percept - nicmar.ac.in pune_newsletter_perception_edition2...in particular building information...

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#rewire

#research #rewind

#realize

#review

#revel

#reframe

#refresh

#reach

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PERCEPTionNational Institute of Construction Management And Research

perception and realityare two differentthings. Our Perceptionis the REALITY

Editor’s Note

From conceptualizing and designing the first edition of the newsletter, to presenting you with the second edition, it gives me immense pleasure to see this publication evolve from being majorly an informative bulletin to being a platform for students to showcase their talent, as well as being instrumental in knowing the latest trends and break discussions on several topics of importance.

It has been a wonderful time creating this piece of work, which I would definitely look back to for years to come. I am grateful to all the faculty members, students and staff members who contributed to this newsletter.

In this edition, a random idea of using the prefix re- to connect the numerous sections, turned out well for the mere reason of a plethora of words starting with it. Technical sections like rewire and research, the nostalgia attached to rewind, the importance of realize, the fun and light-heartedness of review and revel, the art captured in reframe, an altogether different take on things in refresh, and the grounded connectivity of reach, these are all written and presented with utmost diligence by various, as we call them, ‘Humans of NICMAR’.

Hoping that this edition is liked by the readers, and the NICMAR newsletter is taken a level ahead by the forth coming batches, with introduction of new sections like reflect, replicate, reform, remark, reveal and several other columns, which would bring out their creativity as well as connect with the NICMAR fraternity, and evolve this platform as a permanent part of NICMAR academia. Happy reading!

Rohan MundraEditor-in-chief and Creative Editor

the Team

Dr. Kirti RajhansHead, Student Activities

Rohan MundraEditor-in-chief and Creative Editor

for suggestions or contributions to the next edition, contact us at [email protected]

at a GLANCE

NICMAR’s Newsletter | March 2018 Edition 2

Non-Utilized Talent

Extra-Processing

Lean Construction_02Blockchain_03Known to Unknown_04Cryptocurrency_06

#rewire

contributing 5% of the GDP after agriculture. However, the Industry is perceived to be least organised, less developed and has been categorically known to suffer quality. Thus, it becomes paramount to pay heed to the construction sector to revive the national economy and within the industry to realise profits, increase the competitiveness and improve quality. It is believed that these objectives can be accomplished by adopting some lean techniques.

Lean Construction is a comprehensive management system which optimizes efforts, minimizes costs and time and reduces waste for creating value. Lean construction is synonymous to efficiency enhancement. The most important features of leanconstruction include setting clearobjectives for the delivery process, concurrent design and application of project control throughout the life cycle of the project. Lean construction accomplishes savings by allowing teams to complete jobs faster with less waste of material,

he construction industry in India is in a rapid mode of expansion and is

time and labour. Therefore, creating awareness and adopting it in construction is the prerequisite. Never the less, many people in construction object on the first exposure because lean thinking appears to be an application of a manufacturing technique. Although practicing lean practices is easier in manufacturing because of its fixed production processes, predictable material needs, and repetitive procedures, it seems to be quite challenging in construction. The challenges faced could be on account of the customised projects, unique design needs, transient labour force and no standardisation of material used. Thus, applying lean principles to a construction enterprise can pose unique challenges, though the long-term gains of embracing it can be substantial. One way to achieve this could be through greater standardisation in the processes involved. Some of the methods of lean that can be applied in the construction industry are as follows:

- 3M (Muda, Muri and Mura) - VSM (Value Stream Mapping) - LPS (Last Planner System) - Kanban-Inventory control system - 5S (Sort, Set in order, Sweep, Standardize and Sustain) - PPC (Percent Planned Complete)

Each of these techniques has its own benefits when applied independently or jointly to the management of the project wherein the focus is to save

time, wastage and thus, money. However, the outlook of the industry needs to be changed to espouse the same. It has been observed that lean adoption can lead to increased efficiency, higher quality, customer satisfaction and boosted profits along with reduced initial investment, accountability, better safety control and better communication for the parties involved. As NICMARians and being technically skilled in the area of project management, it is necessary to aspire to assimilate this knowledge and promulgate in the industry.

Lean Thinkingin Construction

Defects

Transportation

Waiting

Motion

Overproduction

LeanWastes

8

Inventory

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Dr. Smitha YadavHead, ACM

NICMAR Pune

02 | NICMAR, Pune perception | Edition 2

recent PwC report on “Global Construction 2030” forecasts that the volume of construction related or dependent sectors will grow to $15.5 trillion worldwide. This data is sufficient to arrive at a conclusion that the amount of Global Construction activities in the next decade is going to be huge. But, the construction industry is crippled with major challenges. According to the Farmer’s review, the construction industry globally, is suffering from the following challenges: Low Productivity, Low Predictability, Leadership Fragmentation, Lack of R&D and Investment in Innovation, Lack of Collaboration and Improvement Culture.

The 21st century has brought about a technological boom that changed everything. Every single industry has been affected through technological advancements, even if the degree of change varies. This also includes the construction industry. A number of construction operations are deemed repetitive, but they are not performed in a fixed location or even in a fixed sequence. Furthermore, the construction industry is not based on the production of a standardized products due to which the demand for material supply of buying, receiving, expediting, warehousing and delivery are more complex.

he construction industry has witnessed exceptional growth in the past few decades. The

Construction brings together large teams to design and shape the built environment. With technology and in particular Building Information Modeling (BIM) becoming more widespread, openness to collaboration and new ideas is increasing across the industry. This momentum could be leveraged to bring the use of Blockchain technology to the fore.

A Blockchain is a decentralised database which chronologically and securely records transactions. A transaction can be of a cryptocurrency or any platform wherein transfer of value is enabled. Value might be a service, a product or an approval in the form of a Smart Contract.

A Smart Contract is a computer programme that works on the if/then principle. In this way, the contracts are administered. So, if the painter has painted the wall then he requests it is inspected. If the person responsible for inspecting the work agrees it is of acceptable quality, then the painter gets paid. Smart Contracts can be used for each of these if/then scenarios and recorded on the Blockchain (and can be collateralised with cryptocurrency). This all happens securely because of the use of cryptography in Blockchains to store transactions in Blocks of data that are replicated on multiple servers/computers around the world.

Another good example is the delivery of goods/products allowing clients to buy directly from the supplier because the use of a Smart Contract can provide more trust in the transaction. Payment to a supplier can be staggered and liability transferred to different parties. For example, a piece of mechanical plant. A client could purchase it directly from the supplier, pay a portion of the cost when it is verified that the plant has left port of the origin country, transfer liability to the shipping company, release further payment when the plant

arrives on site, again transferring liability, this time to the contractor responsible for installation. The final payment can be issued once the plant has been installed and commissioned. All these stages can be stored on the Blockchain and provide more opportunities for direct transactions without the need for middlemen.

Few other benefits of Blockchain include: - Near Real Time - Assurity in Trustless Environment - Distributed Ledger - Irreversibility

In our world of continued technological revolution, most of the new technological advancements come with a promise to improve business and profitability. And whether one likes it or not, there can be a threat to survival if a business does not adapt to the changing times, to the oppurtunities and benefits that a new technology brings with it. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, it is challenging status quo and perhaps requires CRIP companies to better understand the technology and revisit their existing business models, strategies, processes, and financial plans.

In summary, blockchain technology has significant potential to drive transparency, efficiency, and cost savings for CRE owners by removing many of the existing inefficiencies in key processes. While this report focuses on property leasing and management processes, our future publications will provide an in-depth analysis of blockchain technology’s applicability to purchase-sale transactions and financing. Hence, CRIP companies and industry participants evaluating an upgrade or overhaul of their current systems should have blockchain on their radar as its demonstrated usefulness has the ability to bring significant value to the industry.

Application of Blockchain Technology in

CRIP Sector

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Sachin AmarnathAP16271, ACM30 Section 04


using the train service wouldn’t miss the automated announcement to ‘mind the gap’ between the platform and the train. Likewise, in the US, the commuters are familiar with the voice of Charlie Pellet for subway announcements. These voices make me wonder if we mind the gap while managing projects. In this article, I plan to take you through the knowledge gap that exists between the known and unknown continuum. The known-unknown continuum became popular when the former US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld gave a profoundly perplexing speech in 2002 about the lack of evidence in linking the government of Iraq with the supply of weapons to terrorists groups. Rumsfeld stated:

“Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns. We also know there are known unknowns. But there are also unknown knowns and unknown unknowns. And if one looks throughout the history, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.”

Isn’t this true for projects? On every project, there are things we know and things we don’t know – ‘knowns’ and ‘unknowns’. Organizing one’s thoughts around this continuum can be a constructive approach to understand a project as shown in Figure 1a (Matirx).

The Chaos theory helps us to understand this continuum as follows:

ind the Gap is a popular phrase coined in London around 1968. Traveler’s

Known-Knowns are things we know that we know. It can be said to be part of our general knowledge. These are risks that can be identified at the outset of a project and the outcome of which can be more or less predicted. For example: increase in labor and material costs are likely to be predictable. We can handle these risks by including in our original plan. For instance, in the context of school construction, if soil test reports show the need for pile construction instead of raft foundation, the extra costs can be added to project estimates. But if we ignore to make changes in our plan or take approval from the client as a change order, then it could be the case of – ‘the Elephant in the room’. A metaphor which would mean that the obvious is ignored leading to chaos and risks in future. In such situations, the stakeholders are aware of the risk but don’t do anything hoping that it will not eventuate. However, beware of Murphy; sleeping elephants will wake at the most inconvenient moment. Often, the existence of the ‘Elephant’ is denied, perhaps out of fear that they will be handed the responsibility.

Known-Unknowns are things we know that we don’t yet know. These are risks that one is aware of but the outcome of which might be initially unclear. For instance, an investor purchases stock with the knowledge that the upcoming earnings could disappoint. This insight forces project managers to base their decisions on law of probability and think of all kinds of what-if scenarios to negate the ‘Butterfly’ effect in future. Butterfly effect is a metaphor to explain the phenomena of sensitive dependence on initial conditions, such as the flapping of the wings of a butterfly can have large unintended consequence. A classic example to quote is: when I was in internship; I was part of a project wherein, I had to develop detail drawings to supply to the fabricators. The project was carefully planned to allow on-site

measurement and installation of door and window frames for three floors. However, site measurement error led to re-fabricate and re-install the frames. While this error was willingly taken up by my firm, the delay meant the glazing contractor was unable to proceed as scheduled and in due course, his only crane to support the execution was re-allocated to another site. This was further delayed due to change in weather conditions and high winds. Additionally, the glazing panes that were stored in the site were further damaged in an accident. All these led to considerable delay. The client had to occupy the facility as planned. Due to delay, the client was made to stay in a hotel at builder’s expense. Costs to Client included sleepless nights and compromise on quality. For the contractor, it was significant in terms of sleepless nights, loss in labour productivity and lost money. This was truly a butterfly effect where a small error was amplified through the project.

