Introduction

We are happy to announce our upcoming Palki fifth edition. From all who have been associated with Palki in the previous editions, we expect the same level of generous support, and we also need more contributions from new friends. However, owing to the tremendous response to the previous Palki editions, we have had a deluge of articles and submission requests, resulting in shortage of print space. This time, all submissions will be considered, but we will be publishing only “selected” articles; selection will be done by our experienced team. Here are all the information you need to know about Palki 5.

What is Palki?

Palki is the official e-magazine published bi-annually by Calcuttaglobalchat.net. We publish submissions in English and Bengali. With more than 6000 members in our community and thousands more guests everyday, PALKI gives you a chance to experiment with your creative mind.

Why Write in Palki?

6) Photo Features

7) Paintings
Audio Visual - Sing/recite, record, send!! We will host online

9) Specially for Children: Send Anything You can!!

• Like All other Palki Editions, we are happy to announce the following awards just as a token of love to our writers:
  • Golpo/Probondho Category: 1st Prize 1000 INR, 2nd Prize: 800 INR
  • Kobita Category: 1st Prize 600 INR, 2nd Prize: 500 INR
  • Art/Photography Category: 1st Prize 600 INR, 2nd Prize: 500 INR
• NOTE: There are other sections such as Online Audio Visual and Children Section. If you are interested in donating some award for those sections, let us know, we are constantly needing small donations to encourage young writers all over the globe. email at palki@calcuttaglobalchat.net
No. of articles/poems - Pay attention please - We will consider only ONE poem/article/photograph/painting for award. You may send us more than one poems/compositions/photographs; however, please mention which of them should go for award determination process.
• YOU MUST WRITE US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE RATED FOR AWARD CONSIDERATIONS. WE NORMALLY DO NOT CONSIDER RENOWNED WRITERS FOR AWARDS UNLESS THEY INDICATE THEIR CHOICE TO BE INCLUDED IN OUR RATING SYSTEM.
Note: We will be using spelling as suggested by SAMSAD

Study in Indian Statistical Institute

Going along the B. T. Road, ever looked at the tall buildings on the west side near Dunlop? They are, if you don’t know yet, the Indian Statistical Institute, the prestigious university at par with the Indian Ivies – IITs, IIMs, TIFR and so on.

But few people in Kolkata, leave alone other states, know about it. Though, the scenario is changing in the recent times. More and more students, especially here, are becoming aware about it and testing their mettle in the challenging admission test which aims to select only the crème de la crème throughout India. Coaching centers are also reported to be running in Kolkata with the aim of performing similar to what Kota does for IIT. This article aims to aid you while you venture out to put a foot in ISI.

Unique of its kind in India, ISI enjoys near-autonomy under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (it is not under the Education Ministry). The head office is located in Kolkata, and it has branches in Delhi and Bangalore.

There are quite a few advantages over any other educational institution - there is no tuition fee. In addition, students get thousands as stipends (unless they perform extremely poorly) which suffices even after paying for basic amenities. It offers hostel facilities to all students at extremely nominal charge. Also, there are generous book grants for all, and prizes for top performers. The number of students is small – around 50, which leads to an environment of healthy competition. If you compare with the lakhs you need to shell out for the IITs, IIMs and engineering colleges, it seems like a dream.

The flagship course of ISI is B.Stat. It is the Bachelor level course with Honours in Statistics. But the degree is not the same as usual ‘B.Sc. with Statistics Honours’ – it carries far more recognition and respect. Free from the irritating, usually useless pass level courses, more so, the English and mother language classes, B.Stat. students indulge only in Statistics, mathematics, Probability and Computer Science. There are additional topics – Physics, Biology, Geology and Economics – to select as the applied field in which to get training.

The Masters course is called M.Stat., at the end of which the placements occur. Here again, ISI typically has complete placement, barring those who go for higher studies in prestigious universities in US and UK like Harvard, Berkeley or Stanford. The salary range is also high – 3-10 lakhs p.a.

At Bachelor level, ISI offers two courses – B.Stat. and B.Math.

