I generally think that it would suffice if I tell I m doing PhD in Computer Science. Some people let me off the hook without any questions. Others, I have no idea why they choose to ask these kinds of specific questions: What is the topic of your research? How is your research going? Published papers?
I answer in the easiest way, say cryptography or coding theory and try to get away, it is the broadest topic I can say. Maybe next time I should try digital signature, stenography or cryptocoding. Then the questions descend on me. Cryptography? What is that? What do you do? I try to explain the most simple, Caesar cipher (key is 3, ‘a’ becomes ’d', ‘b’ becomes ‘e’ and so on) and say things like encryption and stuff. I just increase their confusion. The thing that strikes a chord is simple. I ask if they remember Arvind Swamy from Roja, who works as a cryptologist. It clears the air, suddenly people understand cryptography better. Maybe I must be thanking Mani Ratnam for this.
