It is almost at an end for me, and for some, it is over for they have completed their exams and one of my friends exited the main academic building, looked up at the sun, looked back at the building and said good-bye. A momentous occasion, to exit the way you walked into this institution.Few of them have already left the campus and as one of them said 'we might make a million dollars, but we are never going to enjoy life the way we did here. Wake up in the morning and ask "which movie to watch today?". Life will never be the same'. So, a lot many of them are leaving and the batch for all practical purposes is dismantled as there are only few remnants scattered here and there in the form of us dualites and those returning next sem from PS-2.
A lot of my friends have packed, ready to leave. Some are going to miss this place, some will say 'yeah. whatever'. But in the bottom of their hearts, they will be saying 'God. If I could get back one day of my last 3 and a half years. How fast did they go by'. We have seen revolutions, we have seen empires brought down (maggi causing avk's downfall- no one saw that coming), we have seen radical changes from Atish's dominion to a fair deal now, from 11pm to 11.30 and now to total freedom for guys and 1230 for girls, night canteens. Our fests have grown, from an All-Goa Waves'07 to a national Waves Winter 09 with KK! From a Quark that barely had 50 out-station participants to TEDX-BITSGOA! From excuses of clubs to flag-bearers of our campus in Oasis-08!
Titan to Freedom and now back to Titan and Woodstock, from 2 sems of darkness in 07-08 to now relative reliability, a better football and cricket ground, to Futsal and Spree! It has been a wonderful journey and I consider myself fortunate to have taken part in this journey, to have helped in my own way in the fests and to have been a part of all that has happened.
I also feel sad and aggrieved, for we suffered terrible losses. Snehith, whose work still continues inspire us and a much more personal loss- George Kurien. We wish you were still here, telling me 'stop being sad or I will kick your balls and make them come out your ears'. You will stay in our hearts forever, every time we look back at campus life, we will remember the days when you ruled our hearts.
I thank my all mallus, right from 04 batch to the current freshers. Thank you for making my life here so wonderful, you were able, helpful, friendly seniors, terrific batch-mates and a bunch of extraordinary juniors. Batchmates. Going to miss you lot a**h**es. It has been wonderful, walking and singing on the road behind the workshop, all the outings and waiting for 5ers (rather a 5er) to finish his bath, all that faculty cursing and damning those who raised the average, relentless gaming and PJs (Okay! Okay- You gamed, I PJed n wikied! HAPPY?). Lolest Birthday Bumps to RIPing NOBODY on his first B'day in campus. All the bird-watching and DJnites and fests and futile attempts at academic glory- it was fun and the moments where some of the best in my life and not to forget, "Tharavadu", a piece of Malluland on the LAN and its mainchat and abuse and kicks and 'erangi poda ____e' and 'security' comments ;) . Thank you for the gossip sessions, thank you for the complaints and constant valips, thank you for the "Man Utd Sucks" and being ABUs, for each of our victory is just made even more sweeter by your sour face! And even among us, there were the geniuses and sweet personalities. Batch Topper in the form of Jayashree, a hardworker in Shankaran, dedicated Dipin and the ever pleasent Supriya (aaro arinjitta name) and a true GENIUS IN Prakash.
Thank you to- Jayashree and Supriya (Do not know your nicks and I rue the fact that I didn't get to know you over the years).
Adityan (Moonraker),Antony (subzero), Arif (emerald), Ashwin(Obi_Van_Kanobi), Jibin(Red_Devil), Joe(NOBODY), Nandu(aka Nandu :B), Rambha (Count_Rominoff), Shoman aka Dufai Somu aka George Somu (Geneva), Suhas (Punisher), Rejin (ryu) (thank you for sticking with me in First Sem), Vishnu aka Lovely_Rascal (I am gonna miss bugging you and getting bugged by you. Hope its the same for you too), Shankaran (Shark), Prakash ( EePuthiyaLokam), Dipin (Deadly_Dipsy).
Hope you have an awesome life, hope we too get to meet sometime and relive, reminisce and reconnect (connect to 10.3.12.....) our mallu corner and all that I mentioned above. All the best, you rock. Hats off to all of you. Will miss you all.
Do not be sad that it is over, be glad it happened!
PS-Too much senti is injurious to health
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
They Are Legends
Every once in a while, fate extends its hand to a select few in each sphere of life. It is not everyone who are fortunate enough to be given such a privilege. One must earn it through hardwork and dedication and talent too. Even amongst them, there are very few who grab that and use it to reach the pinnacle. We call them legends. Roger Federrer, Sachin Tendulkar, Madame Curie, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Frank Sinatra and the likes.
But to each success story, there are thousands of failures. Ones who lost their way, ones who lost it all due to a moment's hesitation, ones who lost it all because the going was just too tough for them and fell on the wayside to glory. There are ones who never really get a helping hand too, as the luck factor simply eludes them. There are ones who work all the way but hasnt got enough just to reach the top and the name of George Leigh Mallory and Robert Scott springs to my mind. Then there are people like Rosalind Franklin who were not recognised because of their sex or colour of skin or financial background. I read about an IAS aspirant from Kerala, coming from an extremely poor family being disqualified due to lack of physical fitness.
I am reminded of Dorando Pietri who ran an awesome race at the London 1908 Olympics Marathon. The marathon, originally ran for 42 kms, was extended a couple hundred meters to end at the royal box and to think that Pietri took 10 mins of his total time of 2h 54min 46s to cover the last 350 meters and fell down around 5 times. He was disqualified as he was helped up by umpires. Although he was given a Gilded Silver Cup by Queen Alexandra, an award proposed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the heartbreak of being stripped off an Olympic Gold Medal will never be compensated. I remember Jan Ulrich whose worst finish in a Tour de France is 4th place and has got 5 2nd places finishes and one 3rd place, all against a certain Lance Armstrong. Unlike Armstrong, Ulrich competed in all the major races of the year, won an Olympic Gold Medal and also won the tour in 1997. A more consistent cyclist one can never find and yet all accomplishments pale in comparison with Lance Armstrongs comeback from Cancer and his tryst with the Yellow Jersey.
So, this is a tribute to them, to those who run the entire race but fall few feet short of the mark. This is to all those who work, work and work and get no results, this to those who swim upstream but the flow just keeps pushing them back. This is to those who tire against insurmountable odds, to those who commit themselves to a task only to find themselves failing due to the silliest of reasons. This is to all those who dream of making it big and try their best to get there, this is to all those who still keep going inspite of failures.
Courage is easy to embrace
when you are undisputed ace,
to keep going once falls darkness,
that measures your greatness.
They are the true legends. They are the ones who deserve respect and applause for they keep going even when there is no one to applaud for them, even appreciate their efforts.
But to each success story, there are thousands of failures. Ones who lost their way, ones who lost it all due to a moment's hesitation, ones who lost it all because the going was just too tough for them and fell on the wayside to glory. There are ones who never really get a helping hand too, as the luck factor simply eludes them. There are ones who work all the way but hasnt got enough just to reach the top and the name of George Leigh Mallory and Robert Scott springs to my mind. Then there are people like Rosalind Franklin who were not recognised because of their sex or colour of skin or financial background. I read about an IAS aspirant from Kerala, coming from an extremely poor family being disqualified due to lack of physical fitness.
I am reminded of Dorando Pietri who ran an awesome race at the London 1908 Olympics Marathon. The marathon, originally ran for 42 kms, was extended a couple hundred meters to end at the royal box and to think that Pietri took 10 mins of his total time of 2h 54min 46s to cover the last 350 meters and fell down around 5 times. He was disqualified as he was helped up by umpires. Although he was given a Gilded Silver Cup by Queen Alexandra, an award proposed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the heartbreak of being stripped off an Olympic Gold Medal will never be compensated. I remember Jan Ulrich whose worst finish in a Tour de France is 4th place and has got 5 2nd places finishes and one 3rd place, all against a certain Lance Armstrong. Unlike Armstrong, Ulrich competed in all the major races of the year, won an Olympic Gold Medal and also won the tour in 1997. A more consistent cyclist one can never find and yet all accomplishments pale in comparison with Lance Armstrongs comeback from Cancer and his tryst with the Yellow Jersey.
