My Blog

"Tell me who your friends, I will tell you who you are" says a famous Russian Proverb. In the current scenario in which we are inundated with social media this saying can be techified (if there is a word as such.. May the English teachers forgive me..) as, Tell me which Channels you subscribe in YouTube, I will tell you who you are. Social media has evolved as our primary information consumption source. Irrespective of age, educational qualification, social backdrop, most of us are submerged into the sea of YouTube videos. Day in Day out, we are connected with YouTube. No wonder, YouTube has many great resources and many many not so great resources.  Locating the proper channels is what decides whether you procrastinate in YouTube or up-skill yourself. In this post, I thought of sharing two of the YouTube channels, that will assist you in up-skilling your understanding of Mathematical concepts. NumberPhile Numberphile is one of the excellent channels if you are interested in ...

Everything that Begins has to End Some day. That day has come to Edmodo. If you Don't know what is Edmodo, this post is of less relevance. If you are teacher or student using Edmodo then its a shock. Shock is an understatement.  Edmodo is closing its doors on 22, Sep 2022. The official web page has this announcement (screenshot enclosed). For those who don't know what is Edmodo: It is a Learning Management System (LMS). It is great platform to keep in touch with your students, in a simple, neat and clean format. It was a Free Tool. No Hassles.  My association with Edmodo started wayback in 2010-2011. Long long before the recent buzz on remote learning during the recent Covid19 pandemic.  The first batch was Web Technology M.Sc 2010-11.  Data Visualization (2022, M.Tech and MCA) course has become the last in the Edmodo line-up for me: From then with each subject I have utilised Edmodo. My workflow was like this: Create a Class Group for each subject.  Share the C...

Do you like Mathematics ?  If your answer is "Yes" then you may like to read this post. If your answer is "No" then there are more reasons for you to read this post.  This post is about a book titled " The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics. From One to Infinity ". This book is authored by Steven Strogatz. The theme of the book is to introduce rather re-introduce the Mathematical Concepts in a joyful manner. Maths looks difficult to only those who have got introduced to it in a wrong way. Otherwise as the author says,  Maths is everywhere, if you know where to look  This book is organised into Six major parts: Part I : Numbers Part II : Relationships Part III : Shapes Part IV : Change Part V : Data Part VI: Frontiers Before I tell you what these parts are about, let me tell you this first: This is a book that can be read by literally anyone - a school going kid, a college student or someone exploring frontiers of Maths. The only condition is that you n...

In the last week of January this year, I made a decision to quit all forms of social media. I stopped using FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These are the major Social media services in which I was active. An exception was WhatsApp. The reason being the Covid19 induced remote learning. Literally every communication was through WhatsApp. So retained WhatsApp. In WhatsApp too, I stopped updating  and viewing Status messages. Now we are in the middle of August. Six months have passed by. This post is about my experience during these six months and what I learned or rather unlearned during this Fasting... Social Media Fasting.  Let me start with narrating, why I took such a decision. It all started with a book titled " Digital Minimalism " by a Prof. Carl Newport. You should also give a try reading this book. Such an impactful book filled with distilled wisdom. This book was not the sole reason for this decision. It was catalysed by certain personal things that were happening in m...

The covid-19 pandemic has forced us to change our lifestyle in an unprecedented manner, to survive and safeguard ourselves from the onslaught of this deadly Coronavirus. As wisely expressed by a prolific thinker, "We are facing the same storm but we are not in the same boat".    The severity of issues faced by people at various dimensions of life differs drastically. This post attempts to throw some light on the pandemic and it's impacts on Persons with Disabilities, in the context of the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) which is observed on the 20th of May, 2021. The objective of GAAD is to raise awareness about Accessibility, particularly in the digital ecosystem. Accessibility is a significant component of any civilized society that strives to provide equal opportunities to each one of its citizens and empower them to provide the fullest contribution. Persons with disabilities are the largest invisible minorities of the world. The United Nations statisti...

On the Eve of completion of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhiji, got a flash of thought on the parallels between the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhiji and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Thought of writing it as a blog post. Before writing it, did a bit of searching on the web and came across a few articles in which similar comparisons were presented. Nevertheless, decided to proceed with my version of the comparison:   If you are new to Free and Open Source Software, let me tell you simply what it is. There are two types of software : Proprietary Software  Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) A proprietary software is built by a company and sold for a price to its customers without letting them know the internal working mechanism of the software. The end-user is simply allowed to perform operations which the developer of that software has permitted. On the contrary, FOSS is built with the efforts of a diverse set of coders across the globe. The ...