Unknown-Knowns are risks that are known to few members of the team and not to all and its significance is not appreciated till the impact is felt. Dealing with unknown knowns is all about dealing with the ‘Dragon King’. Dragon King is a double metaphor for events that are both extremely large in size (like a King) and born out of uniqueness (like a dragon). A classic example to quote is from NASA, when a piece of foam insulation broke off the Space Shuttle Columbia’s external fuel tank and struck the wing. Rest

Known to Unknown

Continuum- Mind the Gap

M


Figure 1a: Known-Unknown Continuum

Known Knowns

Things in our plan

Known Unknowns

Things we know, we do not yet

know plan

Unknown Unknowns

Uncertainties

Unknown Knowns

Assumptions

is history, a disastrous end! It is about questioning our assumptions. NASA had limited its investigation, even though some engineers on the team suspected that the damage was serious.

Unknown-Unknowns are a dangerous class of knowledge. We don’t even know they exist. They cannot be anticipated on past experience or investigation. The ‘Black Swan’ theory is a metaphor that depicts this class of risk. Coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, such events are an outlier, comes as a surprise to the observer, has a major effect, however, after the first recorded instance of the event, it is rationalized by hindsight, as if it could have been expected. The sinking of the Titanic, Fukushima accident, 9/11 world trade center tragedy, collapse of Soviet Union, Wall street crash, Chernobyl nuclear disaster and closer to home, Bhopal gas tragedy are all classic examples of Black Swan effect in history.

So, young minds, ‘mind the gap’ in your knowledge. Increase your competency to address the elephant in the room, the butterflies, dragon king and the black swans on time (Figure 1b).

I would like to end this article with a quote by a Persian poet, Ibn Yamin, who observes that:

“One who knows and knows that he knows... His horse of wisdom will reach the skies. One who knows, but doesn’t know that he knows... He is fast asleep, so you should wake him up! One who doesn’t know, but knows that he doesn’t know... His limping mule will eventually get him home. One who doesn’t know and doesn’t know that he doesn’t know... He will be eternally lost in his hopeless oblivion!”

In a nutshell, while the ‘known’ risks (if not ignored) can be planned well and included in the contingencies, there is no need to be afraid of the

unknowns. The unknowns arean inevitable part of every single construction project. The way forward would be to minimize threats, since total elimination is mission impossible. However, incorporating a strategy for dealing with the unknowns would mind the gap!


Dr. Shobha RamalingamAssistant Professor

NICMAR Pune

for answers, shuffle through the pages of Perception Edition 2

Figure 1b: Mind the Gap

ACROSS Move by Argument Retreating From a Conflict Planned Allocation of Resources Common and Special Cause SurroundingsAuthorized Deviation from Specifications Allowances for Change Give and Take Agreement Favorable Outcomes Comparison of Income to Money Spent DOWN

Optimization of Cost to Performance Risk Assumptions Pattern of Human Knowledge Written Outline of Activities of a Job Distribution of Authority or Responsibility Source of Risk Danger Activity with Zero Time Duration A Start-Finish Relationship Examine with Intent to Verify Development of Specific Skills

246811

12141719

20

13579

1013151618

#recreationtesting your project management knowledge in the most creative way possible


regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. A public ledger of all the transactions made is stored in the blockchain database, making the transactions more transparent. In simpler terms, cryptocurrencies are entries about tokens in decentralized consensus-databases. They are called such because the consensus-keeping process is secured by extreme (read: strong) cryptography. Being built on cryptography, they are not secured by people or by trust, but by math.

the HistoryBitcoin, the first of many cryptocurrencies, was created in 2009 by a person/organization called Satoshi Nakamoto, who remains anonymous till date. “Announcing the release of Bitcoin, a new electronic cash system that uses a peer-to-peer network to prevent double-spending. It is completely decentralized with no server or central authority.” This was how Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin on 9th January 2009, during its official release. After several failed attempts by various organizations in the late ‘90s to create a decentralized currency system, Satoshi struck virtual gold with bitcoin. Following this, many other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, IOTA, Litecoin among others started emerging, taking the total count of cryptocurrencies to more than a thousand. Although cryptocurrencies were started as an alternative media for currency exchange, it has since been reduced to a mere money-making investment.

ryptocurrency is a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to

the RiseIn 2009, when Bitcoin was first launched, the price of a single unit of bitcoin was about $0.003 or INR 0.20. Gradually, the interest in cryptocurrencies started growing. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit group, started accepting bitcoins in January 2011, and stopped its use in June 2011, citing concerns around the lack of legal precedent regarding such new digital currency systems. The EFF’s decision was reversed on 17th May 2013 when they resumed accepting bitcoins. In June 2011, WikiLeaks and other organizations began to accept bitcoins as donations. In early 2013, $1 million worth of bitcoin at $22 per unit was reported to be sold in a single month by a bitcoin-based payment processor. From being $14 a coin in the beginning of 2013, its price rose to $945 by the end of the same year, amounting to a mind-numbing 6650% increase. Although it did see a dip in 2015 and 2016, it saw its peak levels in the year 2017, where each unit was worth more than $18500.

the FallThe cryptocurrency market is one of extreme volatility due to its constant change in prices, making investors often take a step back. Small changes in the financial market have resulted in drastic drops of a unit’s price. The price of these digital currencies would increase or decrease based on the public perception of them at any given point of time. It is primarily based on a supply-demand curve, where, if the perception of any cryptocurrency is positive, the demand for the same would increase, resulting in escalation of prices and vice-versa. In 2017, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein stated, “Maybe bitcoin is a bubble”, adding that he did not like it and is not comfortable with it. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon referred to bitcoin as a “fraud”, adding that it is worse than tulip bulbs and that it will never end well. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink was found stating that bitcoin was an ‘index of money laundering.’ Such

statements dented the bitcoin market and other such cryptocurrencies strongly, stopping people from investing in it, thus resulting in plummeting prices like there is no tomorrow. From $18500 at one point in late 2017, to almost a half of it in March 2018, thus is the volatility of this Digital Currency.

the Indian takeIn the 2018 budget speech by the Honorable Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, he stated “The government does not consider cryptocurrencies legal tender or coin and will take all measures to eliminate use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system.” Although the use of cryptocurrencies is not accepted by the government, the technology (Blockchain) was well received and the government is keen on using it, stating “Distributed ledger system or the blockchain technology allows organization of any chain of records or transactions, without the need of intermediaries. The government will explore use of blockchain technology proactively for ushering in digital economy.” This goes very much in line with the PM’s Digital India drive.

the QuestionAlthough the government has stated that cryptocurrencies will not be considered as a legal tender, it does not extend that trading of the same is illegal. Its proper interpretation should be that one cannot use these currencies for any kind of trading in India. But with such volatility in prices, would you want to invest in this new digital frontier? It all boils down to one’s appetite for risk. Would you take the high-risk-high-rewards roller coaster ride of cryptocurrencies, or would you play safe by investing in comparatively low risk options like mutual funds or stocks? This question is highly debatable, and one on which the future will be ascertained.

Cryptocurrency:a new frontier

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M KarthikAP17135, ACM31 Section 02


goal? How is being efficient different from being effective? What is the difference between selection and recruitment? These were few of the questions put forth by a rather friendly HR Manager, who also happened to be a retired Army officer, during one of my interviews for the thesis research. Though this article is not intended to answer the above questions, it would surely open new doors to find the answers and reorient the way we look at placements.

A lingering question while preparing for job placements in each candidate’s mind is: What is the success mantra for getting the desired job? And this is how the idea of this research subject seeded. After a year of research, a lot of reading and several interviews towards the completion of the same, this article is a summary of what an organization is looking for, while hiring a candidate for a job. 100+ students pursuing various courses at NICMAR Pune participated in the survey conducted for the research. Also, a comprehensive study of the views of employers was done through interviews and literature studies across various industries in the CRIP sector.

By carrying out a comparative analysis between the opinion of students and employers on the placement process, this study is a step towards bridging the gap between what employers look for in candidates, and how candidates perceive the selection process of a job.

hat is the difference between doing the right thing and setting the right

Starting from the beginning of a job interview, there is a stark difference between the students’ opinion from the employers’ about the first impression. While 45% of the students assume the time to make or break an interview to be somewhere between 4-10 minutes, the employers state an entirely contrasting opinion that the first 1-2 minutes set the tone for the interview, and 90% of the rejects are attributed to these crucial couple of minutes. In this duration, the employers seek candidates who are confident, well-groomed and can communicate effectively. Now, effective communication is not only answering well in the interview, but how effectively you put forward your best skills, that align with the job you have applied for. An employer brought this problem to light in one of the interviews, “We receive a lot of lengthy resumes with the skills mentioned that we absolutely do not need for that particular job. This makes it difficult to filter the suitable candidates, and sometimes we lose good candidates due to the sole reason of not communicating the right skills through their job application.”

Though it has been over-emphasized in our educational system, while being completely disregarded by almost 25% of the students surveyed, the employers opine that a basic technical knowledge of the relevant field, as well as the related fields is a must for any job. Along with this, why some of the companies emphasize on a minimum cut-off for academic grades is to ensure consistent and quality performers. As one of the senior faculties at NICMAR Pune rightly pointed out in a Strategic Management lecture that all the students, when asked, keep emphasizing on practical knowledge, each time forgetting that the methods we know today and apply in our jobs in practical are because of the literature/historical data, and that a thorough study of those data is of utmost importance to find loopholes and improve upon

the techniques that we use today in the industry.

A senior HR personnel expressed the dire need for compulsory participation in sports and physical training along with academics during under-graduate and post-graduate years, “They should be made mandatory in colleges, because it is essential for team building. Sports teach you values like honesty and team spirit, a much-needed part of work ethics in the industry. They build your stamina. I see 30-year olds being inefficient in their jobs due to their lack of stamina. Simultaneously, they teach you to balance academics and extra-curriculum throughout the years. I am aware that students try to brush up their technical knowledge from a week or two prior to a job interview, but the soft skills required are built gradually with time and practice.”

Hard Skills (or Technical Skills) and Soft Skills, though being on the opposite ends of a spectrum, are complementary to each other. Conclusively, the most common and prominent skills found to be necessary from an employer’s point of view are: Good Communication; Technical Knowledge; Consistency; Time Management and Work Ethics. Though this is being written when almost 95% of the batch of 2016-2018 has been placed, there is still a need to fill that 5% gap, as well as improvement in the students’ approach towards the preparation of the placement process.