So, this is a tribute to them, to those who run the entire race but fall few feet short of the mark. This is to all those who work, work and work and get no results, this to those who swim upstream but the flow just keeps pushing them back. This is to those who tire against insurmountable odds, to those who commit themselves to a task only to find themselves failing due to the silliest of reasons. This is to all those who dream of making it big and try their best to get there, this is to all those who still keep going inspite of failures.
Courage is easy to embrace
when you are undisputed ace,
to keep going once falls darkness,
that measures your greatness.
They are the true legends. They are the ones who deserve respect and applause for they keep going even when there is no one to applaud for them, even appreciate their efforts.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Stepping Stone
The ground cumbling beneath my feet,
only lingering taste is defeat.
I have forgot how it was to win
can success ever come here on in.
My past that should have been,
and future that will never be seen,
mock me sitting side by side,
from a gloomy present I cannot hide.
Courage is easy to embrace
when you are undisputed ace,
to keep going once falls darkness,
that measures your greatness.
Each defeat, each fall is a boon,
from it, learn you must soon
for the world is turning fast
and there is no prize to finish last.
only lingering taste is defeat.
I have forgot how it was to win
can success ever come here on in.
My past that should have been,
and future that will never be seen,
mock me sitting side by side,
from a gloomy present I cannot hide.
Courage is easy to embrace
when you are undisputed ace,
to keep going once falls darkness,
that measures your greatness.
Each defeat, each fall is a boon,
from it, learn you must soon
for the world is turning fast
and there is no prize to finish last.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
When the going gets tough
There are dreams and aspirations and then there is reality. We want our lives to be happy and glorious but it is never so. We encounter problems all along the way and each one of us face these problems differently. I have found four groups of people on this basis. Firstly, there are the deniers. They try and convince themselves that there is nothing wrong and try to put up a happy face, it goes on and on, but reaches a point where the problems have piled up and have become an insurmountable obstacle. They combine to become one huge issue or we have denied it so long, we cannot take it any long.
Then there are the escapers. They try to avoid the problem- albeit temporarily- and find relief and enjoyment in something else. Drinking is the most popular method of temporary relief, but in campus, it is the LAN that steps in more than booze. People find refuge in CS, FIFA, Movies, TV series and other relief modes available over the LAN.
The third group consists of the frightened ones- they shiver and face problems cowardly. They do face it, with utmost dread and become mere shadows of themselves with the passage of time and each time they face a problem, they die. "The brave have only one death, but cowards die a thousand times".They lack courage and determination, also there is shortage of logic and reasoning since even the most insignificant obstacles can scare them.
Courage, determination, logic and reasoning- any one of these can go a long way in helping this sort of person face life and its problems. The above mentioned groups can also be said to lack these qualities and the presence of these qualities characterises the group of achievers. Needless to say, these are the ones who succeed in life. They find every door open, although it might have taken them years to find the door and then decades to get it open, but they are bound to enjoy the fruits of the labour. They are the history-makers and the ones we should aspire to be.
PS- these are just my observations and what I learned from it. I am not saying this is the only way to classify people or problem solving. Any corrections/additions/suggestions to this are welcome wholeheartedly.
Then there are the escapers. They try to avoid the problem- albeit temporarily- and find relief and enjoyment in something else. Drinking is the most popular method of temporary relief, but in campus, it is the LAN that steps in more than booze. People find refuge in CS, FIFA, Movies, TV series and other relief modes available over the LAN.
The third group consists of the frightened ones- they shiver and face problems cowardly. They do face it, with utmost dread and become mere shadows of themselves with the passage of time and each time they face a problem, they die. "The brave have only one death, but cowards die a thousand times".They lack courage and determination, also there is shortage of logic and reasoning since even the most insignificant obstacles can scare them.
Courage, determination, logic and reasoning- any one of these can go a long way in helping this sort of person face life and its problems. The above mentioned groups can also be said to lack these qualities and the presence of these qualities characterises the group of achievers. Needless to say, these are the ones who succeed in life. They find every door open, although it might have taken them years to find the door and then decades to get it open, but they are bound to enjoy the fruits of the labour. They are the history-makers and the ones we should aspire to be.
PS- these are just my observations and what I learned from it. I am not saying this is the only way to classify people or problem solving. Any corrections/additions/suggestions to this are welcome wholeheartedly.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Life-uncertain, probabilistic and bound to butterfly effect
It started sometime around Test-1 and during those hectic days, we did not pay much attention to it. During test-1, AH-2 and AH-6 had started reporting more cases of Jaundice infection and the severity hit us home only when advisories on how to wash hands were stuck near all wash-basins. A meeting was held to inform students about the issue and the necessary precautions to be taken to avoid contamination. It was all normal until Thursday afternoon when juniors asked me whether a shutting down was possible and then I saw a host of cars parked infront of the main building while waiting for my Transducers tut to begin.
By the end of it, it was almost sure that campus was going to be closed for atleast 2 weeks and all that was needed was an official confirmation, which came at a meeting held in the auditorium at 7pm. There were frantic phone calls to decide how to get home, which was not a difficult ordeal for us since our journey takes less than 16hours. But those from Hyderabad, Delhi and other far off places had a really difficult time I suppose.
After much deliberation and some trick plays from my side, some of us decided to leave the next morning. Enough with the background and foreplay, what I would like to focus on is the great uncertainties of life and the ability to do things at a moments notice and take things as they come. That Thursday morning, going home was not even in my wildest dreams and I had company too! We had decided on another "outing" that Monday, I had planned to do some of my project work that weekend, I wanted to catch up on quizzing after the exams and infact we had held a meeting the previous evening to decide on a schedule for rest of the semester, our second attempt after the previous one had to be ditched since we did not get any LTs. So, a lot plans and ideas ditched, but for many it was perfect timing as they had already decided to go home for a week and for them, it was just an extension of their short break. It must have come as a surprise to the first yearites, who now must be enjoying their unexpected break, but atleast some of them must be cursing the boredom. Perhaps not, since they have not yet been institutionalised by DC, Gaming, Night-outs, Movies, Beach Trips, Faculty bashing and other activities that keeps a BITSian engaged (studies also in the list, only for ten pointers and for the rest of us one the eve of exams).
One day we are celebrating end of exams and relaxing a bit, next evening, we are planning to get back home urgently, from chilled out birds to near-refugees. If there is one thing that I have learned in college, it is never to plan too far ahead in the future, there is simply no point since something will come in the way and we will have to face things as they come. On a bigger scale as we step up from the trivial aspects of campus life to the real world, one moment can change everything. A cyclone or earthquake can change the lives of millions. Sometimes it can just destroy the individual and leave everything else intact, disease, accidents, just bad luck or may be something beyond our understanding. It can destroy everything that we call ours, or change us to something new entirely. Our lives are dependent on so many variables that it would be folly to take anything for granted for it can change upside down in the blink of an eye. One small insignificant action in one part of the world (might have been performed years ago- I take the example of G.D.Birla who started a school for his children which has now become BITS-Pilani, affecting the lives of thousands of students directly every year and several thousand others indirectly) can change our world and we have no control over it.
It is therefore almost liberating to realise that nothing is mine. I do not say we should relinquish everything, but just stop fighting for it. I say work for it, make yourself deserving whatever it is that you want, work hard, give it your best shot and work with all your heart, whether we get it or not is inconsequential since we have little control over the minds, decisions and actions of others. A philosophy, mentioned in the Gita, but each day, I realise new meanings hidden deep within. Make the right decisions and stick to it whatever happens (there is no point in complaining it once you have already committed to it), stop complaining and do what is necessary to carry out that decision and also do what is right and just.
By the end of it, it was almost sure that campus was going to be closed for atleast 2 weeks and all that was needed was an official confirmation, which came at a meeting held in the auditorium at 7pm. There were frantic phone calls to decide how to get home, which was not a difficult ordeal for us since our journey takes less than 16hours. But those from Hyderabad, Delhi and other far off places had a really difficult time I suppose.
After much deliberation and some trick plays from my side, some of us decided to leave the next morning. Enough with the background and foreplay, what I would like to focus on is the great uncertainties of life and the ability to do things at a moments notice and take things as they come. That Thursday morning, going home was not even in my wildest dreams and I had company too! We had decided on another "outing" that Monday, I had planned to do some of my project work that weekend, I wanted to catch up on quizzing after the exams and infact we had held a meeting the previous evening to decide on a schedule for rest of the semester, our second attempt after the previous one had to be ditched since we did not get any LTs. So, a lot plans and ideas ditched, but for many it was perfect timing as they had already decided to go home for a week and for them, it was just an extension of their short break. It must have come as a surprise to the first yearites, who now must be enjoying their unexpected break, but atleast some of them must be cursing the boredom. Perhaps not, since they have not yet been institutionalised by DC, Gaming, Night-outs, Movies, Beach Trips, Faculty bashing and other activities that keeps a BITSian engaged (studies also in the list, only for ten pointers and for the rest of us one the eve of exams).
