Many people were seen dejected and strolling about the campus and when inquired, poured out their woes.  “I had come for the campus drive at Sri Indu College  after seeing the paper ad in the vernacular daily Eenadu. The news was false as it was an On-Campus drive and outsiders were not allowed.  We came to know about it only after coming to the campus”, said Mr Naveen Kumar, an Osmania University PG College student. Many students like him were very angry and approached the management, who then apologized for the  misinterpretation in the newspaper, especially the placement Officer, Mr. Murthy.

Students Preparing for the Rounds. Credit: PEarl RIve

The Vernacular Daily advertised that a Job Mela was to be held and gave a complete list of  companies which did not highlight that a majority of them were only BPOs. Only Bloom Soft Company was IT related and the others were BPOs. Around 500 students were present for the written round for about 30 minutes. The written round started  around 10  A.M  in the morning and ended at 12 noon. There were 25 questions, 10 from Maths and  15 from C language. “The paper was quite easy and I managed to solve all the bits. But I am not sure about qualifying etc. The company expects us to give a bond for 1 year which I am not ready to. The company was established only in 2009 and our future prospects there sound quite bleak. It is better we avoid such companies and go for the better known ones”, says Manoj Sheetal, a fourth year IT student of Sri Indu College of Engineering and Technology.

Display of the selected candidates for technical round. Credit: Pearl Rive

It was rumored that there was malpractice and many students were disqualified. Out of 500 only 59 were shortlisted for the next round namely HR interview. It was basically a test on the language abilities of the student. It was in the afternoon session. The technical round was to be held the next day. Only Bloom Soft Technologies had their rounds on the 25^th and the other companies were expected on 26^th.

The other leading BPO companies selected students through the same consultant namely, Peoples’ Connect.  They conducted the next round for 70 students.  Only 30 were shortlisted but majority did not want to take up the offer.  The Company offered only Rs. 7000/- during training period and promised to pay  Rs. 10,000/- to Rs. 15,000/- if they are absorbed into company. The bond was to be written immediately by 27^th . A sum of Rs. 30,000/- had to be paid or original certificates were to be submitted. Many students feared that the original certificates will not be returned till the bond period was over; hence there was no chance of taking up fresh and more lucrative offers elsewhere during that period.

The Final list. Credit: Pearl Rive

On 26^th morning, not many turned up when compared to the previous day.  Top companies like Dell, GENPACT, GE Money and Mahindra Satyam all turned up the next day for recruiting students into their BPOs. Tech Support recruited students for all the BPOs  in the morning. A JAM session was conducted for 6 students at a time. They had their Personal Interview round later in the afternoon.

Those who qualified  the HR interview round held on 25th March, came for the technical round on 26th. They were supposed to sign the bond immediately within two days. Many were skeptical about joining the company as it was a newly established company. The drive ended successfully in the evening and the results were put up immediately.

The campus drive was a moderate success on the whole. Many students decided to strike rich with lucrative offers, later on, with better Multi National Companies. Recession is on the verge of being pulled out and there are surely better opportunities ahead. There are surely good prospects for people aiming for better jobs. Joining well known companies is a must in order to avoid disappointments later on.

The seminar was to start at about 2 o clock and many managed to sneak away as they feared one more “boring lecture”. But little did they know how wonderful it was going to be. The day dragged on and the lecturers were a bit uncomfortable as their classes were to be dismissed. Students were lazing around in the afternoon and the session began quite late at 3. “Damn these lecturers for not allowing us to go earlier” complained the students.

Mr. Khadir, Humanities started with a sort of introduction about the renowned ethical hacker. Ankit Fadia started off in his silky voice and all sprang into attention. He first asked how many had internet connection at home. To this most of them echoed YES, immediately he said stop using them. Everyone guffawed aloud. He said we shouldn’t use any such applications. Every computer has an IP address which is like our cell phone number. It is a sort of identification of our system on the network. Many computers are linked to one another and IP address distinguishes each network. No two addresses are similar. IP address is very easy to detect and anyone can install a Trojan which is a sort of virus that can be used to control our computer’s actions. We can use the website like www.anonymizer.com which is a proxy browser and the IP address doesn’t get displayed when we search for information. But it comes for a price. We can use the Russian edition which is free of cost and add /ru after the address. Mischievous smiles followed and everyone jotted them down. Proxy servers are also available like Squid, Wingate, Winproxy and a list of IP addresses can be taken from www.samair.ru/proxy. These can be used when there is restricted access usually in offices and colleges. Once we get out of the local network these work fine. He joked that our college would have already blocked the above mentioned websites.   Anti virus softwares are just gimmicks that install virus and do nothing in particular to control them.

