Vivek Arte

Cryptographer

I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India and completed my schooling from St. Stanislaus High School. People from all over the country have settled here in Mumbai, making this ‘city of dreams’ truly a melting pot of different cultures. Residing in this metropolitan city has exposed me to diverse ideas from all over this vast country, and has helped shape my understanding of life and how things work.

Astronomy is a subject that caught my eye (quite literally!) right from my first brush with it back in 2010. I find star-gazing mesmerizing, and I’m always game to go on trips away from the city and the associated light pollution to get a good look at the night sky. I am a voracious reader when it comes to astronomy, and I am particularly interested in the theories on the evolution and life cycle of stars. I have also given lectures on the topics of Stellar Evolution and The Sun during my association with Krittika - The Astronomy Club of IIT Bombay. To quote Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes,

If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.

I have taken part in a number of quizzes throughout my stay at IIT Bombay. Most quizzes don’t necessarily need you to know the exact answer, but require you to think laterally to connect the clues provided in the question to get to the right answer. It is this quick thinking and piecing together that makes quizzing such an exciting endeavour for me. I also like playing word games, and I rarely pass up an opportunity to make a pun, no matter the topic.


I play Table Tennis. I also play the guitar on occasion.

I enjoy reading works of non-fiction, and am particularly interested in history and languages. Both history and language are great indicators of how different countries and their cultures have developed, and I find learning about this fascinating.

Me at Dubrovnik

Traveling is also another, more hands-on way to learn about countries and their cultures, which is why I count traveling among my favourite ways to spend a vacation. I have completed a basic course in the French language, and am currently learning Spanish.

Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself.