Edition 55

INDEX

6

14

24

32

38

Convocation’21

Reels of Yore

Interview: Vijay Shekhar Sharma

CAT Diaries

The Good Times

Editors’ Note

Adulthood sucks. That is the epiphany that all of you will

eventually stumble upon as you chart your course after

the sun sets on your teenage years. For all its promises of

unbridled freedom and a life sans the restraints of parental

supervision, adulthood is unarguably the most surreptitious

con ever going to be played on you. An elaborately designed,

labyrinthian subterfuge meant to engulf pestering children

and spur them into chasing their own tails with promises

of a rejuvenated existence. That is the bloated bubble of a

promise of adulthood.

When I was young, I couldn’t wait to grow up. I couldn’t wait

to go out with friends without having to grovel in front of my

parents, I couldn’t wait to buy my own coffee, and I couldn’t

wait to live alone. Contrary to my earlier beliefs, four years

of being a ‘legal’ adult have done it for me. I no longer

cherish social excursions or being able to afford my own

snacks. If anything, I try to find chunks in my adult life that

would make me feel like a kid again. Fingers covered with

crumbs of Cadbury Bytes, a plastic plate with potato chips

and a slice of pineapple cake, waking up early to watch

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: odd incidents remind me of what

it was to be a kid in the 2000s.

For many of us, the transition to adulthood didn’t happen

with an epiphany on our 18th birthdays. It happened when

we left home to move into a small room in Bawana, learnt

to live with a bunch of people we didn’t necessarily like, and

dragged ourselves to class every day (mostly) at our own

will. With each independent choice we made, adulthood

took a fierce grip over us, and we realised how much of

childhood is security, protection, affection: all the things we

aspire to earn as adults. As a kid, you get everything you

want, without having to shell out a single penny for it.

DTU Times still happens to be a child in human years, but

in the 12 years of its existence, our 40-page newsletter has

blossomed into an independent pre-teen who offers unique

insights into our university and the communities that call it

home.

Times first started out as a one-page document that

highlighted the achievements of students and faculty. But

since then, we have put on some much-needed weight. Our

expansion has been accompanied by similar growth from

our readers; a page would no longer be sufficient when we

write about our prolific students and passionate professors.

With Edition 55, we offer you this morsel of hope: a chance

to revel in the long-gone yet dreamy days of your childhood.

And to sweeten the pot, we’ll only pitch flashbacks of

the purest, sweetest memories of the reel. Nostalgia isn’t

always kind and forgiving, but most of us can recall ‘happy

memories’ as a kid. When you look into the future, you

see it objectively. But when you look into the past, you put

on your darkest pair of rose-coloured glasses. This is your

chance to once again be both carefree and in control, to

once again paint the azure sky with vivid splashes of pastels

and paints, to join hands with both your friends and foes and

gleefully twirl around in a game of kikli, to frolic about the

park pretending to be a fearsome pirate, to share a world

with flying unicorns and welcoming bears. Come join us on

this trip down memory lane and click pictures on a roll of

Kodak film, join Swaminathan on his misguided adventures,

be reprimanded for not completing your homework and put

on your sincerest façade, playfully recite ‘tipi-tipi-tap’ without

being judged, indulge in a playful round on antaraakshi,

replete with the hoarsest voices you’ve ever been subject to.

The pages that lie in front of you seek to remind you of a time

you would want to relive and revisit. We urge you to read

how we went from using the Nokia 3310 to an iPhone 13,

solve a crossword about your favourite childhood games, or

stroll through the aisles of a Scholastic Book Fair. Here is

your chance to be a child again. Take it.

Angad Sethi

Anoushka Raj

FROM THE DESK OF THE

VICE-CHANCELLOR

The scenario of professional and technical education is evolving at a rapid pace, and it gives

me great pleasure to witness the significant role Delhi Technological University has played in

this advancement. Over the years, the university has persevered through all the setbacks in its

path and achieved excellence in a variety of avenues. This is a testament to the remarkable

efforts made by all members of the DTU fraternity to propel the university to the heights of

success.

Notwithstanding the fact that progress worldwide has been forced to contend with the

harrowing pandemic, the institute has made substantial improvements in the domains of

research, innovation, collaboration and creativity. Delhi Technological University has always

worked towards expanding its horizons for the development of human potential to its greatest

degree and has likewise entrenched a visionary set of conduct for the provision of quality

education and currently acts as a platform for scientific research in multiple disciplines.

It is my cherished belief that a large part of the credit for the university’s success goes to

our accomplished student body and the events of the past few months were geared towards

celebrating their role in our journey. The Golden Pride function was a testament to the

commendable achievements of our students, and I extend my warm wishes to the gold medalists

and Ph. D. awardees of the university. The 8 th convocation was also a tremendous success as

graduates received their degrees with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Furthermore, the

induction programme for the newly admitted B.Tech. students was also delivered to acquaint

them with the university’s functioning and provide them an intelligible picture of the university’s

pedagogy.

As we approach the start of a long-awaited offline academic session, it gives me great pleasure

and satisfaction to welcome all students to the DTU campus for a novel and exciting experience.

It is my fondest hope that this new development will allow them to avail themselves of the

tremendous opportunities offered by the university for their enrichment.

I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to the DTU Times team on the publication

of yet another well-crafted issue. I hope that students will find it to be an excellent companion

as they embark on a new phase of their college journey.

Prof. Jai Prakash Saini

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 3

THE

Bulletin

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON ‘WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS AND IOT’

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, DTU organised a one week faculty development

program on “Wireless Sensor Networks and IoT”, in January, 2022. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice

Chancellor, DTU served as the patron. Prof. N S Raghava, HoD, Dept. of ECE, served as the convenor and Prof.

S. Indu, Dean, Student Welfare, DTU was the coordinator for the event. The aim of the FDP was to provide

a deep insight into the basic concepts, technologies and advancements in the field of Wireless Sensor

Networks and Internet of Things (IoT).

WORKSHOP ON “DESIGN THINKING, CRITICAL THINKING, AND INNOVATION DESIGN”

Department of Software Engineering, DTU in collaboration with DTU Innovation and Incubation Foundation

(DTU-IIF) and DTU Industrial Research & Development (DTU-IRD) organised an online workshop on “Design

Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Innovation Design” in January, 2022. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice

Chancellor, DTU served as the patron. Prof. Ruchika Malhotra, HoD, Dept. of ECE, and Prof Ashutosh Trivedi,

Dean, IRD, served as the organisers. The event had several eminent speakers like Prof. Ganesh N. Prabhu,

Professor of Strategy, IIM Bangalore and Dr. V. K. Arora, Chief Executive Officer, IGDTUW Anveshan Foundation.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON “ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES FOR

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU organised a two week faculty development program on

“Alternative Energy Sources for Sustainable Development”, in January, 2022. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble

Vice Chancellor, DTU served as the patron while Prof. S. K. Garg, HoD, Dept. of ME, served as the Chairman. The

FDP covered various topics like renewable energy, waste to energy and energy security.

TRAINING SESSION BY THE CENTRAL LIBRARY

The Central Library, DTU organised an online training session on “Journal Citation Reports” (JCR) in December,

2021. The session provided information about using JCR to understand a journal’s role within and influence

upon the global research community.

WORKSHOP ON “DEVELOPING ONLINE REPOSITORY OF IDEAS DEVELOPED

AND WAY FORWARD PLAN”

The Intellectual Property Rights Cell, IRD, DTU conducted an online workshop on “Developing Online

Repository of Ideas developed and Way Forward Plan” in November, 2021. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice

Chancellor, DTU served as the patron while Prof. A. Trivedi, Dean IRD, was the organiser. The workshop was

presided over by Mr. Chandan Kumar, RNA and Ms. Suvarna Pandey, RNA. Prof. Kapil Sharma, Coordinator, IPR

Cell and Prof. Gurjit Kaur, Co-coordinator, IPR Cell served as coordinators for the event.


WEBINAR ON NATIONAL EDUCATION DAY

Human Resource Development Centre, DTU organised a one day webinar on National Education Day in

November, 2021. Dr. Vinod Singh, Associate Director, HRDC and Prof. S. Anbukumar, Director, HRDC served as

the organisers for the event. Dr. Meenakshi Sood, Associate Professor, National Institute of Technical Teachers

Training and Research, Chandigarh and Col. B. Venkat, Director, Faculty Development Cell, All India Council

for Technical Education were the speakers at the event.

WORKSHOP ON “ROLE OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IN

GEO-METEOROLOGICAL HAZARDS RISK REDUCTION”

The Multidisciplinary Centre for Geo-Informatics, DTU organised an online workshop on “Role of Early Warning

System in Geo-Meteorological Hazards Risk Reduction” in December, 2021. Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon‘ble Vice-

Chancellor, DTU, Prof. Johannes Schweitzer, Secretary-General, International Association of Seismology and

Physics of the Earth’s Interior, Dr. Wei-Sen Li, Secretary-General, National Science and Technology Center for

Disaster Reduction, Maj. General M.K. Bindal, Executive Director, NIDM, and Prof. Mahua Mukherjee, Secretary-

General, SAADRI served as patrons. The panel consisted of many illustrious experts like Dr. Alison L. Bird,

Natural Resources, Canada, Prof. Xyoli Pérez-Campos, UNAM, Mexico and Dr. Samuele Segoni, University of

Florence, Italy. Prof. Raju Sarkar, DTU and Dr. Raju Thapa, NIDM were the coordinators of the event.

TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NEWLY RECRUITED ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Human Resource Development Centre, DTU conducted a two-day offline training program for the newly recruited

assistant professors in November, 2021. Courses on topics beneficial to the personal progression and

management of the faculty like ‘Government e-Market Place (GeM)’ and ‘New Pension Scheme’ were covered.

The program was inaugurated by Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, DTU. Training sessions were conducted

by Sh. Suraj Sharma, Sh. Vivin Ahuja and Sh. D.P. Dwivedi. Prof. I.K. Bhatt also conducted a session on

“How to Teach”, enlightening members on effective teaching methods and techniques.

Delhi Technological University, celebrated India’s

73rd Republic day on 26th January 2022. On this

occasion of high honour, the administration block was

decorated with stints of the tri-colour while the

campus was laden beautiful with more of the same

theme. The flag post in-front of the B. R. Ambedkar

Auditorium was embellished with even more

ornaments around the Republic Day theme. The event

started off with a flag hoisting ceremony by Prof. J.P.

