kMITRA turns 2! And so, for this anniversary edition, we decided to do a special interview of all the members of the core team. Enjoy!
Which do you think was your best article so far?
Divya : In my opinion, the best article would have to be my #OscarsSoWhite article, since it required a lot of research and it made me open my eyes and realize how dire the situation is. It was something I really worked hard on and I love the way the final product came out.
Akanksha : Choose the right path is my favourite.
What was the shortest time you took to finish an article?
Mahitha : I guess the shortest time I took an article was three hours for ‘Nine dishes for nine days’, because it didn’t need much research or anything, but it did take a lot of time to come up with the idea itself. Initially, I thought of keeping it simple with a traditional recipe. Then I read a couple of food blogs and other festive themed articles and came up with this.
Abhijith : It took me five hours to complete one of my articles. But it took two days to gather information. Mostly, I write tech articles, so getting the right information and things which are new about the product takes time, but writing is much simpler.
What is your favourite form of photography and tell us the story behind the best photograph you’ve ever taken.
Aishwarya : I love taking pictures of people. Especially of those in action. I think it’s only when someone’s doing their thing and are focused on their work that one gets to capture the most natural of their expressions. I also love landscapes, especially blue skies (who doesn’t love blue skies?) and sunsets.
This is one of my favourite pictures I took.
The kids in the village were very shy and ran away when they saw tourists. I caught this girl hiding behind a house. She didn’t see me. But her friend did, and she ran away.
Akhil : I can’t really pick one favorite picture from all of my work, but I can admit I had a lot of fun clicking bees. I was experimenting on my DSLR and learning ABCs of photography then and had learnt about this really cool trick about reversing your camera’s lens for macro photography. I loved the experience. Although I couldn’t get the picture exactly how I wanted to, It was the first time I had seen such a thing up close and enjoyed it. I can look back to a lot of similar experiences, but this one definitely stands out for me.
Was there ever an article you wish you’d written, but finally went to someone else?
Madhurima : Well, my story is not that interesting, but for the 2016 August edition, the team wanted a review of Kabali. I was interested in doing it. My friend wanted to start writing from that edition, and she insisted that she was a huge fan of Rajnikanth’s and that she would do it. She was very excited and was convinced that she could do a good article. Turns out she did submit a review, but since it wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t published. I felt I could’ve done a better job than she did.
Hasmitha : For the October 2016 edition, I wanted to write a review of the iPhone 7 as I’d done lots of research. But one of the more experienced writers of the team wanted to write about it, so I thought he would do a better job than I would, and I had to give up!
What are the perks of being/having been a developer for the magazine?
Hriddhi : As a developer, you can unleash your creativity by creating something tangible and impactful. Also, as technology is always evolving, one never stops learning and it’s fair to say that there is no ceiling when it comes to what you can learn and what you can do with it.
Arjun : Bragging rights! Developing for kMITRA has been very rewarding. Knowing that a product you built is being seen and used by the whole student community gives you a high like nothing else.
There’s a certain thrill to turning people’s ideas into code. Spending sleepless nights fussing over the tiniest details on the website taught me perseverance. And struggling with caching issues with KMIT’s servers taught me patience. Also, it looks super cool on the internet.
If you had the liberty to write about anything for the magazine, what would you write about?
(or) What is the one controversial topic you would write about for the magazine?
Rithika : There are many controversial topics to write about and the boundaries of kMITRA are yet unknown to me, but I think writing any piece with sincerity- where one is allowed to explore sexuality, love, lust, human relationships, morality, marriage, and other such concepts become increasingly relevant to an adolescent transitioning into adulthood, in greater depth -is still unheard of in kMITRA’s history. That is something I would like to attempt to read/write on.
Dheer : Everyone is unhappy to begin with. With the parent fearing for the well being of their children, from survival, to longevity and their adapting to the immediate society. The children unhappy with the constraints imposed, to anxieties of lacking identities to begin with. All the rodents on the ladder scraping for the cheese they find before their links give way as the rungs screech and shake precariously. And rotting cheese that’s glittering out of your T.V screens and magazines and glued to the teeth of the politicians glued to their punchlines glued on to the pamphlets spread by younger rodents hoping to glue themselves to the tails of the ones ahead.