One day we are celebrating end of exams and relaxing a bit, next evening, we are planning to get back home urgently, from chilled out birds to near-refugees. If there is one thing that I have learned in college, it is never to plan too far ahead in the future, there is simply no point since something will come in the way and we will have to face things as they come. On a bigger scale as we step up from the trivial aspects of campus life to the real world, one moment can change everything. A cyclone or earthquake can change the lives of millions. Sometimes it can just destroy the individual and leave everything else intact, disease, accidents, just bad luck or may be something beyond our understanding. It can destroy everything that we call ours, or change us to something new entirely. Our lives are dependent on so many variables that it would be folly to take anything for granted for it can change upside down in the blink of an eye. One small insignificant action in one part of the world (might have been performed years ago- I take the example of G.D.Birla who started a school for his children which has now become BITS-Pilani, affecting the lives of thousands of students directly every year and several thousand others indirectly) can change our world and we have no control over it.
It is therefore almost liberating to realise that nothing is mine. I do not say we should relinquish everything, but just stop fighting for it. I say work for it, make yourself deserving whatever it is that you want, work hard, give it your best shot and work with all your heart, whether we get it or not is inconsequential since we have little control over the minds, decisions and actions of others. A philosophy, mentioned in the Gita, but each day, I realise new meanings hidden deep within. Make the right decisions and stick to it whatever happens (there is no point in complaining it once you have already committed to it), stop complaining and do what is necessary to carry out that decision and also do what is right and just.
Monday, October 12, 2009
On God, Belief and Patriotism
Voltaire said 'If god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him'. Whoever we are, whatever god means to us, ours is a society that is built on religion. Our life is centered on religion, especially in India, where every event in life is given a religious and ritualistic significance. Do I think religion is necessary? I think yes, since it is the only thing that keeps our society from disintegration. Whether we admit or not, our sense of morality and justice and virtue comes directly from religion and destroying religion will destroy ourselves. Epics, stories and ancient writings explain to us what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. We generally fear the unknown and gods are definitely a mystery to us and we fear them too. If we do wrong, we will be punished and who will punish us- the gods will. This is a very simple belief, but quite effective. God is the manifestation of our hopes, an enforcer of true justice, a protector of the righteous and the one who brings the corrupt to the right path and forgives them and gives them an opportunity to recant their sins.
Now that the need for religion and its gods has been discussed, I would like to discuss about places of worship.
Is there really a need for them? I say yes, we humans are incapable of remembering words, but images stick with us better- We remember faces, not names. The symbol for peace and nuclear disarmament that we see in t-shirts and lockets was created just for this purpose- the creator of the symbol felt they needed a symbol to drive home their message and to unite the masses and bring them together. One image works far better than a thousand speeches and temples (any place of religious worship) are places to provide an imagery of god or to represent god.
But a perfect believer need not go to any place of worship as he/she will be capable of finding god in everything(A philosophy that I have found in the Hindu belief, I do not know of other faiths). For such a person, a temple is just another place where god resides, but that is the only place where those who cannot find perfect belief can see god. I do not know what perfect faith is, but I guess it involves loving, respecting and treating everyone and everything fairly and unselfishly. I do not think I will ever be capable of this since I am bound to myself, to my own senses, desires, idiosyncrasies, narrow and selfish views and my own efforts to survive and succeed in this world.
As there is a perfect believer, there is also the question of a true god, a god who provides and nourishes and protects his/her/its folk. There is an obvious manifestation of this- our country (and our world). It provides us with everything we need (the only problem we take more than what we need. We want to satisfy our greed), protects us and makes us what we are. (I wish I could say the entire world because I do not really believe in nations. Boundaries and a sense of nationalism prevent us from becoming true believers since we see rivals or enemies or competing economies when we bring nationalities into the picture and we are unable to bring unselfish love into our faith.) Since a boundary free world is never going to be a possibility (which is quite unfortunate), I must accept that fact and proceed further. So, our country provides for us, protects us and only asks one thing in return- love your country and fight for it when duty calls- which is actually a plea to love your brethren unselfishly and to do what is necessary to preserve country for the future generations and ourselves. Patriotism is worshipping our god and we become true believers and I am sure it is something we can all do.
In a country where politicians build statues, issue statements and make train journeys announcing their simple lifestyles, where armed men (under various names- goondas, naxalites, dacoits) determine the lifespan of citizens, where the depth of a persons pocket can determine his power and influence and all this is one huge consortium- worshipping and supporting the country comes about only when there is a cricket match. People say 'vande mataram' and 'jai hind', but whom and what are they really worshipping and supporting? Our country must be our god, its citizens the children of god and all deserving fair and unselfish treatment, respect and love. Love, camaraderie and respect must overcome greed, lust for power and selfishness, only then will we have a world devoid of poverty and suffering and war and conflicts, disease, hunger and inequality.
God, belief and patriotism- all must come together to make this a better world.
Now that the need for religion and its gods has been discussed, I would like to discuss about places of worship.
Is there really a need for them? I say yes, we humans are incapable of remembering words, but images stick with us better- We remember faces, not names. The symbol for peace and nuclear disarmament that we see in t-shirts and lockets was created just for this purpose- the creator of the symbol felt they needed a symbol to drive home their message and to unite the masses and bring them together. One image works far better than a thousand speeches and temples (any place of religious worship) are places to provide an imagery of god or to represent god.
But a perfect believer need not go to any place of worship as he/she will be capable of finding god in everything(A philosophy that I have found in the Hindu belief, I do not know of other faiths). For such a person, a temple is just another place where god resides, but that is the only place where those who cannot find perfect belief can see god. I do not know what perfect faith is, but I guess it involves loving, respecting and treating everyone and everything fairly and unselfishly. I do not think I will ever be capable of this since I am bound to myself, to my own senses, desires, idiosyncrasies, narrow and selfish views and my own efforts to survive and succeed in this world.
As there is a perfect believer, there is also the question of a true god, a god who provides and nourishes and protects his/her/its folk. There is an obvious manifestation of this- our country (and our world). It provides us with everything we need (the only problem we take more than what we need. We want to satisfy our greed), protects us and makes us what we are. (I wish I could say the entire world because I do not really believe in nations. Boundaries and a sense of nationalism prevent us from becoming true believers since we see rivals or enemies or competing economies when we bring nationalities into the picture and we are unable to bring unselfish love into our faith.) Since a boundary free world is never going to be a possibility (which is quite unfortunate), I must accept that fact and proceed further. So, our country provides for us, protects us and only asks one thing in return- love your country and fight for it when duty calls- which is actually a plea to love your brethren unselfishly and to do what is necessary to preserve country for the future generations and ourselves. Patriotism is worshipping our god and we become true believers and I am sure it is something we can all do.
In a country where politicians build statues, issue statements and make train journeys announcing their simple lifestyles, where armed men (under various names- goondas, naxalites, dacoits) determine the lifespan of citizens, where the depth of a persons pocket can determine his power and influence and all this is one huge consortium- worshipping and supporting the country comes about only when there is a cricket match. People say 'vande mataram' and 'jai hind', but whom and what are they really worshipping and supporting? Our country must be our god, its citizens the children of god and all deserving fair and unselfish treatment, respect and love. Love, camaraderie and respect must overcome greed, lust for power and selfishness, only then will we have a world devoid of poverty and suffering and war and conflicts, disease, hunger and inequality.
God, belief and patriotism- all must come together to make this a better world.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Awesomest Outing ever
End of exams mean the day we release a lot of pent up energy and let it all out! The best one so far was two years ago when India played the final of the T-20 world cup against Pakistan and the match was telecast in the auditorium. 2000 BITSians in the top of their voice, shouting and cheering each time India was ahead. It was an awesome day and to say that yesterday beat it comprehensively is an understatement.
