is the cause of heart-ache in new learners, is also the base for Cryptanalysis. English never fails to surprise me. 

There's one more session tomorrow and then the week of lectures, warming chairs, good food and cool classrooms comes to an end. 

However, my year of hard work, incessant labour and thankless jobs that I've carried out, ends on a note of hope for me, for I've learnt that my joy in learning has not diminished. I'm ready for the next academic year.