To 'THE SILVER LINING' 2014

PIONEERING 'THE SILVER LINING'

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world.                                             

 Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Our world in those days was NED.  More precisely, it was Civil Engineering Department. We owned it and wanted to make it a better place. We were young. We were crazy. We were restless. We had infinite energy and exuberance. We had obstinate optimism. We had fresh ideas. We had all of it and much more. But what we did not have was time. We were in our final year and the clock was ticking on it. It was then that we first had an inkling of a possibility of pioneering an exclusive magazine of Civil Engineering Department. Other departments had their own and were quite boastful about it. And it of course tickled our youthful pride. “How could our department, our world, lag behind?” asked our collective angst. However, it wasn’t just blind rage or the hurt pride alone. The idea to launch a magazine was also the product in part of a particular wave of nostalgia that sweeps over a final year student. The season of farewell in the final year brings with itself the matters of legacy and longing. In establishing the magazine we also saw an opportunity to not only relive and recapitulate the time spent at campus but also to etch our cries and murmurs and our hopes and aspirations forever into history.  

Hence, this idea was born around mid May, 2009, during casual discussion among our group of friends inside the classroom of B.E, Section-B.  We were a group of seven friends who initially mused about it. However, since it was an idea whose time had come, we soon had the entire department behind us. And thus began the hectic, at times hysteric, preparation of the first ever magazine. It is not easy to end the inertia and blaze a trail. It is one thing to envisage an idea and quite another to materialize it. Practical issues like finding sponsors amidst the milieu of recession and quality content amidst the tons of submitted articles were only a few of the many challenges we faced. The endless hours spent in front of a computer screen dealing with the minutiae of graphic design and the frequent visits to publisher made sure that we got as little time to give to our studies as possible. Nonetheless, we were driven by a strange youthful faith in the possibility of whatever we dream. There is something about the years at university which makes you a ‘yea-sayer’ as opposed to naysayer. And this is why we named our magazine ‘The Silver Living’ with the subtitle of ‘Building Hope’.

Nothing gives us more pleasure than knowing that the seed we planted many years ago has now grown into a beautiful tree, watered over the years by those who came after us. The tradition has been continued with the same vitality. All of us who have ever been part of ‘The Silver Lining’ since its inception in 2009 are bound together by that same spirit underlying the original idea. And I can assure you that this mix of a little craziness and confidence, defiance and diligence is going to take you places and you are going to do great things in life.

But remember to keep the flame of ‘The Silver Lining’ burning. Don’t let it be snuffed out, ever.