‘Chandrayaan-3 Showed What India is Capable of’

Sreedhara Panicker Somanath is the 10th Chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, in 1985. Soon after, he started his stint in ISRO as team leader of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). After 10 years of service, he […]

Living with Parkinson’s

Subramony Mahadevan, a former faculty member at the Department of Developmental Biology and Genetics, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009. In this personal essay, he reflects on his experiences of coping with the condition. This essay was first published in the Deccan Herald on 9 September 2023 and is being republished in CONNECT with […]

Flashing Lights of Hope

Alumnus Sudhakar Varanasi recounts the history and impact of India’s 108 ambulance service   It was a day like any other in the year 2001 when Barbara and her daughter set out on a drive to the suburbs of Bangalore. Unfortunately, their car met with an accident, leaving Barbara bleeding profusely and severely injured. Her […]

Growing a Forest of People

Student conference has been fostering India’s conservation community for 14 years   “How many of you have been chased by an elephant?” is not a typical question you’d expect to hear at a conference. But it seems to fit right in at this one; many people raise their hands, some laugh. Standing at the front […]

Electronic City Was Not Built in a Day

The story of Rama Krishna Baliga, a government bureaucrat who laid the foundation for Electronic City, which eventually led to Bangalore becoming the “Silicon Valley of India” Ragavendra R Baliga has fond memories of his father, Rama Krishna Baliga. “There’s an article my father wrote for my medical school journal after he retired. [In that], […]

Helping Hands

The Pensioners’ Association supports retired employees in their golden years   As you take a leisurely stroll down Gulmohar Marg, your gaze might be drawn to a quaint two-storeyed complex adjacent to the walkway across the IISc main building, its vintage facade standing quietly amidst the hustle and bustle of the campus. The sign near […]

The Chase Begins

A first-person account of IISc’s women’s cricket tournament   It was a hot Sunday morning in May. Under clear skies that offered little protection against the beating sun, a group of women gathered around at the pavilion in the Gymkhana to discuss strategies. It was the second match of the women’s cricket tournament organised by […]