Fundamatics

Author: Devesh Khatu

  • Art for Social Change

    Art for Social Change

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     Illustration by Rajat Patle

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Through times immemorial, art, either in the form of expression or protest, has been an important medium for effecting social change. Whether it is through poetry, film, music, illustrations, etc., art has been used to rally people for social justice and for equality, whether related to religion, caste, gender, sexual orientation or wealth inequity, to name a few. While the methods may have changed from physical representations such as handwritten placards to virtual formats such as social media, the fundamental concept of using art to get your message across has not. In this first issue of Fundamatics this year, we explore how art has been used by some of our alumni to create social change.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Damayanti Bhattacharya provides a good overview of this issue’s theme in “Imagining a Better World”. In “Celebrate New Freedoms in Newly Free India”, Ali Baba, aka Prof. A.Q. Contractor, talks about the denigration of the four pillars of democracy in India, in his usual inimitable tongue-in-cheek style. In the ongoing “The Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster: Kashish”, Sridhar Rangayan talks about the challenges he faced in organizing India’s first LGBTQ+ film festival, Kashish.  Yaquta Contractor and Pradnya J explore the use of lines, colors, and patterns in “Art for Arts’s Sake?”.

    In “Bridging Biodiversity Conservation and Arts Practice”, Abhisheka Krishnagopal examines the importance of art in biodiversity conservation. We feature poetry by a regular contributor to Fundamatics, V. Sundar in “Authenticty”. In “My Second Home: The Mysterious Aghanistan”, Devashish Dhar talks about his experiences living in war-ravaged Afghanistan, and hopes that art and culture are not banned there again. And finally, illustrations are an important medium to highlight social issues; enjoy some by Prof. Arun Inamdar below![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]We hope you enjoy this issue of Fundamatics. Happy New Year, dear readers… may 2022 be better than 2021 in every possible way.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12684″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12683″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Artwork by Prof. Arun Inamdar

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12685″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12682″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_custom_heading text=”Table of Contents” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23dd9933″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1642480664954-53e09568-3de0-3″ taxonomies=”518″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Diversity and Inclusion

    Diversity and Inclusion

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    Cover Illustration by Amlan Barai

    Diversity and Inclusion are among the most used buzzwords right now, and so we here on the Fundamatics team thought that it would be worthwhile putting together an issue on various aspects of the topic.

    Just like in any other sphere in life, IITians come in all stripes. Whether it is religion, caste, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, disability, we all bring different backgrounds and perspectives to the table. Diversity implies recognizing these differences so that we all learn from the richness of experiences that these individually bring. Inclusion involves valuing each person so that they feel like they belong and are equal to everyone else so that they can contribute to the fullest of their abilities without having to worry about being discriminated against for being who they are. With everything going on in the world right now, it is especially important to recognize diversity and inclusion so that minority voices are not silenced, and their rights not trampled upon.

    As someone who belongs to a marginalized community myself, being gay, I am personally well aware of issues faced by people when you are in the minority. People talk about you behind your back, and you constantly have to keep proving yourself that you are no worse than others. I was teased for my lack of athleticism/manliness growing up. Eventually, I decided to start running marathons to prove that I was no different, and earned respect from my peers for my accomplishments in that field…but you shouldn’t need to go to these lengths to be felt included.

    We are fortunate to have a diverse set of articles for this issue. All the contributors are alumni, except for one who is an alumnus’ son. In Afsana, Zenobia Driver discusses what it means to be a Parsi growing up in India. Sundar and Sonati tackle the issues of race, migrants and dissent in a collection of four poems. Sridhar Rangayan talks about his days at IDC and his friendship with a fellow IDC alumnus and coming to terms with his sexual orientation. Shruti Gupta discusses hearing disabilities in her article. Neil Ghaskadvi talks about another taboo issue, ADHD, from a kid’s perspective. Chandru Chawla discusses the lack of women in governance roles at IITs, and Anuradha Narasimhan talks about women and the glass ceiling in corporate India. Prof. D. Parthasarthy writes about the dehumanization of the less fortunate among us. We are carrying a link to the recording on an excellent panel on racism organized by IITBHF, with an introduction by Vinay Karle. In “The People,” Ali Baba aka Prof. Ali Contractor reflects on current affairs in his inimitable layered style.  Ruyintan (Ron) Mehta along with Sashi Menon, Pramod Kulkarni and Pradip Nadkarni compares how the demographics of the IIT Bombay classes from 1970 to 2019 have changed.

    We hope you enjoy the articles for this Diversity & Inclusion issue of Fundamatics. Please don’t forget to leave your comments after reading each article, and we always appreciate any support you can offer the magazine through voluntary contributions through our secure Fundamatics donation portal.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Table of Contents” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23dd9933″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ initial_loading_animation=”none” grid_id=”vc_gid:1627019607593-33007bc6-749b-3″ taxonomies=”493″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Forever on the Run

    Forever on the Run

    One of my favorite quotations of all time is by the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu. It goes something like this: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.”

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