Hopefully, this article brought some clarity of thoughts in the minds of young aspirants preparing for the next placement season. For further details on the thesis research and its findings, feel free to refer the Institute library. Good Luck!

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#research

Niharika JainPP16062, PEM12 Section 02

Excerpts from the Thesis titled ‘Soft Skills as Perceived by Students and Employers as

Relevant Employability Skills’ by Niharika Jain (PP16062) and Prakhar Katare(PP16076)

under the guidance of Dr. Kirti Rajhans

Technikala 2018, the thirteenth edition of NICMAR Pune’s annual inter-college techno-cultural fest spanned over three days from 9th to 11th February 2018. It was an enormous success and garnered participation in great numbers from not only the students of NICMAR Pune, but also from reputed colleges in Pune and other cities of the Nation. ‘Technikala’, as the name suggests is a fusion of ‘Techni’ from Technical and ‘Kala’ meaning art and was inaugurated on 8th February 2018, marking the start of things. Carrying forward the legacy of past years, Technikala 2018 witnessed participation in 40 interesting and unique events spread across distinct domains such as technical, business, literary, design, sports, cultural, gaming and informal involving students from diversified backgrounds such as engineering, management, law, arts and medicine to name a few.

This year’s theme, ‘Travel, Transit, Transform and Transverse’ was a step towards creating a unique blend of cultures, innovation, technology and traditions from all around the world, all frozen in time, of which NICMAR Pune is the epicentre. The theme was experientially created to make this year’s Technikala, Technikala 2018 distinctive from the past by acknowledging the rich history the fest has while also envisioning the bright future it potentially can create. The physical replication of this theme was carried forward through elements of design and decor as well as the format of the events spread across multiple domains.

The theme of Technikala 2018, ‘Transverse’ was physically brought about by unique, exquisite and extensive design and decorations. The aim was to create an environment that felt of a fest, so that the participants were joyously engaged not just through the events, but also felt connected to Technikala 2018 through its physical presence. Technikala 2018 was inaugurated through a motivational speech by the Chief Guest for the day, Mr. Sarvesh Javdekar, Partner at Vilas Javdekar Developers who told the students the benefits and oppurtunities one can get through a fest like Technikala 2018.

Technikala 2018


Technikala 2018 had active participation in 40 events across 8 domains with the introduction of a completely new domain, Business centred towards management related activities. Technikala had 7 virtual events which roped in students from several cities across the country.

Keeping in mind the target student crowd, the events of all domains were planned in accordance to their skill set; be it the creative Contraption event named ‘The Domino Effect’ or the uniquely organized Literary event, ‘War of Words’. The virtual events of the Design Domain were systematically carried out keeping in mind participation from far off colleges.

To the students of our institute, Technikala is not just about the events but a platform used to create awareness about several causes which impact peoples’ lives and surroundings. This year the emphasis was on the need of safe road travel and encouraging a healthy form of transportation. To honour this cause, NICMAR Pune, in association with Safe Road Foundation organized Cyclothon 2018 on 3rd February 2018.

The student members, or Team Technikala 2018 as they call themselves went all guns blazing in promoting this mega event at all prominent places in and around Pune attracting youth in large numbers. The event saw an overwhelming participation from many reputed colleges of the Engineering, Management and Fine Arts background among others indulging in almost all events resulting in the participation from over 40 reputed Educational institutes amounting to a footfall participation of approximately 1500+ students. Be the engineering undergraduates, for whom the events of the Technical genre were finely curated or the postgraduate students of the Management sector, for whom the newly added domain, Business was created, Technikala 2018 had something for everyone interested. From an opportunity for the designers, to a platform for the highly fit, Technikala 2018 was strategically planned to serve all, and wide.

For a further read, the detailed report can be found at goo.gl/kYTU6y

40+colleges

1500+ students

Aditi Singh SharmaTechnikala 2018 had a fabulous finale in the form of a Pro-Show

by ace Bollywood singer and composer Aditi Singh Sharma who has been the voice behind various

chartbusters such as ‘Raabta’, ‘High Heels’, ‘Dhoom Machale

Dhoom’ and ‘Offo’ to name a few. The crowd, approximately 1000+ in numbers were left in a mesmerized

trance and just could not get enough of the acclaimed singer.

origin, and perhaps for us that origin was no different than it was for the rest of our batch mates. We all stepped in this institute being totally clueless about what NICMAR had for us. Our journey in NICMAR was quite indifferent in the beginning. But as we moved ahead we got introduced to our destination by the glimpses we used to get in the form of the professionalism which the Placement Department had, the discipline it had maintained for years and the hardwork and dedication the Placement Coordinators were known for.

Thus, inspired by the display board of the attributes of a Placement Committee member we all signed our nominations for the positions of Summer Internship Coordinators without realising what would lie ahead of us in this journey. A lot awaited us as we chose to enroute the path to reach our target of becoming a Summer Internship Coordinator. Bearing all the stresses and being patient for 3 long months, finally on 24th November

2016 when we came to be known as the Summer Internship Committee 2016-17 for our batch, a lot more than what we could even imagine started welcoming us day by day; be it the wishes we got from our batchmates for the new position we held or the pressure we could realise of getting our batch placed for their internships in a span of 4 months. Getting introduced to a new challenge every day and spending our nights finding the solution for it, we spent hours in discussions and why not, after all it was the matter of internship for 730 students.

The moment we joined the Placement Department as the Placement Committee we realised it was not as glamorous as it seemed to be. The placement statistics were on its lowest ever mark and the rising resentment of the batch was hidden to none. We, as the committee members had major challenges of performing and keeping our batch on our side. And this was possible only if we could understand what they expect and by performing up to their expectations.We had experienced the resentment of an unplaced senior batch during our tenure as Summer Internship Committee and we knew exactly what it feels when something is undone for which you have strived for. This was the main reason for the multiplied work hours we had and the zeal of fulfilling the implicit promise we made to our batch when we joined the office of placement committee.

To talk on the lines of our personal

achievements and personal development, we knew that all we have gained as a Placement Coordinator would certainly help us evolve as better professionals, better managers and above all, better human beings. The very sight of satisfaction and the gratitude we used to see in the eyes of our batch mates was the biggest returns we got for our job as Placement Coordinators. The opportunity of working with great minds like Dr. Gautam Vikhe Sir, Mr. Rajesh Pranjale Sir, Mr. Akhilesh Rathod Sir and Mr.Vijay Nishandar Sir in the name of the placement officers of NICMAR, Pune and the experience of working under a dynamic personality like Prof. Dr. Vishwanath Lele Sir was no less than a golden fortune which was limited to quite a few people.

We would like to thank our batch for constantly standing with us in all our decisions and trusting us with their careers. Also, we would like to thank each and every one who helped us in achieving this mammoth target. Thus, this is Placement Committee 2017-18 with our final message on our 17-month journey. Ending on an apologetic note as it will not be possible for us to express our feelings in a limited set of words.

We started our journey in NICMAR with a dream similar toothers but never realisedwe would end up beinginstrumental in shapingthat dream.

“Any discussion on an experience should straight away start with the very


recollecting experiences of proud NICMARians while remeniscing some unforgettable moments

#rewind

”

a journey of fulfilment; of

ambitions, expectations

and promises

Placement Committee 2017-2018

calendar year began. The sheer excitement for the three days in the month of February could be summed up in 3 words too; fun, fun and a lot more fun, and this was my only expectation. The whole excitement of reliving my undergrad days with new mates and with a small position of responsibility was just a lot to look forward too.

Technikala 2018, NICMAR Pune’s annual inter-college techno-cultural fest was definitely a showstopper in my not-so-exciting life and it has left me with loads of wonderful memories, all making me miss them even while writing this. Being a member of Team Technikala 2018 (yeah, we called ourselves this) was one of the best decisions made on a boring and starry night, half sleepy and half tired. The enthusiasm with which we executed our responsibilities coupled with the deep-rooted months of planning led to what I will always be proud of, a successful Technikala 2018.

In a fest of this kind, one might feel the inclusion of responsibilities can hinder the possibility of having fun, but this so-called burden had its perks. All those sleepless nights filled with tons of childish behaviour and laughter has created a bond stronger than friendship amongst us, and all that when a lot of us had thought any position of

responsibility would be more of mundane working and less of merry making. A week prior to the showdown, on a bright Sunday morning, we organized Cyclothon 2018. My physical stature can clearly define if I have any history of participating in such events, but this was a true revelation for me, relishing almost every second of that morning. The whole crowd was glowing with energy, exuberance and all around everyone was elated being a part of a first here at NICMAR. Even if the rally was just a mere 7kms, to those like me who are never in the best of their physical condition, I found myself gasping for air by the half milestone. A month later and knowing I should be a lot more physically active, that morning was one of the best experiences I have had, and with friends I love, qualifying for a ‘Dear Diary’ moment.

Marketing the 40 odd events of Technikala was yet another experience that I will always cherish. Missing classes (sold to me as bunking them), the bike rides, the excitement of meeting new people, the adventure of exploring new places are just few of the things I miss so much. The thrill of all this and a lot more is truly irreplaceable. The daily late-night brainstorming sessions of the Literary team to planning and coming with ways to make the events a bit more interesting was a challenge, overcome with member enthusiasm

and creativity. Some of them were really quirky and crazy, but then we handled this fest as a canvas to explore and experiment, hoping to land up with something unique and exciting. I remember this one crazy idea of hosting an event centred around a round of Scrabble to be played on a live-size Scrabble Sheet instead of a normal board on a table. And before I could gulp down the whole idea of the suggestion I thought was out of plain humour, we landed up getting a 12’x12’ Scrabble board, all ready to be put up for the participants to have a gala time playing the next week.

With days and nights chanting Technikala 2018, it was finally the moment to live the whole expectation, to see our efforts take shape, it was finally time to live what turned out to the best 3 days of my life.

From the naive experience of conducting events, to planning them beforehand, staying up nights with people who became brethren, seeing the best executed while being a part of it, words cannot describe the emotions that Technikala 2018 was. From a lot mentioned and a lot still fresh as sweet memory, I’ll end this trip in the same way,with the same bang as weended all our meetings,Technikala 2018 it is!

“Travel, Transit, Transform; these three words have been ringing in my ears since this

Mathew RoyTeam Literary

Technikala 2018

War of Words, a literary event was played on a life-size scrabble board of 12’x12’ and garnered interest and participation in numbers.