Saini, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, DTU followed by the

national anthem.

REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS

Once the ceremony was over, there were narrations

of patriotic poetry about the heroes of India’s hard

fought battle of independence. It was followed by

a few brief speech by Prof. Madhusudhan Singh,

Registrar, DTU after which Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon’ble

Vice-Chancellor, DTU addressed the audience. He

encouraged everyone to portray the same patriotic

enthusiasm for their country everyday for the whole

year, just as they do 26th January each year. The

event closed with the audience singing the song -

Jhanda Ooncha Rahe Humara.


A Star-Studded Exhibition of Elegance:

CONVOCATION’21

What do you get when you place officials from the upper echelons of government, a self-made

billionaire, and hundreds of driven scholars and pioneering faculty in the same auditorium?

The answer: a crackling event, with rousing speeches and invigorating discussions arising from

the dais, and waves of applause meeting them midway.

The convocation of 2021, held on 24th December

2021, was a fitting farewell to a batch that found

themselves graduating in a highly unprecedented

situation. Replete with the understated elegance

and charm of the university, the convocation

emanated victory and contentment, as it took over

the campus for the day, sending scores of students

scurrying to their hotspots in pursuit of ultimate

rueful shot.

The ceremony saw Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon’ble Vice

Chancellor, Delhi Technological University, occupy

the podium and deliver the annual performance

report of the university. Magnificent as always,

the university has been steadily moving towards

its goal of being a world-class institution and

a torchbearer in academia. Enabled by its

industrious students and illustrious faculty

members, the university has pushed the envelope

on several frontiers and broken numerous records,

with Apple’s record-shattering package of ₹68

lakhs being just one of them. He lauded the

university for its unbroken stride even in the face

of such adverse circumstances. Underscoring the

need for students to adopt welfare-centric careers,

Prof. Saini urged students not to be myopic in their

goals, and to focus their energies on the larger

societal context.

DTU TIMES | December 2021 - March 2022 | 6

Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder, and CEO of

Paytm, India’s youngest billionaire, DCE Alumnus,

and arguably the pioneer of India’s start-up

frenzy, delivered an emotionally charged speech

to the audience who sat in wait for the sagacious

trinkets of advice that this prolific businessman

would deliver, and Mr. Shekhar understood the

assignment. “Money and success are ephemeral

and can’t be held as benchmarks of success; the

true benchmark is the impact you have on the

status quo”, Mr. Shekhar said. In a break from the

staged and embellished speeches of celebrities,

Mr. Shekhar pointed out the dichotomy in the

narration of his journey. “Everyone talks about my

10% glory”, he said, “but no one highlights my 90%

failure”. According to him, one’s journey should

be discussed in entirety, not just the highs, but

the complementary lows too. There is a growing

need to initiate dialogue revolving around this

pressing issue, so that budding entrepreneurs are

not misled by hollow claims of riches and fame,

when the actual voyage is arduous and painful.

He left the students with a compelling piece of

advice: to hold on to their child-like creativity and

to dream; dream for as long as they were breathing.

across the globe and urged students to emulate

that success here in India, by actively pursuing

research, both as an educational opportunity and

as a career.

A man of few words, Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy,

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and

Chairman, DRDO, celebrated the technical prowess

of the country’s defence arm, and highlighted

the fact that supremacy of the country would

have been impossible if it hadn’t been for the

contributions of the engineers and scientists of

India. As the defence wing of the country grows in

leaps and bounds, surpassing foreign expectations

with its advanced war crafts and ingenious fighting

techniques, the country, now more than ever,

needs an influx of talent and innovation, he said,

to fuel the engine that will keep us safe today and

propel us to dominance in the future.

Shri Manish Sisodia, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister

of the NCT of Delhi, shared his vision for the

future, and it was extravagant, in every sense of

the word. Surging light years ahead of the current

context, Mr. Sisodia, dreamt of a day where erudite

students from every corner of the world, would

seek admission to Delhi Technological University,

simply on the basis of its technical prowess and

proficiency. Even though it may seem far-fetched,

he said, dreams should never be restrictive;

they should be as expansive and ostentatious as

possible, for the “People who are crazy enough

to think they can change the world, are the ones

who actually end up doing so”. He even went on

to spotlight the inventions of graduate schools

The ceremony ended with the vote of thanks by

the registrar of the university, and the curtain

drew upon the final event of 2021, the Convocation

of 2021, a euphoric celebration of the past, the

present and the future, with undercurrents of

nostalgia and contentment.

DTU TIMES | December 2021 - March 2022 | 7

A starry evening, gusts of

piercing winds that would

make even the most seasoned

Delhite shudder, scholars in

their glittering attires, guests in

their most jovial bearings; the

night of 23 rd December had all

the makings of a triumphant

ceremony, a refreshing break

from the unending gloom of

the pandemic. Coupled with an

atmosphere of verdant victory

and a semi-formal ambience,

the Golden Pride Function was

the epitome of passion, glee,

and jubilation, the epicentre of thunderous applause and aplomb, serving as a fitting

comeback for the university that has had to opt for understated ceremonies this past

year.

Graced by Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education,

and the stalwarts of Delhi Technological University, Prof. Yogesh Singh, Hon’ble Vice

Chancellor, Delhi University, and Prof. Anu Singh Lather, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor,

Ambedkar University, the Golden Pride Function played host to all PhD awardees,

gold medallists, and meritorious scholars of the university. Held in the B.R. Ambedkar

Auditorium, the dais was occupied by Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, DTU,

Prof. Madhusudan Singh, Registrar, DTU, Prof. S. Indu, Dean, Student Welfare, and the

guests of the evening. Prof. Rajesh Rohilla, Head, Training & Placement Department was

the first speaker of the evening and set the tone for the event with his welcoming and

warm words. Prof. J.P. Saini, who followed him, played the ever-gracious host, thanking

his predecessors for laying the bedrock of the university’s success and vowed to sustain

this ballistic progress. Prof. Singh, then took up the podium, and made full use of his

trademark eloquence, and inspired the students to utilise their skills for the larger good

and take up causes plaguing the society at present. In keeping with the semi-formal

ambience, he also partook in light-hearted banter with Prof. Sahasrabudhe, comparing his

long, white beard to that of a learned sage, which, he said, suited his mild demeanour and

immense experience. Leaving the audience in splits, Prof. Singh gave the podium to Prof.

Sahasrabudhe, whose each word appeared to come from a perennial fountain of wisdom

and inspiration. He even reminisced and narrated a few anecdotes from his collegiate

days. Underscoring the ephemerality of university life, he urged students to make the

most of their days at college, because one day these days would fade into memories.

The guests of the night were then awarded with medals and trophies, and the teachers

felicitated with mementoes. As a fitting conclusion to the night, Prof. Madhusudan Singh

spared no chance to crack a joke, doling out one rib-tickler after another. The hall was

filled with the laughter and giggles of all present, and that is how the curtain fell, with a

beaming audience enveloped in the reverberating echoes of laughter and applause.



FACULTY NEWS AND

ACHIEVEMENTS

Awards, Honours and Conferences

Prof. S. Indu, Dean, Student Welfare

• Organiser, FDP, ‘Wireless Sensor Network and IOT’,

AICTE Training And Learning Academy, All India Council

for Technical Education

• Committee Member, Project Evaluation Committee,

Science and Engineering Research Board - Department of

Science and Technology, 2021

Prof. S.K. Singh, HoD, Dept. of Environmental Engineering

• Awardee, Hiyoshi Environmental Award-2021 for

‘Outstanding Contribution in the field of Environmental

Conservation & Protection’, Hiyoshi Corporation, Japan

Delhi Technological University

• Speaker, ‘Water Quality Degradation and its Impact on

Aquatic Environment: An Online Refresher Course on

Environment Studies’, UGC Human Resource Development

Centre, Sambalpur University, Odisha

• Speaker, ‘Redefining Quality Research and Excellence:

Refresher Course on Quality Research and Teaching

Methodology’, UGC Human Resource Development

Centre, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Dr. Kailash C. Tiwari, Prof., Dept. of Civil Engineering

• Field Work. ‘Inventory of Glacial Lake and Glacial Lake

Outburst Flood Study in Western Himalaya, Himachal

Pradesh, India Using Remote Sensing and GIS data’,

Himachal Pradesh

Prof. Dinesh K. Vishwakarma, Dept. of Information

Technology

• Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and

Systems for Video Technology

Prof. Gurjit Kaur, Dept. of Electronics and Communication

• Attendee, One-week FDP, ‘Wireless Sensor Networks and

IoT’, Delhi Technological University

• Attendee, IEEE Workshop, ‘Internet of Things (IoT): The

Future of Connectivity’, Delhi Technological University

• Attendee, Workshop, ‘Developing online Repository of

Ideas Developed and Way forward Plan’, IIMT College of

Management, Noida

• Presenter, ‘Design and Analysis of MIMO FSO System

and WDM FSO System for Leh (Ladakh)’, India under

Worst Weather Conditions’, 7 th International Conference

on Signal Processing and Communication

Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma, Dept. of Biotechnology

• Convener, ‘Training of Fish Farming’, Department of

Zoology, University of Delhi, Department of Biotechnology,

Prof. Ram Singh, Associate Dean, Student Welfare

• Attendee, International Webinar, ‘Post-COVID Challenges

and Opportunities for the Chemist’, Indian Science

Congress Association, Delhi Chapter, Department of

Chemistry, University of Delhi

Prof. Seema Singh, Dept. of Humanities

• Speaker, ‘How to Attain and Maintain Leadership

Roles’, Female Retention and Leadership in Engineering,

Committee on Women in Engineering, World Federation

of Engineering Organisations, International Network

of Women Engineers and Scientists, The Institution of

Engineering and Technology

Prof. Yasha Hasija, Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs

• Presenter, ‘Machine Learning Methods for Protein Function

Prediction’, Proceedings of International Conference on

Computational Intelligence and Emerging Power System

• Presenter, ‘Immunoinformatics Tools: A Boon in Vaccine

Development Against Covid-19’, IEEE Delhi Section

International Conference on Electrical, Electronics and

Computer Engineering

• Presenter, ‘Explainable AI; Are We There Yet?’, IEEE

Delhi Section International Conference on Electrical,

Electronics and Computer Engineering

• Presenter, ‘IoT and Big Data Inter-Relation: A Boom in

Biomedical Healthcare’, IEEE Delhi Section International

Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer

Engineering

• Presenter, ‘Artificial Intelligence Assisted Drug Research

and Development’, IEEE Delhi Section International

Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer

Engineering

• Presenter, ‘Next Generation 5G Wireless Technologies in

Healthcare’, ICT with Intelligent Applications, International

Conference on Information and Communication Technology

for Intelligent Systems, Ahmedabad

Mr. Anurag Goel, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science

and Engineering

• Attendee, Workshop, ‘AI for Computational Social

Systems ACSS 2021’, Indraprastha Institute of Information

Technology, New Delhi

• Participant, Training Program for Newly Recruited Faculty

Members, Human Resource Development Centre, Delhi

Technological University

• Presenter, ‘Clustering Friendly Dictionary Learning’,

International Conference on Neural Information

Processing

• Participant, FDP, ‘Data Science’, AICTE Training and

Learning Academy, Indian Institute of Information

Technology, Una

• Presenter, ‘Clustering Friendly Dictionary Learning’,

International Conference on Neural Information

Processing 2021, Lecture Notes in Computer Science

• Presenter, ‘Image Generation Using Deep Convolutional

Generative Adversarial Networks’, International

Conference on Advanced Network Technologies and

Intelligent Computing, 2021

Dr. Dinesh Udar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Applied Mathematics