Why u buy so many books ? A question which I face frequently. The simple answer of mine to them was and is "What ever i ate today for breakfast , it is sponsored by a book which i read in the past" meaning books are my bread winners. Not an overstatement. With the limited access i had / have , always tried to maximise exposure to books.  Visiting a book fair was always in my radar. Though book fair got conducted in Pondy too @ a marriage hall, access by wheelchair is a big question mark.  Hence chennai book fair was a golden choice. Had an opportunity to visit Chennai Book Fair on 10th Jan with my brother Jena. Baring a slight accessibility issue at the entrance, overall the complete complex was accessible by Wheelchair. Hope they would take care of providing a better ramp at the entrance next year.  With overall 600+ shops, it is certainly not possible to cover them all. With our curiosity, we covered around 75%. Stall after stall , books books and more boo...

The problem we face today is that anyone comments about anything without knowing the intricacies and the hard work of the people involved. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is no exception. I don't know why people always finds it joyous to take a negative stand and pump irrational criticism. Rocket science is not a Joke. Even in the worst case if we do not succeed in MOM , we shall be happy about the great attempt which we have made. கான முயலெய்த அம்பினில் யானை  பிழைத்தவேல் ஏந்தல் இனிது.             [ குறள் 772: ] Who aims at elephant, though dart should fail, has greater praise.  Than he who woodland hare with winged arrow slays. காட்டில் ஓடுகின்ற முயலை நோக்கி குறிதவறாமல் எய்த அம்பை ஏந்துதலைவிட, வெட்ட வெளியில் நின்ற யானை மேல் எறிந்து தவறிய வேலை ஏந்துதல் சிறந்தது. As a country we should develop the culture of encouragement rather than always taking a pessimistic stand. A Befitting reply to all those people by "The Space Review". :...

One of the open ended thoughts (A Research Question ) from the great mind Thiruvalluvar, 2000 years ago. Out of 1330 Kurals, this one stands unique to me withrespect to the inconclusive blankspace which need to be filled by the individual reader with their own wisdom. அவ்விய நெஞ்சத்தான் ஆக்கமும் செவ்வியான் கேடும் நினைக்கப் படும். [169] Translation: To men of envious heart, when comes increase of joy, Or loss to blameless men, the 'why' will thoughtful hearts employ. Explanation: The wealth of a man of envious mind and the poverty of the righteous will be pondered. பொறாமை பொருந்திய நெஞ்சத்தானுடைய ஆக்கமும், பொறாமை இல்லாத நல்லவனுடைய கேடும் ஆராயத் தக்கவை. The Kural No: 170 which is the successor of the above Kural makes it more interesting: அழுக்கற்று அகன்றாரும் இல்லை அஃதுஇல்லார் பெருக்கத்தில் தீர்ந்தாரும் இல். [170] Translation: No envious men to large and full felicity attain; No men from envy free have failed a sure increase to gain. Explanation:   Never have...

Today (Sep 25, 2013) is a memorable day for me. It is the Convocation day of my University. Our Honourable President His Excellency Shri. Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief guest of the event. As a Faculty and resident of the staff quarters, it was quite evident that University was gearing up for this grand gala event  since past few weeks. This Convocation is special for me, as I received my Ph.D, the highest academic  degree today from our Honourable Vice Chancellor Madam Prof. Chandra Krishnamoorthy. My Ph.D viva was completed in May 2013 and I received the Provisional Certificate in a week time. Nevertheless, receiving the Degree was a special feeling.  I should thank a long list of people without whom I wouldn't have reached here. Foremost my parents immense love, affection and the persistence of their hope in me. Thank God for blessing me with such parents. Along with parents, my Younger brother Jena whose support and care was incomparable, as I see how brot...

இன்று மஹாகவி பாரதியின் நினைவு தினம். செப்டம்பர் 11 என்னும் நாள் உலக மக்களிடையே பேரழிவுக்கான ஒரு தினமாய் ஆனது 2001ஆம் ஆண்டு அல்ல. என்னைப்  பொருத்தவரை அது 1921 ஆம் ஆண்டு. 38 வயதே ஆன பாரதி இந்த மண்ணை விட்டு சென்ற தினம்.  நாம் மிகுந்த பெருமை கொள்ளத்தக்க 10 இந்தியர்களை பட்டியலிட்டாலும் அதில் பாரதியின் பெயர் முன்னணியில் இருக்கும் என்பது எனது எண்ணம். பாரதி வாழ்ந்த காலத்தையும் , இடத்தையும் கருத்தில் கொள்ளும் பொழுது , அவருடைய கவிதை மற்றும் உரைநடைகளின் கருத்து வீச்சு நம்மை பிரமிக்க வைக்கிறது. தேடத்  தேட பாரதி குறித்த அரிய தகவல்கள் நம்மை ஆச்சரியப்பட வைக்கின்றன. டைட்டானிக் கப்பல் மூழ்கிய செய்தி குறித்துக் கூட  தமிழ் பத்திரிக்கைகளில் அன்றே பதிவு செய்திருக்கிறார் பாரதி. அவருடைய பன்மொழிப் புலமையே இதற்க்கு வேராக இருந்துள்ளது.  பாரதி ஒரு கவிஞர் மட்டும் தானா? இல்லை. அவர்  ஒரு தத்துவம் ; ஒரு வாழ்க்கை முறை ; பாரதியாய் ஒரு நிமிடம் இருந்து யோசித்துப்  பாருங்கள். மிக உயரிய சிந்தனைகளுடன் வாழ்ந்த ஒரு மனிதன், தான் வாழும் காலத்தில் அவனுடைய உறவுகளால், சமூ...

