Talk

UBA RCI IITPKD -MHI Mumbai-PDPL Documentary Screening-Wounds of Pyre: Inside the minds of cremation workers

sudarshan — Sat, 17 May 2025 04:45:00 +0000

sudarshan Sat, 05/17/2025 - 10:15

The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Regional Coordinating Institute (RCI) IIT Palakkad, Mariwala Health Initiative Mumbai and Palakkad District Public Library (PDPL) warmly welcome you to the screening of the feature documentary, Wounds of Pyre: Inside the minds of cremation workers.

The screening will be followed by an interaction session with Sh Babita Gautam and Sh Sahil Valmiki, the directors of the film. This is a specially arranged screening as the documentary is not accessible elsewhere.The poster and image and content description note of the poster are attached along with this email.

Details follow:

Date: 30 May 2025 (Friday)

Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: PDPL Seminar Hall, Palakkad (Google map link)

About the film: Made by Dalit Desk and supported by Mariwala Health Initiative, Wounds of Pyre is not just a documentary film, it is a lens into the unseen, unspoken lives of the Dom community, who, for centuries, have borne the burden of being society’s cremation workers. Through personal narratives and lived experiences, it sheds light on the societal structures that perpetuate this exploitation while bringing to light an often-ignored but critical issue: the mental health challenges faced by Dalit communities. The systemic discrimination, trauma, and stigmatisation faced by those in caste-based occupations lead to unique mental health challenges that demand attention and action. The screening aims to spark meaningful conversations, challenge prejudices, and inspire collective action toward social justice.

All are welcome!

image and content description .pdf (41.32 KB)

Representations of the Fundamental Group and Parabolic Bundles

srijans — Thu, 01 May 2025 08:41:35 +0000

srijans Thu, 05/01/2025 - 14:11

Abstract: The study of the association between holomorphic vector bundles on a compact Riemann surface (equivalently, a smooth algebraic curve) and representations of its fundamental group dates back to the pioneering work of A. Weil in the 1930s. Weil’s seminal article, where he classifies vector bundles that arise from representations, inspired Narasimhan and Seshadri in their quest to construct moduli spaces of vector bundles on compact Riemann surfaces. Around the same time, in a different part of the world, Mumford introduced a general recipe for constructing moduli spaces using geometric invariant theory. The celebrated Narasimhan-Seshadri theorem beautifully unites these approaches, asserting that both constructions yield the same moduli space. Later, Mehta and Seshadri extended these ideas to punctured compact Riemann surfaces, introducing the concept of parabolic bundles. This work opened new avenues for understanding vector bundles on curves with marked points. While much is now understood about vector bundles and parabolic bundles on smooth curves, analogous studies on singular curves have progressed more slowly. Singularities, such as nodes, introduce challenges that require careful treatment. In this talk, we focus on irreducible nodal curves and explore the question: Is the Mehta-Seshadri theorem true for nodal curves? This is joint work with Dr. Sanjay Singh. I will begin by setting up the necessary background and defining the key objects, making the talk accessible and self-contained. Following this, I will discuss our contributions toward answering the above question.

Polygons and Planar Graphs in Real Life - The Problem of Land Records

kdinesh — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 06:57:31 +0000

kdinesh Mon, 04/21/2025 - 12:27

We look at the problem of Land Records for farm lands- maintaining an accurate match between actual land use and its record of ownership. For the first, there is now an option to time-consuming land surveys -viz. segmentation of satellite or drone images. For the second, we must look at how the government maintains land records, which is as a number of land parcels or polygons in imaginary space in GIS. The question of matching the two then becomes polygon fitting to segmented data. We look at theoretical, algorithmic and practical problems which arise in this process and describe our solutions. This work is part of a project with Govt. of Maharashtra and uses past independent collaboration with Google Research.

Load Modeling for Transmission Planning Studies and Emerging technologies deployed to address transmission congestion

mkj — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:27:20 +0000

mkj Thu, 04/17/2025 - 12:57

Load modeling within the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has undergone significant evolution, driven by the increasing complexity of the power grid and the need for more accurate reliability assessments. Initially, simpler static load models like the ZIP model were prevalent. These models represented load behavior as a function of voltage, but they lacked the ability to capture the dynamic response of many modern loads. NERC's standards have pushed for the adoption of more sophisticated dynamic load models, such as the Composite Load Model (CLM), which account for the behavior of components like induction motors and power electronics-based loads (data center loads). This shift enables better understanding of how loads respond to grid disturbances, crucial for maintaining system stability and complying with NERC reliability requirements.

Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) are a set of technologies deployed to address transmission congestion. These technologies help to maximize the transmission of electricity across the existing power grid system. The primary GETs are:

Dynamic Line Rating (DLR): DLR adjusts the capacity of transmission lines based on real-time conditions.
Advanced Power Flow Control (APFC): APFC redirects power flow to less congested lines.
Topology Optimization: This technology reconfigures the grid to improve efficiency.

Degree theory from a geometric point of view and numerical experiments for systems of ODEs

srijans — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:00:45 +0000

srijans Tue, 03/11/2025 - 22:30

Abstract: In this lecture we discuss an intuitive and geometric approach to the Brower degree and its basic properties. Focusing on geometric ideas in two dimensions, we explore the proof of several of the well-known results. We also discuss numerical experiments for finding solutions of a BVP for system of ODEs. These experiments are based on geometric aspects of the Poincare-Miranda Theorem.