”technikala

it is 2018

gave me an opportunity to pursue this passion of mine, better. I remember applying to this what some might call a small position of responsibility but for me then, it was following and living my passion while also fulfilling certain given tasks and duties. Chosen amongst a whole pool of people, I was part of a 4-member team whose primary task was to cover all student related activities organized at NICMAR Pune. But for me, this journey began way before it was termed into a title, and Udbhav 2016 was the moment went things kicked off. While understanding the ways of this Institute during this event to mildly showcasing my photography skills, this ice-breaking event was the perfect platform to evolve and adjust to the NICMAR lifestyle. Once chosen, the actual duties started

cherish these for years along.

Events like Reverbz, Technikala and Udbhav bring out various emotions in a person which come out as beautiful pictures. Covering the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd needs great zeal and I think as Official Photographers we were always motivated and driven to co-ordinate and cover all the events.

Being the official photographers, we learnt a great deal about time management, team work and meeting deadlines. NICMAR has contributed so much in each of our personality development through various platforms. This article would be incomplete if I do not mention my co-photographers, Joy, Pushkar and Narasimha who have always been great friends and amazing photographers and the members of the Student Council 2016-17, who have been so encouraging and supportive throughout our tenure.

The journey was a complete circle starting off from being a junior and applying to this post, to then welcoming the juniors andchoosing the best from theavailable talent pool totask forth.

coming into play, from covering festivals like Ganeshotsav, Onam, Christmas and Navratri to events like Chakraview, Reverbz, Technikala 2017 and Udbhav 2017. Every event was a different experience and to capture them with all their richness and extravagance was a huge task.

As a photographer, I always look for something out of the box, something that stands out in a crowd and try to capture that moment, framing it forever for some who might never even know I caught that moment while they was living it unknowingly. I remember getting up on event mornings and while the whole hustle bustle around me was all about which event to take part in, or how my batchmates would plan their source of fun for the day, my team and I started our mornings with discussing and dividing the work for the day. It may sound a bit weird to many that instead of living and creating moments for ourselves, we lived this whole period capturing and framing moments and memories for others. But all of this gave us a completely different and unique perspective to the entire event and the proceedings for the day making us sometimes notice what others might not know happened. We made memories for our friends, our batchmates and for all NICMARians who will definitely

“Photography has always been one of the closest things to my heart and NICMAR


capturingmoments

framingmemories

”Spoorthi BadariOfficial Photographer 2016-17

NICMAR Pune

While for others the Proshow Night of Nakash Aziz was just a time of merry makling and having a gala time, for the Official Photgraphers it was a time to frame unforgettable memories

for those others forever.

”

phrase, but with the only contrast that there was no power. When one joins NICMAR, they have a generalized long-term idea that they would want to land-up somewhere in the CRIP sector. The short-term one differs from person to person but the majority of the 1500+ students have a broad picture of spending a gala time, a memorable period and making a fresh and long-lasting group of friends. In all of this, there is hardly the want or wish to land up managing the duties of a group of students at the post graduate level.

Yeah, this is the great responsibility part, the shoulders of a Class-Representative. Completely new to the arena of managing an entire class, 107 students to be precise, this experience turned out to be in stark contrast to that of a monitor/class-leader of school days, for again, this was a post graduate institute.

Writing this brings back a gush of memories, loads of moments which make me reminisce just how soon these past 20 months flew by. It may not seem that this post would be challenging, or the work would be laborious but then when you see some of your mates whiling away time on a pleasant weekend or enjoying their time during the several intra-college events, you realize that gathering crowd for one of those events or planning the class participation is mildly hectic to say the least. And if assembling masses for a cultural event seemed tough, being held responsible for a somewhat abysmal attendance

in a class was a lot worse, for this is a college where the average individual’s age is 24 (far past their rebellious period and similarly far past their age of obedience and patience of attending classes). When questioned by the Head of Department (the utmost elite-ness we CR’s experienced) on the reason for such low numbers, it was impossible to cook up anything logical. But then responsibility is responsibility, and numerous tricks and schemes like that of being awarded a ‘Term Not Granted’ were used (or rather shoved down their throats) which now seems to be a harsh and disruptive approach.

Some associate NICMAR with just one primary goal, ‘Placement’. If an individual has spent an amount upwards of the 10-lakh bracket and investing his time and efforts for 20 months to achieve a decent ROI, then yes, Placement should definitely be a supreme priority. Quality Circles is regarded as a platform that enhances the chances of getting one, by honing the individual’s skills in what truly matters for an interview, in short, another responsibility for the CR. Tasked with identifying a few good mentors, finding classmates who could assist me in the proceedings of every QC meet or the biggest challenge, searching for students who shall actually benefit from the meet. Yes, even with a class of 107 and many acknowledging the need for regular QC meets, there was always a dearth of students participating. But then, great Responsibility it was and so through various means, QC’s became a regular affair in the lives of my classmates.

The role of a CR isn’t much on the surface, but then scratching it further, one would understand there are a lot of things we individuals accomplish and many of them are never brought forth. From morally taking up the responsibility of arranging class notes (the photocopies or the softcopies storedwith utmost precision on an ever-

expanding Google Drive account), everything was done so that my class, the 107 of us had something a little bit simpler, even if by a slight margin. And when you have the heavy responsibility of moving ahead with the weight of an entire class, you also understand that you are the SPoC for a lot of things and sometimes the scapegoat too. Attendance was this one crucial entity that clearly defines what all a CR manages, talking here not of the official records but when one is barraged with numerous requests to put in a proxy, but then I do what is morally right (leaving it up to the readers to understand what my moral code is).

Writing this, there are a lot of moments or activities that can be mentioned, but maybe the one that makes me the most emotional is when PEM Section 1, my class, was being divided into 2 distinct halves, each getting half of what had become a well-knit family. True that the family could hang out together after academic hours and maybe even get together in elective classes, but then things were never the same. Friends remained friends and homies always lived the pact, but there is a certain charm that the first year had which could never be recreated.

The end is here and so is my time to leave NICMAR Pune. From everything mentioned to a lot more missed out, holding this post of responsibility has been a true revelation and definitely a pleasant one. To all who believed in me time and again and who depended on me, a thank you. It has trulybeen an amazing journeybeing a part of what wasmy temporary home.

“The 20 months at NICMAR Pune stood true by the latter half of that so-popular

Compiled by Rohan Mundraon behalf of Ashish Khairnar,

Class RepresentativePEM12 Section 01

with Great Power,comes GREAT

RESPONSIBILITY

CRthe chronicles of a

internal or external. However, that has never been its purpose. It is more inclined towards aligning the thought process of young minds into creative and sustainable solutions for every problem they face.

Student Council is a body with a vision to accomplish tasks beyond the obvious. Being a member of the council is beyond the position that you embrace. This is a place where you as an individual, come first and are then followed by the post you carry; a place where you go beyond who you are, into exploring something that has never been done before!

Having worked in a student body at an undergraduate level, I had some idea as to how things work. After stepping into NICMAR, the event Udbhav, altogether changed my perspective. The time, effort and planning that the then council (Student Council 2015-16) took to make us feel at home through numerous events inspired me to apply for the process, the long and laborious process of becoming a member of the Council and the best part of this process is that you are selected and not elected, selected based upon various parameters, testing and evaluating the applicants on several criteria. The Screening and shortlisting went on through several rounds, involving a written test, a group discussion and series of faculty interviews, I landed into the (almost final) round wherein different roles as a council member had to be played under

certain defined situations. That was the changing moment wherein, after the interview I spent several hours introspecting as to who exactly I am, understanding my strengths and weaknesses and figuring out ways to deal with it. It was later, during my tenure as a council member, that I realized the importance of this very activity.

It is said that the first impression is the last and the best impression, and hence our first task, the first of the newly selected council members was to put up a great show through the intra-college techno-cultural fest Chakraview; managing 20-25 odd events in a limited span of 2-3 days, in which we succeeded. Every event conducted brought to us a new challenge and facing it together, finding a solution bonded us as a family! It is during these times we understood the importance trust and faith play in our life! For some, taking decisions might be easy, but what keeps the ship sailing is taking the right decision at the right time under a stressful environment.

The most challenging task of a council member according to me was in finding a mid-way between my own thoughts and the perception of 16 others. First you must convince yourself about the idea and then convince them. Since every mind had a bunch of crazy ideas, reaching to a common solution was always a tough task. But it is during these times, our head, mentor and the best advisor used to come to our rescue. She is none other than, Dr. Kirti Rajhans, head of student activities and our true source of inspiration!

One thing that sets NICMAR apart from other institutes is that your learning not only comes from books, but predominantly from the well-trained and highly knowledgeable faculty, and hence you are required to attend lectures. Being a part of the Council allowed me to put all these learnings of the class to test in real-world situations. During the process of planning and executing events,

one is bound to miss certain lectures but again it is this place that teaches you the work-life balance lessons. No wonder many of the Council members were scholarship holders! Research shows that when there is provision of autonomy, best results are obtained. Like when Google provides 20% of autonomy in time to its engineers, half of the new products in a typical year are given birth during this 20% time. Thus, one needs to step out of the routine academic zone and understand other perspectives of life.

Some people think that the council is all about having special perks, power and authority whereas some consider it as some fancy fame yearning title. However, behind that door to the space we considered our temple, there were always days and nights of continuous efforts which led us to deliver our best, always. Not to mention how much of our success we owe to the entire student community for their unfaltering support and involvement!

Never let the fear of outcomes take over you because only when you face it, will you grow as an individual. It is extremely easy to criticize, but equally difficult to bring about a change being a part of the system. Accepting and learning from your mistakes is what makes you stand out from others, may it be your decisions, opinions or thoughts. I believe that there are no bad experiences, because only then can you term them as learnings. The day you see yourself evolving is the day your journey towards success begins.

In conclusion, Student Council is a place where strangers become family. As one of our members rightly says, council is not just an organization, it’s a feeling!

Once a council member,always a council member!

Madhur DagaGeneral Secretary

Student Council 2016-17


once a COUNCIL MEMBER,always a

COUNCIL MEMBER!

“

”

Student organizations have more often been tagged with certain political agendas, be it


Conceptualized a few years back, NICMAR Pune organized its annual intra-college cultural fest, ‘Reverbz’ on 1st and 2nd December 2017 which garnered enthusiastic participation from the students of all courses and batches. The event is a platform to break free from the mundane academic curriculum while also allowing the students to showcase their cultural and artistic skills through several events focusing on the music, dance, dramatics and fashion genres.

Reverbz saw its inception in 2014 and was envisioned to become a part of NICMAR’s tradition and was academically planned where it gave a healthy oppurtunity to all students, the juniors who through time have become familiar with the Institute and the seniors who can get a fun break from the placement season.