15 Guys, right from the moment they left their rooms was out for just one thing, fun, enjoyment and anything that they felt like doing at that moment! The destination was a bar and restaurant in Bogmalo beach, the name is completely irrelevant, but on that day, the place became an extension centre of our campus, with students from every batch and every discipline (even ME students). I was slightly surprised when a bunch of first yearites turned up and sat there inspite of seeing many of their seniors in glory, but that, was late in the night.
We had barely stepped foot in there and our ex-vp started it off, as is expected of him since he has been our leader and the saviour of all those caught inebriated at the gate for the past one year (this time, he himself had taken anticipatory bail to enter the campus whatever be his state when he came back). What were we supposed to do but follow his lead! And follow we did and what followed was perhaps some of the awesomest moments ever.
We danced, smoked, boozed and there were emotional outbursts everywhere. There were shirts removed, people near tears, someone boasting about how much he had gulped down whereas most others did not bother to keep a count (simply because they were not able to!). Liquor was flowing at a rate I never imagined possible and BITSGians showed their true capacity that night! Neat shots of vodka, chains of smoke, dancing to the tunes of remixes, the sound and the sight of the sea. All that was perhaps one of the best ambiance you could ever get for a party and it was definitely fun. Subzero, Vigilante, Shark, Red Devil each had their own moments of glory as we fought, argued, pulled and tugged at each other and shouted and sang freely.
I suppose I must make my own confessions, about a bottle of beer and a cigarette. Yeah, I know, no big deal. Just stuff that I can pee out in minutes and something that's not going to have any effect on me! I hear from expert sources that it is going to take quite something to take me down, so lyt.
Drinks can be a great socializer and I have experienced it first hand now! It is fun to watch drunk people, some expressed sadness for not having celebrated Onam and also his deep love for everything Malayalam and Kerala. There were quite a few "hi"s and "how are you"s and "mallus rock" and "I luove Mallalam" and a lot of Malayalam obscenities being proudly used. Once they realised we were fourth yearites, there was a wave of respect and apologies since they thought they were misbehaving as they were high. Others played pool, swimming on the table whereas some choose to use their hands instead of the stick and the cue ball!
The first yearites were given some treatment, I wasn't around, but they were not messed up since our guys were too messed up for anything! By the end of it, VP and Chullan slept peacefully after throwing up. But rumour has it that juniors forgot to wake up one of their friends, another junior was caught at the gate by the campus security, but it was mission succesful for us fourth yearites! An evening of fun, enjoyment, firsts and serious nonsense! An extra year in campus does help I suppose!
The next morning was one of hangovers for some, time to reflect upon the lost opportunities so far since we wasted three years before we had this evening. I must end with "You not drinking is like someone who can be a ten-pointer, not wanting to be a ten-pointer because he does not care!". THAT WAS SERIOUSLY LOL RONNIE! Now for the most importaant component of all-THE MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE! (PR)Obi Van Kanobi! An unassaming, unselfish fella who has got his doors open for everyone. He cracks GRE with a score of 1520 (OMFG), probably will bell the CAT too (Post compre treat also fixed!!). Thanks machuu! It was simply unbelievably imba and \m/!
15 Guys, right from the moment they left their rooms was out for just one thing, fun, enjoyment and anything that they felt like doing at that moment! The destination was a bar and restaurant in Bogmalo beach, the name is completely irrelevant, but on that day, the place became an extension centre of our campus, with students from every batch and every discipline (even ME students). I was slightly surprised when a bunch of first yearites turned up and sat there inspite of seeing many of their seniors in glory, but that, was late in the night.
We had barely stepped foot in there and our ex-vp started it off, as is expected of him since he has been our leader and the saviour of all those caught inebriated at the gate for the past one year (this time, he himself had taken anticipatory bail to enter the campus whatever be his state when he came back). What were we supposed to do but follow his lead! And follow we did and what followed was perhaps some of the awesomest moments ever.
We danced, smoked, boozed and there were emotional outbursts everywhere. There were shirts removed, people near tears, someone boasting about how much he had gulped down whereas most others did not bother to keep a count (simply because they were not able to!). Liquor was flowing at a rate I never imagined possible and BITSGians showed their true capacity that night! Neat shots of vodka, chains of smoke, dancing to the tunes of remixes, the sound and the sight of the sea. All that was perhaps one of the best ambiance you could ever get for a party and it was definitely fun. Subzero, Vigilante, Shark, Red Devil each had their own moments of glory as we fought, argued, pulled and tugged at each other and shouted and sang freely.
I suppose I must make my own confessions, about a bottle of beer and a cigarette. Yeah, I know, no big deal. Just stuff that I can pee out in minutes and something that's not going to have any effect on me! I hear from expert sources that it is going to take quite something to take me down, so lyt.
Drinks can be a great socializer and I have experienced it first hand now! It is fun to watch drunk people, some expressed sadness for not having celebrated Onam and also his deep love for everything Malayalam and Kerala. There were quite a few "hi"s and "how are you"s and "mallus rock" and "I luove Mallalam" and a lot of Malayalam obscenities being proudly used. Once they realised we were fourth yearites, there was a wave of respect and apologies since they thought they were misbehaving as they were high. Others played pool, swimming on the table whereas some choose to use their hands instead of the stick and the cue ball!
The first yearites were given some treatment, I wasn't around, but they were not messed up since our guys were too messed up for anything! By the end of it, VP and Chullan slept peacefully after throwing up. But rumour has it that juniors forgot to wake up one of their friends, another junior was caught at the gate by the campus security, but it was mission succesful for us fourth yearites! An evening of fun, enjoyment, firsts and serious nonsense! An extra year in campus does help I suppose!
The next morning was one of hangovers for some, time to reflect upon the lost opportunities so far since we wasted three years before we had this evening. I must end with "You not drinking is like someone who can be a ten-pointer, not wanting to be a ten-pointer because he does not care!". THAT WAS SERIOUSLY LOL RONNIE! Now for the most importaant component of all-THE MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE! (PR)Obi Van Kanobi! An unassaming, unselfish fella who has got his doors open for everyone. He cracks GRE with a score of 1520 (OMFG), probably will bell the CAT too (Post compre treat also fixed!!). Thanks machuu! It was simply unbelievably imba and \m/!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Just a prelude
It was one of the funniest days of my life and fortunately for me, I had to make a fool of myself only once and that came very early in the day and so when I am writing this, it is far behind me. But that is where it all started and it was the last exam of Test-1, Electronic Devices and Integrated Circuits. The subject is pretty much the same as short form which I would not mention here as it can be considered explicit. It was not one of my better exams and I would like to stop with that.
The new season of "Big Bang Theory" started off with a bang unrivaled since the creation of the universe! Never thought that the lives of four geeks and a hot girl living next door could be the source of this much humour. Sheldon back to his indifference to human emotions, Leonard trying to cope up with Sheldon and mounting attempts to woo Penny and the Rajesh Ramayan Koothrapalli-Howard team providing extra laughs, with their "moment of bonding when the heat went out!". The season promises to be an exciting one and the fact that protagonists are scientists and and an engineer who cant really talk to to girls, makes it even more likeable!
Next came 'Coupling', a British sitcom suggested by my friends. This was really good with Geoff, a character who knows it all, who has a theory for every possible way a guy can behave infront of a girl, cannot do anything, simply because he freaks out owing to the " barrier!".
Desserts are best served last, but in this case, the dessert is an entire course in itself. This is just a prelude to one of the most funniest, strangest and awesome experience of my life so far! T1 was over, the last semester on campus for some of my friends, a recklessness that comes with being in the final year- all that meant that we decided to get out and.................................
The new season of "Big Bang Theory" started off with a bang unrivaled since the creation of the universe! Never thought that the lives of four geeks and a hot girl living next door could be the source of this much humour. Sheldon back to his indifference to human emotions, Leonard trying to cope up with Sheldon and mounting attempts to woo Penny and the Rajesh Ramayan Koothrapalli-Howard team providing extra laughs, with their "moment of bonding when the heat went out!". The season promises to be an exciting one and the fact that protagonists are scientists and and an engineer who cant really talk to to girls, makes it even more likeable!
Next came 'Coupling', a British sitcom suggested by my friends. This was really good with Geoff, a character who knows it all, who has a theory for every possible way a guy can behave infront of a girl, cannot do anything, simply because he freaks out owing to the " barrier!".
