Helix-The definition

They say information travels faster than anything else in the modern world, thanks to the advent of the Internet. Humans are constantly pulled into the mire of the World Wide Web where knowledge is everything and one needs to stay abreast with the things around them. This phenomenon or a trend if one could call it is more visible among the young than anyone else, with the possibility of acquiring information about anything or anybody in the whole world from any remote place. But as always, all good things come with their own demerits and one among many of these with the Internet is its ability to stifle opinions and restrict free thought. With streams of data being fed to us every day, the concept of a healthy discussion or debate and opinion formulation is slowly fading away.


Ask anyone from the older generation about learning and the ways of forming opinion and the answer is soon ascertained as group meetings and healthy discussion forums. With a group of people gathering at a place and exercising their right to express views, learning is made far more enjoyable and exciting. Adopting this idea, a group of students from Chaitanya Bharati Institute of Technology (CBIT) in 1999 started a little independent group that came to be known as “Helix”. It started with the simple intention of creating a forum for engineering students to ease their minds of the mundane college life, where they could relax and casually talk about their passions. Having withstood the test of time, the group slowly opened to more people from diverse backgrounds and varying age groups.


The forum’s agenda is quite simple. Each meeting, which is scheduled every Sunday around 4 PM, includes four sessions namely

book review
other review
standard and
non-standard in that order.

Book review would involve a person reviewing a book that he/she read recently for a certain period of time followed by a Q n A round where people engage in the story and the underlying themes behind the book.

Other review involves a movie, music or any subject of the reviewer’s interest which he/she wishes to share with an audience followed again by a Q n A round.

A standard usually is a stimulating round of group discussions, debates, extempore, case studies on various issues of the contemporary world.

Finally the non standard is a fun session that essentially involves creativity in the form of simple games or craft work. Vatsal CSS, the present secretary of the club says,” helix has seen a lot of amazing people through the years from whom I have had a great opportunity to learn. It makes people more tolerant to others views and allows expressing their own without apprehension.”


The meetings, have also seen eminent people in the fields of IT, science or social service addressing the student gathering. Members who have passed out of their colleges and entered different fields of study or profession have attributed their confidence and their public speaking skills to their time at helix. Vemana M, a present member of helix says,” this is a wonderful platform for young people to meet and learn from their peers in a very constructive manner. Analysis and feedback are given to every reviewer each week that helps in improving ourselves in public speaking and soft skills.”


Every meeting is quite unique in itself and through the years it has witnessed some amazing discussions and debates on topics like religion, science, war, architecture and so on. Outdoor sessions are sometimes held where members go rock climbing or trekking and experience the best of nature. These sessions are quite useful in tuning a student’s mind to be more inquisitive and creative. Helix offers a lot to its members if shown a little enthusiasm and interest.

Place: opposite Indira park, lower tank bund.
Time: every Sunday, 3:30 PM.
Fee: Nil.
Age group: anybody from age of 15 to 50.
Contact person: vatsal- 9866231402