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New Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Silicon, scams, and a spy named solly
The cast of characters makes for an interesting lineup. There's Ramani with his penchant for tired jokes. Dr Dayal from the DNES with his manic laughter, and two Tweedledee-Tweedledum scientists from IISC Bangalore. There's Rajiv Gandhi's chief of intel, Praveen Jain, and there's Dr Angela Britto at Seshadri's unit, as well as her hapless colleague Vinod Pandey, whose homosexuality is the least of his problems. All of these people have been written up so divertingly that the reader quickly starts to form a picture of them. At the heart of the story is Metkem's bid to make and supply silicon all over the country and Seshadri's determination to stop them from doing so. Seshadri's audacious acts quite make the reader's jaw drop, even as the aforementioned reader is pretty sure that our Man in Delhi, Solly Nilla, will definitely throw a monkey wrench into Seshadri's work. The snark is delicious, as when we get a description of Seshadri admiring his profile just when a ray of sunlight crept in through the window and framed his reflection in a halo, and he felt a rush of messianic delight. Or Pandey looking like a troubled character in a dimly lit Shakespearean tragedy asking himself, 'What's loyalty? Loyalty is such a shifting target, so elusive and so enigmatic.' The question arises whether Seshadri is discrediting Metkem at the behest of a foreign power. But Seshadri's character is so well delineated that the reader fully understands the bloated sense of pride that drives the bombastic man to do what he does.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Parents of alumnus give Presi 16L as 2nd tranche for gym, smart classes
1 2 Kolkata: The parents of a Presidency University alumnus, Rajarshi Bhattacharya , who died while pursuing his PhD at IISC Bangalore, donated Rs 16 lakh to Presidency for its gymnasium and upgradation of the lecture theatre for chemistry department into a smart classroom . In 2023, Rajarshi's parents donated Rs 7 lakh to the chemistry department to buy a spectrometer after reading a TOI article on the lack of funds plaguing several departments, including chemistry. The parents, who requested anonymity, have already handed over Rs 16 lakh to the university, out of which Rs 6 lakh were spent on buying fitness equipment for the gymnasium, and Rs 10 lakh will be utilised for renovating the chemistry lecture theatre. Both these facilities will be named after Rajarshi. "I visited the chemistry department during the Rajarshi Bhattacharya Memorial Lecture and saw that the lecture theatre is not in good shape. There is no podium to deliver lectures. Looking back at the legacy, I felt bad and decided to donate the money for ramping up its infrastructure for teaching and learning. I got in touch with the university authorities and proposed my idea. They welcomed my proposal and told me that the amount can be split and utilised for buying fitness equipment for the gymnasium and upgrading of the lecture theatre," the 76-year-old father said. The retired central govt employee opted for making this donation with a desire that his son would be remembered forever. Moreover, the university was close to his son's heart— a reason that prompted him to take up such an initiative. "A well-equipped gymnasium was a long-standing demand of the students, which has been fulfilled by the kind support of Rajarshi's parents," said dean of students, Arun Maiti. The chemistry department has also submitted its requirement for instruments such as an audio podium, amplifier, interactive panel, wireless mic, and gooseneck mic, to the authorities. Sources said renovation and upgradation of the chemistry lecture theatre will begin shortly. "The smart classroom can also be used to conduct international seminars and talks. This facility will also be the first-of-its-kind in the university. The fund that will be left after the upgradation will be utilised for ramping up facilities for other classrooms," head of the chemistry department, Arnab Halder said. Rajarshi graduated in chemistry in 2016 from the Presidency University. Professors remember Rajarshi as a "meticulous, intelligent, interactive, and ardent lover of the subject." He completed his Masters from Rajabazar Science College, Calcutta University, in 2018 and got admitted to IISC Bangalore as a PhD scholar in the organic chemistry department.