Seminar hall crowded with students. Credit: Pearl Rive

He went on to explain how cyber crime has evolved into many facets and how an eleven year old hacked the NASA website. A lady from Mumbai was blackmailed as the attacker captured her videos by switching on her Webcam through a Trojan. Nowadays for terrorist attacks, messages are sent online which are encrypted in photos, pictures. This method is known as steganography which involves hiding of data in such a way that only the sender and receiver know what data is present.

About Ankit Fadia:

He is 24 years old and is an independent computer security and digital intelligence consultant in the field of internet security. He is based out of Silicon Valley, California. He has authored 14 internationally best selling books out of which many are best sellers. He has his own software security and training company in Kuala Lumpur.

He even features on the new show on the block “What the Hack” on MTV with VJ Jose. The show has quite a good fan following. “I regularly watch the show and never miss even a single show. I’ve got accolades in college for my internet skills. Thanks to this cool show”, says Chaitanya, a Sri Indu student. He was also conferred “MTV Youth icon 2008” title by MTV. He has many more awards to his credit. Log on to http://www.ankitfadia.org/ to know more about Mr.Fadia. There are very strong controversies on Mr.Fadia and his Claims/Achievements. He has more of them to his credit. Refer to http://www.rayarunava.com/blog/2009/08/28/fadia-ya-fraudia/ , http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_viagra-penetrates-ethical-hacker-ankit-fadia-s-site_1321722, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankit_Fadia for detailed reports.

HACKED!!! with the Genious himself. Credit: Pearl Rive

He was in Sri Indu to promote the course offered by him which is called Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker course (AFCEH) in collaboration with Reliance world.  AFCEH is a computer security program based on the science of ethical hacking. It is used to discover loopholes in target systems and to setup security systems to counter the computer criminals. Professionals who undergo this training and certification program will have the necessary knowledge required to administer security solutions to companies as well as individuals by making computer networks secure. The program consists of new updated material by the guru himself and consists of 4 hours live video conference, 16 hours of video on demand, lab and homework sessions and after successfully passing out can get a chance to work with the guru himself and also get 8 best selling books. The course fee is 6999 and last day for registration was 31 December which is extended upto 5th  Jan 2010. The next session starts from 8^th Jan 2010-8^th Feb 2010. Log on to www.ankitfadiacertified.com for more details about the program.

Internals are finally over and students are seen cramming up all over lecturers cajoling them to add “Grace” marks. Students who have “good impression” are seen happy and the unfortunate ones cursing their Fate. Doing a bit of “Maska” (flattery) is also fine as it always helps. However girls are too good at that department. Attendance is even worse than that. Fines of Rs. 500 for 70-75%, Rs.1000 for 65-70% and the ones having even less than that end up paying more than Rs.2000/- and above depending on the student’s capability in Sri Indu. Some manage to convince parents and get them to college with a health certificate (or claiming a false one). Genuine reasons are hardly found. The ones who never come manage to convince the lecturers for their attendance with false doctor reports, bidding, and of course “bribing” the lecturers. Lecturers utilize this milking moment and play with students, especially the ones who finalize our marks.

Students are not turning back to unusual demands of lecturers and fulfilling all the whims and fancies of lecturers. “I bought a nice china piece model phone for our Lab Sir as he promised to give me good marks in the internal exams, lab externals and also give attendance. I hate studying and I’ve never attended his labs and I have the assurance of getting good marks too. What is wrong in doing so? He is happy and I am more than happy”, exclaims Sai Kiran, a 4^th year student. Many of the boys give “Parties” which consists of booze to the concerned lecturers and everyone is left satisfied.

Students after exam stress. Credit: Pearl Rive

“What about the other ones! Who will take care of our marks and needs! Some lecturers look down upon us. We are the ones who are the worst sufferers as we never do “Chamchagiri” for lecturers or Bribe” exclaims Pradeepa, a last bencher, angrily. “I am a fairly good student and recently I had written my exam well but to my horror my lecturer cut 2 marks out of no reason because she felt I did’nt deserve it. I just couldn’t do anything”, rues Usha, a Student. Impression is still a very vital and most important aspect for these Damn Lecturers say many. They tend to compare performance of good ones and the ones who don’t study. This affects one’s mind and leads to depression.