• Attendee, 5 th International Conference on Recent Advances

in Mathematical Sciences and its Applications, Jaypee

Institute of Information Technology, Noida

Dr. Divyashikha Sethia, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Software

Engineering

• Organiser, Workshop, Federated Learning. Samsung

Innovation Campus, Delhi Technological University

• Co-chair, Workshop, ‘Networking Humanitarian

Technology for Healthcare (NetHealth)’, 14 th International

Conference on Communication Systems & Networks,

Bengaluru, India

• Presenter, ‘HRV and GSR as Viable Physiological Markers

for Mental Health Recognition’, NetHealth Workshop,

14 th IEEE International Conference on Communication

Systems & Networks, Bengaluru, India

• Presenter, ‘Measuring Human Auditory Attention with

EEG’, Workshop on Machine Intelligence in Networked

Data and Systems, 14 th IEEE International Conference on

Communication Systems & Networks, Bengaluru, India

• Presenter, ‘Short Term Effect Of Physical Exercise On

Selective Attention Using EEG and Stroop Task’, Workshop

on Machine Intelligence in Networked Data and Systems,

14 th IEEE International Conference on Communication

Systems & Networks, Bengaluru, India

• Presenter, ‘Context-Aware Emoji Prediction Using Deep

Learning’, 3 rd International Conference on Artificial

Intelligence and Speech Technology, Springer

Dr. Manjeet Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Electronics and

Communication Engineering

• Presenter, ‘A Novel Approach to Design FIR Digital

Filter Using Whale Optimization’, IEEE Bombay Section

Signature Conference, Gwalior

• Attendee, Online Short Term Training Programme, ‘Recent

Advances and Challenges in Computer Vision’, Delhi


• Attendee, Online FDP, ‘Machine Learning Applications

in Signal Processing and Wireless Networks’, Delhi


• Attendee, One-week Online International FDP on

‘Computational Techniques for Electromagnetics’, Delhi


Dr. Paras Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical

Engineering

• Attendee, One-week FDP, ‘Modern Trends in Manufacturing

Processes and Control Techniques in Renewable Energy

System’, National Institute of Technology, Delhi

• Attendee, One-week FDP, ‘Machine Learning Applications

in Signal Processing and Wireless Networks’, Delhi


Dr. Prashant Giridhar Shambharkar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of

Computer Science and Engineering

• Organiser, One day workshop, ‘Entrepreneurship and

Innovation as Career Opportunity’, Delhi Technological

University

Ms. Priya Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Software Engineering

• Organiser, Workshop, ‘Design Thinking, Critical Thinking,

and Innovation Design’, Delhi Technological University

Dr. Rajeev Kumar Mishra, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Environmental

Engineering

• Organiser, Webinar, ‘National Pollution Control Day’,

Delhi Technological University

Dr. Ravindra Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Design

• Jury Member, Industrial Design Technology, India Skills

2021, National Skill Development Corporation

Dr. Smita Rastogi Verma, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology

• Attendee, International Symposium on ‘Biotechnology:

The Road Ahead’, Delhi Technological University

• Attendee, Seminar on ‘My Story: Motivational Session

by Successful Entrepreneurs and Start-up Founders’, Delhi


Publications

Prof. S. Indu, Dean, Student Welfare

• ‘Language and Era Prediction of Digitised Indian

Manuscripts Using Convolutional Neural Networks’,

Sentimental Analysis and Deep Learning

• ‘Traffic Signal Control Methods: Current Status,

Challenges, and Emerging Trends’, Proceedings of Data

Analytics and Management

• ‘Review of Evolutionary Algorithms for Energy Efficient

and Secure Wireless Sensor Networks’, Cyber Security and

Digital Forensics

Prof. A.S. Rao, Dept. of Applied Physics

• ‘Physical and spectroscopic studies of Sm +3 ions

doped Alumino Tungsten Borate glasses for photonic

applications’, Radiation Physics and Chemistry

• ‘Influence of Sm +3 ion concentration on the

photoluminescence behaviour of Antimony Lead Oxy

Fluoro Borate glasses’ Materials Research Bulletin

• ‘Dysprosium concentration dependent fluorescent

properties of Antimony Lead Oxyfluoroborate glasses’,

Chemical Physics Letters

• ‘Enhanced red emission in Eu 3+ ions doped ZnO-Al 2

O 3

-

BaF 2

-CaF 2

-B 2

O 3

glasses for visible laser applications’,

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

• ‘Effective sensitization of Eu 3+ visible red emission by Sm 3+

in thermally stable potassium zinc alumino borosilicate

glasses for photonic device applications’, Journal of

Luminescence

• ‘Spectral characteristics of Tb 3+ doped ZnF 2

–K 2

O–Al 2

O 3

–

B 2

O 3

glasses for epoxy free tricolor w-LEDs and visible

green laser applications’, Journal of Luminescence

• ‘Downshifting analysis of Sm +3 /Eu 3+ co-doped LiBiAlBSi

glasses for red emission element of white LEDs’, Chemical

Physics Letters

• ‘UV-B (ultraviolet-B) emitting Gd 3+ activated Ba 2

SiO 4

phosphor prepared by sol-gel method’, Optik

• ‘Judd-Ofelt Itemization and Influence of Energy Transfer

on Sm 3+ ions Activated B 2

O 3

- ZnF 2

-SrO-SiO 2

Glasses for

Orange-Red Emitting Devices’, Journal of Luminescence

• ‘Luminescence features of Mn 2+ -doped Zn 2

SiO 4

: A green

colour emitting phosphor for solid-State lighting’, Optik

• ‘Spectral characterization of Dy 3+ ions doped phosphate

glasses for yellow laser applications’, Journal of Non-

Crystalline Solids

• ‘Sensitization of Er 3+ NIR emission using Yb 3+ ions in

Dr. Sumit Kale. Asst. Prof., Dept. of Electronics and


• Speaker, ‘Schottky Barrier MOSFET for Silicon

Nanoelectronics’, Online Faculty Development Program,

Advanced Semiconductor Material and Devices, Micro

and Nano devices Research Group, School of Electronics

Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai

alkaline-earth chloro borate glasses for fibre laser and

optical fibre amplifier applications’, Materials Research

Bulletin

Prof. Bharat Bhushan, Dept. of Electrical Engineering

• ‘Reinforcement Learning based Model Free Controller

for Feedback Stabilisation of Robotic Systems’, IEEE

Transaction on Neural Network and Learning Systems

• ‘Hybrid State of Matter Search algorithm and its

application to PID Controller design for Position Control

of Ball Balancer System’, Iranian Journal of Science and

Technology, Transactions of Electrical Engineering

• ‘Chaotic State of Matter Search with Elite Opposition

based learning: A new hybrid metaheuristic algorithm’,

Optimal Control, Applications and Methods

Prof. Dinesh K. Vishwakarma, Associate Dean, Student

Discipline

• ‘A Novel Framework for detection of motion and

appearance-based Anomaly using Ensemble Learning and

LSTMs’, Expert Systems with Applications.

Prof. Gurjit Kaur, Dept. of Electronics and Communication

Engineering

• ‘Design of 21-core trench and air-hole assisted multicore

fibre for high speed optical communication’, Optical

Engineering

Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma, Dept. of Biotechnology

• ‘A Novel Bioinspired Carbon Quantum Dots based Optical

Sensor for Ciprofloxacin Detection’, Materials Letters

• ‘Development of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles-based

biosensor for highly selective and sensitive detection of

ciprofloxacin in milk’, SPAST Abstracts

• ‘The Efficiency of Zeolites in Water Treatment for

Combating Ammonia - An Experimental Study on Yamuna

River Water & Treated Sewage Effluents’, Inorganic

Chemistry Communications

• ‘Remediation of petrorefinery wastewater contaminants: A

Review on physicochemical and bioremediation strategies’,

Process Safety and Environmental Protection

• ‘Effect of Greater Duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza

Supplemented Feed on Growth Performance, Digestive

Enzymes, Amino and Fatty Acid Profiles, and Expression

of Genes Involved in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis of Juvenile

Common carp Cyprinus carpio’, Frontiers in Marine

Science-Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living

Resources

Prof. Rahul Katarya, Dept. of Computer Science and

Engineering

• ‘hyOPTXg: OPTUNA hyper-parameter optimization

framework for predicting cardiovascular disease using

XGBoost’, Biomedical Signal Processing and Control

Prof. Ram Singh, Associate Dean, Student Welfare

• ‘Plant extract-assisted green synthesis of

2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and benzimidazole

derivatives’, Letters in Organic Chemistry

• ‘Chemistry of four heterocyclic drug molecules repurposed

for Covid-19’, Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry

Prof. Yasha Hasija, Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs

• ‘Insights into Structural Modifications of Valproic Acid

and Their Pharmacological Profile’, Molecules

• ‘Transforming IoT in aquaculture: A cloud solution’, AI,

Edge and IoT-based Smart Agriculture

Dr. Janardan Prasad Kesari, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical

Engineering

• ‘Solar PV Design For Water Pumping’, International

Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering

Technology and Science

• ‘Future Of Flexible Solar Cells in India’, International

Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering

Technology and Science

• ‘Opportunities for solar thermal systems across dairy,

agricultural, hotel & automobile industries’, Materials

Today: Proceedings

Dr. Roop Lal, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

• ‘Wear and Residual Stress Analysis of Waste Sea Shell and

B4C Particles Reinforced Green Hybrid Aluminium Metal

Composite’, Journal of Engineering Research

Mr. Anurag Goel, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science

and Engineering

• ‘Sparse Subspace Clustering Friendly Deep Dictionary

Learning for Hyperspectral Image Classification’, IEEE

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters

Dr. Dinesh Udar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Applied Mathematics

• ‘Rings Whose Nonunits Are Multiple of Unit and

Strongly Nilpotent Element’, Mathematical Modeling,

Computational Intelligence Techniques and Renewable

Energy

• Reviewer, Computers in Biology and Medicine Journal,

Elsevier

• Reviewer, Soft Computing Journal, Springer

Dr. Manish Jain, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Applied Chemistry

• ‘Artificial neural network based modelling of liquid

membranes for separation of Dysprosium’, Journal of Rare

Earths

• ‘A review on carboxylic acid cross-linked polyvinyl

alcohol: Properties and applications’, Polymer Engineering

& Science

Dr. Manjeet Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Electronics and


• ‘Unified Floating Immittance Emulator based on CCTA’,

Microelectronics Journal

Dr. Mukhtiyar Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Applied Physics

• ‘Electronic, thermoelectric, and optical studies of cubic

Hf1-xTixO2: An attempt to enhance the key parameters’,

Journal of Solid State Chemistry

• ‘Theoretical study of highly efficient CH3NH3SnI3

based perovskite solar cell with CuInS2 quantum dot’,

Semiconductor Science and Technology

Dr. Paras Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical

Engineering

• ‘Surface texturing techniques to enhance tribological

performance: A review’, Surfaces and Interfaces

• ‘Traffic noise prediction and optimization using response

surface method (RSM)’, Arabian Journal of Geosciences

• ‘Design, analysis, and optimization of thresher machine

flywheel using Solidworks simulation’, Materials Today:

Proceedings

Dr. Ravindra Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Design

• Author, Book Chapter, ‘Role of IoT in Universal Design’,

Handbook of Smart Materials, Technologies, and Devices

Dr. Smita Rastogi Verma, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology

• ‘Relevance of Phosphate Solubilizing Microbes in

Sustainable Crop Production: A Review’, International

Journal of Environmental Science and Technology

• ‘Molecular Detection and Exploration of Diversity Among

Fungal Consortium Involved in Phosphate Solubilization’,

Geomicrobiology Journal

Ms. Indu Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science and

Engineering

• ‘SVM Kernel and Genetic Feature Selection Based

Automated Diagnosis of Breast Cancer’, Recent Patents

on Computer Science Journal

MY FIRST ROLL OF 35mm FILM

by Shanal Bhele, 3 rd Year, ME

Shot my first roll of 35mm film a year ago with my Nikon FM 2. Only half of the roll came out

well-exposed. But I like it. It’s imperfect, authentic, tangible and it’s the beginning of something

new. I like the fact that the roll isn’t tailored to perfection; the way I would edit my digital

photos. In my one year of shooting on an analogue film camera, I’ve shot 8 rolls of Fujifilm

fujicolor C200. I like to think that I’ve learned something with each roll of film I’ve used up. One

thing I love about shooting film is its trial and error aspect, not knowing exactly how a shot will

come out. This does lead to some unexpected results, some intriguing, others not so much.

When shooting digitally, you rarely have to worry about running out of memory. As a result,

it’s easy to get into the habit of taking (and saving) lots of bad pictures. Having just one shot

for each composition will keep you thinking longer and harder about why a shot didn’t work

or what you can do to improve your photograph. There’s nothing like the thrill of taking the

film out of the processing lab and seeing the print for the first time. It’s also a good idea to

get hard copies of your photos, something that digital photographers rarely do.

STUDENT NEWS

RESEARCH PAPERS PUBLISHED &

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

Harsh Pipil, Ph.D., ENE, 3 rd Year

• ‘Spatio-temporal variations of quality of rainwater

and stormwater and treatment of stormwater runoff

using sand–gravel filters: case study of Delhi, India’,

Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali

Harsh Pipil, Ph.D., ENE, 3 rd Year

Shivani Yadav, Ph.D., ENE, 3 rd Year

Harshit Chawla, Ph.D., ENE, 2 nd Year

Sonam Taneja, Ph.D., ENE, 2 nd Year

Nimisha Singhla, B.Tech., ENE, 4 th Year

• ‘‘Comparison of TiO2 catalysis and Fenton’s

treatment for rapid degradation of Remazol Red

Dye in textile industry effluent’, Rendiconti Lincei.

Scienze Fisiche e Naturali

Harsh, B.Tech., EE, 4 th Year

Karan Sehgal, B.Tech., EE, 4 th Year

• ‘Modelling and Control of Dynamical Ball and Beam

System Using SA Tuned PIDA and PIaD Controllers’,

IEEE International Conference on Electronics,

Computing and Communication Technologies,

Bengaluru

Nimisha Singhla, B.Tech., ENE, 4 th Year

• ‘National Summit on Sustainability and SDGs, New

Delhi

Mohammad Sabih, B.Tech., EE, 4 th Year

• ‘A Novel Framework for detection of motion and

appearance-based Anomaly using Ensemble

Learning and LSTMs‘, Elsevier: Expert Systems with

Applications

Harsh Balsoriya, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

Kaustubh Sakhare, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

Kiran, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

• ‘Opportunities for solar thermal systems across

dairy, agricultural, hotel and automobile industry’,

Materials Today: Proceedings

Harshit Jain, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

Kanishk Yadav, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

Kapeesh Kumar, B.Tech., ME, 4 th Year

• ‘Performance analysis of inclined microjet

impingement heat sink with porous medium’,

Materials Today: Proceedings

Arjun Tyagi, B.Tech., PSCT, 4 th Year

Jawad Iqbal, B.Tech., PSCT, 4 th Year

• ‘Artificial neural network based modeling of liquid

membranes for separation of Dysprosium’, Journal

of Rare Earths

Nishant, B.Tech., MAM, 2 nd Year

Prateek Upadhayay, B.Tech., MAM, 2 nd Year

• ‘Impact of Covid-19 on Indian Economy’,

International Research Journal of Engineering &

Technology

Nimisha Singla

AWARDS & COMPETITIONS WON

Anshuman Pandey, B.Des., PD, 3 rd Year

• Winner, Gold Prize, 2021 TEDA Cup International

Youth Design Competition - Product Design Category

Kanishk, B.Tech., EP, 4 th Year

• Winner, Simulink Student Challenge

Rashi Sharma, B.Tech., BT, 2 nd Year

Shikhar Raj Beri, B.Tech., ECE, 2 nd Year

Anirudh Sharma, B.Tech., SE, 2 nd Year

• Winners, LexBonanza Parliamentary Debate

Competition, 2021, Indore Institute of Law

Aditya Jain, B.Tech., ME, 1 st Year

• Runner-up, Space Quiz, National Students’ Space

Challenge, IIT KharagpurW

Nandini Agrawal, B.Tech., COE, 2 nd Year

Nishant Aggarwal, B.Tech., COE, 2 nd Year

Stuti Jain, B.Tech., ME, 2 nd Year

• Winners, Biz Champs Contest, 2022, Delhi

Management Association & LearnBiz Simulations

Aditya Teltia, B.Tech., COE, 2 nd Year

Ansh Anurag, B.Tech., COE, 2 nd Year

Aditya Kumar, B.Tech., EE, 2 nd Year

Amandeep Singh, B.Tech., EE, 2 nd Year

• Winner, PATR Prize, DevJams 2021, Vellore Institute

of Technology, Vellore

Anshuman Pandey

INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIPS &

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

Nikita Sharma, B.Tech., BT, 4 th Year

• MITACS Globalink Research Internship, McGill

University, Canada

Kanak Sharma, B.Tech., CE, 3 rd Year

• MITACS Globalink Research Internship, University

of Windsor, Canada

Gaurav Panwar, B.Tech., IT, 3 rd Year

• Antler India Fellowship, Antler India

Aaditya Prasad, B.Tech., ME, 1 st Year

• Bertelsmann Technology Scholarship, Udacity

ARCHNA BHARDWAJ

Executive Director (Shipping), Indian Oil Corporation

DTU Times interviewed Ms. Archna Bhardwaj, noted alumna of DCE who currently holds the

position of Executive Director (Shipping) at Refineries Headquarters, Indian Oil Corporation. Ms.

Bhardwaj has achieved a series of milestones in a career spanning over 40 years, the latest being

her felicitation as the Woman of the Year in the Oil and Gas Industry by the Federation of Indian

Petroleum Industry (FIPI). Her dazzling professional success becomes even more commendable on

account of the many challenges she has faced in the workplace because of her gender. We hope that

her journey inspires all of us to reach our goals despite all the roadblocks in our path.

Could you briefly walk us through your

experience in DCE as an undergraduate student?

According to you, how has DCE impacted the

various aspects of your life, both professionally

and personally?

I had an eventful and enriching experience while

studying at DCE and my interaction with students

from various backgrounds was interesting and an

eye-opener. Joining DCE wasn’t a very planned

move for me as there were no engineers in the

family and I didn’t receive any guidance. It was

only by chance that I took an application form

for DCE, applied for it and was admitted into the

engineering field. Getting educated in the DCE

campus made me feel very proud because I was

the first engineer in the family, and it groomed my

personality. Now, I can proudly say that joining

DCE was my destiny and the best decision of my

life both personally and professionally.

You have been recently honoured as the

Woman Executive of the Year in the Oil and

Gas Industry by FIPI. What factors would

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 18

you credit as being the driving force behind

this achievement?

I think my sincerity towards my job and

my adaptability have been very important

virtues. I am a Civil Engineer, basically, but

I’ve been posted to various departments

in IndianOil - in projects, training,

administration, ministry coordination, and

handling materials and contracts. For the last

two years, I have been handling shipping,

which is an entirely different field that not

many people are conversant with. My posting

in the shipping department was at a time

when COVID-19 had just started and I was

still trying to learn the basics. Maintaining

the supply of Crude Oil, (Major Raw Material)

to various refineries was a major challenge.