Desserts are best served last, but in this case, the dessert is an entire course in itself. This is just a prelude to one of the most funniest, strangest and awesome experience of my life so far! T1 was over, the last semester on campus for some of my friends, a recklessness that comes with being in the final year- all that meant that we decided to get out and.................................
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ramblings
I cannot bear the pain,
Anymore I will be slain,
For nothing holds me here,
No one for whom I care.
Seen them all disappear,
My heart heavy with wear,
Ensnared by arrogance, fed by greed,
Throw away we did, all good deed.
Aware I was of the future coming,
Complacent I was and did nothing,
Never tried to stop, never I told,
Alone I am now, adrift in the cold.
Now I realise, the greatest sin
isn't ignorance, but inaction.
Anymore I will be slain,
For nothing holds me here,
No one for whom I care.
Seen them all disappear,
My heart heavy with wear,
Ensnared by arrogance, fed by greed,
Throw away we did, all good deed.
Aware I was of the future coming,
Complacent I was and did nothing,
Never tried to stop, never I told,
Alone I am now, adrift in the cold.
Now I realise, the greatest sin
isn't ignorance, but inaction.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
End of the world
There are a few reasons I think the end of the world is near. Many are logical-
Global Warming-> accelarated by deforestation, growing number of vehicles, increased use of fossil fuels (2 thermal power plants are commissioned every 2 weeks in China alone)
Population Explosion-> religious leaders are calling for having more kids to increase their strengths. More pressure on resources like land, water, food, jobs etc. This will definitely lead to more conflicts. The next world war could well be fought for water
Diseases-> new diseases are appearing regularly, some cause more panic attacks than infections, but some could well be the next bubonic plague or flu epidemic of WW1. Viruses are evolving and bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Add to it viruses and bio-weapons being created for a new type of war.
Our lifestyle is simply not sustainable. We will run out of resources eventually, air and land and water will become too polluted for us and there will be NOTHING left.
Some other reasons are moral. I think human beings as a species have outlived their utility to this planet and it is time someone else took over. We have been blinded by consumerism and materialism and this is exploited by those in power to keep us docile while they satisfy their greed.
Selfishness and greed-> large corporations, in their effort to make huge profits turn a blind eye to the human cost. All they want to do is protect and serve their investors while they destroy the lives of entire communities or even countries. Nigeria is a case in point where the abundance of oil has destroyed the country. Almost all of Africa has a similar story of looting and plunder by foreigners while the indigenous people have suffered.
We have lost our sense of what is right and what is wrong. We are not able to make up our minds about what is good and what is bad.
lack of conscience-> we have become accustomed to violence and crime. We do not think twice about things that we should not be doing. We are no longer hurt by the suffering of others, we have lost our heart. We have achieved a machine like detachment from nature and hurting others does not seem a bad thing to do these days.
Support for mediocrity-> although excellence cannot be achieved always, glorifying mediocrity and dubbing those who do succeed as 'nerds' or 'uncool' or 'sad' fellows is something that must be avoided.
It does not have to be a killer asteroid or disease or war, but there is definitely going to be something that will cause the end of the world as we know it, end of a world dominated by humans.
Global Warming-> accelarated by deforestation, growing number of vehicles, increased use of fossil fuels (2 thermal power plants are commissioned every 2 weeks in China alone)
Population Explosion-> religious leaders are calling for having more kids to increase their strengths. More pressure on resources like land, water, food, jobs etc. This will definitely lead to more conflicts. The next world war could well be fought for water
Diseases-> new diseases are appearing regularly, some cause more panic attacks than infections, but some could well be the next bubonic plague or flu epidemic of WW1. Viruses are evolving and bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Add to it viruses and bio-weapons being created for a new type of war.
Our lifestyle is simply not sustainable. We will run out of resources eventually, air and land and water will become too polluted for us and there will be NOTHING left.
Some other reasons are moral. I think human beings as a species have outlived their utility to this planet and it is time someone else took over. We have been blinded by consumerism and materialism and this is exploited by those in power to keep us docile while they satisfy their greed.
Selfishness and greed-> large corporations, in their effort to make huge profits turn a blind eye to the human cost. All they want to do is protect and serve their investors while they destroy the lives of entire communities or even countries. Nigeria is a case in point where the abundance of oil has destroyed the country. Almost all of Africa has a similar story of looting and plunder by foreigners while the indigenous people have suffered.
We have lost our sense of what is right and what is wrong. We are not able to make up our minds about what is good and what is bad.
lack of conscience-> we have become accustomed to violence and crime. We do not think twice about things that we should not be doing. We are no longer hurt by the suffering of others, we have lost our heart. We have achieved a machine like detachment from nature and hurting others does not seem a bad thing to do these days.
Support for mediocrity-> although excellence cannot be achieved always, glorifying mediocrity and dubbing those who do succeed as 'nerds' or 'uncool' or 'sad' fellows is something that must be avoided.
It does not have to be a killer asteroid or disease or war, but there is definitely going to be something that will cause the end of the world as we know it, end of a world dominated by humans.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Rain, sleep and morning classes...
Monsoon this year has been a disappointment in most parts of the country and even here, it has remained cloudy most of the time, but it has not rained much. When it does rain, who does not love to curl up under a blanket and pretend to sleep and put-off the day's work. It is one of the simple pleasures of life that we all enjoy.
It was such a morning today: curling up under the blanket was highest on my list of things to do for the day. But not everything happens the way you wish. It was a Monday morning! Even Garfield, who had nothing to do apart from sleeping and eating, hated Monday mornings. So do all of us! Monday mornings are heralds of another week of endless classes, more to study and labs and worst of all, lectures where I do not understand anything thanks to the skill of the instructor or maybe my own inability to grasp the subject.
But the rain made it even worse! What can you do except wake up and go for classes especially when there was a chance of a tut test at 8am! For 4 hours, from 8am to noon, I went through the motions. The only thing that made me get through those 4 classes was the promise for what was to come after that. No, not lunch, which is always disappointing, something we BITSians have got used to. It was a looooooooooooooooong afternoon nap. Oh yes, it was awesome! 4 hours of classes washed away by 4 hours of blissful sleep.
Afternoon naps are awesome and this sem, with no classes in the afternoon except on thursdays and fridays, I am making the most of it. A far cry from my previous semester when one lab or the other had its doors open for me! I can never forget those days............ Wait a minute! Oh my God! A two and a half month long vacation has removed the memories of those days and I feel better, now that those days and its memories are far away!
It was such a morning today: curling up under the blanket was highest on my list of things to do for the day. But not everything happens the way you wish. It was a Monday morning! Even Garfield, who had nothing to do apart from sleeping and eating, hated Monday mornings. So do all of us! Monday mornings are heralds of another week of endless classes, more to study and labs and worst of all, lectures where I do not understand anything thanks to the skill of the instructor or maybe my own inability to grasp the subject.
But the rain made it even worse! What can you do except wake up and go for classes especially when there was a chance of a tut test at 8am! For 4 hours, from 8am to noon, I went through the motions. The only thing that made me get through those 4 classes was the promise for what was to come after that. No, not lunch, which is always disappointing, something we BITSians have got used to. It was a looooooooooooooooong afternoon nap. Oh yes, it was awesome! 4 hours of classes washed away by 4 hours of blissful sleep.
Afternoon naps are awesome and this sem, with no classes in the afternoon except on thursdays and fridays, I am making the most of it. A far cry from my previous semester when one lab or the other had its doors open for me! I can never forget those days............ Wait a minute! Oh my God! A two and a half month long vacation has removed the memories of those days and I feel better, now that those days and its memories are far away!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
New Sem, new people-Same old story
This semester, I am doing my E&I courses, but it all seems a bit new and strange. Maybe because lots of my batchmates have gone for PS-2 or maybe because I still inhabit the world of lectures and tuts, with the shadow of surprise tests looming over my head (must not forget the 2 Tests and compre that will be heading my way) while most of my friends are searching for novel ways to spend time since they have completed their electives already.
Some have reverted to serious gaming, others are preparing seriously for the next set of exams for their higher studies and if what I hear is true, there are nerds who go on as if life does not go ahead unless you study your textbook everyday. There are also those fighting (rather desperately hoping) for placements to pick up pace here. I am thankful to God that I am a dualite and will pass out only two years from now and this is keeping me away, albeit temporarily from the placement fiasco. There is also the wise but desperate guy trying to woo a girl to pass time! (biriyani from Calicut anyone?)
Until this semester, my corridor in the hostel had some of the proest gamers in campus along with the most committed insomniacs. Get up at 4 am to take a leak, you will see (or atleast hear) someone working their best in FIFA or AOC or CS or maybe a newly released movie or just rock music! That is commitment. Salvation, Godfather all have left their rooms and are doing their PS-2.
There is something else that I miss too. Having Joe Sunny just around the corner was fun, I miss his calm n cool demeanour, I miss the effervescent Adityan and I miss the always reserved but "happy to help" Arif. Inspite of all this, life goes on. A new season in EPL has begun, Vishnu aka Lovely_Rascal is back to what he does best (irritating me and getting hurt in the process) elections are around the corner, a new batch has joined (a bit too stupid since I heard one of them saying 'I didn't get into any club or department. That is seriously bad for me'. Not his exact wordings as he said something in hindi which meant something like his life is so ****ed up), tests have begun and instructors are back to their boring best. Two new mess contractors, who I must say are better than the previous ones we had, although not by much and it might a bit too early for judgement. Well, there are certain things that do not change. Life goes on here as it always has. Got to go, rumours of a surprise test in tomorrow's tutorial!
Some have reverted to serious gaming, others are preparing seriously for the next set of exams for their higher studies and if what I hear is true, there are nerds who go on as if life does not go ahead unless you study your textbook everyday. There are also those fighting (rather desperately hoping) for placements to pick up pace here. I am thankful to God that I am a dualite and will pass out only two years from now and this is keeping me away, albeit temporarily from the placement fiasco. There is also the wise but desperate guy trying to woo a girl to pass time! (biriyani from Calicut anyone?)
Until this semester, my corridor in the hostel had some of the proest gamers in campus along with the most committed insomniacs. Get up at 4 am to take a leak, you will see (or atleast hear) someone working their best in FIFA or AOC or CS or maybe a newly released movie or just rock music! That is commitment. Salvation, Godfather all have left their rooms and are doing their PS-2.
There is something else that I miss too. Having Joe Sunny just around the corner was fun, I miss his calm n cool demeanour, I miss the effervescent Adityan and I miss the always reserved but "happy to help" Arif. Inspite of all this, life goes on. A new season in EPL has begun, Vishnu aka Lovely_Rascal is back to what he does best (irritating me and getting hurt in the process) elections are around the corner, a new batch has joined (a bit too stupid since I heard one of them saying 'I didn't get into any club or department. That is seriously bad for me'. Not his exact wordings as he said something in hindi which meant something like his life is so ****ed up), tests have begun and instructors are back to their boring best. Two new mess contractors, who I must say are better than the previous ones we had, although not by much and it might a bit too early for judgement. Well, there are certain things that do not change. Life goes on here as it always has. Got to go, rumours of a surprise test in tomorrow's tutorial!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Spare a thought for the runner-up
There is something more painful than losing, it is losing and ending runner-up. It simply makes you want to kill yourself. You rue those moments when you could have killed it, you want to go back in time just this once, you wish you had done something just at that specific moment and then when you come to realise that it is all over, you wish you were never there and had not put up a fight. I have had such close calls in my life, albeit in my own world of quizzing and school life were a moment's mad rush just ruined everything.
I hate close calls, not because I hate the lost nails or the adrenaline rush, I feel really sorry for the poor dude who just gave it everything and still lost and its even worse if the person who lost, deserved it more than the person who actually won. Such was the case with the Wimbledon Men's Finals of 2009 that pitted Andy Roddick against Roger Federer who was on the verge of becoming the most successful Grand Slam player of all time.
I am delighted that Federer won his 15th grand slam, but somehow, I am not able to focus on that. My heart goes out to Andy Roddick who took the fight to Federer and infact, Federer was looking a worried man on more than a few occasions. Bad luck, Andy, because having to serve from behind in the final set was a handicap that you could have done without. Just to put things into perspective, Federer had not broken Roddick’s surve until that final point of the match and had won his sets on tie-breaks. Just compare that with Roddick, who broke Federer twice and won the 1st and 4th set on the back of those breaks. Federer won and it is great and he has reached somewhere no one has ever gone before and to him, this is just the beginning of setting new frontiers for the next bunch of tennis players waiting to be come up the ranks. But, spare a thought for Andy Roddick who played the game of his life and for the third time lost out to Federer in a Wimbledon Final.
Kipling really meant it when he saidIf you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same
and incidentally, these are written on the players' entrance to Wimbledon!
Our Downfall
If the world as we know comes to an end, reasons could be global warming, war or terrorism or economic meltdown. Whatever the name given, it all comes down to some of the simplest feelings that make us human: selfishness, greed, lust and jealousy. These are inalienable feelings and so one might argue that since these feelings are present in every one of us, the end of the world is bound to happen.
Unless we learn :
to overcome our basic instincts and realise that we are all equals
to tolerate and accept each others right to live, faith and freedom and
to stop considering only ourselves, the world will end, and it will happen soon.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Che-from revolutionary to capitalist tool
The funniest thing that I saw in the year 2008 was a person wearing a T-shirt with the image of Che Guevera and using what looked like an i-phone or a PDA. I doubt whether he even knew who Che Guevera was let alone what the man stood for and his work. You see a lot of such people, who just want to show off and to impress. They pretend they are macho or intellectuals and use certain philosophical sounding words without even knowing their meaning and purpose. These are individuals with nothing to claim as their own except their dad's VISA power and are desperate for attention.
While dwelling on this topic, I would also like to discuss about those who use Che's name for spreading violence. Various organisations use his image and perpetrate crime and violence in the name of the revolution. If that comes against a government that has been treating its people unfairly or against rulers who are inept to govern a nation or whose intention is only greed, it must be justified. But when this violence comes against a democratically elected government that is functioning decently and that too for unreasonable demands, like the ones raging in our north-east for example, it is simply exploiting the image to give authenticity to their own anti-national activities.
I really do not care whether a person uses an i-phone simply because every person has the right to do whatever he wants with his money and time, but my request is, do not insult a great revolutionary like Che in the way I mentioned in the beginning. I also do not care whether an organisation believes in revolution, but when you spread violence, it must have its valid reasons and must not use images, names and the memories of TRUE revolutionaries to give authenticity to a struggle that has no meaning and purpose except political manipulations and destabilisation of a legitimate government.
Double Standards Abound
The whole world is obsessed with equality and human rights, advocated mainly by the west and agencies in Scandinavian countries do their own bit by writing damning reports about third world nations for the violation of human rights and the absence of freedom of expression and speech. An amnesty international report was severely critical of
The violation of human rights in
Last Christmas saw some of the most horrifying attack on a group of helpless population by a nation that is growing fat from the cash inflow from the United States(Israel has long been the biggest beneficiary of US aid) which can simply trample upon its helpless neighbours with the ease of crushing a fly. Is not this a violation of basic human rights? May be this does not involve the violation of our freedom to speech, which I think is the only type of human rights violation that is considered by these international agencies, for they highlight cases in Burma, China, Iran etc with great emphasis.
The media also follow up, but all this is merely a cover-up of the actual violation basic rights that happen in the west. Discrimination on the basis of race still exists and immigrants are still looked down upon.
A resolution was moved to investigate war crimes in the recent conflict that ended the LTTE reign of terror in
It's a wonderful life
I would like to recommend a movie that all of you should watch.
I just saw the movie “It's A Wonderful Life” and it is one of the best I have ever seen. It is one of those movies that will definitely put a smile on your face and also a few tears of joy. It is such a wonderful story and I would call it the best Christmas movie ever. It's about a nice guy (George Bailley) who falls into trouble after his uncle accidentally looses the money from the bank that they are running and when the auditors come that day, there is a shortage and he is about to be arrested making him wish that he wasn’t born and that’s when his guardian angel comes to try and rescues him. This angel has not yet got his wings as he has not qualified yet and if he is able to help the guy (George), the angel would get his wings. Watch the movie to see whether the angel gets his wings and whether our hero is able to save himself.
We do feel sad and we at times wish that we were not born or we would rather that things were different, but this movie shows how one life touches so many others and how important we all are to this world. The movie teaches us a lot, but I sincerely hope all of you could just watch the movie 'It's A Wonderful Life' instead of me blabbering about it. I can assure you one thing, once you see this movie, it will change the way you look at yourself and also will feel a lot happier.
Make hay while its dark and damp
An article in The Hindu dated 25 Feb,2009 read 'No Joint Ventures for Rail Projects'. Railways had initially decided to invited bidders for 33 Joint Venture projects, but recently announced that it would be completed by the railways by itself as the response by the bidders were poor. The reason such a turn of events could be-
In this time of economic crunch, organisations are looking for cross-sales(more sales or profits from existing customers or their existing field of work) and are disinclined towards going into unchartered territories.
This is for the first time that the railway is offering a JV on Electric and Diesel locomotive Factories and Coach Factories and these heavy industries require enormous investment and technical skills. This requires lot of money, which the companies do not have and it needs new human resources in terms of qualified engineers, technicians and skilled labourers which adds to the cost and a lot of technology which might be unfamiliar to the company.
It is therefore essential that the government utilise this time. The price of raw materials have come down, there is an economic crisis looming and unemployment is rising. The government must initiate employment generation programmes in the form of infrastructure development and invest in education. The benefits are
1) Once the recession is over, we will be in a better position to jump ahead in the race. In Formula-1, when the safety car is on, the race cars are required to drive slowly. During this time, most of them take a pitstop to refuel and change their tyres so that when they can resume racing, they are well positioned to leap ahead.
2) Low raw material price means we can complete more work than before, when the price of commodities like cement, steel and fuel were sky-rocketing.
3) Investment in education, especially higher education means that more individuals will now go for specialising their skills. More graduates will prefer going into the teaching, pure science, research and development field as it is much more secure. Till now, these were neglected due to the slow rise in pay and promotion and the hardwork involved. Increased investment in education will result in highly qualified workforce for the coming projects, a highly experienced teaching force and more thrust to science and technology.
There are companies that are making use of this downturn. The developers of the
A little bit of foresight will enable us to overcome the economic downturn, if not benefit from it. We often hear the saying 'Make hay while the sun shines', I say 'Make mushrooms while its dark and damp'!
A True Champion
Even in the jaws of defeat, one man showed incredible character and unparalleled talent, that’s what made me a fan of Roger Federer. Until that night in July, Federer was a Tennis hero, someone who had decimated his opponents, generated comments that put him among the greatest to have ever played the game and his defeats were referred to as mere proofs that he was from this planet and human, but to me, he was just another great player, which in itself is a very short list. But the Wimbledon Final of 2008 was the greatest tennis match I ever saw and whatever happens, nothing will come close to it.
Federer was decimated by Rafael Nadal in the French Open just a few weeks ago, the only slam Federer was yet to win. But
Nadal won the first two sets and looked like he might romp to victory and a major landmark in his career as his first slam outside of the Philippe Chatrier court. In the 3rd set, serving against Nadal who was on Championship Point, I saw the greatest comebacks in history and a true miracle. A string of Aces to win the game, Federer clawed back into the game and won the 3rd and 4th set.
Although Nadal won the match and the Championship, it was in defeat that I saw Federer rise up above everything humanly possible and something beyond belief. That was when I became a fan of Roger Federer, a true champion. On this occasion, when he has overcome that one thing that can be the only stumbling block from calling him the greatest ever, he has won the French Open. Some might say that he has not won the "Grand Slam" and that his record against Nadal is not great, but I just do not care, as Bjorn Borg has won only the French Open and
Is Federer human or something beyond? Well, he is human, but once on that court, he is god and it is a world that he rules over with grace, skill and at times, the most unbelievable of miracles.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Vivas, Tests and some TP
Actually wanted to write about today being Friday the 13th, but since I already send that out as a mail to almost everyone in my mailing list(including my Father's cousins who are using their corporate mail ids which will now make them think twice about handing out their mail IDs to net trotting jobless college kids!).
Morning started out with a Test on Bonding in Inorganic Compounds, which pretty much went bad for everyone and our instructor is going to be definitely pissed with our performance. He is one of the nicest profs we got and its sad that none of us where able to do decently. There will be serious consequences for that and I hope all of us can redeem ourselves in T-2.
I wasted another 3 hours today waiting for Chemical Experimentation Viva where again the Chemistry faculty showed how much they love us :P. Need to wait and see how mine goes as so far only 14 or so people have completed their viva and 10 of us are left and I will be the last one to go, since it is in the order of our roll numbers.
Slept off and went for Microprocessor lecture which was sounding more and more like some ancient, long lost tongue for me. Started writing some stuff in my book, which eventually ended up as-
Let the mind roam free,
To relish the feast the world offers.
Let it fly, let it grow,
do not let fear take hold of you.
"Fear threatens to overcome me,
No chance of life I see",
the thought to be banished,
if the mind is to be harnessed.
Thats it for now. Good night and Good luck!
Morning started out with a Test on Bonding in Inorganic Compounds, which pretty much went bad for everyone and our instructor is going to be definitely pissed with our performance. He is one of the nicest profs we got and its sad that none of us where able to do decently. There will be serious consequences for that and I hope all of us can redeem ourselves in T-2.
I wasted another 3 hours today waiting for Chemical Experimentation Viva where again the Chemistry faculty showed how much they love us :P. Need to wait and see how mine goes as so far only 14 or so people have completed their viva and 10 of us are left and I will be the last one to go, since it is in the order of our roll numbers.
Slept off and went for Microprocessor lecture which was sounding more and more like some ancient, long lost tongue for me. Started writing some stuff in my book, which eventually ended up as-
Let the mind roam free,
To relish the feast the world offers.
Let it fly, let it grow,
do not let fear take hold of you.
"Fear threatens to overcome me,
No chance of life I see",
the thought to be banished,
if the mind is to be harnessed.
Thats it for now. Good night and Good luck!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Plays of TIMES NOW
During the Mumbai terrorist attacks on Mumbai in Nov, The Times of India and its television version brought to us the heart-wrenching visuals of grief and people trying to escape the carnage, graphic images of terrorists firing at innocent civilians and showed live footage of them holding one of Mumbai's most famous landmarks hostage and the last moments of those who went in to stop these culprits.
As a former US President told about Mr.Ed Murrow, they brought the fires of mumbai to our living rooms and the bullets and bombs were aimed at us. The reporters from the channel and the newspaper went to great lengths to cover the event as it was unfolding and gave upto date information to the world. But TIMES did more than that, they stamped their trademark on it, which I must say is not one to be proud of.
I would like to quote the front page news that appeared on The Times of India sometime during April 2004, it said 'Two Women, One night. Rs.60,000'. How could a self-respecting person not be ashamed by what they were forced to read first thing in the morning? The bigger question here is, how could the editor and reporters of such a prestigious establishment allow itself to descend to such lows? This is unfortunately the trademark of the TIMES these days. Sensationalist reporting, with several "unconfirmed reports" and claims from "unofficial sources" adding spice and taste to the days news. There were instances where the channel telecasted live footage from Ground Zero as the army operation was going, which could have given the terrorists some advantage as it might have given away the army's position or could have threatened the lives of those who were still holed up in their hotel rooms. TIMES was not alone in this act, but I am merely pointing out what they did.
Most of the news reported by the channel is also equally rubbish, so much so that it made me feel it had a group of people who were paid just to come up with stupid, spicy and sensationalist news that would catch the attention of the people and is of utterly no news value at all. They have taken journalism to a new low and the Mumbai attacks is just another example. After the attacks, repeated telecasts of the Kerala CMs statement insulting the family of one of the soldiers who laid down his life in the operation proves how sensationalist and untrue to the spirit of journalism the channel has become.
Both the newspaper and the channel, normal days, devote a lot of space and time for 'all the news that is unfit to print', which although is a play on the slogan of the New York Times, fits The Times of India only too well. Gossips, rumours and all that about celebrities and entertainment consumes so much space and importance that the real purpose of a responsible newspaper and news channel is easily forgotten.
A lot of people who I know are subscribing to the TIMES do it just for the gossip and the entertainment and use other newspapers and channels to get the real news. TIMES will become a medium just for those looking for entertainment and maybe that will do. They do give the people what they like and want and not what they should be deserve and need.
I do not say that the Times is not part of a responsible media, but those who are looking for the real news and not spicy gossip would do well to stay away from the channel TIMES NOW and the Times of India newspaper.
P.S-One could say that there are other worse offenders, but I cant go through the pain of watching those channels or those newspapers.
