Atrium newsletter

1. ISSUE – 1 | 2016 FROM THE FACULTY’S DESK "Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit, where I hope to find not absolute truth but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart". –Salman Rushdie The power to weave a tale, compose a poetic flow of verses, ponder on issues, expose and enthrall the mind through a play of words is but some of the talents possessed by REC Atrium. The club is a live wire forum bubbling with the effervescence of today’s youth. As the faculty in charge of this club, I would not be exaggerating if I state that the magazine of this club is a work of art. It is a sparkling stream of well written thoughts, emotions and feelings that can wake any spirit. The Editorial board has worked hard to create this work of art in a manner institutional ambience. page is a revelation that kindles a desire towards Imaginatively compiled thoughtfully arranged keeps the reader fascinated. Kudos to the Editorial board and the Atrium team! Best Regards, Dr. Vijaya. S. [ Assistant Professor MBA Department ] Atrium Faculty-in-charge explore, befitting the Each more. and prose

2. Meetings – An Overview MEET - 1 MOVIES & SERIES We all know that all it takes for a TV show to be a super hit is its pilot episode, rated by how well it reaches the masses, by how entertaining and mindboggling it is. And I, staying after 3pm in college for the first time, can say that the first meet conducted by our college’s Atrium club was a stupendous success, with more than 65 students arriving at the venue for a really fun evening. The members of the core had done a fine job by reaching out to the students and making this evening wonderful and entertaining. hints were given to help us figure them out. It was a nice and fun opening event. The second event was dialogues. A dialogues pertaining to the theme were given to identify. We were also asked to complete a few of them. It was intense and we had loads of fun. The third event was spin the yarn. Words were given and stories were made out of them. Lots of funny moments arose and it was a fitting end to the meet. The evening would be one to remember for all eternity and with a pilot this engaging who would not want to come for more? The meet started with no delay and it was right on point from the introduction of the members of the core, to the three events that were planned for the evening. Being Atrium’s first meet for the year it had chosen its theme to be something that was universally loved-TV shows and movies and that was all that it was required to keep the evening going. There was exuberant participation from all fronts and the battle to be the best team was on. The first event was Anagrams. celebrities were jumbled and complete few the famous Names of MEET - 2 HUMOUR Atrium, as a club, is a wonderful culmination of excitement, sarcasm unadulterated joy. This was exactly what the second meet of the semester can be summed down to. We had many first years who came to participate this time and as usual the seniors lent a knowing and helpful hand to them in all aspects. The final years were given their seats of honour, the remaining participants arranged themselves in groups and the meet began. The first activity we did was Just for Pun. We were supposed to identify the pun behind a series of pictures that were displayed to us for points on the scoreboard. Most of them were pretty straightforward but some were quite tricky. We had a variety of pictures that stemmed to the depths of pop culture to those that merely scrounged above the surface, proving the level of thought that went into organizing the event. Overall, it was evident that every member of the audience themselves with the puns and one of the main reasons was the Punmaster Extraordinaire, Ram Arvind S, the PRO, who did a brilliant job of hosting the event. The second activity was Dumb Charades. People from each team were given a random word to enact, within a time limit, to the other team members and the team got a point if they guessed the word correctly. The words given to the team members were so random, it had the audience and the team hilariously befuddled. Despite that, a few pioneer teams were successful in conveying their word to the rest of the team and won their team much needed points on the board. The event was a good breather in between the pop culture saturated first and third rounds. The third and final activity was Catch the Chord. An audio clip was played and the teams were required to guess who said the sentence or phrase and which movie or tv show it was from. This event comprehensively tested the pop culture knowledge of each of the teams and only the truly knowledgeable remained. A token of appreciation to the core of Atrium who kept a room of more than seventy people quiet while each audio clip played. Incredible feats must be duly appreciated. In conclusion, Atrium were able to pull off a set of three amazing events and infinite memories for those in the audience. The friendship and love that the room witnessed that day will resonate in the hearts of all those people in that room, strangers and friends alike. humour, and enjoyed members

3. MEET - 3 QUIZ The third atrium meet had a literary quiz with participants in 7 teams. The quiz had many compelling questions based on literary work and its authors, the grammar, movies and poetry. It was a battle of the intellectual minds and it set apart the literary ATRIUM IN A PHRASE lightweights from the big hitters. Many new enthusiastic first year students took part in the quiz. Some questions were pragmatic, some funny and others were intriguing and connected. It was a very interactive and fun meet with ardent indomitable team spirit. The quiz was hosted by manager, Akshra and the PRO, Ram. The questions displayed using a projector and it comprised of over 6 buzzer rounds. Two hours of intense quizzing ended with a tie breaker question, declaring the winning team. quizzers of over 50 the event were nuances of “Atrium is a powerhouse of ideas and creativity which brings out the best in “Atrium is an amalgam of many wonderful things, the most important of which being the emphasis on creativity.” students.” –Vijay Rajkumar –Kaushik Murali “Family.” –Sinduja Ramanan “Atrium eradicates the concept of ‘ennui’ in life.” –Sidharth Krishnan “Atrium gave me the freedom to do something I love but never thought I’d be “Atrium to me is my own Baker Street where I could imbibe and cherish all forms of literature.” :) good at!” –Pooja Madhavan –Reshmi Sankar “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones mad to live, to talk, to laugh. Atrium is where unbridled creativity is celebrated with inexorable joy, where the fire you seek/lost is ignited spark by spark.” –Abinayaa Dhanagopal

