Unwinding the transgender travails
Embracing one’s transgender identity is a tremendous act of courage in a world that refuses to acknowledge their very existence. The narrations of their trials and tribulations continue to prevail despite the measures taken by the state machinery to assert their rights or the transgender revolution that spilt over in recent times. So long as the society continues to deny them a conducive space to exert their existence, the transgender community will have to endure hardships in all walks of life. The present-day researchers have increasingly shifted their focus on the LGBTQIA+ community to unravel their survival tales and awaken the population to their basic human rights.
Dr Anu Kuriakose, Assistant Professor from the Department of English, has also been looking into transgender lives and the anomalies in their representation. Her research analyses the inclusion and representation of transgender people in Indian films with a specific focus on the shift in representational politics and inclusive strategies in films of late. She has recently published a paper titled “Deconstructing the Trans-Inclusivity Myth in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui” in the Economic and Political Weekly.
The article offers a critical reading of the Hindi film Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), which appears to maintain an inclusive outlook towards the queer community. Through the article, Dr Anu draws attention to the glaring presence of transphobic and homophobic attributes even in such progressive films. Her research attempts to analyse whether there have been any significant shifts in trans representation and inclusion in contemporary cinema.
She has also published two chapters, “The Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Employment and Livelihood Opportunities of Transgender Community in Kerala” and “The Double Marginalization of Transgender People During the COVID 19 Pandemic”, in the books COVID-19 Pandemic and the New Normal and Keralam in the Path of Survival respectively. The works recount the unspoken sufferings underwent by the transgender community in Kerala during the pandemic times. The chapters were co-authored by her peer, Dr Vinshi P K.
Her upcoming research plans include addressing gender diversity and inclusion in academic discourses in the vernacular of Kerala and critically reviewing the representational politics of trans femininity in visual cultural texts. By researching the portrayals of transgender community, Dr Anu intends to enhance awareness on the deviant representation of queer community in the realms of literature.
- Published in Departmental News, English Current Happenings, English news, News, Research News
Paridhaan: Celebrating the myriad hues of India
“India is the One land that all men desire to see and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined” – Mark Twain
His words express the wonder of experiencing the myriad shades of culture thriving on the Indian landscape. Celebrations marking the beauty of our enriching tradition are indeed reminders of the boundless diversity of this country. An ethnic day is an occasion to look back and marvel at the greatness of Indian civilization. It endows us with an opportunity to embrace and rejoice in the shimmering diversity of our motherland. Such good times are meant to be cherished forever as it ties together the manifold differences our people foster.
The Department of Student Affairs proudly organised ‘Paridhaan’, an Ethnic-Cultural event for celebrating the rich Indian heritage. Students came decked up parading the exquisite fashion culture existing across different parts of the nation. The day was brimming with high-sprits and festivity as students from different parts of the country came attired in their traditional outfits flaunting their cultural legacy. An array of dance and musical performances was organised for students to put their talent and vigour on display.
There were programmes ranging from solo musical performances to dance medleys and fashion shows. The stage was set on fire with a live opera performance of Sanjana, who mesmerised the crowd with her mellifluous voice. Equally stunning was the musical entertainment of Amrit who weaved magic with his Santoor, playing the Hamsadhwani raga. Each performer enthralled the audience with different musical stylings, such as mashups, raps and so on. The crowd was also clamouring with joy at the rocking dance performances by the students of the dance club.
The major highlight of the day was the fashion show. The participants adorned the stage with ravishing ethnic outfits representing their cultural distinctiveness. There were portrayals of different dressing styles of India as well as countries like China and Africa. Donning the garbs of different regions from Assam to Gujarat and Kerala, even dating back to the times of the Mughal Era, the show dazzled the crowd with enchanting hues. The celebrations came to a closure with a few more delightful performances. All the SRM dignitaries including the Vice-Chancellor, Prof V S Rao, took part in the celebrations and congratulated the students for making the event a huge success.
- Published in News, student affairs news
Launching antenna-multiplexer for seamless IoMT connectivity
Dr Divya Chaturvedi, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, has come up with an exciting proposal for enhanced connectivity and high-speed data transmission across the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices. Her research paper titled “Design of Antenna-Multiplexer for Seamless On-Body Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Connectivity” has been published in the journal ‘IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs’, having an impact factor of 3.71. It was published in collaboration with Dr Arvind Kumar from Vellore Institute of Technology and Dr Imaculate Rosaline from Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore.
The research looks into the design and development of a multi-band self-triplexing antenna for Medical Things (IoMT) applications. The antenna is designed to operate at 5.2, 5.5 and 5.8 GHz and self-isolation is achieved below -23.9 dB. It also offers seamless communication links to other devices operating at the same frequencies. The designed antenna is cost-effective and compact in size, that can easily fit into any implantable medical device. To avoid the harmful effect of radiation, the SAR value should be <1.6 W/kg. The SAR for this antenna is achieved at 0.362 W/kg in a very simple profile. Due to its compact size, the antenna can be easily mounted in a wireless portable device. The self- triplexing property of the device also enables full-duplex communication between different devices in a single antenna. This design suggestively simplifies the density of the RF front-end subsystem and leads to a simple and efficient communication system.
Abstract of the Research
Here, a compact design of antenna-multiplexer is engineered specifically to meet the stringent requirement imposed by intricate subsystems operating at 5.2, 5.5, and 5.8 GHz frequency bands for Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) applications. The proposed design includes a hexagonal-shaped substrate integrated waveguide (HSIW) cavity, tripole-shaped radiating slot, tuning vias, and three inset microstrip feedlines. A tripole-shaped slot is imprinted on the top of the SIW. This slot subdivides the cavity into trio-radiating segments and each segment offers a single frequency band. Further, the frequency bands are tuned at 5.2/5.5/5.8 GHz. The design maintains mutual port isolation better than 23.9 dB. Compared with the conventional tri-frequency antennas, the proposed design is highly compact and doesn’t need any additional circuitry to improve the port isolations. The measured results confirm the expected performance of the design. Furthermore, the proposed antenna is optimized within an implantable medical device (IMD) and simulated inside a realistic Human Head model at a depth of 3 mm and the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value is estimated. The SAR values are well below 0.362 W/Kg at the functioning bands due to the unidirectional radiation pattern from the antenna.
Her future research plan includes designing and developing a cost-effective bra-like prototype of Antenna-Array Sensors for breast cancer detection.
- Published in Departmental News, ECE NEWS, News, Research News
SRM AP Team Meets ARCI: Mutual Discussions on Research Projects
The SRM University-AP team met Dr. Tata Narasinga Rao, Director, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI, Hyderabad) on 7 April 2022, Thursday. ARCI is an internationally acknowledged autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Ten professors, led by SRM University Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D Narayana Rao, went to Hyderabad to meet the ARCI Director. Projects related to key advanced materials in the field of scientific research were discussed during the meeting. Discussions were held on research projects related to additive (3D) manufacturing, solar energy materials, automotive energy and nanomaterials. The SRM AP Professors; Prof. D Narayana Rao, Prof. G S Vinod Kumar and Prof. Ranjit Thapa explained the key points of the research to the ARCI Director. During the event, an understanding was reached on issues such as research partnership between the two organisations and the design of research facilities. Director Dr. Tata Narasinga Rao assured that ARCI would extend full cooperation in areas such as research assistance in the selected fields and provide other facilities. Prof. Narayana Rao affirmed that ARCI has agreed to provide necessary funds for the development of solid electrolytes used to manufacture Lithium Ion batteries.
- Published in News, Research News