The Journey Known as Precog

I was interested in Precog long before Precog was interested in me. Ever before I joined IIIT-Delhi, I had an innate fascination with the field of Security – especially how it affected us all in the digital age. So imagine my delight when I found out that IIIT-Delhi had an entire centre dedicated to Security, a.k.a, CERC (Cybersecurity Education and Research Centre). Among the several research groups that formed CERC, one of them was Precog.

What interested me most about Precog was its focus on security and privacy, especially in the context of online social media. To me this seemed like an issue which was of vital importance, especially given the prevalence of social media, but one that not enough of us thought about. The second thing that caught my eye was the person behind the creation of Precog. Professor Ponnurangam Kumaraguru, as he’s known to no one at all, is the enigma who brought the concept of Precog to life. PK, as he likes to be called, is one of the coolest people on campus, or so our seniors had informed us. Now, having worked with him and having taken nearly all of his classes, I can safely vouch for this fact. PK is unequivocally one of the best professors I’ve had the fortune of learning from.

Instead of making this blog post about the work that I did at Precog, or the work that Precog does in general, I’d like to focus on the philosophy behind Precog, and what makes this research group tick. First and foremost, Precog is like an extended family. People here like to help each other out. And I don’t say that lightly, they really do! We are encouraged to make use of each others expertise, rather than remain confined in the silos of our individual projects. What really enables this sort of collaboration is the fact that there is no formal hierarchy in the group. Free of the burden of labels such as ‘senior/junior’ or ‘undergrad/grad’ everyone is able to mingle freely with each other. This in my opinion truly brings out the best of each person in the group.

Secondly, I’d be remiss to not mention the influence of Professor Randy Pausch and his philosophy on our group (Here’s an intro for the uninitiated).

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

These words were etched in my memory from the day I read The Last Lecture, and are the same words that hang on a picture on the fourth floor where Precog is located. PK in fact likes to share this quote in the very first class of all of his courses. It is a testament to how seriously, these words and Randy’s philosophy, are taken at Precog. I think all of us in Precog can thank Randy for the motivation to keep on going, no matter how tough it got.

Another valuable lesson for me that got reinforced at Precog, was of steady iteration. We as a group deliberately try and make progress in small and consistent steps, rather than making huge leaps in one go. This ideology has personally helped me streamline my work process and achieve my goals with great consistency. Keeping this idea in mind, we have weekly meetings whose sole purpose is to get everyone to give updates on their work. This is beneficial in many ways since everyone in the group is kept abreast of each other’s work, and everyone in the group gets the chance to weigh in on projects other than their own and give suggestions that may be useful in that project.

Lastly, the great thing about Precog is that it truly embodies the “Work hard, Play hard” attitude. When we work, then all our time and attention is focused on the task at hand. But from time to time, Precog organises outings for the entire group – ranging from going to eat, bowling, playing games, having competitions or just hanging out. For those who say that nerds don’t know how to have fun, I’d like to point you to Precog. Precog is a group that is very capable of having some good old fun.

I’ve learnt a great deal in my four years at IIIT-Delhi. Many different people have given me lessons that I will always cherish and remember. Precog is definitely one of them. I owe a great deal of my success to all of these people who have helped me become the person I am. So now, as I embark on my next great adventure – graduate school at the University of Cambridge, I just have to say that I will truly miss all of this: the Whatsup sessions, Deepdives, Brainstorming Meetings, Precog Socials, and the people. But one thing I can confidently say is that I am Precoger for life, and the work ethic that I’ve learnt here will always remain with me.

To all my juniors, I present this piece of advice – take one of PK’s classes, work with Precog on a project. In the end, you will be glad that you did.

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Yashovardhan Sharma, signing off.