In spite of all these hardships, there was

no break in the supply of crude oil and the

company continued its business as usual.

Were there any particular challenges you

faced in the workplace considering the

male-dominated environment present in

your organisation at that time?

Yes, there were many challenges while

working in a male-dominated field. When

I joined the Mathura refinery, I was the only

woman working there.

At that time colleagues were not used to

having females at work. Basic facilities

like ladies toilets were not there and

no one would sit with me on the bus

ferrying us to the workplace. Colleagues

used to find it hard to get acquainted.

It was very lonely staying away from

home for the first time and in a maledominated

area.

There were many such problems on the way.

Initially, since the number of female officers

was very less, there were incidents in which

my boss would get up and open the door

of his cabin whenever I was present inside.

I used to feel very bad about it initially.

However, as the confidence between us grew

and the situation changed, things took a turn

for the better. I am very happy to say that I

get along very well with my male colleagues

and I don’t face any issues while working

with them.

In a carrer spanning over 40 years, what

changes have you observed in the situation

of women in the workplace?

Gradually, things are improving as more

women are joining these organisations. The

mindset of the colleagues over the years has

also changed drastically.

In the earlier days, women engineers

were not assigned shift duties whereas

nowadays, they are deputed for night

shifts and other male-dominated

departments. It is extremely heartening

to see them doing well in every field.

Our organisation is providing them with a

large number of facilities as well and we

are very proactive about the development

of women and inclusive growth. We have a

networking module called Maitreyi which

is a platform for women to come together

to interact with and guide each other and

also have knowledge sharing sessions. The

situation has been altered beyond belief.

The facilities offered to women at the unit

level and the plant level have also increased

in proportion to their representation in the

workplace.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the way my

organisation is working towards women

empowerment. The refineries division of

IOCL is now going to be headed by a female

director which is a very proud moment for all

the women of IOCL.

Finally, what advice would you like to give

to students who wish to achieve success in

their respective fields? Is there a mantra for

success that you personally follow?

According to me, there is no particular

mantra or recipe for success. The

only important things are self-belief,

sincerity, adaptability and creating our

own brand value.

My experiences during my career

corroborate this fact. Skill upgradation and

diversifying our portfolios as per need is

another extremely important aspect because

the requirements of the trade are changing

at supersonic speed and unless we keep

pace with changing scenarios, we will be left

out in the race.

IN STEM

ALUMNI

NEWS

Dr. Navneet Kumar Sharma

Class of 1989, B.Tech., Mechanical Engineering

● Currently serving as the Officer on Special Duty

(Additional Secretary Level) at the Central Organisation

for Modernisation of Workshops, Ministry of Railways

● Served as the Principal Chief Materials Manager

(Additional Secretary level) at the Central Organisation

for Modernisation of Workshops, Ministry of Railways

● Pursued post-graduation in MBA & PhD from Faculty of

Management Studies, University of Delhi

● Joined IRSS cadre of Indian Railways through Indian

Engineering Services Examination

● Served as Director (Vigilance & Impex) of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public

Distribution

● Served as Director of Board of Rajasthan State Warehousing Corporation

● Served as Vice-President of FMS Alumni Association

● Served as honourable General Secretary of the Alumni Association of DCE

● Served as the Advisor on the Panel of Union Public Service Commission as a domain expert

● Served as the Managing Committee Member & Chairperson of the Government, Industry

– Academia Interface Committee, Delhi Management Association

● Fellow of the Institution of Engineers

● Fellow of the Indian Institute of Materials Management

● Fellow of the Indian Railways Institute of Logistics and Materials Management

● Founder of the DTU-DCE Fraternity Forum

Dr. N. K. Sharma has been a stature of leadership throughout his professional career. He alone

forms a great example of the exemplary alumni base that DTU has to offer. An overqualified

individual, he has served in many important roles with respect to the Government of India. In

all his achievements, he has never forgotten his university roots. Dr. Sharma is very passionate

about networking the alumni and helping the students of his alma mater. For this purpose, he

founded DTU-DCE Fraternity Forum in June, 2020 with the mission to connect the alumni, faculty

and the students, everyone in one place. The forum has been a huge success and is a standout

initiative that shows the sheer empire of DTU’s distinguished individuals.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 22

Ankita Jain

Class of 2013, B.Tech., Computer Engineering

● Served as a Scientist at the Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO)

● Achieved an AIR 270 in her 2 nd attempt of the Indian Civil Services

Examination, 2019

● Served in the prestigious Indian Audit and Accounts Services

● Achieved an AIR 3 in her 4 th attempt at the Indian Civil Services

Examination, 2021

As a young child, Ankita was saddened to see young slum children roaming around. She questioned

her father why these youngsters don’t go to school, wondering what they do all day. That is when

her father encouraged her to pursue a career as an IAS officer. He encouraged her to participate in

the system in order to improve it.

Vaishali Jain

Class of 2015, B.Tech., Automotive Engineering

● Gold Medalist, Batch Rank 1, B.Tech, Automotive Engineering

● Achieved rank 21 in GATE examinations

● Pursued post-graduation in M.Tech from IIT Delhi

● Gold Medalist, Batch Rank 1, M.Tech, Mechanical Engineering

● Achieved an AIR 21 in her 2 nd attempt at the Indian Civil Services

Examination, 2021

During her first try in 2019, Vaishali said in an interview that she

was studying for both Engineering Services Examinations and Civil

Services Examinations. As a result, her attention was split between the two places, and she was

unable to pass the tests despite her stellar academic record. Her sister was instrumental in calming

her down. Througthout their voyage, both sisters claim to have swapped notes and encouraged

each other to stay inspired.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 23

“The World Wants

You to Be an

Average Person.

So Don’t Be One”

DTU Times interviewed Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and CEO of Paytm and DCE

Alumnus, days after Paytm went public in a momentous occasion for the entire Indian

startup ecosystem. Read on as he shares his insights gleaned from decades of hardships

and perseverance.

Can you summarise your journey from the

gates of DTU to the podium at Bombay

Stock Exchange?

When I graduated, society expected me to

get a decent job, as was the norm, so I was

elated when I bagged the highest paying job

on campus. I knew that if I went by society’s

yardstick I had “succeeded”, but upon

introspection, I came to the realisation that

this offer did not spell success for me.

Fast-forward to 8 th November, I’m standing on

the podium, and I never would have imagined

that we as a young, fledgling company could

even pull off the things we’ve achieved.

The Paytm IPO proves that you can attain

success regardless of the capital you gather.

What it proves is that there is something

for every startup in India, bootstrapped and

otherwise. You need to have that grit to dream

the impossible, and then flip it into reality.

The best of us work for someone else. And I

wished to break rank, so when I thought of

striking out on my own, I asked my family for

permission, because there was an obligation

that I didn’t intend to fulfil. This might seem

dated in today’s context, but the startup

excitement that has enveloped India today

was barely accepted, much less encouraged,

in the nineties. So, after much struggle, I

worked for a corporation for six months and

then I started my own company. I graduated

in 1998, made my first million in ‘99, and with

that money we started One97 which is today

Paytm.

That’s truly an eventful journey. But, your

career has been more incremental. We

go from indiasite.net to One97 to Paytm.

Do you think that’s a more sustainable

approach than just shooting for the stars?

Well, the fact that you operate in the present

and capitalise on current opportunities is

crucial. For example, when I came out of

college, the use of the internet was on the

rise so you could build something like a

website. So I built an internet company, then

smartphones came along, so I launched a

mobile company.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 24

I don’t really call myself Chief Executive

officer but Chief Relevance Officer. In other

words, you have to be contemporary and

relevant. Otherwise, you would’ve seen good

companies coming up but after some time

they just cease being relevant because they

don’t recognize and utilise the status quo.

The best way to remain relevant is to “find out

where the puck is going”.

“Slow and steady wins the race” is

hogwash; the player who is able to

keep up with the blistering pace of

humankind is the only one geared for

success.

As an entrepreneur, your high will be several

magnitudes higher than average, but

so will your low. Even in the midst of the

entrepreneurial maelstrom, the biggest,

most important factor is to hold it together.

It’ll get to the point where good and bad days

just coalesce, and the boundaries are blurred.

The ability to handle that emotional swing,

to have that perseverance and resilience is a

must for an entrepreneur.

In your speech you talk about how money

should not be used as a benchmark for

everybody in general. What do you think

then should be used as a yardstick?

In general, when most of us graduate from

college and start working, we embark on

different trajectories; some people have

higher salaries than others and someone

might establish a successful venture or

achieve something at the international level.

It is important to realise that the people whose

success we treat as a benchmark might often

be the smallest of the lot they’re a part of.

There will always be days when you might be

an inspiration to someone and still be at the

bottom of the ladder. There is no need to feel

discouraged about it.

Perhaps a more important benchmark would

be to discover satisfaction in doing something

you love and making an impact in that field.

Material effects like money don’t matter in

the long run but the joy you derive from your

work is eternal.

You also said that students often develop a

ceiling, a level they feel they cannot breach.

How should they develop a mentality which

is more flexible and open?

We are victimised by the ambitions set by the

people around us. Though these milestones

might bring us some degree of satisfaction,

in a lot of cases they are simply not enough.

Often, we curtail our ambitions because

we are influenced by the mean aspirations

of the people around us. In my opinion, we

should aspire to achieve some absolute goals

which are not decided by the people around

us. It is extremely important to explore new

avenues, which can only be made possible if

we encourage ourselves to be curious about

the opportunities available to us. One must

remember that the world is largely composed

of average people and will most likely push us

in the same direction.

Why be average though, when you can

be so much better?

What message would you give to budding

entrepreneurs? What should they

channelize their energies towards?

Success is about sincerity, not about scale or

resources. In the long run, sincerity garners

both resources and opportunities. It is crucial

to remain sincere to what you have started

and also to your ideas. Be realistic about who

you are and want to be in the future.

Since you are the only person who can

give yourself a chance, why not do that

and do a great job of it?

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 25

PROF. ANIL D.

SAHASRABUDHE

Chairperson, All India Council of Technical Education

The pandemic has slowed down the entire educational ecosystem across the country,

significantly affecting research. Are there any plans to boost that as the institutions

have started opening up again?