The participants from all the teams came forward with zeal to showcase this facet of their personalities on the stage. Reverbz 2017 also witnessed various new and competitive events which were an introduction to the students of NICMAR Pune, be it the open oppurtunity for all to perform and showcase their varbal skills through the Open Mic Night or the enthusiastic introduction of a Magic show leaving the audience wanting a lot more of the show.

The end of this cultural extravaganza was marked by a cultural event, leaving the entire floor open for all the students to have a gala time. Concluding the event, PGP - ACM 31st Batch Section 1 were adjudged the best and won the rolling champions trophy of Reverbz 2017.

National Institute of Construction Management and Research, Pune organized its 5th Annual Academic Conclave on the theme, ‘Technical and Professional Competencies of a Techno-manager in the Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Project Management (CRIP) sector’ on 9th December 2017. The 5th Annual Academic Conclave, just like its previous editions, was a platform to facilitate academia-industry interaction and served as a unique opportunity for the students to learn from highly experienced professionals and representatives from prominent sectors and reputed organizations in the industry.

The theme for this year’s Academic Conclave, ‘Technical and Professional Competencies of a Techno-manager in the Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Project Management (CRIP) sector’ was an attempt to throw some light on the future career path for the students of NICMAR. It was a step to promote awareness amongst the students about the scope, responsibilities and growth associated with their careers in this industry by the distinguished guest speakers. Carrying forward the legacy of the previous editions of the conclave, this year, NICMAR was extremely privileged to have representatives from all sectors of the CRIP industry as Guest speakers. The Conclave panel comprised of Mr. Mukesh Raval, General Manager & Project Director, Statue of Unity Project at L&T, Mr. Barry Wormald, Principal, thinkBIM Technical Services Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Ashish P. Jain, Director, Turner and Townsend and Mr. Sudhanshu Naik, Partner and Director, Jyoti Skills and Services Pvt. Ltd. The day’s proceedings began with an inaugural address and a short thematic introduction by Dr. Kirti Rajhans, Head, Student Activities. Dr. Rajhans elaborated on the need for us to be equipped with necessary competencies to be an ideal Techno-manager. She spoke about NICMAR Pune’s evolution through the past Conclaves and how stitching all of them across would paint the bigger picture of what we can offer to the industry being proud NICMARians. The address was immensely insightful to the students and provided them with valuable information, breaking ground for the day.

The first speaker for the 5th Annual Academic Conclave was Mr. Mukesh Raval, General Manager & Project Director, Statue of Unity Project at L&T. Mr. Raval spoke about the gap that usually occurs between the planning and execution of projects and importance of execution, quality and how the real world operates, quoting from his vast experience and plethora of projects.The second speaker was Mr. Barry Wormald, Principal, thinkBIM Technical Services Pvt. Ltd. who spoke about the evolution of the CRIP sector over the decades, from when the times of drafting tables dominated the design and the construction industry to now where tasks are completed by just a click. His primary focus was on the use of BIM aided technological services in the industry to also clarify and mitigate some of the most common myths people have with the use of these new-age services.

The post-lunch session started off with an address by Mr. Ashish P. Jain, Director, Turner and Townsend. He spoke on the advent of technology in the industry, challenges that we as future techno-managers shall be facing in the coming decades and opportunities associated with this advent for us techno-managers.


Technical andProfessional

Competencies of a Techno-Managerin the CRIP Sector

The last address for the conclave was delivered by Mr. Sudhanshu Naik, Partner and Director, Jyoti Skills and Services Pvt. Ltd. and having a former field expertise at L&T Gulf Division. Mr. Naik shared with us his experience related to on-site execution and the communication problems that occur while executing projects in remote locations. He also touched upon the various roles and opportunities that budding techno-managers can work upon in the industry in the future and the required attributes and set of skills necessary for techno-managers in the industry, be it Technical or Professional.

With individual speaker sessions done, the panel members indulged in a gripping and enthusiastic panel discussion. In accordance with the theme of this year’s Conclave, the Panel Discussion was kept open so that the attendees could become a greater part of the event. The session was marked by some pertinent questions raised by the students and faculty members of NICMAR directed towards the panelists who drew from their vast and varied knowledge and experience while addressing the queries. Concluding Academic Conclave 2017, Dr. Kirti Rajhans, Head, Student Activities delivered the Vote of thanks on behalf of NICMAR Pune thanking the guest speakers for sharing their valuable time and knowledge with the students.

The 5th Annual Academic Conclave proved to be an enriching experience for all those associated with it, be it the students, the faculty members or even the Guest speakers who chaired the event. It proved to be a unique academia-industrial interface to aid the budding techno-managers from NICMAR and in playing an integral and salient role to the growth of the nation. The event shall always serve as a milestone to the future history of NICMAR Pune.


#realizefrom relevant issues to thought provoking subjects, a corner to make us think beyond boundaries


Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish

been caught, and the last stream been poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.

This proverb resonates what we have done, and are doing to this planet. Since the time we, the human species, lay foot on earth, we have spent centuries conquering the Nature, and now we are beating it to death. Polar bears are starving, Rhinos are nearing extinction, forests are depleting, ice caps are melting, oceans are rising; and here we sit with a false sense of security behind these walls of bricks and cement, our ‘House’ we call it, yet recklessly demolishing the only ‘Home’ we have, brick by brick, inch by inch.

The most hard-hitting reality of our world today is that for the last 3500 years of our ‘civilized’ existence, humans have only been at peace for 230 years. And all this for what? To show our ownership over a piece of land that we snatched away from the voiceless? Dear human, they gave you their land and went to live in the tiny patches of green you left in the name of forests. But your

greed did not end there. You went on to conquer water too and poisoned the home of billions, again. Your inability to fly just gave a sigh of relief to the birds, when you established factories to send up the message of your triumph over the clear skies and all that is visible now is the darkness our future possesses.

While most of us would argue that the issues mentioned above are part of the macro-environment, and we, as individuals can do little to nothing to save it. This is where we need to dig a little deeper into the micro-environment, and look for the root of these problems. We poach elephants for ivory and wear it as a symbol of our status. We skin innocent animals like coyotes, foxes or even dogs, the so-called ‘man’s best friend’ for their fur or leather. And I do not even need to elaborate on how mercilessly our cosmetic industry experiments on animals. There just seems to be no end to this cruelty we inflict upon the environment. And to those of you who think that it’s only our industries that destroy the environment we live in, look down the spiral where Polar bears are starving because they cannot hunt due to the melting of ice which is caused by the rising temperatures that is the result of greenhouse gases released into the air from the industries and vehicles, that cannot be disposed off because we have cut down trees that maintain the ecological balance because we need more land to build our luxurious 3-4bhk villas where the dwellers are only two.

By now, if you are thinking that human greed is the only driving factor for man to exploit nature, think again. We have enslaved animals in zoos and circuses for our entertainment, without blinking an eye before snatching away the cub from its mother at the very moment it was born, or without considering the pain of those agonized dolphins, that never got to swim across oceans. There they lay helpless, trying to break free, and we call it a stunt and laugh and clap along with the rest of the audience. And that’s not all, it doesn’t end there. In a heart-breaking incident, a medical student in Vellore threw a month-old puppy off the terrace. What’s worse is how he showed, not a single sign of remorse and easily got away with it because of course, he didn’t kill a human or an endangered species in the deserts of Rajasthan, it was just a dog.

It’s only us to blame for the catastrophe we are heading towards. And like all other problems in our

Pictured by National Geographic, a video went viral in the first week of December

2017 showing a starving Polar Bear, leading to speculations that this was due

to extreme weather conditions caused by Environmental hazards.

survival of a species; the

death of many


society, that of the environment has also become an instrument for our political leaders to mint money or votes or both. Let’s establish it already, that I, in no way, am here to criticize the corruption prevailing in our country, or raise any political issue. I have initiated to talk about the bigger problem, the one that knows no boundaries, and that has come upon all of us, irrespective of what language we speak or what religion we follow, so I’ll talk about it. Take the case of Shella, Meghalaya, where in the name of international trade and GDP growth, exists the only trans-boundary project in the world between India and Bangladesh. Though the cement plant is in Bangladesh, and the project provides our country with no GDP growth, the Supreme Court still gave clearance to the mining of limestone in the forests of East Khasi Hills, turning the once listed as one of the most pristine lands in the world, barren. Closer home, we have the controversial Lavasa City, which, due to the influence of a few politicians went on to be constructed to a great extent without receiving environmental clearance. These are few of the numerous examples of how we exploit our mother earth.

We are living today as if we had another earth to go to. The nature has always been giving and forgiving, and we have always been taking and taking for granted. Just because the trees we cut or the animals we kill cannot inflict a nuclear war upon us, we have turned a blind eye to their

suffering. Time and again, it has been said that we haven’t inherited the earth from our ancestors, we have borrowed it from our children. But we, the superior and the most intelligent of all the life forms on earth, or so we consider, have taken the motto of “Live like there’s no tomorrow” rather too seriously. We are in an age where we are developing at the cost of sustainability.

I remember, as a child, I used to draw,Colourful fish swimming in the

sparkling blue stream by the hills,And here I now see, piles of junk, floating atop the mucky waters,I remember, as a child, I used to

watch,Birds flying in the bright skies and

used to count the clouds,I look up today to see the gloom and

then look down with dismay,The pollution in the air now has only

our lungs to stay,I remember, as a child, I used to play,

Hours on the swing hanging in the backyard by the giant banyan tree,

All I now see through the window are roofs of bricks and roads of concrete,Amidst all this I see, a mother and her

boy, watering a tree,Every day, she teaches her child to

value Mother Nature,She gives me hope, for a better future.

The above is something I had jotted down in my early teens, but now years later remembering it back again, it feels so extremely relevant in understanding what our planet has become, and who is to be blamed.

The need of the hour is for us to wake up from our deep slumber of ignorance, to let go of the let go attitude we have towards the problems we created. We need to realize our dependence on vegetation and wildlife and never otherwise, for they’ll flourish without us and we’ll perish without them in no time. We need to live like there is a tomorrow, and strive to make it a better one. And most of all, we don’t need to protect the environment, rather we need to create a world where the environment needs no protecting. We are responsible for leaving this planet a better place for our future generations. If the signs like Delhi smog, the snowfall in Sahara, the Southern California wildfires, or more generically, the ever increasing global warming doesn’t alarm us now, it probably would be too late to save anything at all. And let’s just open our eyes to the doom we are headed to, because we are just one species of the billions that mother earth has given life to. So long after we are gone, the planet would still be here, it isn’t going anywhere, folks, it’s been here for four billion years. And we won’t leave much of a trace, thank God for that. Nothing at all. Maybe a little Styrofoam. The planet will be here just doing fine, but we’ll be gone. Another failed mutation, another closed-end biological mistake.