Structural Composites: Challenges and Opportunities

nelsonm — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 06:20:46 +0000

nelsonm Mon, 01/06/2025 - 11:50

Prof. Subramaniam D. Rajan, a professor of Civil, Aerospace, and Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University, will deliver a talk on the topic - 'Structural Composites: Challenges and Opportunities' on 07th Jan'25 (Tuesday) at 2:30 PM in Room no: 150, C06 building. Please find attached the abstract of the talk.

Prof. S.D. Rajan's short bio: S.D. Rajan is a professor of civil engineering at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (SSEBE), and a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy (SEMTE). He graduated with a Bachelor of Technology (Hons) degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and moved to the University of Iowa in 1978. He obtained his MS and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa before accepting a faculty position in the civil engineering department at Arizona State University. He enjoys teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate courses as well as interacting with the local junior high and high school students in STEM-related activities. His research interests include a wide variety of areas, such as structural analysis via finite element method, design via numerical optimization techniques, understanding material behavior via experimental methods and constitutive modeling, and software development via object-oriented programming and parallel processing.

SDRajan-IITPKDTalk.pdf (263.47 KB)

Pale Blue Dot - "Information design for positive social outcomes"

sarath — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 06:13:24 +0000

sarath Mon, 10/21/2024 - 11:43

There are many interesting day-to-day examples of how good information design elicits positive social outcomes. Examples include information design at traffic lights, in ride-hailing apps, in online ratings of e-commerce products and services, and in fund-raising drives. We will discuss the modeling and the simple analyses behind some of these, and will demonstrate how mathematics can positively impact social systems.

PBD-8-IITPKD.jpg (419.17 KB)

Saving Bodies, Saving Souls

reenu — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:41:54 +0000

reenu Wed, 10/16/2024 - 22:11

This talk will critically examine the intricate dynamics of missionary education for poor, 'untouchable caste' girls in colonial Kerala. The analysis sheds light on how British Protestant missionaries shaped educational experiences that reinforced existing caste and gender hierarchies. Far from being a straightforward narrative of upliftment, missionary education often confined these marginalised girls to roles centered around domestic labour, moral discipline, and religious conformity, while simultaneously exploiting their labour to sustain the missionary enterprise. The discussion will also highlight the contradictions within this educational framework, revealing how the evangelical missionary rhetoric of benevolence and upliftment was frequently undermined by practices that maintained the subordination of poor, 'untouchable caste' girls within colonial and caste-based structures. Moreover, moments of resistance and negotiation will also be explored, where young girls navigated the limitations of missionary control to assert agency within constrained circumstances. This examination of missionary education will engage broader scholarly debates about the intersections of caste, gender, and imperial power, and their role in shaping the educational and social trajectories of marginalised populations in colonial south India.

Dr. Divya Kannan Brochure.pdf (1.25 MB)

Menstrual Health and Reproductive Rights Awareness Program

soju — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 08:36:39 +0000

soju Thu, 04/18/2024 - 14:06

Kadambini is conducting a comprehensive menstrual health and reproductive rights awareness program in collaboration with Maanushi Foundation. This programme was planned as part of the women’s day celebrations on 8 March 2024 but as the resource person had some medical emergency then it was postponed and is scheduled to be conducted on 19 April 2024 from 3.00 – 4.30pm at A01-202.

Maanushi Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Kumily, Kerala, which started its activities in December 2020. The foundation has been driving sensitization campaigns on menstrual health education, sustainable menstrual practices, sexual and reproductive health and rights awareness, and climate justice for the community. Along with conducting educational and awareness sessions, the team has also implemented economic activities for developing sustainable livelihood among its beneficiaries. The foundation has reached out to over 3500 women through awareness programmes and has distributed reusable cloth pads to over 800 menstruators.

Maanushi Foundation’s work has largely been centered in a three-tier model of education and training, which has been evolved in response to our growing understanding of the community’s experience along with the development of the SRHR ecosystem in India and across the world.

Tier I: Menstrual Health Education

Tier II : Reproductive Health and Rights Education

Tier III: Collaborative network building for sustainable interventions in communities

The session would help participants understand

1. The menstrual cycle, symptoms of pathology and promote healthy behavior

2. Nutrition, exercise and awareness about each phase of the cycle.

3. Develop the vocabulary and confidence to speak about their menstrual experience

4. How to use and care for sustainable menstrual products

5. Essential reproductive rights in the Indian SRHR context

Poster (1)_1.jpg (703.07 KB)

All models are wrong, but some are useful; Are we 'focused' while selecting this 'useful' model? 'Focused' model selection for dependent data

ashokm — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 06:42:01 +0000

ashokm Thu, 03/14/2024 - 12:12

A statistical model typically can be defined as a collection of probability measures on some outcome space. All, except perhaps one of these measures are ‘wrong’. Traditionally, the selection of a model is done based on certain fit criteria (via some loss function such as least squares, maximum likelihood etc.), that is, the distance from the data to the model. Usually, these include AIC, AICC, BIC, DIC, HQC among others. ‘Focused Information Criterion’ is comparatively a new model selection approach, which is getting popularized nowadays. This approach essentially minimizes the MSE of the estimates of the parameter of interest (Focus parameter) using their asymptotic theory. In this talk, we will discuss some of the theory and applications of ‘Focused’ model selection for time dependent data.