At Masters level, ISI offers, in addition to M.Stat. and M.Math, two M.S. courses – M.S. in Quantitative Economics & M.S. in Library and Information Science; and two M.Tech. courses – M.Tech. in Computer Science & M.Tech. in Quality, Reliability and Operations Research.

It also offers extensive research options as PhD in various topics – Statistics, Mathematics, Probability, Physics, Geology, Sociology, Psychology, Population Studies (Demography), Information Science, Economics, Computer Science (Pattern Recognition, Cryptography, Communication Science) Biology (Human Genetics, Anthropology, Agricultural Studies), Quality Control etc.

There are also Diploma, Associate and Certificate Courses on offer. A detailed list is on http://www.isical.ac.in/academicprogramme.php

The admission tests for most of the courses are two-step. First, there is a written exam, and the selected students appear for an interview. The written exam has two parts – MCQ for screening, and then several problems. The interview aims to see if the student understands the basic concepts clearly, and how enthusiastically does he/she take up and respond to new ideas and problems. The teachers are eager to help, unless one makes statements like “The probability is 3.”

For Syllabi and Sample Questions, visit http://www.isical.ac.in/~deanweb/SAMPLEQUESTIONS.HTML

The questions in the admission tests differ widely from the usual board exams or competitive exams. The patterns, changing slightly each year, require thorough understanding of concepts as well problem-solving skills.

In the admission tests for Masters level courses, Bachelor level studies usually suffice, although some additional reading is usually needed. A suggested book is Statistical Inference by Casella & Berger.

But the entrance exam to B.Stat. & B.Math. (same test for both) is often the most misty to students not having ample practice with the particular type. Having a look at the syllabus doesn’t suffice – there are chapters not included in usual board level texts, neither in other competitive exams. The test is primarily on Math (Number Theory, Algebra, Combinatorics, Geometry, Calculus, Logical Reasoning), and some questions are on elementary Probability and Statistics.

ISI publishes a book called ‘Test of Mathematics at the10+2 Level’, containing many sample questions and previous years’ papers. It is a must for all. Another helpful book is ‘501 Difficult Problems’ by Rajkumar RoyChaudhuri. Books for Mathematics Olympiad also help, and students who have reached International Mathematics Olympiad get direct admission. Students are advised to reach to Bachelor-level books for references on topics in the syllabus.

Students should start preparing right after the 10th standard exam – after reading each chapter, consult the reference books for additional subtopics and nice problems. In the mean time, try solving problems from the aforesaid two books.

Keep a look on the website, http://www.isical.ac.in for prospectus and important dates like form purchase and submission. Forms are usually given in February, submitted in March, and the test is on early May. One can get most of the books at the bookshop on G. L. T. Road behind ISI, or at College Street.

Best wishes!

Suggested Olympiad books:

1. An Excursion in Mathematics, by M. R. Modak, S. A. Katre, V. V. Acharya. RMO committee.

2. Problem Primer for the Olympiad, by V.Krishnamurthy, C.R.Pranesachar, K.N. Ranganathan, B.J. Venkatachala. Interline Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

3. Challenge and Thrill of Pre-College Mathematics, by V.Krishnamurthy, C.R.Pranesachar, K.N.Ranganathan, B.J.Venkatachala. New Age International Publishers.

Suggested Reference Books:

1. Modern Geometry, by M. A. Durrel. Macmillan & Co.

2. Geometry Revisited, by H. S. M. Coxeter & S. L. Greitzer. Mathematical Association of America.

3. Plane Trigonometry, by S. L. Loney. Macmillan & Co.

4. The elements of coordinate geometry, by S. L. Loney. Cambridge University Press.

5. An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, by I. Niven & H. S. Zuckerman. Wiley Eastern Ltd.

6. Elementary Number Theory, by David Burton. Universal Book Stall.

7. Higher Algebra, by S. Barnard & J.M. Child. Macmillan & Co.

8. Problems in Calculus of One Variable, by I. A. Maron. Mir Publishers.

9. Challenging Mathematical Problems With Elementary Solutions, by A. M. Yaglom & I. M. Yaglom. Dover Publishers.