By the year 2030, we might only have 10% of rainforest left and it can all dissapear by the end of this very century. Every second forests are being destroyed and for stats,

3 hectares of forests have been cleared while you were reading this.

Several cosmetic tests commonly performed on mice, rats, rabbits and guinea

pigs include skin and eye irritsation tests where chemicals are rubbed on shaved skin or dripped into the eyes without any sort of

pain relief or anesthesia.

Every year flocks of Flamingos migrate to Sewri in winters. In recent years, industrial wastes from BMC has started flooding the

bay, leading to the death of these birds due to their consumption of algae infected

by toxic wastes.

Niharika JainPP16062, PEM Section 02

conglomerate of people from diverse cultural backgrounds reside and survive in the ever-lasting rat race of a geographic boundary. No longer are water bodies defining our settlement patterns or are we bound by our comfort zone. The human civilization has evolved to a point where being out of the comfort shell is the only means to survival, for the shackles of living in your mundane box also comes with the final ultimatum of residing in that same box.

The survival skills of a human being have evolved with time, where once hunting or finding available resources was the determining factor, today it can also be expanded to communication, or to be precise, the Language of the Land. Let us take this very city for example, Pune in the western half of our diversified country; what would be the common communication platform for the growth of this city? Would it evolve with the rapid growth of a cosmopolitan crowd all in search for better survival opportunities or would it stay rooted to the pre-existing Language of the Land?

If restricted to the subcontinent of India, then Hindi, the most commonly used, widely spoken language covering most of the geographic reach has become an adequate and acceptable language. But then, should this governing and overarching language become the tone of all verbal communication? With such a diversified language pool that makes India what it is, is the knowledge of just one sufficient?

One should not just stop with knowing one, in this case Hindi, for the ability to communicate in multiple languages has become an important factor in the global business environment.

Belonging to the southernmost part of India and having spent majority of my time there, being born and brought up, my linguistic exposure was largely restricted to that of the regional lingo and the ancestral heirloom from the pre-independence period, English. Having been selected to this post graduate institute, it was my very first time leaving the southern half for a prolonged period, and thus survival became a herculean task. To my horror, Hindi and Marathi were the only prevalent languages to be used. I remember the times when a miniscule task of booking a cab turned out to be laborious for I had absolutely no clue on how to make understand the cabbie, for India is that one country where we need to call a cabbie after booking just to tell him to follow the map or to ask him if he is genuinely in the mood to provide us with his services. Finally, a cabbie with the expert knowledge of following the map would arrive without being spoon fed or a friend of mine would hassle with him on my behalf.

Things are not the same when it comes to a person to person communication, and the conversation would eventually end up in the use of sign language. On a lighter note, I remember this one incident at a local food joint where some friends thought my lack of knowledge in the language domain could be their next round of laughter. Having taught me something in Hindi, I was instructed to convey it to one of the staff members of the joint. And here is where I truly missed knowing their lingo, for whatever I communicated to the help scared him away leaving me with a confused look and him with that of anger. Turning to my companions for help, I found them rolling all

over laughing at my expense.

With almost a year done here, things are different now. I have gotten a hang of some of the basic linguistic needs and communication has become a bit simpler. With supportive companions and the will to overcome this restriction, it no longer seemed a herculean task. Grammar may still be a long while away, but the primary premise has somewhat started to fall in place.

To sum up what one might call a refined and well-disguised rant, I would suggest all to learn as many languages as one can pick up, but not at the cost of neglecting one’s own regional tongue that one should be well-versed in and every aspect pertaining to it, be it reading, writing or speaking. Language has a huge impact on the culture of its society and if the population speaking a language starts diminishing, then it isn’t just the language that is dying, but also the culture itself.

With such a diversified geographical unity, it might seem a headache picking-up a lot of these regional languages. Some might brush away the need for them, for global linguistic platform of English may seem sufficient enough to survive and prosper. But should we all attune ourselves to just one alien-adopted language and let our ancestral one die? Let our Culture die too?

A person knowing various languages has tremendous opportunities, with an edge to convey his ideas, his thoughts in a better way and with confidence. Learning a new language is not just sheer fun but the bag of possibilities it brings along is immeasurable. India is known for its diversity, and by embracing our earnest curiosity to try and nurture the languages of ourcountry, we might trulyunderstand how incredibleIndia actually is.

Sanjay GAP17095, ACM31 Section 01

Language of the Land

“

”

We are progressing towards an era of cosmopolitan, towards an era where a



Chakraview, one of the most popular annual Intra-College events of NICMAR Pune, saw teams from all the courses and sections competing against each other vigorously and enthusiastically to emerge as Champions and win the prestigious Chakraview Rolling Trophy in its 2017 edition. Chakraview 2017 was a mélange of various events spread across different genres where the students of NICMAR Pune were tested on various facets of technicality, artistic prowess and their physical endurance. From the regular domains of every year, this year, acknowledging the importance of of management and business oriented events, a completely new domain of Business was introduced. The events outlining Chakraview 2017 were, Udaan: Developing a Business model with a social cause; Mean Streets: designing a Transportation corridor; Archideck: Constructing a model replica of a Bridge; Build Your Nation: an event testing students’ knowledge of planning and execution of construction projects; Sharktank: pitching an innovative entrepreneurial plan.

On the other side of the Technical scale, students actively participated in Literary events namely Jest a Minute (JAM), War of Words, Witmaster and Primetime. Having formed the Business domain, a strategy to pull in student participation was made through the formation of Primetime, an event where for 3 days the students of all classes kept running around to fulfill various tasks all focused on testing the students acumen and creativity in marketing. Another Business event that was formulated to see students’ knowledge on Business, Politics, Economics and Current affairs was Last Man Standing.

Other than these technical, literary and business oriented events, teams competed in various sports activities such as the Caged battle: Box Cricket, Wheels of Steel and 12 Labourers. Design events like Perception, Aptitude, Picasso gave the students an opportunity to showcase their artistic acumen. Informal events like Breaking Brands, Hustler and Gaming Events like FIFA were hosted to break the formal hustle during the 3-day extravaganza. The end to this three-day fiesta was marked by a spectacular Cultural Night where students from the three cultural clubs of NICMAR namely, the Music Club, the Dance Club and the Movies and Dramatics (MAD) Club gave spellbinding performances, followed by the Prize Distribution Ceremony where winners of various events were awarded prizes and certificates by Head, Student Activities, Dr. Kirti Rajhans. PGP - ACM 31st Batch Section 3 won the rolling champions trophy for Chakraview 2017.

Having enrolled in this specialized post graduate institute we all call our temporary home, NICMAR Pune has a lot to offer, not just through academics or the rigorous placement process but a load of productive time too. If you are one of those courageous souls to have opted the hostel life of the campus, then Television is a distant cry, for sports (read: Cricket and Football) is all the exposure one can get. Those television sets may not be your companions for the 20 months here, but your laptops just sit there pleading for some attention. And if watching numerous back-to-back Hollywood and regional flicks has put you in a state of delirium, then go online, buy a gaming console and get going (addicted might be the right word) on one of the several high octane and super energetic games available.

For all who spent their teenage years glued to those big home desktops playing till the wee hours of the night, here is the right time to live those nights, once again. Coming up is a short review of the newly launched game from Ubisoft, Assasins Creed Origins.

#review

#

bringing the latest know-hows of what could possibly make a NICMARian’s dull and boring life a bit more interesting, one review at a time

eatsleepgamingrepeat


Introduction:Going through a lean phase of under-performing editions of the AC series, with releases like Rogue, Unity and Syndicate unable to keep things boiling, this is the latest offering from the creators. Ubisoft has a strong contender in the form of Origins and focuses on illustrating the origin story of the Assassin’s Brotherhood having followed on from AC1 to AC Syndicate.

Premise:Assassin’s Creed Origins tells the story of Bayek, a Medjay (protector) in a region called Siwa of ancient Egypt. He is on a journey seeking to avenge the death of his young son, holding a group of masked men calling themselves as ‘The Order’ responsible for this brutal act. While on this focused journey, he realizes the existence of a vast conspiracy brewing across Egypt, Greece and Rome which can only be handled by Bayek himself, his wife Aya amongst other rulers and holy leaders.

What’s New:Based on mysterious Ancient Egypt, Assassin’s creed Origins has a huge geographic reach to explore interesting locations and involving secrets while paying homage to the ancient landscape through the visualization of the Great Pyramids and ancient Egyptian tombs. Evolving from various editions, there are several new features like Leveling Up, Controllable Eagle, Ability Tree, 100+ melee and 50+ Ranged weapons categorized into 11 different types which are further

categorized as common, rare, legendary and many more. Apart from stealth-kill, battling has changed drastically. A few things like locking on enemies, swinging a sword, firing your bow or dodging hits may take some time to master and get the hang of. The battles are challenging and feel more realistic compared to previous editions.

Gameplay:Gameplay is vastly improved when compared to the previous editions. Controls have been simplified. Mini map is replaced by an eagle which can go anywhere you want. With a simple key you can access Map, Missions, Weapons & Crafting, Ability Tree & Inventory all together.

Pros:Great storyline and Gameplay of almost 30 hours. Extensive and fully detailed map without any restrictions (present in previous editions). Several new, improved and interesting features. Good DLC support to extend the basic storyline.

Cons:Requires a very high configuration. Gameplay presents glitches at crucial junctures.

The Final Word:With improved play-style and focus on the storyline and gameplay, with several new features, Origins feels a lot fresh. A must-try if you were ever a fan of the AC series.

Kunal GajjarAP17078, ACM31 Section 01

Due to its geographic location, Pune is one of the most sought after places amongst not just the millennials but also for those who prefer the quieter and mundane lifestyle when compared to Mumbai. From IT professionals to students to businessmen to retired people, all are fond of Pune for its vivacious and energetic atmosphere.

Apart from its diversity in the demographics, Pune is very much known for its food. Not the kinds available at retail outlets of the so-called chains, but the local ‘Puneri Food’! Pune has a lot to offer, satisfying your pallete to an unprecedented level. When here or belonging to here, few foods of Pune are just too good to miss. From experiences out of personal discovery to suggestions from random strangers, listing out some of the must-tries of Pune.

BurgerThis place is not an American food chain. This is a local burger joint located at East Street in Camp, Pune. Beware, for you have to wait for quite some time to finally get a seat here. Their collection of classic burgers will leave you drooling for more. My personal favourite is the Chicken Steak Burger which is served with huge chunks of juicy chicken steak with mustard sauce and their BBQ sauce prepared in-house. Believe me, I am drooling all over just penning this down. Also to be considered is their Chicken Jumbo Burger and Chicken mixed surprise which can be on your to-do.