“Arre! This is the time to enjoy and we are doing so many things that these first benchers never understand. I enjoy bunking and going out places. There is not a single place I’ve not visited with my friends. Now my frequent bunking has cost my marks but I don’t give it a Damn thought”, declares Divya, another student. Some students are downright cool about all these and don’t give a hoot for college rules. “On the whole a student has to have good impression or money to survive in a college like ours. And money can work out wonders really”, says Sanjay, a last bencher.

Therefore all students have to be careful and study well and only rely on individual efforts than follow unfair means. The lecturers and the management should curb all unfair practices and never act as a catalyst. Students need to learn that unfair means can only leads to one’s own destruction and in future may face a hell lot of problems.

The program was not a big affair unlike previous years. After the prayer, our Humanities HOD, Mr Khader gladly welcomed the parents and students to the campus and explained the life at Sri Indu with his peppy speech. The Chairman of the Institution Mr R.Venkat Rao gave his address and told about the achievements of the students and highlights about the institution. He stressed that discipline was the most important aspect to be followed on the campus by all. He told how meritorious students get medals and the topper from each branch would get Rs.50,000 every year and a merit certificate. All the parents applauded loudly and the faces of some students shone on hearing this. “We have absolutely no ragging in our college and are taking all measures to eradicate ragging”, he said much to the relief of parents and students.

Auditorium filled with students and parents. Credit: Pearl Rive

Then, two students from 3^rd year CSC were selected to give their views about the college. They spoke about discipline, faculty, security for girl students, excellent placement facilities, collaboration with foreign universities etc. This was followed by an invigorating speech by our Principal Mr. Mallesham Garu. He even quoted some well known Telugu sonnets much to everyone’s delight and covered all aspects of the college. Everyone was enlivened by his speech. Mr. Khader gave the Vote of Thanks and everyone departed for Lunch, which was a very simple affair. The program ended in about 2 hours time. The students were then whisked away to their respective classes and parents meanwhile got a chance to see the sprawling campus. “I am very happy to have admitted my daughter in this prestigious college. I am awed by the architecture of the building. I am sure my daughter will be happy to be here”, says Mr. Uday Shankar, a parent.

Meanwhile, the senior students were battling with their classes and were not even allowed to come near the auditorium hall. “Our AO sir and other lecturers stood guard outside the hall like hawks and we were very unsuccessful in slithering inside to catch a glimpse. We heard that the girls were very cute”, joked Varun and his gang, all 3^rd year students.

Juniors' buses. Credit: Pearl Rive

There is an addition of 60 seats for EEE branch and Civil is the newly added group this year. The college was placed in the 1^st counseling and has been declared a Christian minority college.  All the students are paying up to Rs.90,000 per year and ECE group has to pay an extra Rs.1 lakh as donation. “I pity our juniors for paying so much and joining here. It is not worth at all”, says Varsha, a 4th year student.

“Congrats to the new students, who have successfully joined the institution and we senior students wish them all the very best. They will have a good future here”, wish all the students of Sri Indu.

The day started as usual and all of a sudden, a lecturer informed the students to gather in the portico for the shooting. A few  interested students from IT, EEE, ECE and CSE gathered there and were whisked away promptly for the shooting. They looked very pleased and some were very happy to get away from the usual, boring lectures. “Hello”, beamed Sujatha, the anchor of the program and she received a thunderous response from everyone. They were in high spirits. She explained the whole purpose of the program and she told everyone to start off with a short prayer. The program was divided into three segments. In the first segment, the students were asked to recall and narrate sweet memories of their college life. In the second segment, they were asked to exhibit their talents like singing, dancing etc. Finally, in the third segment they were to speak about their ambitions/goals.

Students. Credit: Pearl Rive

It started off quite well and students were very happy to share their views. “Sweet memories” segment was nice, where students poured out their anguish and also sweet incidents. Some told about the kind of stuff they usually did in the college; how they got their pet names, their fights, jokes, anecdotes about the college, etc. “This session was the best and I was able to speak fearlessly in front of the camera and never felt afraid”, says Sheetal, an IT student. “I got a chance to speak in all the three rounds”, she says proudly.

