WIDE ANGLE

Just like most creative ideas in the world are born in unconventional places, the idea of starting a departmental magazine also found its genesis in a place where no one can guess--the TIFR colonnade. I was sipping a cup of ten rupees espresso, diluted with an ounce of milk to substitute for the expensive cappuccino of West canteen when Tuli accosted me and said: "Let's start a departmental magazine". Wow! Well, my prompt reply was, "If you are in, I am in." And just like that with a high-pitched discussion in the colonnade, with the sunlight on our faces and one cup of coffee shared between the two of us, the DBS-TIFR "Wide Angle" magazine was born.

Among all the second-guessing and struggle, there was one thing we were absolutely sure of: what this magazine would stand for, and once we were sure of that we decided on a name. Therefore, in the very first editor’s note of what we hope will go on to become a legend like its birthplace, I am going to write about exactly this--What is that we, as students, want this magazine to be--among other things. 

Sitting on the cozy brown couch in Prof. Vidita Vaidya’s office--in her absence, of course--we decided on the name “Wide Angle”. Not something that calls for a thesaurus or becomes a tongue-twister. It was short, simple, and encompassed everything that our vision was--something that translates to the scope of our magazine and what it aims to do. 

Our department of DBS has always been a potpourri of artists, out-of-the-box thinkers, innovators, and motivators. The students disguise themselves in the attire of a scientist, but let them free in their natural habitat and they transform into illustrators, artists, singers, dancers, and photographers. We, therefore, wanted to provide a platform where the width of their talents could be explored. This magazine gives the holistic outlook of a scientist as a creator, an artist, a science communicator, and an active thinker--it gives you a wider perspective of who we are. 

However, this magazine is not just about giving the hard-working scientists an outlet to expose their mettle other than the one they master as a science enthusiast but to inspire and educate the future of this fulfilling profession--the youngsters.

The world of research need not just be a door with a tiny hole that gives you only a glimpse of the wonders that lie ahead; a pandora’s box which is overwhelming once opened. Wide Angle aims to be a large window that gives the young people a deeper knowledge about how this machinery runs and how everyone who wants to discover nature’s game plan will fit right into it and contribute to its momentum.

Our target is accountability and accessibility to everyone who marvels at the beauty of science and is willing to take a leap. 

With these lofty aspirations, we set out to ask for entries--no restrictions, no hold bars-- to our next to kin in science. The response was overwhelming and encouraging. So in this editor’s note, I on behalf of the team in Wide Angle thank you all for your patience, support, and love for the times when we failed to deliver, for the times we resurrected this project and asked you to help us build it, and for the times when we were picky and pedantic.

In this pandemic that has put a hard stop on most of our plans, we successfully present Wide Angle, DBS-TIFR students’ web magazine. We thank Prof. Krishanu Ray for his kind words and support and Prof. Vidita Vaidya for her enthusiasm and the “thinking” couch. We also want to thank our diverse, dependable, and talented alumni who have sent us a token of their work and our current student body and every member of DBS who cared enough and kept us going. Last but not the least, we thank Sumit for his excellently made logo, do check out the page where he explains the Making of the Wide Angle logo: thought by thought.

Editor.

Wide Angle Web Magazine.

DBS-TIFR