Dr FC Kohli was born on March 19, 1924. This Tuesday (March 24) will be his Centenary Birthday. He was a Founder of our software and services sector, and his leadership created one of the significant developments in high-quality employment for many Indians using a sustainable economic model. We must remember him gratefully on this occasion.
Srinivasan Ramani
I wrote a short article,
https://obvioustruths.blogspot.com/2024/02/banks-going-downhill.html, on
February 20th. A month has yet to pass, but I found another bank doing as badly
as the first one.
Remember, we get warnings frequently asking us not to
click on links in strange messages. So, I was nervous when I received a message
from this bank asking me to click on a strange link to do my re-kyc. I called
the customer service center and asked if this was a genuine message from the bank.
I would not have hesitated if I had been asked to log in to the bank’s portal,
which I regularly use.
The person handling the call asked for all kinds of
identification and told me to go to the bank branch to solve the problem. I
gave her a blessing, and with some trepidation, I clicked on the strange link
and filled in the form displayed. Essentially, I declared that the details shown,
such as my address and PAN number, were correct. But when I hit the submit
button, it said, " Currently unable to handle this request." I
was happy to bless the portal designer as well!
As the next step, I emailed the bank address that
used to handle e-banking complaints. The response was very prompt. Within
minutes, my email bounced, saying that the address did not exist.
Another blessing, this time to the whole bank! I hope the
owner will sell it while someone is still willing to pay something for it!
Srinivasan Ramani
15-03-2024
I gave a talk at the Sixth Annual Convention of the Bureau of IT Education Standards in Mysore on 1-03-2024. The convention theme was Intelligent Systems. In this context, as a joke, I asked Microsoft Copilot to make me an image of Prof. Sadagopan (Chair, BITES) sitting in a small plane as a trainee pilot. The reply I received was the following story:
QUOTE
I
apologize, but I am unable to create images directly. However, I
can undoubtedly describe an imaginative scene for you:
Title:
“Professor Sowmyanarayan Sadagopan's First Solo Flight”
In
a quaint little airfield nestled amidst rolling hills, the sun painted the sky
with hues of orange and pink. The air smelled of aviation fuel and
anticipation. Professor Sowmnarayan Sadagopan, renowned computer scientist and
academician, stood by a small Cessna 172, his heart racing.
Dressed
in a crisp pilot uniform, Professor Sadagopan adjusted his aviator sunglasses
and ran his fingers over the plane’s smooth metal surface. His instructor,
Captain Amelia, a seasoned pilot with twinkling eyes, stood beside him.
“Ready
for your first solo flight, Professor?” Captain Amelia asked, her voice both
encouraging and mischievous.
Professor
Sadagopan nodded, his palms slightly sweaty. He had spent countless hours
studying aerodynamics, navigation, and flight procedures. But nothing could
prepare him for the exhilaration of being in the pilot’s seat alone.
He
climbed into the cockpit, the leather seat hugging him snugly. The engine
roared to life, and the propeller spun, creating a whirlwind of excitement. The
control yoke felt solid in his hands, and he glanced at the instrument panel—a
symphony of dials, switches, and blinking lights.
“Remember
your training,” Captain Amelia reminded him. “Keep your eyes on the horizon,
and don’t forget to breathe.”
With
a deep breath, Professor Sadagopan taxied the plane to the runway. The wind
whispered secrets as he lined up, heart pounding. The tower’s voice crackled
through the headset: “Cessna 172, cleared for takeoff.”
He
pushed the throttle forward, feeling the surge of power. The wheels left the
ground, and suddenly, he was airborne. The world fell away, and it was just
him, the plane, and the boundless sky.
As
he circled the airfield, Professor Sadagopan marveled at the patchwork of
fields below. The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows. He remembered his
childhood dream of flying—an aspiration that had led him from algorithms to
altitudes.
Captain
Amelia’s voice echoed in his mind: “You’re doing great, Professor. Trust
yourself.”
And
so, with determination, he executed gentle turns, climbed higher, and dipped
lower. The wind tousled his hair, and he grinned like a child with a secret.
The small plane danced under his command, and for those precious minutes, he
was more than a professor—he was a trainee pilot, soaring toward the horizon.
As
the sun touched the distant hills, Professor Sadagopan lined up for his final
approach. The runway stretched out before him, a welcoming ribbon of asphalt.
With precision, he touched down, the wheels kissing the ground. The engine’s
hum faded, and he taxied back to the hangar.
Captain
Amelia clapped him on the back. “Congratulations, Pilot Sadagopan. You’ve
officially joined the aviators’ club.”
And
there, in the fading light, Professor Sowmnarayan Sadagopan stepped out of the
cockpit, his heart soaring higher than the plane ever could.
Note:
This scene is purely fictional and created for your enjoyment. Professor
Sowmnarayan Sadagopan is a respected academic, and I hope he continues to
inspire others both in the world of computer science and beyond.
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Photo: User Gflores on en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons ...