The next segment was about hidden talents. Seeing them perform, lecturers were quite surprised. Many sang popular Tollywood numbers. Haritha, an IT student even danced to the popular song , “Innallaki gurthochana vana”. She danced very well amidst huge applause and to everyone’s surprise it even started raining. Everyone asked for more. The rest told jokes and anecdotes. Most of them, however, sang and even a group song was sung.

In the last segment students spoke about their ambitions. Most of them wanted to be CEOs, work in multinational companies, etc. Some admitted that they would happily stay at home, eat, sleep and dream. Ashwini, an IT student proclaimed that she would like to change jobs often as working in the same place would turn out to be boring and there is no “kick” in doing so. She said she was inspired by the movie ‘KICK‘, a popular  Tollywood flick, where the lead actor switches over jobs frequently.

NTV Van. Credit: Pearl Rive

After the completion of each segment, there was a break where everyone had to shout “BREAK” at the camera placed in front. The anchor was quite chirpy throughout and made everyone feel at home. The last batch was from RVR college, a sister college of Sri Indu within the campus. “Keka unde experience”, (The experience was awesome) exclaimed Pradeepthi, a RVR student. “The whole experience was good and most of the students in our batch only sang songs”, she says. They had to wrap up by 4 O’ Clock as it was time for the college to close and the college buses to leave. The program organizers promised to call up and inform when the program would be aired. The anchor bade Goodbye to all and even tasted a few items in the college canteen before leaving.

On the whole, the experience of appearing on TV was too good  and irresistible for the participants. Others, who couldn’t participate were quite disappointed. Watch NTV everyday at 6.30 p.m to get more info.

“The drive to choose this branch was that there was no other option and also, the love for Robotics made me choose this college”, said Arjun, a 2^nd year Mechanical Student. Mechanical students however, unanimously say that this is the only branch, which has a lot of scope and they can join any field later on in the future. They can work in fields like Production, Designing, Analysis of various systems or they can also switch over to the IT field. This branch has been evergreen and the pioneer among all engineering groups.

“I selected Aeronautical because I wanted to fulfill my dream. I want to design a plane, which will land in my backyard. People can purchase it for 20-30 lakhs”, says Mohd. Imaluddin, a 2^nd year aeronautical student, who aims to reach the skies.

Mr. Srinivas is the HOD for both Aeronautical and Mechanical Departments.  He encourages students and always keeps them occupied. He’s been here from 4 years. One of the lecturers, Mr. Kulkarni, is a retired scientist from DRDL having good experience in practical field. “He is very interactive”, the students say. Faculty is okay but they lack good communication skills in the English language and hence, they tend to switch over to Telugu most of the time. “Some of them just read out from the material, which they bring to the class without explaining much”, some students complain. The all time favourite among all the lecturers is undoubtedly, Mr. Mallesham, who is the Principal of the College. His ever smiling, ‘never-say-die’ attitude are the major plus points, agree all the students.

Aeronautical Students. Credit: Swathi

Coming to labs, most of them are satisfactory but some of them definitely need to be developed/upgraded as the students are forced to go to other colleges for their lab externals. The college authorities are constructing these labs much to the students’ relief. UTL and WinTunnel labs are under construction. Workshop equipment is not at all good and changes need to be made.

“Some labs did not exist at all and our seniors were forced to go to the neighbouring college during externals”, says Jyotsna, a 2^nd year student. Dress code in the labs is mandatory for all the students, which includes a navy blue coat.

“We have been taken to Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Begumpet Airport and Hitech city as part of our field work. We should have more technical visits. We are taught more theory than practical field work. We have less on-field exposure”, complain the students of Mechanical and Aeronautical Departments.

Mechanical Lab. Credit: www.sriindu.ac.in

One problem faced in the college is that students are divided into sections based on marks and lecturers tend to support the bright ones more, thus neglecting the others, who really need their help. Mutual exchange should be there, allege all the students. “Indiscipline is not at all tolerated and lecturers keep threatening us from time to time that they will see our end during external exams”, says Priyanka, a 2^nd year Mechanical student.

“There is not much scope after completing B.Tech as promising jobs are things of the past and even the future of IT field looks bleak. You either got less scope for good jobs or you have to settle down as lecturers like us”, say many of the lecturers. “Unless we work really hard and shine, we have to settle for menial jobs”, says Alekhya, a 2^nd year Mechanical student.