4. Deleted Scenes Can you guess the pun? Answers? They’re here. You just have to look for them.

5. Book Review that becomes clear once you’ve completed it. I found myself smiling and felt connection with the author which is the highest compliment any author can get. The reason why people love books like Harry Potter is because of its ability to form a direct connection with the readers. This masterpiece forms a connection to the modern woman even though it was written at a time when women couldn’t vote yet. The main protagonists are Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet is described to be a confident, young woman, darling daughter to her father and a constant source of worry to her mother. Mr. Darcy is described to be a reserved man with little care for the emotions of others except for those who mean the world to him. He exhibits the urge to protect the people he cares about and that is visible in his actions throughout the novel. The way that characters exhibit “Pride” and “Prejudice” alternatingly form the crux of the plot accompanied by the stories of other satirical characters. Each and every one of the characters plays either a direct or an indirect role in bringing Elizabeth and Darcy together and this is why I believe that “Pride and Prejudice” has one of the best characterisations ever. three strengthen the bond between Elizabeth and Darcy is one of the many reasons why the plot is so robust. They start off with a strong dislike for one another jointly fueled by “Pride” and “Prejudice”, which then blooms into the sort of love that makes hopeless romantics swoon, when these qualities disintegrate. In other words, Elizabeth and Darcy realise their love for one another when she drops her “Prejudice” and when he, his “Pride”. Elizabeth initially rejects him because of rumours and Darcy wins her over by doing things that displayed his affection for her. marriages helped a strong slowly Elizabeth Book Cover of Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth’s sister, Jane and Darcy’s best friend, Mr. Bingley is the second alliance highlighted in the novel. Jane, whose beauty is highlighted often throughout the course of the novel and Bingley, who immediately attraction for her at a ball, fall head over heels in love with each other. As a firm believer that love does not happen at first sight, I was amused by the fact that Bingley knew almost instantly that Jane was “The One”. It was a very well-written nonetheless, and I cannot deny the fact that their story helped the protagonists. “Pride and Prejudice” is a historical romantic comedy, if it’s stripped down to its essence. Jane Austen wrote this iconic piece of literature sometime in the 19th century. The fact that its contents are still applicable to this day and age proves how this book is, wonderfully, ahead of its time. In countries like India where sayings like “A girl has reached the pinnacle of her life after marriage” is common, most Indian readers will see fragments of Mrs. Bennet in their own mothers. The fact that every single character in this book, male and female, relatable and that we have and will continue to meet such characters in the walks of our own lives, proves its extreme relevance to the modern world. takes an these two subplot, is very The Elizabeth’s Wickham is the third couple of the novel. Lydia Bennet, a flirtatious and frivolous girl, is, weirdly, the first of the Bennet sisters to get married. Though the circumstances under which Lydia and Wickham get married are dire, I cannot help but crack a smile when I read Lydia’s youngest Bennet, ex-flame, and Mr. This marriages that are poles apart from each other. Jane Austen did a remarkable job of tying such diverse stories together which ultimately strengthened the love between the protagonists. This is one thing that made the plot so much better. The fact that the story highlights four The fact that it is relatable is undeniable but this book also offers an inside joke that you share with Jane Austen herself. It is hidden in the title of the book you’ve 1. Labracadabrador

6. want materialistically. Elizabeth realises that a marriage without love isn’t something that she wants and ultimately makes her understand her complex set of feelings for Darcy. Lady Lucas and Mr. Collins is what we call a marriage of convenience. benefitted the both of them and this was questioned by Elizabeth, who was concerned about their marriage. Mr. Collins knew and respected Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine. This Elizabeth and Darcy crossed paths yet Catherine’s disapproval Elizabeth is what made Darcy finally get rid of his “Pride”. One of the things that I liked about this subplot is how Lady Lucas helps Elizabeth realise that a marriage of convenience is not her cup of tea. There’s no denying that Mr. Collins is wealthy and can offer her all the things that she could thoughts on her elopement. In my opinion, the Lydia-Wickham situation is the thing that made Elizabeth walk right into Darcy’s arms. I loved the fact that Darcy put the interests of Elizabeth and her family’s reputation before his own. This selfless act made me root for them more, if that’s even possible. It mutually In Prejudice’ combination of satire, irony, romance and comedy that will leave you feeling warm and gooey inside. It reinforces the fact that true love conquers all obstacles and gives a chance for the reader to hope that they have such a love story in their lives. – Sunanda Kannapadi conclusion, ‘Pride a and is balanced was how again. Lady of The last and final marriage is that of Lady Lucas, Elizabeth’s best friend, and Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins called upon the Bennet family to find himself a suitable wife. Finding that Jane was preoccupied with Bingley, he tried his hand with Elizabeth, failing which he turned to Lady Lucas. The marriage between 2nd Year FILM STILL BENNET SISTERS 3. Tom Cruise