Teaching and learning have not stopped during the pandemic despite all the odds and

has flourished in the online mode instead of the physical mode. As far as theoretical

and computational research is concerned, it could be conducted online as we all have

access to computers. However, in areas where laboratory experiments are required to

be performed, research took a hit and was severely affected. However, one of the labs

from Hyderabad developed the first vaccine, Covaxin, against the coronavirus. So, in

some places, research continued even in harsh circumstances. But by and large, many

students had to go back home because of the lockdown, with their PhDs getting delayed

and research publications being reduced. Definitely, research has been affected, but it’s

not as gloomy as it seems. We have learnt lessons from this pandemic, like how we can

function in a hybrid or blended way, mixing physical and online learning modes. Further,

students can still continue to do their research, provided proper social distancing is

maintained.

The NEP promotes the overall development of students. In engineering institutions,

students often lack soft skills. What should institutions do to mitigate that problem?

The new education policy focuses on the holistic development of students and promotes

the exploration of full human potential. Every human being has a set of skills and talents;

identifying them, supporting them and mentoring them is the most crucial objective of a

sound education system. The policy focuses on developing logical, analytical, and creative

and emotional abilities. Earlier, activities like sports were considered extracurricular

activities; today, however, they are deemed curricular. A mechanical engineering student

can take up sports or music as a subject and still earn credits for that. So, I believe this

policy is enriching for the younger generation.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 26

Engineering institutes are typically geared towards placements and not holistic

development. How do we diversify the culture?

If we look at the examination system, not just in universities, but also in schools, most of it

is based on rote learning. I’m not advocating complete discontinuation of memory-based

questions, as retaining some vital information is necessary. However, a total emphasis on

memory-based education leads to students not really understanding the subject and not

developing critical thinking or analytical abilities, which eventually results in no innovations

taking place. So, the first change required is a change in the way question papers are

set. They need to be set in a way that tests students on how they use the knowledge

they have gained in practical applications. That would improve research, make students

automatically more employable, and enable them to start their own entrepreneurial

journeys and create jobs.

Ranking wise, DTU lags behind international institutions and what do you think can be

done to bridge that gap?

Different agencies have different parameters for ranking, and some of them are not

favourable to us. Two distinct parameters that are not favourable are the number of

international students or faculty in your institution and secondly, the peer review system.

We have a low gross enrolment ratio and need to support our countrymen. We are

more focused on providing higher quality education to our students, and that’s why our

emphasis is not on getting international students or foreign faculties, who have to be given

higher salaries. Further, since we have fewer faculty members from foreign countries, our

institutions are not known to many foreign faculties, so they don’t rate them that well.

However, in terms of the teaching and learning process and the success rate of graduates

in life later or even in terms of research publications, some of our institutions are doing

phenomenally well. But, we lose a majority of marks in these two parameters. However, we

have now started moving in that direction. Measures are now being taken like encouraging

foreign universities to set up campuses in India, our institutions are setting up campuses

abroad, the study in India program inviting international students, and extra seats being

provided for international students in some institutions.

The research culture in our country is flourishing but not uniformly. Some institutions

are doing well, while others are lagging behind. How do we bridge that gap?

I talked about examination reforms earlier, which I believe is the starting point to bridge

the gap. Instead of promoting rote learning, our examinations need to be reformed in a way

that encourages innovation and research. Secondly, a robust support system promoting

research is required in institutions. We assume that research can only be done during

or after a PhD, which is wrong since undergraduate students have produced excellent

research publications provided they are given proper support and guidance. In summer

or winter vacations, students can be involved in research activities. They could be given a

problem statement to ponder and hunt for solutions.

What would be your message to the students of DTU?

My message to students, in general, is that the world is vast, and there are a huge number

of opportunities. Only those who can put in hard work, be passionate and persevere will

succeed in life. Success is inevitable, provided you possess high integrity and diligence.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 27

Society News

NSS-DTU fosters Cognitive Development

National Service Scheme, DTU organised a webinar

on “Soft Skills and Communication” on 26 November,

2021. The speaker for the event was Rishita Aggarwal,

a trained specialist in business communication, an

esteemed psychologist, a graphologist, and an art

therapist. With an intent to highlight the significance of

communication skills in job interviews, NSS DTU aims

to create awareness among the masses through such

events.

Team DTU–Supermileage drives to Victory

Team DTU–Supermileage was the Regional Winner of

the Future Rider Competition in the Asia-Pacific and

Middle East region organised by Shell Eco-Marathon.

The team fought off competition from STEM students

worldwide to design cars of the future equipped with

cutting-edge features. The judges allocated their

scores, and the public voted for their favourite teams.

TEDxDTU broadens Horizons

TEDxDTU hosted TED Circles in collaboration

with TEDxFORESchool in January 2022 on the

theme: “Staying Humble”. The event broadened the

participants’ outlook on rejection through an enriching

and delightful experience.

DTU Consulting Group wins Accolades

‘Team Outliers’ from DTU Consulting Group,

consisting of Nandini Agrawal, Nishant Aggarwal,

and Stuti Jain, was declared the Winner of the Biz

Champs Contest organised by the Delhi Management

Association and LearnBiz Simulations. ‘Team Rebators’

consisting of Udit Gupta and Vishoo Verma was the

1st Runner Up. ‘Team Beyond Mayhem’ consisting of

Harshit Bhalla and Kunal Dugar, were among the top

6 teams in the competition.

RoundTable DTU makes an impact

RoundTable DTU organised a 3 tier Healthcare

Business Plan Competition graced by judges like Ms.

Soni Shaw, IIM Ahmedabad Graduate, Product Manager,

Rupeek, Mr. Anubhav Somani, Investment Banker,

Credit Suisse and Mr. Alok Shrivastava, IIM Bangalore

Graduate, Founder, GoCrackIt in November, 2021. They

also conducted a webinar on ‘Strategy to MBA’ with

Ms. Shabnam Sahni, IMT grad, as a guest speaker.

Indian Game Theory Society DTU makes a

Winning Move

The Indian Game Theory Society DTU organised

Stratathon SSCBS, CodeLocks Coding in

December 2021. The society also organised the

Chess4Trees event in January 2022. Additionally,

the society also worked on Stratathon, IIT Goa in

January 2022.

SCEE DTU aids students in Career Planning

SCEE DTU, in collaboration with Career Launcher,

organised a Webinar, “Management as a Career: Why

& How”, with ARKS Srinivas, the President, and CEO

of MBA Group Career Launcher, an alum of IIMC,

featuring as a speaker.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 28

Rotaract DTU spreads Warmth

The Rotaract Club of DTU Regency held a winter

donation drive in December 2021 on campus, where

they donated 150 blankets. The club continued with

its Placement and Internship series in which seniors

shared their Placement/Internships experiences.

Under the Gyankunj project, they prepared 168

worksheets for students between classes 8th to 12th.

SME DTU makes an impact in the field of Data

Science

SME DTU conducted an All-India level data science

competition, Data & Beyond, to test the contenders’

fundamentals in the field with cash rewards and

700+ contestants. They also organised a two-day

workshop to familiarise the 250+ attendees with Data

Science. The workshop featured Guest Speakers Nitin

Khattar, a Data Analytics Specialist at Google, and

Keshav Aggarwal, a Business Analyst at Polestar. Data

Analytics Quiz SME DTU presented participants with

an opportunity to work on an objective, data-heavy

business case to test their analytics skills.

INNOVA DTU makes its Mark

INNOVA DTU organised a workshop on ‘Machine

Learning for Beginners’ in October 2021 with Mr.

Prathamesh Dinkar, Senior Engineer, L&T, to give

students a glimpse of the enormous potential of

Artificial Intelligence. They also conducted their

orientation where DCE alumni Dr. Navneet Kumar

Sharma, Chairperson, Industry-Academia Interface

Committee and Member Managing Committee, and Mr.

Tarun Gupta, Professional Singer for Karaoke Night,

featured as guests.

ASSETS DTU invests in Success

Sahitya sweeps Awards

A team composed of Pranjal Singla, Utkarsh Pandey,

Esha Yadav broke at Nepal Australs, one of the largest

debating tournaments in the world, and emerged as

the ESL Semifinalists in the tournament. The team

composed of Angad Singh Chawla and Vansh Chadha

won the tournament, with Vansh Chadha being the

Finals best speaker, at Africa IV Debating Tournament.

Vansh was the fourth-best speaker, and Angad was

the fifth-best speaker overall. The team comprising

Ashutosh Bahuguna and Keshav Mohan were the

semi-finalists at the same tournament, and Keshav

was awarded as the ninth-best speaker overall.

Angad Singh Chawla and Venkat Sayiram were

the ESL Semifinalists at the Uhuru Worlds conducts

tournament. Pranjal Singla and Vansh Chadha,

Ashutosh Bahuguna, and Keshav Mohan were Octo-

Finalists at the same tournament, with Vansh being

the ninth-best speaker overall.

ASSETS DTU successfully launched the first edition

of their Finance Casebook - Finbook. It contains

frameworks and cases focusing on Hedge Funds,

Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Investment

Banking. Finbook serves as an ideal resource for

students looking to kickstart their careers in finance

and consulting. They also organised a webinar on

Financial Literacy. Mrs. Shikha Mittal, Founder,

Be.Artsy, served as the guest speaker. Along with it,

ASSETS DTU also held a webinar on Crypto Currency

hosted by Mrs. Aishwarya Gupta, Co Founder, Battle

Brains.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 29

Prof. Yogesh Singh

Hon’ble Vice Chancellor,

University of Delhi

DTU Times caught up with Prof. Yogesh Singh,

Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi,

and former Vice Chancellor of Delhi Technological

University ahead of the Convocation. Excerpts

from the interview:

You recently assumed office as the Vice

Chancellor of Delhi University. What has been the

starkest difference you have observed between

the students of DTU and DU?

Delhi Technological University is very different

from Delhi University or M.S. University, Baroda.

Firstly, the students here are a hundred percent

focused on their studies and are very particular

about their careers, which, in my opinion, is the

crowning achievement of this university. Delhi

University is very different; it is a multi-disciplinary

university with colleges that cut across numerous

domains and vocations. Like DTU, DU admits

some extremely bright students across thousands

of courses, but the culture in DU is extremely

different. It is more vibrant, politically sensitive,

and more empathetic, in general. The students of

DU are more socially conscious and are extremely

attached to the issues that concern society at

large.

