Just over a decade ago when I joined IGIB, I took up residence in the ‘west’ campus of IGIB; it doesn’t exist anymore. I made friends with the handful of scientists and students who occupied this almost remote outpost of IGIB, in the middle of the industrial wilderness of Naraina. I struggled to connect with the inhabitants of the Mall Road main campus. But the ice was broken when I, along with the students of the new batch, had to get on the stage and make fools of ourselves in front of everyone during the Fresher’s party.
That was so last decade. Now, as time moves forward inexorably, new batches join and pass through the initiation rituals of coursework and take on their IGIB identities, it is time to reinvent ourselves. If we cannot break the ice together by singing and eating and dancing and laughing together, perhaps we can create a space for us to do this in situ? As our physical presence in each other’s lives appear to ebb and flow at the whims of the virus, let us create a space for us to share our visions and thoughts and tales with each other. To stay connected even when disease, distress and distance keep us apart.
We bring you the new avatar of the IGIB digital magazine, Pulse. Here, we the ajeeb IGIBians, break new ground. Pulse will be our forum, open to multiple media, multiple opinions, multiple talents and multiple forms of expression. It will be what we mould it into. We hope to see an evolving stage showcasing the diverse skills and passions of IGIBians. Press your finger on the thumbnails and feel the pulse of IGIB!
Chetana Sachidanandan is a scientist-writer with a fascination for a striped fish that’s too small to eat and just too beautiful to describe.