Quarks has seen it all!
Author: Mihir Kapse
It all starts with a group of people coming together and committing to volunteer their time and effort for one task. Here, the task being to publish a magazine, Quarks. Like everyone, I wondered, out of everything, why the name “Quarks”. The answer can be found in the editor’s note of the 1st edition by Pratibha Mahale: “It is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter, so are we, the undergrads, learning the elementary concepts of science.” She continued to add, “Further, there are six types of quarks, known as flavors: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top. So do we learn six different subjects and come from various parts of the country.” First published in 2012, Quarks magazine became a tool and a medium for expression for the UG community. Throughout these years, it has captured stories of the people, including undergraduates, professors, instructors, workers, and many more. Saakshi Porwal, the editor of the 9th edition, described Quarks as the “sanctuary to the stirring creative voices of our community.”
One of the early motivations for starting Quarks was to create an identity as an undergraduate among the already well-established IISc community. “To improve our existence as ‘US’ and at the same time to become a member of the IISc,” wrote Pratibha Mahale in her editor’s note. 84 students joined the UG programme and started classes in August 2011. These were the early days when the programme was recently launched. Started by the first batch of the UG programme, Quarks has seen them graduate and go out into the world, creating their own lives. Quarks has met the Nobel Laureate Dr. Venki and Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in its 2nd edition. It has seen the struggles, the time-juggling of a UG student, along with their fun and adventure. The 2026th edition marks the 10th anniversary of Quarks. Quarks matured in the 4th edition, with the UG programme running at its full glory with five batches of students. After four years of undergrad, in 2015, some opted to graduate with a Bachelor’s, some opted to stay and continue for a Master’s, and some opted to take jobs. It was in 2016 that the entirety of the very first batch of the UG programme graduated and found their way into some of the most prestigious universities around the world, setting a commendable performance standard. The change can be observed across the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions of the magazine.
In late 2019, COVID came into the world, and it shut down all institutions. As a consequence, Quarks was not published during the years 2020–2023. IISc introduced the new B.Tech. (Math and Computing) programme in 2022, along with bringing in changes to the B.Sc. (Research) programme. In 2024, the 9th edition of Quarks was published after five inactive years. One amazing thing common in almost every editor’s note is the writing of how Quarks is a collective effort of the entire UG community. The first Pravega came into the picture in 2013, when 199 hands came together. The first Quarks came into the picture with the collective effort of the batch of 84 students. Professors and staff workers also submitted a few entries for the 4th edition. Rhine Samajdar, the editor of the 3rd edition, describes the UG life as “a linear superposition of studiousness and recreation, a juxtaposition of serious responsibility and exhilarating freedom—much akin to the proverbial feline of Schrödinger fame.” Juggling through the four variables, every year, the UG community published Quarks magazine.
However, the task has never been an easy one. “From frustration and helplessness at the lack of content, to dispiriting attempts at prodding people to come up with some, to marvelling at beautiful pieces produced by the undergraduate community, we’ve been through it all,” mentioned Dhanya Bharath, the editor of the 7th edition, in her editor’s note. Pooja Nathan, the editor of the 6th edition, wrote, “The UG community has a lot of literary, artistic, and creative potential that is untapped, and attempting to tap this latent potential is no mean feat!” The journey of publication of Quarks has never been linear. Dhanya Bharath describes it as a “tempestuous journey.” As you might predict, the final output is very different from the initial plan of production. Living through this humongous task, Pooja Nathan also mentions, “A small effort in convincing people who do not initially volunteer to participate goes a long way in collecting good content and bringing forth a wholesome annual issue of Quarks.”
Traversing through all the past editions, it is evident that every UG batch has turned out to encompass a variety of talents in its people, may it be poetry, artwork, photography, or writing. P. S. Anil Kumar, the former UG Dean, adds in his note (7th edition), “Since its inception, the program has attracted highly talented students. The undergraduate students are also involved in several extracurricular activities, apart from academics. The annual science, technology, and cultural fest Pravega, organized by the undergraduate students, and other cultural pursuits such as Nrityatarang, Rangmanch, and Rhythmica are a demonstration of their multifaceted talent.” Life, only with academics, is boring. As much as science and medicine, there are other things that are fundamental to life, too. Saakshi Porwal wrote, “Creative expression is just as fundamental to our personal identity as any other pursuit.” Indeed, Quarks has seen it all. It remains a means of creative expression for many and maybe a source of inspiration for some. On this 10th anniversary of Quarks, I hope you will keep looking forward to its future editions.