If you had to describe your writing abilities in one sentence, what would it be?
Akanksha : I love adding creativity to my writing.
Divya : I’ve never really thought of that! I guess you could say my writing is readable maybe? Maybe accessible would be better, because I don’t usually like using big, fancy words and make my articles sound like academic papers. So yes, simple and accessible.
What was your happiest moment being a part of kMITRA?
Lasya : I think my happiest moment as a part of the kMITRA team was when we went to Murthy Sir with a proposal for Lit Up and he agreed almost instantaneously. A close second was the 1 st of October, when Lit Up was held. Just before the event, I remember thinking “Okay! This is real. This is all going down right now. I haven’t been dreaming an entire week!” Organising KMIT’s first literary fest, I couldn’t have been happier as a member of the team.
Hriddhi : Being a part of kMITRA, my happiest moment was when I gave a speech in front of a huge audience in the auditorium, and was finally able to lessen my stage fear.
How did you feel writing for the magazine the first time?
Aishwarya : When I wrote for the magazine the first time, I was really excited to finally find a Google result that was not related in any way to Aishwarya Rai!
Sruthi : I remember the countless number of times I read through my story, trying to see it from a reader’s perspective. The turmoil I went through as my cursor hovered tentatively over the ‘Send’ button, debating whether to send it or not, and finally giving up miserably. I don’t know what eventually made me submit it, but I did and it did get accepted. The rare moment of pride I felt, looking at my piece of work, my own, on screen was priceless. I have contributed to kMITRA a lot after that, and I will too, but that, will always remain the first. And the best.
What is the one topic you would never write about?
Lasya : The one genre I would probably never write about. I have to admit, this is a tough one. But I think the answer is technology. I try and keep abreast of the current affairs by reading the newspaper, but when it comes to technology, I’m lost. It feels like technology changes by the hour and I always fail trying to play catch-up with it. See, I’m a sucker for routine and I hate anything and everything that changes rapidly. You could always tell me that even news changes every day; but I’ve made my peace with it.
Sruthi : Politics! Because they’re, well… politics. I make a conscious effort to stay away from politics and I guess I always will. I know it’s too bad, but I’d rather be ignorantly happy without all the melodrama.
And one, for our dear ex seniors who made kMITRA the way it is today.
How do you think kMITRA has changed over the last few months after you left?
Manasi : I left college this year but I am still a part of the magazine and I can say that it has diversified multi fold – it stretches its roots into multiple genres and every edition has a big bunch of varied articles under its shade. Plus, there are many more young minds with bubbling ideas contributing to each edition making each one an extremely interesting read; no two articles are similar. With different views and perceptions, the articles are subject to profound command of thought and language, which are honestly amazing to see. I am very happy and proud to see how my fellow kMITRANs are sustaining the e-magazine and I look forward to doing what I can to keep each edition even better than the last. kMITRA is in good hands. Keep up the good work guys!
Saylee : I’ve genuinely noticed so much change in the content. It has become more polished and the spectrum of topics covered has grown quite a lot. There is more variety topped with quality. Its gradually shaping up pretty well and doesn’t look amateur anymore.
Shri Ram : kMITRA is not just older but bolder. The articles in each edition speak of diverse issues which weren’t part of the earlier editions. And that is exactly the ideology we started off with. To “Think, Integrate and Evolve”. I’m happy to see my juniors doing a great job and I hope their juniors do so too.
Arjun : Having been an integral part of kMITRA since its inception, I have seen it grow from a mere idea to the platform it is today. Reading the articles in kMITRA these days, one can be forgiven for thinking that they are work of writers of much higher reputation and not those of college students. I think the variety and quality of content on kMITRA has gone up a few notches since the new team took over. Kudos to the whole team!
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