However, better times are always round the corner. Students need to cheer up and follow their dreams. A rating of 6/10 can be given for both the Aeronautical and Mechanical branches. The fee per year is Rs. 30,000 and the management-quota fee is Rs. 4 to Rs. 7 lakhs for both the branches and is negotiable.

Bio Technology:

As far as Sri Indu college is concerned, after ECE, bio technology is the best group, where students can join without having any qualms. Sri Indu has one of the best labs for Biotech students. When asked what made them join here, Revati a 2^nd Year student said, “Right from childhood I had a passion for biology. I went to an extent of searching and doing research on plants and animals. H0wever my dad felt that MPC would be a better option for improving my analytical ability and my thirst for biology went unnoticed. Now my dream has come true”. Other students however admitted saying that due to high ranks they were unable to opt for other branches.

Teja, also a student of the same class says, “Faculty is good but they think that we are from Bipc background and tend to skip basics, especially genetics. Only after we raised the issue with them, they are teaching the basics”.  Labs are good but they can definitely improve because when compared to other colleges, we need to have better equipped labs and facilities, especially the instruments. HOD is Ms. Sunita, who is a favorite among all the students as she teaches with poise and makes the classes interesting. The present second year students do not have any seniors and this freaks them out. They complain that they have nobody to guide them. The fees in the convener quota is 30,000 rupees and NRI quota seat varies from 5-7 lakhs, which is negotiable.

B.Pharmacy:

This is the most widely sought-after course after MBBS and BDS. The management started Sri  Indu institute of Pharmacy 4 years ago. Sri Kiran, a 3^rd Year student says , “I wanted to do pursue a course in medicine but I couldn’t and the next best option was B Pharm. It is a progressing level of  medical technology and the way things are improving in medical  research and technology, one must say it is growing by leaps and bounds. Development and modeling of new drugs is on the rise affecting our lifestyles making it more easy. Yes, Sri Indu is a good college and a hearty welcome to all youngsters, who have joined here and who are planning to join”.

Bio Tech Labs. Credit: www.sriindu.ac.in

“Earlier, there was a problem regarding faculty but now there’s no so such problem at all”, students say. All the lecturers are experienced and M Pharm graduates. The previous HOD was Mr. Prabhakar from Srinidhi. He has an experience of about 6 years but as of now, due to family problems he’s on leave and will be joining soon. Mr. Ravi is a good lecturer and he teaches all subjects.

When asked about the labs and other facilities, Hemant, a 3^rd year student says, “Lab facilities are good but lab timings leave a lot to be desired. Sheela madam is the lab incharge who collects the equipments, etc. All equipments are good and maintained nicely. And the best part about practicals is that, we try to mix up chemicals and acids to get the correct result. Thankfully no mishap has occurred”, he sniggers.

No unwanted rules are imposed on the students. However, some students point out that the library timings need to be changed as the timings are obsolete and the students are denied entry during class hours.

“A hearty welcome to all the students who have joined this college. You have all the facilities and we here at Sri Indu promise you a good future. Join here and be assured about your future”, exclaim all the students. The management seat is 27,000 rupees and the NRI quota seat is 6-8 lakhs, which is negotiable.

On the whole a rating of 8/10 can be given to Bio Tech and 7/10 for B Pharmacy by considering all aspects.

“Welcome students”, greeted Mr. Vinay and Mr. Sangesh. Everyone started booing first thinking it would be something very boring. They both maintained dignity on the stage and spoke about the purpose of their visit. All of them were ashamed and listened attentively, especially the front benchers. They had come from IBM and were part of the program called  “IBM Academic Initiative” and were conducting “The Great Mind Challenge ’09” for engineering students wherein they had to prepare projects on various platforms and submit by December 15, 2009. This is a Nationwide Software Development contest conducted by the IBM to nurture students and groom them to become part of the competitive workforce by arming them with market-ready skills. Various IT tools from IBM are used in complex real-time solutions to develop innovative products.

The Talk. Credit: Pearl Rive

The index for the contest where all the resources  are available for students is at www.tgmc.in. This page contains websites for reference, E Books, Important online references, Tutorials, Discussion Forums, E-Mentors, Resources Section, FAQ’s and the most important part- Prizes and Mode of Evaluation. It also contains tabs such as Team Registration, Ask for Software, Project Scenario and Feedback option, which are used during the project creation. The added advantage for students, who have participated is that IBM will provide FREE training for students and faculty in technologies used to make the projects for TGMC 2009.