South Indian Dishes at VaishaliThis place on FC Road needs no introduction. Being the most sought-after place by Punekars for authentic south Indian dishes, it is always crowded no matter when you go. The flagship dish of this food joint is their Mysore Special Masala Dosa. Perfectly cooked, deliciously spiced and quickly served, this is a must try for anyone who lives in or visits Pune.

Masala Cheese Bun Omelette at Café GoodluckThe never ending waiting lines at this Irani place is completely justified because of the irresistible taste this place has to offer. Café Goodluck, Deccan Gymkhana offers a variety of dishes like Brain Masala, Bun Maska, Omelettes, Kheemas and a lot more. Their Masala Cheese Bun Omelette is just irresistible, served with Soft Irani bun cut into half, topped with a layer of salty butter soaked to the depths of the bun, followed by a layer of cheese and multiple layers of folded masala omelette. If coupled with their Irani tea, it will make a perfect evening snack. Whenever in the Deccan area, I never miss out a chance of eating here and nor should you!

MisalHow could one possibly miss out on Misal pav while writing an article on the food of Pune? Pune is known for its spicy mouth-watering Misal pav and the best place to have a delicious plate of Misal pav is still one of the most debated topics here. The Misal that I found worth having is of Bedekar Misal, Narayanpeth. The dishes offered were extremely hygienic and customisable. If you are a fan of spicy food (like me), do ask for the extra spicy version of Misal and you will surely not be disappointed. Other Misal places recommended are Shri Krishna, Kata Kirr, Sir Misal, Durga and Khasbag among others.

Mastani at Sujata MastaniMastani is the most talked about dish here in Pune, when it all boils

down to what one should have as the last course of their meal, desserts. Originating in Pune, their flagship dish is their Mango Mastani (though I felt this item to be a little too hyped for its taste). Mimicking the already available faloodas in the market, a Mastani consists of milkshake with a scoop of ice-cream. The milkshake though, gives a heavy taste of the flavoured essence rather than the actual fruit. But being a local delicacy, do give it a try!

Paranthas at ChaitanyaHuge, thick, steaming hot paranthas at your service. Always crowded, this place in Baner (or the 6 other locations) will not disappoint you. Given the variety of paranthas they have on offer, you will be in a true dilemma as to what needs to be ordered. Being a regular, I have tasted almost each of their parantha offerings and my recommendation would be the Italian or the Cheese Garlic Paranthas. They are so tasty, you will forget your dedication to the whole limited carbs intake and gorge on several ones just on a single visit.

Having mentioned some of the local food joints or the locally available dishes, exploring the Puneri food is a never-ending process. There are specialized cuisines apart from the local delicacies that will surely not disappoint you. Be it the charcoal pizzas at Tales & Spirits, the Shrewsberry biscuits of Kayani Bakery, the delicious sea foods at Barbeque Nation to the south-east Asian cuisines of Malaka Spice, the best thing about food is that it never dissapoints you, for there is no sincere love than the love for food!

#goodfoodgoodmood

Shreyas KattishetiAP17017, ACM31 Section 01

Actively participating in several events across some of the reputed institutes, the Fashion Club has been winning laurels for their efforts and student involvement.

To mention the efforts taken up by the members of this club, the students have to design their own costumes all from scratch and in sync with the theme of the participating event. At various times, the entire get-up and the props supporting the show takes up weeks of hardwork and constant efforts. But all of this does not go in vain, for when the members line up on the ramp, they portray an epitome of confidence coupled with utmost perfection and style. Members also contribute throught the designing and conceptual developement of the various costumes and props.

Recently, the team had participated at events conducted in ISB&M and SCMHRD.

What words cannot express, Music can. A talent to tune to the melodious lines of MUSIC and create such harmonious sound is extremely rare. The members of the Music club, though few in number have this rare and exceptional quality. They are truly incredible in their talent, and have varied ones too. From pure prowess in playing Guitar, Drums, Tabla, Flutes and Keyboard, the team also has singers of diversified genres.

The team is also tasked to perform at almost all the events (Technikala Day 0, Republic Day, Independence Day) and festivals of the Institute, where the crowd is left in a mesmirizing trance listening to the fine tunes of their performance.

Recently, the team had participated at events conducted in COEP and IBS Pune, where Avik Sarkar won the first prize in Solo Singing.

Actions speak louder than words. The student members of the Movies, Art and Dramatics (MAD) club live by the above phrase, because for them every action, every reaction is equal to narration of an entire story. The members not just act, but they manage all aspects related to the perfect execution of an act, from the Direction, the entire script or the screenplay to enacting the entire play. They perform on various scales, such as Nukkad Naatak, Stage Plays, Mono-Acts, Mimes and a lot more forms of drama and theatre. The members of this group take their performances very seriously and perform from their very hearts. The club is also planning to shoot a documentary in the near future involving the members of the Club.

Recently, the team has won laurels for their performance in Nukkad Naatak at IBS Pune and in Artiskit at COEP.

#revela platform for all NICMARians to indulge in extra-curricular activities while celebrating their passion


the FASHIONClub

the MADClub

the MUSICClub

When people throw stones at you, you turn them into milestones.

- Sachin Tendulkar

The Sports Club of NICMAR Pune is a family whose members have excelled in the field of sports and made NICMAR proud in various tournaments held throughout the country, hopping from one city to the other winning laurels. The club consists of more than 50 active members contributing to various sports such as Football, Basketball, Cricket, Badminton, Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Swimming and Squash. From the last quarter of 2017, the teams have participated and won in various tournaments organized by several National universities and colleges such as IIT Bombay, IIM Indore, IBS Hyderabad, FLAME University Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, Armed Forces Medical College Pune amoung others. In all, the teams have won more than 12 trophies with certificates and cash prizes.

The Sports Club also conducted the 3rd edition of the NICMAR Badminton League, NICMAR Cricket League, NICMAR Football League and NICMAR Volleyball League which was a huge success. Students actively participated in these leagues and had a first hand experience to be in the shoes of an owner and co-owner of a team by taking part in a well executed bidding process of the players.

The NICMAR Startup Club is an entrepreneur development cell started on 8th March 2017 with avision, not only to bring like-minded people with a spark of entrepreneurship together, but to build a strong network of NICMARians that would serve as a platform for all in their future endeavors.

Since its inception, the club has convened for 26 meets. Few of the highlights of these meets include:

- Discussion on Blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, Smart contracts and the effect they have on the CRIP Sector. - Affordable housing: Advantages and Constraints in reality. - Feasibility of construction of a mall in a Tier-2, Tier-3 city. - Discussion on RERA, GST and their impact on the CRIP Sector.

In one of the meets, an idea to start a tent renting business was pitched by one of the members which was further discussed upon and a proper plan was formulated. This idea was also presented in ‘B-Plan’, a business event hosted in a National level fest (MANTHAN) conducted at NIA, Pune. The club is positive about coming up with more such ideas, participating in many intercollege events and are optimistic in making unremitting contribution towards making the club richer in talent.

At times, it is difficult to find excitement and entertainment in college during the monotonous academic routine, and enrolled in a post graduate institute like NICMAR, some students coming from professional backgrounds have an even boring recent history.

A way to let loose the pressure and the stress, and to break free from the same daily routine, students who are dance enthusiasts can enroll themselves in the Dance Club formed by similar such enthusiasts of the previous batches, irrespective of whether they were amateurs or trained dancers. Year after year, the dance club has grown wonderfully with a variety of dancers, each unique in their own style.

Members of the dance Club are also tasked to perform at almost all events (Technikala Day 0, Republic Day, Independence Day) of the Institute and have actively participated showcasing their talent pool at the Cultural Night of Chakraview leaving the crowd wanting for more after seeing the various dance genres. The team had also left a scintillating performance at Technikala 2018’s group dance event competing with others.

Recently, the team had participated at events conducted in COEP and IBS Pune and were adjudged the second position for their performance.


the DANCE Club

the SPORTS Club

the STARTUP Club

The phrase ‘A Pen is mightier than a Sword’ holds true to a lot of things, from the written word to verbal communication. Quench is a platform for the ones who value the existence of literature and understand the importance of communication. The group is open to all students of the Institute and its core members try involving high student participation by conducting meets focusing on activities that could enhance the skills of its extended member family. Through mock group discussions and personal interviews, it was felt that the occurrence of such meets should be increased allowing more students the exposure of these meets. Thus, Quality Circles, an unorganized approach to improve these skills was brought under the umbrella of Quench. By doing this, the CRs of every class were tasked to identify a core group of students who could arrange and organize such meets in their respective classes.

Members of the club also participated in several literature and business oriented events in and around the city of Pune.

The team plans to conduct several afore-mentioned activities in the next academic year by making understand the freshly joined students, the importance and usefulness of communication and soft skills.

Almost all out there love clicking pictures and saving those memories by framing them in the digital world. But for those passionate souls who take photography and videography a little too seriosly and with their hearts, NICMAR Pune’s Mirage club is the apt corner, promoting the art and the science of photography with sheer fun.

In 2017, the Mirage club came up with an initiative to encourage and engage students of the Institute in photography through the ‘photo of the week’ competition, where anyone could submit any pictures clicked based on the theme for the week under 2 categories, Mobile Photography and DSLR photography. This allowed the students to explore not just different categories of photography but also to sharpen their skills in the same. The club and its photographers are promoted through the public display of their work in the campus and on Facebook page of the Mirage club, which has slowly become an active hub to showcase all the activities of this post graduate institute.

As for the future prospects, the Mirage club will be conducting educational workshops and field trips in the near future, roping in freshly joined students of the Institute which shall expose and educate them on this wide and vibrant city.

The R&D Club, established under the umbrella of FULCRO (the main arm handling the extra-curriculum activities associated with the technical domain), with a motto of promotion of Research related activities in NICMAR Pune for the ‘R’ written in our Institutes title is all about Research. Starting off slow, the traction to this space has taken time, with a vast improvement in student participation as the meetings became more and more oriented towards doing stuff and not just discussing them. Now, every meet is looked forward to, with heavy student involvement pitching in ideas and having constant interactions with each other.

Several students have published/presented their already existing or newly published Research Papers in various International journals/conferences. Some of these active students last year were, Prathamesh Dingorkar, Prateek Jain, Vipul Gupta, Belal Farooqi. Following the tradition and taking it forward, this year, Shivani Dhotre presented a Research Paper.