I am fortunate enough to have my passion as my profession - Teaching. I am very happy with What I am. On the Eve of Teacher's Day 2013, I submit this post as a tribute to my Teachers who have inspired me in different dimensions. I am attempting to list the names of Teachers who have taught me at various stages : I Std - Siva Raman Sir - Hari Vaathiyar who taught me the alphabets II Std - Ramalingam Sir III Std - Mr. Meenakshi Sundaram Sir IV Std - Ms. Neela Teacher ( In our place we have unique way of addressing teachers : Male teachers we would address "Sir" and female we would address "Teacher") V Std - Nageshwari Teacher VI Std - Govindhan Sir, Nagarajan Sir VII Std - Alamelu Teacher , Geetha Teacher , Tamil Pandit Sir (Paramasivam Sir) VIII Std - Nagarajan Sir, Tamil Pandit Sir, Nithyandan Sir IX Std - KP Sir, MM Sir, Dhanabalan Sir, HM Sir, MDR Sir X Std - HM Sir, Dr Sir, Dhanabalan Sir, Bani Sir, Tamil Pandit KHV Sir. XI Std - Kaarmegam Sir, ...

Today i watched the movie "Payanam" by Radha Mohan.. Right since the days of "Azhagiya Theyae", i have a liking for his making style.  His creations  Mozhi, Abhiyum Naanum were vey good in terms of making style. "Payanam" is no exception to the above list.  After a long (LONG) gap i have watched a movie completely (means without fast-forwarding)...  One thing which i love about his movies is the sense of humour that he is capable of aligning with the plot of the movie. By any scale, a movie like Mozhi is surely plotted on a heavy subject. But the making of the movie mixed with the humour really makes it a "feel good" kind of a movie. Coming back to Payanam, its about hijacking of a passenger aircraft. A very serious story mixed with "high class" sense of humour.  The variety of characters in the movie, their own style of thinking, their reactions to situations... really awesome.. The fun that RadhaMohan has made on the "h...

An another nostalgic post.  "MicroIndians - The Complete Software Solutions" was the venture that we tried bravely and proudly during 2001. Let me  narrate the complete sequence of events: River Vaigai bisects my home town Paramakudi. I was associated with a training institute on the other side of the river Vaigai. The place is called Emaneswaram. There I got the intro of Mr.B (We used to call him Ji). Ji was (is) a textile designer. My home town is full of hand-looms. It was the bread and butter for my family too. Hand loom is a right mixture of science (engineering) and art.  Weaving sarees was the primary business there. In order to create designs in the Saree, we used to have  Jacquard machine and punched cards (the ancestors of present day computers). Converting the designs in to the form of punched card involves these steps: Graph generation of design Card Punch Marking.   The above steps are very tedious, laborious and time consuming. ...

Yet another invited talk at our department. This time around the speaker was Prof. Rajkumar Buyya  from University of Melbourne,  a well known name in the computer science community.  The topic was "Cloud Computing" . It all started on Friday evening. A nice little introduction with Prof. Then on saturday, the talk was on cluster computing - the funda of cloud / utility computing. Yes it is true that you can find loads of books / materials on internet regarding any topic. But listening from the real experts is a pleasure. The way Prof. Buyya handled the sessions was awesome. Not loaded with indigestible, over-the-head info but it was with lots of real life examples. Coated with the sense of humor, the technical concepts that he imparted in to the audience was really smooth like a song. Today's morning session was on cloud computing. With the background of no rains in Pondicherry during last week, it was a good downpour here as we were discussing about clouds i...

If i make a blog post saying "today we conducted an exam" then most of you would laugh and think whats the big deal of conducting an exam in an university department.  But the change that we did here is that the exam was "on-line". This time around, we have conducted Part -A of the end-semester examinations online. This consisted of 20 questions in each subject and today's exam was of 100 questions.  The "experiment with truth" was conducted with the I year M.Sc students. Let me narrate the background story as well. Many weeks ago we decided that the Part -A of the end semester would be an online exam, as a step towards utilization of technology, reduction in the usage of paper there by following the green energy principles.  Kudos to the thoughts of Prof. RS. Every time I talk with him, the glimpses of IIT-D would emanate which I have found as a source of inspiration.  The hardware / software stack responsiblity was given to me by him i.e. I have...