The development platforms to be used are DB2 9 Express C, WebSphere Application Server, Tivoli Storage Manager Express, Rational Unified Process etc and the technology to be used is Java or Eclipse, as mentioned in the brochure given by them.

To enroll/register firstly one needs to log on to the site www.ibm.com/in/tgmc09 and click on the register tab at the bottom of the page. Register the team and submit the form by filling in details correctly. Confirmation is sent with the mail, username, password and activation link, which will reach all the members of the team as mentioned in the registration form. All members can now use this User ID and Password. Students, who have registered last year can also register again.

2008 saw the winners walk away with Lenovo laptops, Certificates and Trophies. The 20 winning teams were also awarded Digital Cameras along with certificates. All duly completed projects for the contest receive an IBM Certificate of Participation, says the brochure.

Everyone listening to the Talk. Credit: Pearl Rive

The students were all ears for the talk and many expressed interest as the project gets good recognition as it gets certified by IBM and can also be submitted as part of Project for the 4th year.  A student volunteer was selected to whose email account the updates for the contest will be sent from time to time. The software CDs and Instruction Manual for the contest were handed over to the HOD.

However, a lecturer expressed doubts regarding the consistency of the students to work throughout the contest. He told that last year, many students initially began the contest with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm but dropped out later as they had to use their skills and make a lot of effort to learn a new language/platform, which was not present in the curriculum. Also, deadlines mentioned in the website coincided with the semester exams, which the students were finding it difficult to cope up with. “A group had managed till the last minute but were unsuccessful due to these reasons”, he said.

This is a nationwide contest with students participating all over India. This is a challenge to most students and like Ayn Rand said  “The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity”. Students need to use this wonderful opportunity and reap maximum benefits

The advent of Internet has taken over our lives; and it seems to be growing in huge leaps and bounds. Mobile technology has grown immensely – CDMA, GSM are widely used. 3G phones are the latest addition to the market, which support many other features. People want these devices to do everything from accessing their e-mail accounts, utilizing the Internet and to access personal and corporate information. The new type of service available is SMS (Short Messaging Service), which is very handy and economical. It allows the user to send and accept messages over mobile phones.

SMS based services are nowadays available not only over the mobile phones but also on the Internet. The user just needs to create an account and add the contacts or just feed the numbers and send SMS over the web to the other mobile device. For this one needs to have a mobile with a number. This service is free over the net whereas when we send messages from the mobile we are charged nominal rates according to the offers available.

Youmint Main Page. Credit: http://www.youmint.com/

There has been a flurry of sites offering messaging services to mobiles all over the world for the past few months. Some sites need registration and some need not which are better for use.

Suppose one wants to send appoximately 5 lakh messages per day having about 100 characters, is this possible in an ordinary mobile phone? Is there any way for sending these SMS’s free of cost? The answer is yes. Websites such as www.smsjunction.com, www.free-bulk-sms.co.cc, www.nonstopsms.com are a few examples, where one needs to register and give the correct details such as selecting a new username, password, email id, phone number, address details etc. Almost all top companies are using these SMS services for marketing their products and have managed to grab eye balls and boast of good returns.

Students are also using these services like never before and websites such as www.way2sms.com, www.peekamo.com, in.wadja.com, www.text4free.net, www.hai91.com, www.youmint.com, sms.dynadel.com, www.160by2.com, www.freesms.net are a few examples, which allows users to send free SMS all over India and the world. Out of these ‘peekamo’ and ‘text4free’ can be used to send messages all over the world. The other websites are India specific. ‘dynadel’ and ‘freesms’ do not need any registration.

Way to SMS. credit: http://www.way2sms.com

“I have been using ‘way2sms’ for a year now and I love it. It has saved from scary mobile bills. Now I have made quite a lot of friends and have recommended this website to many of them”, beams Bharath, a student of Sri Indu. However, he says the only hitch faced is, after a series of SMS are sent, it logs out automatically and needs to be logged in again. A large number of Vidyouth reporters have also been using this website. However, ‘way2sms’ seems to be the most popular website among all others and reigns alone when it comes to student fraternity.

