blog@Yantrajaal

There were two attitudes towards the summer training program at IIT KGP. Some students would try to wrangle an internship in their hometown or nearby but some of us loved the opportunity to get away as far as possible. In 1980, ISRO had been in the news for having launched SLV, India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle and my father had met a person from ISRO. So I decided to explore an internship there. After pestering our Training and Placement Division, I finally managed to get an internship at ISRO, Trivandrum, even though this was not mandatory at the end of third year. I also managed to convince Rana Bhattacharya to join me on this adventure.  There were quite a few challenges with this assignment. First, there was no direct train to Trivandrum, we had to change at Madras. Finding a place to stay was no less difficult but finally we managed to get lodging at the YMCA and eventually we managed to find our way to ISRO. But this chapter is not about the difficulties that we faced a...

It would have been in 1981 or 1982 when it was reported in the newspapers that Piloo Mody, the brother of Russi Mody of Tata Steel fame and a member of Parliament, had negotiated a deal with China that would allow Indian pilgrims to visit Manas Sarowar and Mount Kailash. Hindu mythology posits that Kailash is the home of Bhagwan Shiv and Manas Sarowar is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths or centres for the adoration of the Divine Feminine. Access to these holy spots had been denied to Indians since the 1962 war but with hostilities easing, pilgrims would once again be allowed to visit. However tourists and pilgrims would have to be in groups and they would have to be escorted by Government of India officials. My friend, Abhay Maheshwari, and I immediately decided that we should go to Manas but we soon realised that the costs were prohibitive. Never mind, we decided then and there, possibly after a swig of Mohua at a Prem Bazar still, that we would start the process of saving for this trip. N...