Under your tenure, DTU made great strides in

the technical domain. Are there any plans to

emulate that success in Delhi University and

technologically empower it?

Yes, absolutely. For example, we are reviving the

Faculty of Technology again, now that we don’t

have NSIT or DCE as a part of DU. Currently, we

have a Faculty of Technology and we have the

requisite departments, but we don’t offer many

courses in this field and the courses that are offered

are very restrictive in nature. We have submitted

a proposal to the Ministry of Education to start

three undergraduate programs for Electronics and

Communication Engineering, Computer Science

and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Each

course will have an intake of 120 students. So, in

the coming years, we hope to capitalise on this

momentum and implement a full-fledged technical

faculty in DU.

The National Education Policy endorses

autonomy of institutions, even within Delhi

University, which hosts a number of colleges

under its umbrella. What are your thoughts on

this?

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 30

Actually, the modus operandi of Delhi University

is quite different, as the colleges are not affiliated

institutions but are constituent colleges of the

university. As per NEP also, they can continue as

part of Delhi University, hence it’s not much of

an issue. But as per the Government of India, by

2035, every institution should become a degreeawarding

institution. So, affiliated institutions will

become degree-awarding institutions and will

be capable of awarding degrees. The colleges of

Delhi University are already integrated into the DU

ecosystem and will, as such, be immune to these

changes.

As you said, Delhi University is very different

in terms of the scope of things, so how has that

impacted your way of working? What changes

have you made to accommodate the modified

context?

As far as the administration is concerned, it’s the

same everywhere. The only difference is that DU

has more students, more teachers and more issues.

Additionally, DU, unlike DTU, is more studentcentric,

and socially aware.

Any message for the students of DTU?

The students of DTU are all-rounders,

multipotentialites. Make sure you work for the

welfare of our society. India requires proficient

engineers, especially those who’ll work for the

betterment of the country, drive technological

innovations and pioneer paradigm shifts. These

innovations will drive the nation towards prosperity

and place it at par with our western allies. My best

wishes are with all of you.

CAT Diaries

DTU Times interviewed Nilabh Jha, EE, Class of 2022, who secured a 99.9 percentile in

the CAT 2021 examination

Why did you feel inclined towards preparing for the

CAT out of all the different options available to you?

The decision to pursue an MBA was the key behind

opting for CAT. Once I was sure about the first part, the

list of potential exams boiled down to CAT and GMAT.

MBA from abroad usually requires work experience and

the situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

also acted as a deterrent, Therefore, I decided to

prepare for CAT and complete my studies in India

itself.

Briefly take us through your preparation journey. What

is it that you feel you did differently from others?

I started my preparation around the beginning of 2021

and joined Alchemist, a coaching institute. To begin

with, I attempted a couple of actual CAT papers (2019

Slot 1 and 2020 Slot 3) to gauge my ability without any

formal preparation. I focused on improving the flaws

I discovered through this until May. After that, I gave

mock tests from Alchemist and IMS till November. In

terms of what was unique in my journey, I tailored the

course according to my strengths and weaknesses

instead of studying everything equally. The other thing

that I did well, in my opinion, was that I took as many

mock tests as I was comfortable with, contrary to the

popular advice of a set number that an aspirant has to

attempt per week on the basis of the proximity to the

real exam.

How would you advise a candidate to approach the

test?

My advice would be to attempt a few actual CAT

papers in the beginning. If you are able to score over

50%, then just mock tests from any reputed coaching

institute would suffice. If not, jot down the mistakes

and look for recurring patterns. Start your preparation

from the topics you are weak at and move towards

your strengths. There is no best way that exists to

attempt a section or the whole paper, so you will have

to figure out the intricacies before building your own

way of taking the exam through mock tests and their

analyses.

What are your future plans after achieving such a

phenomenal score?

In terms of my immediate future, I want to study at one

of the top 3 IIMs or XLRI. Beyond that, management

consulting intrigues me but I am still open to other

options based on my interaction with the students,

teachers and the subjects that will be taught in the

above-mentioned colleges.

What advice would you like to give to your juniors who

wish to pursue the same career path as yours?

Be determined about your decision to prepare for CAT

or any other other entrance exams, as it will take up

a lot of effort and pursuing MBA from one of India’s

(or any other nation’s) top B-Schools is a significant

financial investment. There will be a lot of uncertainty

in your preparation phase regarding the mock test

scores but take it as practice before a battle. The more

you bleed here, the better you will be when you face

the real test.

College placements will be a crucial period since

a lot of your friends will be getting selected at top

companies; treat it as motivation for your journey

instead of letting it affect your focus. Apart from all

this, the one thing you need to trust the most is your

ability to make decisions and execute them. There will

be a lot of noise around; block most of it, listen to some

good advice and trust yourself.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 31

My school wasn’t particularly huge, but we had an enormous courtyard,

painted yellow and green and red, designed to exude happiness. It didn’t

matter if you were a frantic parent trying to get your kid enrolled at a

prestigious private school or a wiped-out teenager trying to make his way

to the top floor: you simply could not miss the school courtyard. And this

self-appointed ‘happy place’ lived up to its name only once a year, when

Scholastic chose to set up its excessively vibrant and extremely packed red

shelves. And on these shelves, the very entity that had me pondering small

acts of theft: books.

I think it would be fair to say that I had an extremely complicated relationship

with Scholastic. As a twenty-two year old, I look back and see how sharply

these book fairs constructed the line between the haves and have-nots. Or

that the titles on the shelves weren’t particularly diverse, or intellectually

stimulating. But as a kid, I couldn’t care less. For me, there was no difference

between me and the girls in Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers.

Illustration : Tejasv, 3rd year, B.Des

Design by : Nishant Sharma, 3rd year, CE

The Aisles

of the

Scholastic

Book Fair

Anoushka Raj, 4th year, ENE

What made the Scholastic Book Fairs special was how carefully each title

was organised. As someone who mainly shopped in the winding lanes of

Daryaganj or from cramped whole-sale bookstores, the sense of order

in these meticulously arranged shelves made everything twice as fancy.

These books had a striking smell, a complete lack of dog-eared pages and

stiff spines that felt too exquisite for my fingers. They also had categories I

wouldn’t have picked out on my usual runs to the library.

I remember a section devoted to pink books, each of them excessively

feminine and containing obnoxious amounts of glitter. This was where we

picked out slam books and girly titles about growing up. It was a bunch of

Scholastic Pink Books that taught me how to give myself a pedicure using

mashed bananas or how to deal with a jealous classmate. And then there

was a YA Fiction Section, where I spent many futile afternoons trying to

convince my mother to buy me a Harry Potter box set to replace the one I

had. Scholastic packaged the books in a way that made them more appealing.

Scholastic made reading seem like a glamorous hobby. The days of the book

fair were perhaps the only times that being spotted with a book was a sign

of coolness.

And then there were the non-book items, the endless offer of colourful

stationery that they kept closest to the billing counter. Bookmarks shaped

like animals, stickers in every possible shape and size, pencils that wiggled

and erasers that smelt like perfume. The Scholastic Stationery Aisle was

happiness moulded into a physical state.

Now that I look back, the Scholastic Book Fairs were perhaps my earliest

lesson in overconsumption. Rich kids picked the hundred volume

encyclopaedias and the heaviest book sets. Books were a commodity, and

having the financial means to own them was something to be proud of. While

a lot of us used all five days to pick out that one book we were allowed to

purchase, many parents bought multiple titles, irrespective of their child’s

interest in reading. I chose my books with intent and consideration, but I

wanted to choose them with a reckless abandon that I could not afford.

Scholastic was, at the end of the day, a corporation. It was an enterprise

that sold only company-owned titles, but projected a humane exterior that

has characterised its reputation ever since. When I reflect on my time at

grade school, these book fairs stand out as some of the better days. Sure, I

couldn’t buy more than one book, and I could only smell those erasers from

a distance. But in those red aisles, surrounded by fiction and biographies

and manicure manuals, I felt at home.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 32

As an individual who lives in a perpetual haze of nostalgia, I have

often daydreamed about the possibility of owning a time machine

and revisiting the days when life was simpler and happiness not

quite so elusive.

Illustration by : Preeti Das, 2nd year, COE

In those days, friendship was one of those things I took for granted.

The afternoons would see me come home from school, wolf down

a plate of food, and rush off to meet my friends. Though we spent

every single day together, we were seldom bored; our minds,

working in tandem, would always devise new variations on existing

games like hide and seek and chor-police. On days when it was

too hot to play outside, the evenings were spent inside the house

where we learned to play chess or swapped stories about school.

Perhaps the one thing I loved the most about this friendship was

the complete lack of pretence involved in it; in hindsight, those

were perhaps the only years I felt completely free to be myself. I

could laugh as loud as I wanted to, dress in the most ridiculous clothes and mess up all the steps while I was

dancing without fear of judgement. The only thing my friends cared about was me showing up to play every

evening. After all, superficialities don’t really matter in a child’s world, do they?

Cut to the present day, whenever I delve into the treasure trove of childhood memories, I can’t help but mourn

the loss of this beautiful friendship, which couldn’t sustain itself against the twin tides of time and circumstance.

Though more than a decade has passed since that drowsy summer of 2008, when the three of us savoured our

sticky orange ice lollies while sitting on a park bench, it still remains as vivid in my mind as though it happened

yesterday, a bittersweet reminder of a happier, more innocent time.

Illustration: Shreeya Shrivastava, 3rd year, B.Des

Soon after having a heated argument with her partner, Sandra left to visit

her parents. Even as she was driving, she kept thinking of the fight, how she

abruptly left in the middle of it, and how detached she felt at the moment.

Upon reaching her parents’ home, she tried to continue with her routine,

putting on a facade of indifference.

She came across her childhood room, and as she went through her old

things, she thought, “I guess I was always the one to run away.” She recalled

the time when as a kid, she used to keep playing with her toys even as

she heard screaming voices from downstairs, trying as hard as possible to

ignore them and act confident. “Why did I even do that?” she exclaimed,

“Why didn’t I ever go down to see what was going on?”. She remembered

how her younger brother used to feel scared hearing those noises but

would calm down on seeing her act normal despite everything. “I couldn’t

have left him alone, I guess.” She started tearing up as she recalled all

those times when after putting her little brother to sleep, she cried in a

corner, with a pillow in her mouth, trying to stifle any voice that might

disturb him. “I wanted him to be safe … I wanted to be safe.”