These websites not only support messaging but also alerts on mobile, mail and access to our yahoo and gmail accounts right inside the website. Cool ringtones, mobile downloads, news, forecast, radio, ads pertaining to our interests etc. are the special features. On ‘youmint’ website one can even make money by getting paid for ads and free gift vouchers are given for deserving people. Members even get personalized offers from Samsung, Nokia, Tata, HP, Olay, Amity University etc. “Thanks for the free olay kit, I am a big fan of olay now and use only their stuff ”, says Mini Alva a user of ‘youmint’.

Ads are available according to our areas of interest and no unnecessary ads are present on ‘youmint’. ‘Hai91’ offers Rs. 30 recharge to the mobile for 1000 SMS’s sent. ‘peekamo’ is a mini blog wherein we can update what we are doing etc. ‘160by2’ is also widely used after ‘way2sms’.

These websites are thus a boon to all and sure help in a lot of ways. HAPPY SMSing folks

The electrifying branches  namely EEE and ECE are now presently the most sought after branches. Thanks to recession. ECE has always been in the top and will always be the winner when compared to other branches. EEE is more macho when it comes to dealing with electrical circuitry and analysis. Mainly this being the group never preferable to girls… as goes the myth. But in reality, these groups have more girls as takers. The first year in engineering consists of common subjects for all branches and the second year onwards, core subjects start; and here is where the actual battle begins.

The HOD for ECE department is Mr.Ashok Babu, who is a very dynamic and influential personality in the college. He exercises many rules and implements them effectively and is undoubtedly, the best lecturer in the college. He is the author of many books prescribed for ECE students. “He is strict, takes utmost care and deals with complaints immediately”, says Sowmya, a 3^rd year ECE student. “Problems  are  all cleared and no unwanted rules are imposed, plus  all students need to be formally dressed as far as labs are concerned”, quips her friend Sri Sowmya.

Labs are all up to the mark and lab rules are very strict. Students need to come properly dressed and no indecent behaviour is entertained.  The lecturers, who teach subjects are the same as those, who instruct in the labs.  The HOD is the important person, who decides the marks as far as  internal and lab marks are concerned. “Basically good impression and discipline is a big must to survive in this college”, says Sai (name changed), a fourth year ECE student, who is a frequent bunker.

Machines Lab. Creidt: Pearl Rive

“Definitely, it is a good choice if the student is opting for ECE and the best faculty is available for the students. Doubts are promptly cleared. Kumaraswamy Sir, Arunashri  Maa’m are the best”, say the students of second year ECE.

EEE or the macho branch is the preferred branch, when no other option is available and very few join this group for the love of the subject. It is very technical in nature and basic electrical processes and structures are dealt with. It lays the foundation for advanced study such as robotics, core electric components etc., which are very demanding unlike ECE, which is confined only to electronics and communication sector and is relatively easier and better.

“I basically love the subject and I am enjoying every moment of my four years of study in this college with my friends. Right after EAMCET my aim was to become an electrical engineer and the best choice was Sri Indu”, says Prakruti a 3^rd year EEE student. Her friends however exclaim that because they got higher ranks it was a difficult choice and they had to choose EEE.

The HOD for the department is Mr. Srinivas who has about 6 years of

teaching experience and takes decisions after consulting ECE HOD. Coming to faculty members, most of them are new and ex-students of the college namely Deepika Maa’m, Divya Maa’m, Vijayavardhan Sir, Guruwaih Sir and many others. “Some are not that interactive”, complain the students but some do consider ‘girls’ say the students. “Deepika maa’m is my favourite and we enjoy all of her classes which she explains with ease”, says Anusha, a 2^nd year EEE student.

Labs at Sri Indu. Credit: Pearl Rive

The labs are all okay and instruments are quite old but are in good condition. Discipline is a must in the labs and impression is the most important thing to bear in the mind of every student. “Connections gone – just be sure that internal marks are also gone”, says Sushma, a  3^rd year EEE student.

“EEE is a good branch no doubt but faculty etc. are not up to the mark and students joining here can’t be that casual and definitely need to work very hard and make their own notes and do a lot of self preparation, which sure helps the student to succeed”, say the fourth year students.

Both ECE and EEE in Sri Indu are good groups and preferably a rating of 8 out of 10 for  ECE and 5 out of 10 for EEE can be considered based upon students’ opinion. ECE undoubtedly is the king here in Sri Indu and freshers need not worry at all. EEE is to be considered here only if they have no option at all.