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Celebrating the success of BITSians’ Day 2017!

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The beginning of August is close to every BITSian. It not only marks the beginning of the semester and ghoting for  the CDCs but an occasion which acts as strengthening factor for all BITSians , the BITSians’ Day.  BITSians’ Day started in 2013 and has come a long way since then becoming grand every year.

BITSians’ Day 2017 was celebrated on 4th August around the world. The celebration venues were announced with a unique Game of Thrones themed map to create zest among the BITSians .

On this day, BITSians came together in more than 200 locations all over the world to connect with their fellow alumni and re-live their BITSian memories. BITSians’ Day was also celebrated across the BITS campuses. Apart from the celebrations planned in specific cities, this entire weekend witnessed several impromptu meetups in offices, universities and neighborhoods, and an outpouring of the BITSian spirit.

But BITSians also proved that BITS will always rule their heart, with or without a huge celebration. Whether it was a peek into the BITSians’ Day celebration in the armed forces, a lone BITSian in Nairobi, a BITSian at Tesla celebrating with a drive or an inspiring message from Campbell Island, Great Nicobar, the day witnessed BITSians utilizing the power of social media to connect to their Alma mater and alumni.

On the Social Media Platforms, there has been huge increase in responses from BITSians across the globe this year. Twitter impressions increased by 200% whereas Facebook posts showed remarkable 280% increase from 2016. For increased engagement on social media, BITSAA launched “Back2BITS Weeks”- contests on social media for every week leading up to BITSians’ Day lasting for around one and a half  months. The initial events were focused on sharing memories from the BITSian life like their Hangout places, food they ate at BITS and their customs and traditions which provided a Social media outburst from BITSians from all decades.

The later campaigns were more personalized, and focused on individual experiences and expectations. Meet Your Alumni event aimed at connecting the BITSians Alumni with the other BITSians for guidance and help, and received a spectacular 500 responses.  Most of the BITSians seeking help have already been matched to their mentors, enabling them to resolve their queries regarding their future endeavors. The BITSian Heroes event brought forth the stories about how a person from his/her BITSian life has been helpful and built a special bond. In the last week, quiz related to everyday life of BITSians was organized on social media. A prelude to BITSians’ Day video was also launched and struck a chord with BITSians.

News platforms – The Hindu and Inshorts covered the success of BITSians’ Day this year.

 

This BITSians’ Day, BITSAA also launched the annual magazine , ‘The BITsian’ with the theme ‘BITS Then and Now’ . The magazine features interviews from Directors of all the campuses from BITS Pilani, highlighting how BITS has grown and  changed over the years.  It encompasses stories across a gamut of its alumni and topics. from life of the first BITS batch of  1946 to more recent stories like lifting of the curfew from BITS Girls’ hostel which set a precedent for the country. The magazine can be read here: https://issuu.com/bitsaa/docs/bits_then_and_now

 

A 36-Hour group fundraising campaign- The BITSians’ Day giving campaign was  organized as a run up to BITSians’ Day and the two biggest groups got to dedicate 10% of the ENTIRE amount raised to a BITSian cause of their choice.

And finally, as BITSians Day dawned, several BITSians put up small video clips as their Whatsapp Statuses and Facebook stories to show solidarity as a BITSian family, which further contributed to the BITSians’ Day frenzy.

Needless to say, the event was a huge success. BITSians’ Day concluded in a spectacular manner, and looking forward for more amazing experiences the next year.

Fiction to Reality : Hyperloop India

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Hello BITSians,

BITSAA feels proud to announce the success of the Hyperloop India Team. Last year SpaceX developed a one-mile test track and CEO Elon Musk launched a worldwide challenge for engineering students to build pod vehicles to race on this track and to test out the concept for a new mode of transport he had proposed, called the Hyperloop. Undergraduate students from BITS Pilani took up Musk’s challenge and built team Hyperloop India. After multiple rounds and design reviews, Hyperloop is the first and only team from India and one of the two from Asia selected to build. The team will be racing their pod on the SpaceX track in August 2017.

India and the world stands a chance to witness the prowess of engineering at BITS Pilani, as the students roll out India’s first indigenously built, safe, scalable and feasible Hyperloop pod prototype. The OrcaPod, one of its kind, will be amongst the lightest and the fastest pods that will blaze the track built by SpaceX at its HQ in California.

The team needs your support. Team Hyperloop India has started a crowdfunding campaign to help them successfully utilize the power of the community to help them build, ship and race their pod on the SpaceX track in August 2017 in this restrictive timeline.

BITSAA feels extremely proud of Hyperloop team for coming this far. We urge The BITSian family to help them go the last mile!

Come and pledge your support to be a part of the movement! The campaign is live at Hyperloop Fundraiser
You can also check out the following links for more info on Hyperloop India.

*This fundraising link on Ketto has been set up by the Hyperloop team and all payment related questions, including issuance of receipts should be addressed to them directly on info@hyperloopindia.in 

BITSian Heroes : Heartfelt Thanksgiving

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Dear BITSians,

This week, BITSAA is giving you an opportunity to share the stories which made one of your fellow BITSians your hero. Previously, we shared two amazing experiences and we are bringing three more similar heartwarming stories for you.