After a couple of minutes, she wiped her tears and walked back to her car, still feeling hazy about her memories

yet much lighter. She remembered how even when she saw her mother try to hide her bruises the morning after,

she would pay no attention to it, as those bruises would bring back memories of the night before. “Why did I

ignore those signs? … Why am I still trying to act tough?” She thought about the fight from before, how it all

made sense that she ran away from it and how she acted aloof to her partner’s feelings. She called her partner

up and said, “Hey! Let’s talk about today.”

A Scent From Back Then

The olfactory sense is the strongest sense for eliciting nostalgic memories. A scent or smell has the most

profound ability to stir even the deepest corners of our memories. I remember a friend who told me that, as

I felt a strangely familiar, warm smell on an unusually inimical winter evening. I know this smell from a similar

evening, a similar walk back in the first year but with a very different me. The vague feeling of some known

comfort somehow connected these different dots over the long stream of time.

Human beings perceive time on a logarithmic scale. That is to say, time picks up the pace as we steer our

way through life. Childhood seems like something that lasted forever, not very long ago. Perhaps that is why

we have the fondest memories from that time. We go back to these memories every time we encounter

a relic from that guileless age—the toys we became too old to play with, the anecdotes that our mothers

recount so adoringly on quiet afternoons. When we see kids living what we once lived through, it’s all a slice

of that same vaguely familiar comfort. As we see the world around us unfolding, we seek more of it.

Like the playground where we spent countless days with friends, we return there only to see the structures

that towered over us are now barely taller than us. The monkey bars we used to struggle on now need us to

crouch down to hold them properly. The swing where we pointlessly swung on now barely fits us. The slide

that used to be the joy of our days is not even a second long, just like the ‘older kids’ of that time long gone,

whom we remember doing the same thing as us today. It is a memory that we leave behind in the past, just

like the playground we have outgrown.

Just by growing older, the very way we see the world changes. This realization hits especially hard when we

return to an old house we lived in as a child after many years. The house feels surprisingly small. The ceiling,

which used to be as far as the skies, is now just a stool length away. The floor, which took many strides to

traverse, can now be scaled in just a few steps.

Just like how scents and smells disappear after a while, our childhoods also fade away as we grow older. Yet

the feelings and emotions we felt from them remain, much like how we return to the scents that we love, the

memories of our past form a shelter where we can always come back to for a short while. Perhaps College

is where this search is the most conspicuous. We rediscover pieces that were lost in the relentless pursuit

of exams and seats. We paint the canvas of the new world around us with colors of what we have known in

sheer childlike excitement. The slow moments of languor ironically remind us how fast time is making those

things around us a part of that same nostalgic train.

And it is to those moments I credit the realization that life is us filling in the blanks of new experiences. We

become who we are through what we have lived. To come back to that solace is natural, and that is what

nostalgia does. It sums up who we have been, like the known cracks and crevices of your own home. It gives

perspective on what we could be. It’s an ease that relieves the turmoil of the new, and maybe make long

walks like these a lot shorter.

Pranjal Srivastava, 3 rd year, COE

Ritvik Nair, 3 rd year, COE

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 35

Illustration By: Keshav Chauhan, 2 nd year, EE

Nokia 3310 to iPhone 13

Aryaman Singh, 2 nd year, EP

Remember that ringtone? Or were you too young? Those paused buzzes lighting up the

house. Well, now everyone’s got a screen in their pocket that, most of them, just keep

on silent every time. Those small bricks are now almost sleek computers. Obviously, we

all gained in this transition. Better networks, higher definition cameras, and even TikTok.

Okay, maybe not everything was a gain.

But do rethink that. Can you bring back that “Snake” game feeling? That physical feel

of the keyboard in your hand? Those “phone kiske paas hai?!” chaotic moments in the

household because there was only one device?

That’s my point, really: nostalgia isn’t supposed to be complicated like those old houses,

beautiful vacations, or family moments. It can be as simple as that small brick that your

parents gave you for 5 minutes to play “Snake”.

DTU TIMES | Dec 2021 - Feb 2022 | 36

Hiraeth for Home

Ananya Rath, 2 nd Year, B.Des.

The city is in your veins, and it’ll never let you forget it.

Maybe one day, you’ll come back, and

When the old greengrocer throws in a couple of lemons into your faded cloth bag,

When your old neighbour bakes a fresh batch of sprinkles brownies for you,

When you see kids running around in your old cycling lanes,

Chances are, you will tear up & break down.

While you stand there with your cheeks tired of faking smiles,

The empty lanes echo with the sound of your laughter from when you were a child,

But now, you’re nine no more.

You’ve traded your popsicles for salads and an expensive gym membership,

Your rainbow crayons & t-shirts for formals & Codeblocks,

And you probably can still walk along your lanes backward, but now

The consequences of your mistakes are way graver than a scraped knee

And oh, honey, you’re nine no more.

Walls, bricks, and beams make houses.

The marble here is whiter, the windows freshly polished,

The paint is brighter & birds are chirping on the apple tree in the backyard there, but

Till the time the door creaks a sordid tune, in the memory of passing time,

Three tiles will remain chipped in the shower.

Till the time faint scratches on the wall in my room hint at the growth of innocence &

laughter in the house,

Old pink teddy bears will fade into brown.

Till the time the welcome mat welcomes all footsteps on the small porch,

Tea will always be in the pantry on the second shelf, besides the tin of cookies.

Walls, bricks, and beams make houses,

but these are the things that make them homes.

I may be nine no more but till the moment I yearn

For familiar shadows dancing in the kitchen,

That house will be my home,

For that is all I have ever known.

Illustration By:

Pratishma Bansal, 1 st year, M.Des

The Good Times

RISHIKA SINHA, 2 ND YEAR, ENE

RIYA SINGH, 2 ND YEAR, MCE

For many of my years as a child, my sole motivation to pick up the newspaper used to be

the games on one of the middle pages—the ones that came just below the movie streaming

schedule for that day. This was, of course, long before online games and show bookies took

over, and as an ode to that little kid who sincerely finished the scrabbles and crosswords

for many years until she grew up one day and started reading the other (“more important”)

news in the papers!

Those clippings from a 10-year-old newspaper remind me of how unworried my life was

then. The devil-may-care in me was just an innocent little girl who had once tripped around,

rolling in the aisles as she advertised the latest ‘Did You Know’ she’d read - ‘Obama was

known as O’Bomber at high school for his basketball skills!” And she did this every day

until this sailorman caught sight of a big can of spinach. I like spinach now, I didn’t then.

The riddles, the mazes, the crosswords; they were all a huge part of my childhood, and today,

the shrieking headlines and the camouflaged articles have bottled them up in a scrapbook I

never bothered to open until yesterday.

Crossword By: Preeti Das, 2 nd year, COE

ACROSS

3. An adult game of artists

6. You can’t play this without

taking Hari ka naam

10. Hand cricket(?)

11. The world’s #1 card game;

draw 4

12. 82 down with flu, 84

haggard and bored.

DOWN

1. The nerd game

2. Also a cookie. With choco

chips!

4. Mad Angles

5. It’s not “Cash on Delivery”

7. The origin of “sus”

8. A spy game, in Indian spelling

9. Red, yellow, blue, or green,

you need a 6 if you want to

begin.

ACROSS: 3. Skribbl 6. Antakshari 10. Odd Eve 11. UNO 12. Housie

DOWN: 1. Chess 2. Hide n Seek 4. BINGO 5. Call of Duty 7. Among Us 8. Ice-Pice 9. Ludo

THE TEAM

FACULTY ADVISORS

Prof. S. Indu

Dean, Student Welfare

Prof. Rajeshwari Pandey

Associate Dean (UG)

Mrs. Parinita Sinha

Assistant Professor,

Dept. of Humanities

Dr. Yashna Sharma

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electronics

& Communication Engineering

STUDENT COUNCIL

Angad Sethi

Editor-in-Chief

Anoushka Raj

Editor-in-Chief

Mandeep Singh

Student Head

Gopika Gopakumar

Student Head

Aryan Ganotra

Head of Development

Shreyansh Gupta

Head of Development

Krish Modi

Head of Photography

Anirudh Kundu

Head of Illustrations

Akanksha Tanwar

Managing Editor

Nischit Poojari

Student Advisor

Gaurav Khatri

Student Advisor

Pratiksha Pradhan

Student Coordinator

ALUMNI ADVISORS

Anushka Sharma

Parangat Mittal

Tripti Khulbe

Assistant Editor

Riya Singh

Coordinators of Design

Saatvik Agrawal, Vaibhav Srivastava

Coordinators of Development

Abhinandan Sharma, Anurag

Gupta, Ishaan Kaul, Naman Gogia, Neha

Goyal, Vaibhav Agarwal

Designers

Ansh Anurag, Hemang Sinha, Kailash

Maurya, Kanishk Yadav, Kuldeep Singh,

Nishant Sharma, Sameer, Srijan Pandey,

Shikhar Rana

Associate Editors

Kapil Sharma, Ritvik Nair, Ananya Kapoor

(Consultant), N. Krithika (Consultant)

Coordinator of Photography

Shanal Bhele

Photographers

Anant Vohra, Arein Gupta, Divyanshu Parle,

Kushagra Kumar, Manvir Singh, Pavan

Kumar, Priyanshi Anand, Sarthak Sharma,

Tuhina Chakma

Associate Developers

Shivam Bansal, Shivam Singhal

Coordinator of Illustration

Tejasv Mohan

Columnists

Ananya Rath, Anika Passi, Ankit Kumar,

Aryaman Singh, Pranjal Srivastava, Rishika

Sinha, Shaurya Shekhar, Tushar Mehra

Illustrators

Dhruv Vyas, Harshana Pillai, Keshav

Chauhan, Mehak Singhal, Naman Chadha,

Pratishma Bansal, Preeti Das, Rishikesh

Dubey, Saurabh Sharma, Shreeya Shrivastava

DISCLAIMER

DTU Times is edited and published by the DTU Times Team and printed by Arti Printers, New Delhi. DTU Studio

is the Official Photography Partner of DTU Times. The Publication is meant for internal circulation only and has no

commercial purpose. The views expressed in DTU Times are entirely personal and not necessarily the official views

of DTU. The Publication is based on news and content as gathered from sources.

Edition 55

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