As for the future prospects, the team intends to increase the number of active participation by encouraging and helping the freshly joined students at the beginning of the next acadmeic year and publish more Research Papers as every year progresses.


the R&DClub

the QUENCH Club

the MIRAGE Club

an ode to those who capture what we might miss, from beautiful moments to wonderful memories, changing our perception forever

#reframe

A page dedicated to the official photgraphers of NICMAR Pune, where they portray their works of times away from the campus life, framing moments for all of us and showing their talent behind the lens. These beautfilly pictured shots can easily rephrase and reframe our thoughts on life, if observed with our unique perceptions.

The band named ‘The Clash’ had released a song with this title in the early 80’s, catchy and soulful, and even if you forget the song, the title will definitely grow on you, that’s for sure. For, at one point or the other, or at millions of instances in our lives we have come across this game of gambling, when we all become analysts, carefully grasping the present, remembering the unfortunate past and slowly defining every future decision.

For me this question pops up for the smallest of situations, “should I step into a task or say no”, “should I say what I feel or just let it be.” Sometimes, even the smallest act takes place after intense thinking of the past, judging the present and determining the future, of which there is a possibility we might never see.

Every time a decision must be made, my brain puts on the overly rational and overly instinctual hat creating a huge list of pros and cons, doing the whole SWOT analysis up there, forming a drowning pool of ‘what ifs’, that by the time I statistically make the correct decision, it is already too late. Post all this mind-

bending decision making, is it just pain or is it too instinctual leaving me with absolutely no clue on what I might be jumping into, but I still prefer taking the leap, with the thought ‘what if’ I make it through?

Should not there be a way out? Or is it just the matter of positivity wherein I should convince myself on the ‘all that happens, happens for good’ statement, but then good of whom and good for whom? When I am unhappy with the resulting consequences, how can it be good for me? Then they say wait for the good to happen, they say be optimistic and everything happens for a reason.

I cannot wait (for who knows till when) and I will question myself daily on making a decision with bad resulting consequences and still feel good on going ahead with it. This is when the phrase ‘looking deep inside you’ comes into the picture, for if I must over-think, there has to be a reason for it. Finding this reason called intuition is just the first step.

I call the next step ‘fighting the conclusive components’, for it includes the fear of taking the decision because I do not wish to fail, to be hurt and not knowing the chances of a success or what the world might think does not help. The list of such lingering questions is endless, with numerous

ones popping up every time. Here, I logically try to analyse the basis for fear or doubt to set in, try knowing the reasons that are holding me back and if I find none, it becomes an agreement in silence, ‘a yes’.

With two steps through, we have arrived at the third and final one, I call it the ‘decision maker’, for this should depend on the context of the decision and not you. Considering an example where someone who has been heart-broken a few times, the words ‘I love you’ may no longer come with ease, but it does not mean they do not wish to say it, so stay. Stay until they can finally say those words, stay until they can rant it as a morning prayer. Stay until you can decide to finally drift away but, with no pain.

So, the next time before you enthusiastically chant the lyrics of this song,

‘Darling you gotta let me know Should I stay or should I go?If you say that you are mine I’ll be here till the end of time

So you got to let me knowShould I stay or should I go’

sit back and go through this 3-step process and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find happiness and not another regret.

Should I Stay, or Should I Go!

Aneesha JohnsonPP17123, PEM13 Section 02


#refreshsomething, anything and everything! A space for NICMARians to ink those random thoughts while also giving your writing skills a space to perform

civil society organisations in an attempt to ensure better access to opportunities for everyone living in a city, especially the marginalized sections. Social movements and organisations have worked together to develop a World Charter on the Right to the city that is also supported by UNESCO and UN Habitat. This global movement has led to mayors in different countries, independently and collectively adopting charters to promote human rights in cities.

Half of the country’s population will call urban India home by 2025, the campaign was launched here to prepare for the future. Given the influx of migrants from rural India, this can only be seen as a welcome move. A nation that is sorely lacking in basic housing infrastructure and that almost never gives any thought

to recreational spaces. It is in these public spaces that this Right to City is voiced often. And in these movements the issue of public space is given more visibility.

What becomes an integral part of the movement is the ability for each party to have a say in shaping the city. A programme that is currently active in five cities, Delhi being one of them, is called the ‘Because I am a girl’. It aims to help adolescent girls in cities by involving them in workshops or activities through which one can map how public spaces and transport network makes them feel unsafe. Girls are encouraged to assess the existing city policies and discuss how to amend them.

To build inclusive cities with social cohesion one needs to take a wide array of perspectives into account. Enabling girls to have a say in shaping better public spaces is critical in a context where women continue to face violence in the urban realm. It is imperative that women and girls are consulted to avoid the gap in gender exclusion. While India continues to take baby steps with urban participatory

programmes with a movement that can only make policy recommendations, Barcelona is working on an initiative to understand young people’s needs in public spaces and feed it back into the city plans. The city council helps people in impoverished neighbourhoods to make improvements to their houses and public spaces by providing them with access to funds and other resources. It has also generated over 30,000 ideas which the public will vote on for the revitalisation of the City Center Plaza.

Over the years Henri Lefebvre’s famous idea, Right to the City has inspired many discussions. David Harvey, Professor at the City University of New York has further described it as ‘a right to change ourselves by changing the city’. Cities are often focal points for activities that are crucial to the development of the country. Rising exclusion within cities can derail the economic progress. Done right, it could lift people out of exclusion and improve lives.

he movement ‘Right to the City’ was developed as a response of social groups and

EveryoneCounts

T

Khyati Tej VelkarRP17011

REUIM


hope the journey to this page was a refreshing one

Being a writer is easy, is it not? All you need is a pen and a blank sheet of paper, some unlit cigarettes and maybe, some caffeine. You pen down all that’s haunting you since the past few weeks or if recovering from a long writer’s block, maybe even months; write your darkest fears, and call it a mere work of fiction.

Without anyone knowing, you escape. Quite easy, is it not?

Falling in love is easier. You dive in, stay, break free, but you keep on falling. You write long letters, the best of poetry, spend nights in restlessness, all in the name of love, but you call it your work, another one of your fictional pieces. Being a writer comes with its own perks or more appropriately, advantages.

But, let me tell you this, being a writer is not as great or wonderful as all of this, it does not come easy. People expect from you to be great in their ways, they want you to change the world in ways no one ever has. But, they are just like everyone else, made of flesh, with the same blood running through their veins as the others. The only difference is, they feed off words, and not just food.

When a writer is in love with you, know that you are one special person because they are going to write to you, a lot more than you could ever do for them. They will not speak of you, not once, yet anyone who looks into their eyes or sneaks a peek at their writings, will feel you all over them, as if written in invisible ink.

They will keep you safe, like a well-kept secret, protected from the evils of people and promises. They will chant your name like a prayer, worship you like their inspiration, and this is how they will always keep you, locked away, but never lost.

But, let me tell you this straight, beware of writers if you are not the bold type. They do not need the whole of you, they will watch you, joining all the shattered bits and pieces to complete you. The best thing, you will never be forgotten. The worst, you will never be recognized, for they will just name you as one of their many works of fiction. For them, you are a story, and they will see that you are written down. And they will keep you at that, a story.

You will never know how terrifying it is to befriend a writer. For they are in search of flesh, and you are as unsafe as a clueless prey.

the Reality of Writers

Harshit ChawlaAP17165, ACM31 Section 02


a PEN isalwaysMIGHTIERthan aSWORD

“We always wanted a daughter and we have got two. I am proud of the fact that they are married and living happy lives. Working at NICMAR Pune for more than a decade, the journey has been totally amazing. Having worked at the hostel for 6 years and then as the class attendant for 4 years, this Institute has never disappointed me. I have never felt the frustration that is usually felt at workplaces, maybe because I am blessed by Lord Vitthal and I live a complete life without regrets. At 52, I prefer working until I get retired and then go to my hometown, Bhor near Pune and live peacefully with my family.”

“I have always believed that no work in life is big or small, if you have the passion to do it. I am a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Arts. But the fact of not landing a job did not hinder my spirit. I started farming at my hometown viz. Saiwada, Nagpur until a relative of mine referred me to the management of the caterers that cater here at NICMAR Pune. I have been working for just 2 years and the management and students are very happy with my service, their smiles say this. I have no complaints as I have been taken care of and I have complete job satisfaction. My ultimate aim is to get married and settle in my hometown and resume farming as farming is the backbone of India.”

“They say a girl child is a financial liability, but never did they say that she can become a turning point in one’s life. Even after marriage, I was not responsible enough to run a family. One fine day, I took my daughter to a temple. There, miraculously, she uttered a few words, “BLESS ME!” it was, even though she was not at an age of speaking. This got me into deep thinking. That day, I made my mind; as long as I am there, you will be blessed. I packed my bags, came to Pune and started working. By the grace of God, it has been three years and my parents, my wife, my brother and his wife, and my lovely daughter are living peacefully. My ultimate aim in life is to give the best education and everything possible to my daughter because she is the one who gave direction to my life and I cannot be more grateful.”

RajendraDinkar Jagtap

Attending to all the responsibilies of some classrooms on the first floor,

making our class life a bit simpler

ChetanAshokrao Chore

Known to all the boys as Mr. Smiling Server, he can be found tending to

your hunger pangs at all times.

VijaySanjay Khaule

Heimdall of our Institute, he holds the fort standing gaurd at Gate 2, making sure we are safe, always.

Compiled by Shreyas KattishetiAP17017, ACM31 Section 01


#reachthe unknown knowns of NICMAR Pune, the humans who make our lives better and easier, knowing them all, one at a time.

“It gives me immense pleasure in sharing with you the Second Edition of NICMAR Pune’s student-initiated and student-oriented newsletter, ‘Perception’. Evolving from the First Edition, the introduction of various innovative sections like rewire, research, rewind, rethink, refresh among others, the second edition of ‘Perception’ provides readers a nice collection of thought-provoking ideas, some must-read informative articles, a few glimpses of nostalgia for the Institute life and a lot more. In short, it is a compelling and an interesting read for everyone, providing an array of varied experiences. I congratulate the Editorial team for the efforts taken in designing the innovative sections, compiling an interesting content and creatively editing this newsletter. The outcome is quite professional and wonderful. Let the varied perceptions create multiple sparkles!! All the best!”

Dr. Kirti RajhansHead, Student Activites

NICMAR Pune

the Team:Dr. Kirti RajhansHead, Student ActivitiesRohan MundraEditor-in-chief and Creative Editor

for suggestions or contributions to the next edition, contact us at [email protected]

PERCEPTionNICMAR’s Newsletter | March 2018 Edition 2

percept - nicmar.ac.in pune_newsletter_perception_edition2...in particular building information...

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