BITSian Hero: Dr. Ananth C Kulkarni
by Bharath K Bhat

“Getting an opportunity in BITS itself is a turning point in my life, no two ways about it. This was a true present to me and this present had many packets of items in it. Some of which are: 1. A great campus with a beautiful view. 2. A Great Hostel facility (I got a room with a great view #333, CH-2). 3. A great Canteen Staff who took personal care of me, which made me feel ‘At-Home’. 4. Great Faculty, Prof. B.J.C Babu is the one I would like to mention for his ability to impart knowledge in subjects which were the CRUX of M.E-Design Engineering and his teachings which if felt like “”Neem””” then is useful even today like a medicine solving almost all technical problems. 5. BITS-Goa Medical Staff receives a SPECIAL MENTION in my life.

Dr. Ananth.C.Kulkarni, is the person whom I respect personally because he was more of a Guru to me; he taught me great values in professional life which I can never forget. He has taught me Engineering Tribology and later have completed my Masters Thesis under him in Bio-Tribology. My thesis later helped me get my Research Scholar position in Biomechanics at Manipal University. It was he who suggested me to go for PhD instead of a Faculty Position & later guided me through different decisions in my professional life.
Dr. Hemanth Kumar, Dr. Rakesh Mote, Dr. Shibu Clement, Dr. Rama Kumar are other faculties in whom I have immense respect.“

BITSian Hero: K.Dhanaraja
by Gauri Mittal

“I was perhaps the first student from my city ‘Mathura’ to get admission into BITS-Pilani. And hence I didn’t know much about how things worked at Pilani – how easy or difficult was it to get a dual, a transfer, what CGPA was a good CGPA, how do people choose electives.etc We didn’t have Quora, Facebook then 😉 . All we had seniors who were always ready to help. But given my extremely shy and introvert nature, it wasn’t easy for seniors to help me as I wouldn’t approach them.
But K.Dhanaraja (k) was (and actually ‘is’) an exception. He is from Chennai and what connected us was ‘604’ – our BITSian ids. Yes, he is my id POP – a concept I haven’t heard of in any other college till now 🙂 . I still remember how scared I was when I met him & his friends for the first time. He told me that I can always write to him for doubts related to academics &for the kind of person I am writing instead of talking makes my life simple. I don’t know how many mails did I write to him in the first year – I would seek his advice every time I thought I had spoiled my test and he would tell me how is it ok since the average itself will go down; I would ask him how to prepare for those subjects which were supposed to be difficult (ThermoD, MechSol) and he would advise. All my emails were answered in a few hours, although we didn’t have internet connections to our rooms back then. We hardly met in my first year after the first meeting – he was a devoted ‘Art n D’ member & I was busy with academics but I always knew he is just a mail away. He also helped me choose between CS (the most sought after) and EEE (my personal preference) & I have never regretted my choice.
I am still in touch with him – and guess what 😉 – I approached him with a question related to job last year – and he did get back 🙂 (albeit not in a few hours)
So kd – if you read this – thanks for being such an awesome senior. It’s not always that one gets a chance to express one’s heartfelt gratitude.”

BITSian Hero: NSS School Kids
by Divya Chirania

“Kids, they say are the purest thing in the world. I truly realized this thing when I applied as a volunteer for NSS. It won’t be exaggerated if I say it was one of the best decisions of my Bitsian life. Despite not being from affluent background they seemed to be the happiest people in their world & my own problems appeared so insignificant. Respect which they used to give was enormous.There were always smiling faces which were eager to share their school stories.Asking about their day was my favorite.It was like revisiting my childhood. While teaching , it struck me how many things I have taken for granted. Probably that’s how it is.We do not realize the worth of something if it comes easily.And then there are these kids who are happy with the mere presence of a teacher.At times I used to feel it is not me who comes to teach but the other way around. “While we try to teach children all about life , they teach us what life is all about.”- Angela Schwindt”

We urge you all to bring out the Hidden Heroes from your BITSian life, who have made a difference in your life, and  share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with hashtags:  #BITSAA  #BITSiansDay #BITSHeroes by 23rd July 2017. Alternatively, you can also fill out this form to send your story. We will feature the best stories on our social media channels and BITSAA blog.

  

Unraveling the Stories of BITSian Heroes

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Dear BITSians,

This week, BITSAA is giving you an opportunity to share the experiences which made one of your fellow BITSians  your hero. We are unraveling the stories which might have got buried in the sands of time. Today, we bring to you two of the amazing stories we received- one has been shared with us by by Arpit Agrawal (BITS, Pilani – Pilani Campus) and the other by a student of BITS, Pilani – Goa Campus.

BITSian Hero: Dr. G Raghurama Sir
by Arpit Agrawal

“The first chance to know of Sir was in 3rd year when he came to our common room inviting feedback. Unusual to such meetings he had brought the entire team along. Not just that all suggestions were being noted down by the respective staff member. I found myself lucky for a leader with such an active participation. My friends told that right from the moment of joining Sir took it as personal duty. Once it so happened that I heard of a fellow going through a personal problem. I wrote to Sir as helping him required administrative support. As a happy surprise, he gave us time promptly, the mail was replied at 4 AM. Similarly he once helped me with an administrative formality which was facing resistance otherwise.