7. Project A Thousand Words The word count for this essay is around 800 words. It took less for Gary McKinnon to hack into NASA and threaten the national security of his country. Hell, by the time I finish this essay some dude might have caused the collapse of the world economy from his parents' basement, which is what this picture perfectly shows. The greatest powers are not being wielded by men in suits who shout crass orders but by someone in their underwear drinking coffee at midnight typing in code and being a spacebar closer to demolishing civilization. But the only thing that our half-naked assailant has to worry about is the fact that his weapon might be out of charge. Technology has made us both closer and further away at the same time. But first, why closer? Well, I can grandmother right now who is currently around 1000 kilometers away from me, but the High megapixel webcam might reveal the scar on my face which would ensue a 3 hour lecture on how to be safe. I’d make a status about this problem on Facebook and maybe even tweet about it for all my friends (and the world) to see. A minute later I’d most probably be seeing a snap chat story about the war crimes being committed in Syria and at the same time laugh at a dramatic hamster because I have the intellect of 3 year old child. All this before I even have my breakfast. The world has definitely made us closer. the western Skype my This picture talks about another aspect- the inherent loneliness of being on a social network. Humans have always been a social species; evolutionary mechanism that has kept us together and alive for centuries. We measure our self- worth based on ‘likes’ and it’s an 2. Heart Warming

8. no longer a singular incident. Multiple cases struggling with depression and anxiety is at all time high with anonymous users around racist remarks and slurs. Armies like Anonymous threaten the safety of many countries, their hunger for change might seem beneficial at first but may continue to be detrimental in the long run.The reason they’re so powerful is because of the lack of accountability. with each comment of dissent one step closer to bringing down an oppressive When an internet cartoonist was beaten to death for criticizing Hosni Mubarak, we see that the man was held accountable for voicing out his opinion. The internet in its uncontrollable allowed people like him to cry without shame, to complain without fear, a right that would’ve otherwise not been available to him. We see that the kickstarter campaign of a man wanting to host a potato salad party gets $55,000. These are all powerful (and also very weird) examples of people celebrating who they are. worth based on ‘likes’ and ‘retweets’ failing to find time and comfort in going to social excursions. The become a smaller place not because of how easy it is to communicate another and access information but because we fail to explore new horizons. Our advancement is being measured linearly along the lines of digital development. We’re being made to believe that our area of interest lies in the screen in front of us, that we cannot possibly find happiness in the ‘real’ world. We are ‘spending the whole day waiting for the world to come home’. of children government. world has throwing amongst one vast expansion and So, this picture shows us a man that holds the world’s greatest weapon and that he could be any of us. He voices out his opinions but fails to tell us who he is. He’s an introvert and yet he talks to hundreds of people every day. He has hacked into the server of a school while he listens to Ariana Grande, doing charitable things in illegitimate ways. He is all of this and none of it. He is anything he wants to be and all we can do is watch. – Rameez Mohammed This picture also provides us with another contrast, idiosyncrasy and anonymity. The man's red hoodie contrasts with his bland surroundings. surroundings being the social standards that have been around for centuries and the red jacket the ideas that so strongly oppose it. Which is what the internet has provided us with, a platform to express our views and have serious discussions. acted as catalysts for the Egyptian and Libyan revolution, FIN. The picture shows us a man who’s wearing a red hoodie with black pants, has red in-ear headphones, probably has an HP laptop and yet we can’t to seem to look at his face. The internet has the capability of taking one of the basic attributes of an individual, accountability. With cyber crimes on the rise anonymity is a must. Teenagers now have to deal with cyber-bullying. Amanda Todd is The bland his Forums 2nd Year Thank you all for reading our first issue! Get to know more about the people that made it happen! EdBoard: Atrium core:  Editor-in-Chief – Akshra Ramky  Editors – Aishwarya Radhakrishnan, Kamaakshi, Sabarish Elango  Monitor – Sruthi Sreenivas Designer – Srihari C.S. President – Maanasa Krishnan Vice President – Lakshna Sridhar Secretary – Preethi Muralidharan PROs – Ram Arvind, Jayesh Jose Event Manager – Akshra Ramky Find us on Facebook and Instagram, for information on upcoming events, interesting tidbits and memes, and of course, the Editors’ Column: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atrium.rec/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recatrium/ 4. Happy Hour