Vijee Venkatraman

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Thirsty Indian metropolis finds an answer in the rain

Five years ago, the Mylapore temple tank – a man-made pond located at the ancient Kapaleeswarar Temple in the south Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) – was little more than a vast, dry bed of cracked clay. Neighborhood boys traipsed down the symmetrical steps...

Unravelling Mysteries of Ancient Human Migration

Where did humans originate and how did they populate the entire globe? Scientists may finally be able to answer these fundamental questions when they have enough DNA samples from people all over the world. The Genographic Project attempts to trace the ancient journey of man...

Down the Infinite Corridor of Learning

Professor R.S. Kumar, the unassuming head of the computer science department of Bannari Amman College of Technology in South India, still remembers that Google search from five years ago. Sitting at his office desk, he keyed in the search strings “computer science” and “course material.” Within...

Sanskrit Rises Anew

Deep inside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a recent Wednesday evening, a dozen students gathered to speak an arcane ancient tongue. “It is time for exams, and I play every day,” says one. “Perhaps you should study, too,” counters another. The others laugh. No,...

Yogurts of the world

Walking down the dairy section of the supermarket, a yogurt aficionado finds plenty to choose from. Among the multitude of flavored yogurts with varying percentages of fat, some have toppings, others have preserves at the bottom, still others can be sipped from a plastic bottle....

Pongal: A relevant dish and festival

Around mid-January, people in South India celebrate Pongal, the harvest festival. Unlike Halloween or Christmas, Hindu holidays don't fall on the same date each year. My mother consults an almanac to keep track of festivities. Since I can't read that flimsy paperback, she just tells...