In all, though I am quite young to appreciate a senior BITS authority yet I feel he will always make BITS ecosystem a brighter place.”

BITSian Hero: Dhilbhar Roshan
by Anonymous

“Not a story but just a small incident. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at present which was diagnosed as depression in college days. In the last sem in CH1, there was a particularly difficult week when I was severely depressed and couldn’t get out of bed. Infused with alcohol and drugs, going out of the room was impossible and I’d been hungry for a couple of days. I was virtually trapped. Also, couldn’t disclose this condition to anyone as I didn’t want questions.

Dhilbhar lived in my corridor. As a last resort, I sort of asked him to get some food. I had no money. I think he saw my situation. He didn’t ask any questions. He simply got me food. I can’t tell you how big the gesture was for someone in that condition.”

We urge you all to bring out the Hidden Heroes from your BITSian life, who have made a difference in your life, and  share your story with us  on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with hashtags: #BITSAA #BITSiansDay #BITSHeroes by 22nd July 2017. Alternatively, you can also fill out this form to send your story. We will feature the best stories on our social media channels and BITSAA blog.

Meet BITSians in Sports: BITS2Fitness Twelfth Interview: Payal Panigrahy (BITS-Pilani’15)

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#MeetBITSiansInSports

Out 12th Interviewee for the “Meet BITSians in Sports” series is Payal Panigrahy (2010B5A8619P).

Payal was among the top three performers during the Burn A Million Calories(BAMC) event. While being a fitness enthusiast, she emphasizes the importance of having fun while doing so. She is a trained dancer and has an Orange belt in Karate, while she enjoys swimming, lawn tennis, and running marathons. In an exhaustive interview with Payal, she shares with us her story and what drives her to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Name: Payal Panigrahy

BITS ID: 2010B5A8619P

What motivated you to pursue fitness in the first place? 

I was never a fit kid in my school days and even in BITS. Being a foodie added to the problem. It was when I joined dance classes in Bangalore that I realized that fitness doesn’t have to be boring. I can do things I like or things I want to do while improving fitness.

What are the sports/activities you are involved in and how did you get into playing these sports?

I am not exactly a sportsperson. I am taking coaching classes for swimming and karate, a choice mostly based on interest. I participate in various marathons/duathlons and obstacle races that happen in the city as well.

How often do you engage in each of them? Any routine you follow?

Since I am taking classes, there is a fixed routine. I have karate classes thrice a week while swimming happens on both the weekends.

You have earned an orange belt in Karate. Any specific reason you chose Karate? What do you like about it?

I have always loved the idea of practicing some form of martial art but haven’t had the chance to do so in college or earlier. In Bangalore, especially in the kind of sedentary lifestyle our job encompasses, it becomes very important to pick a few activities to keep you up and running. So I picked up karate and I really enjoy the classes. Also, the importance of self-defense cannot be more relevant as it is today and hence, is a really nice skill to have.

You are a marathon runner as well. What are the usual distances and how often do you do them?

I participate mostly in 10k runs and duathlons(~22k) or obstacle races(~5-7k). I did a half marathon once. These happen very frequently in Bangalore and I try to get into as many as I can.

Were you actively involved in any sports activity in BITS? Any particular memory from BITS that motivated you to stay fit?

Honestly, no. BITS witnesses numerous workout resolutions being broken over the years. And my friends used to believe I was really really unfit, which was true to a great extent. It was when I started participating in these activities here in Bangalore, there was a significant improvement in my fitness and health.

How do you manage to spare time for these activities while working full time? 

My work hours are pretty flexible and the idea here is to spend 1 hour a day on an activity. I believe that is something each one of us can absolutely do. 1 hour on weekdays and maybe a little more on weekends. That is enough.

Do you take special care of your diet in everyday life?

I am a foodie. And taking care of my diet is one area I have not been able to do any good. There are certain things that I have started, little things like minimizing the usage of oil, switching to coconut oil, banning sugar from the kitchen to name a few. I would like to reduce intake of junk food in the future, I guess 😀

How was your experience participating in the Burn A Million Calories Event conducted by BITS2Fitness?

It was really fun. Self motivation is really the key to sustain fitness but such challenges once in a while push you to do better. I joined a 45 day cross fit program which really helped increase strength and log those calories on the counter. Lots of people were motivated by their peers to do better and push harder and quite a few will have actually sustained their momentum. It was a great effort by the organizers and I would love to see happen every year.

Finally, what would be your advice to the BITSian community to stay fit and healthy?

At the risk of sounding cliche, I would say it is really the beginning which is difficult. We make resolutions and set unrealistic goals leading to lack of motivation and then dropping the idea altogether. It is important to keep your fitness regime fun. Do what you find interesting and challenging. It can be karate or yoga or swimming or dance. Choose the activity carefully and enjoy the process. Once you see positive results, that will keep you going. Also, you will love the compliments 😉

 

Interviewed by: Suchita Pati (2011A3PS269H)

Payal