As a former US President told about Mr.Ed Murrow, they brought the fires of mumbai to our living rooms and the bullets and bombs were aimed at us. The reporters from the channel and the newspaper went to great lengths to cover the event as it was unfolding and gave upto date information to the world. But TIMES did more than that, they stamped their trademark on it, which I must say is not one to be proud of.
I would like to quote the front page news that appeared on The Times of India sometime during April 2004, it said 'Two Women, One night. Rs.60,000'. How could a self-respecting person not be ashamed by what they were forced to read first thing in the morning? The bigger question here is, how could the editor and reporters of such a prestigious establishment allow itself to descend to such lows? This is unfortunately the trademark of the TIMES these days. Sensationalist reporting, with several "unconfirmed reports" and claims from "unofficial sources" adding spice and taste to the days news. There were instances where the channel telecasted live footage from Ground Zero as the army operation was going, which could have given the terrorists some advantage as it might have given away the army's position or could have threatened the lives of those who were still holed up in their hotel rooms. TIMES was not alone in this act, but I am merely pointing out what they did.
Most of the news reported by the channel is also equally rubbish, so much so that it made me feel it had a group of people who were paid just to come up with stupid, spicy and sensationalist news that would catch the attention of the people and is of utterly no news value at all. They have taken journalism to a new low and the Mumbai attacks is just another example. After the attacks, repeated telecasts of the Kerala CMs statement insulting the family of one of the soldiers who laid down his life in the operation proves how sensationalist and untrue to the spirit of journalism the channel has become.
Both the newspaper and the channel, normal days, devote a lot of space and time for 'all the news that is unfit to print', which although is a play on the slogan of the New York Times, fits The Times of India only too well. Gossips, rumours and all that about celebrities and entertainment consumes so much space and importance that the real purpose of a responsible newspaper and news channel is easily forgotten.
A lot of people who I know are subscribing to the TIMES do it just for the gossip and the entertainment and use other newspapers and channels to get the real news. TIMES will become a medium just for those looking for entertainment and maybe that will do. They do give the people what they like and want and not what they should be deserve and need.
I do not say that the Times is not part of a responsible media, but those who are looking for the real news and not spicy gossip would do well to stay away from the channel TIMES NOW and the Times of India newspaper.
P.S-One could say that there are other worse offenders, but I cant go through the pain of watching those channels or those newspapers.
Political Parody
The Mumbai terrorist attack has brought to light again the cancer that plagues our politics. Politicians have seen the oppurtunity to gain an edge over its opponents as elections are about to take place in 5 states and the parliament elections are due within the next 5 months. The resignations of the Maharashtra CM, change in the central government portfolios and the comments of the CM of Kerala are getting equal attention as the terrorist attack itself.
The comments made by Vilasrao Deshmukh reflect the attitude of the politicians towards the post they occupy. He said that he has informed the high-command of his willingness to resign. I would like to know who is the high-command for him to inform. He said if is required he will resign with, but said that with so much ease as if it was just another task that he would do. The fact that party affiliations are stronger than a politicians commitment to the people itself defeats the purpose of democracy which is supposed to be a government for the people.
At this juncture, I would also like to know what is our obsession with the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty? Why is it that we cannot produce a leader from outside that family? A nation of one billion people requires a person of Italian origin to rule us? Officially, it is Dr.Manmohan Singh who is our PM, but we all know who is really making the decisions. If ever there is one more person from that family becoming PM, it will be a failure from our part. The government spends nearly Rs.180 crore on the security for the Gandhi family, but the entire budget for the NSG which is entrusted with safegaurding the nation from terrorism is only Rs.158 crore. Who are these people whose lives are worth more than that of the entire Indian population? What inherent right to rule do they have in a democracy?
The resignation of Mr.Shivraj Patil also came without any effort. He just said he was resigning due to his failure to prevent such repeated attacks. It was like an irresponsible captain leaving a sinking ship and not doing his duty by refusing to solve the problems that had arisen while he was in charge. The resignation is an insult to the people of this nation as it is a step that has come too late and adding to it is the fact that elections are just a few months away which means that the government would become for all practical purposes a lame duck within the coming two months and so his resignation does not make much of an impact.
The senseless comments made by the CM of Kerala, which I would not like to repeat, is unfortunate if not shameful. I would like to remind him that if he was not the CM of a state, not even a dog would have listened to him. I have no regrets to this comment.
The apathy shown by the politicians is a matter of shame for the worlds largest democracy. The ministers from Maharashtra also joins Mr. Shivraj Patil as they resigned just like that as if the the posts they had occupied was something that was not worth much and so one could afford to throw it away. The anger of the people of this nation is justified as for a long time we have seen politicians mesemrise with sweet words and promises but have actually delivered nothing. A wind is blowing and hopefully it will gather enough strength to throw away existing blockades to our nations well-being and usher in a new era of responsible poiliticians who work for the peoples good and not just for the good of their own family.
The comments made by Vilasrao Deshmukh reflect the attitude of the politicians towards the post they occupy. He said that he has informed the high-command of his willingness to resign. I would like to know who is the high-command for him to inform. He said if is required he will resign with, but said that with so much ease as if it was just another task that he would do. The fact that party affiliations are stronger than a politicians commitment to the people itself defeats the purpose of democracy which is supposed to be a government for the people.
At this juncture, I would also like to know what is our obsession with the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty? Why is it that we cannot produce a leader from outside that family? A nation of one billion people requires a person of Italian origin to rule us? Officially, it is Dr.Manmohan Singh who is our PM, but we all know who is really making the decisions. If ever there is one more person from that family becoming PM, it will be a failure from our part. The government spends nearly Rs.180 crore on the security for the Gandhi family, but the entire budget for the NSG which is entrusted with safegaurding the nation from terrorism is only Rs.158 crore. Who are these people whose lives are worth more than that of the entire Indian population? What inherent right to rule do they have in a democracy?
The resignation of Mr.Shivraj Patil also came without any effort. He just said he was resigning due to his failure to prevent such repeated attacks. It was like an irresponsible captain leaving a sinking ship and not doing his duty by refusing to solve the problems that had arisen while he was in charge. The resignation is an insult to the people of this nation as it is a step that has come too late and adding to it is the fact that elections are just a few months away which means that the government would become for all practical purposes a lame duck within the coming two months and so his resignation does not make much of an impact.
The senseless comments made by the CM of Kerala, which I would not like to repeat, is unfortunate if not shameful. I would like to remind him that if he was not the CM of a state, not even a dog would have listened to him. I have no regrets to this comment.
The apathy shown by the politicians is a matter of shame for the worlds largest democracy. The ministers from Maharashtra also joins Mr. Shivraj Patil as they resigned just like that as if the the posts they had occupied was something that was not worth much and so one could afford to throw it away. The anger of the people of this nation is justified as for a long time we have seen politicians mesemrise with sweet words and promises but have actually delivered nothing. A wind is blowing and hopefully it will gather enough strength to throw away existing blockades to our nations well-being and usher in a new era of responsible poiliticians who work for the peoples good and not just for the good of their own family.
Monday, March 9, 2009
WAVES-09' Summer
It is a blur to me. The last 3 days. The events I saw, I participated and also the event I conducted. It was 3 days of fun, joy and sleepless nights too! But when the dust settles, you are only left with a hangover, not just for the boozers, but I am sure everyone was intoxicated by some of the best days we had in campus.
From a personal point of view, I am very happy. As the Secretary of the Quiz Club in BITS-PILANI, GOA CAMPUS, it is very heartening to see something that you love grow and attain success. We were able to bring in Shamant Rao, a quizmaster from Karnata Quiz Association for our highlight event, Waves Quiz, and this was followed a wide publicity campaign, which involved post in various blogs and posters being put up inside the campus. Another important incident which I must mention is the conversation I had with the quizmaster of the Waves Quiz. He, like everyone else, was simply blown away by our Auditorium, he was impressed by our infrastructure, the settings and surroundings of our campus and the enthu shown by the crowd and also the standards of our quizzing, which although is not the best in the country, is something which will slowly be a force to reckon with. Also, I was able to learn a lot and receive sound advice for my future and career.
It was worth the effort since we were able to attract 89 teams for the Waves Quiz(meaning 287 participants) for the quiz and the lecture theatre was nearly full. My friends tell me that this was the most succesful LT event(do not know whether it is true) and even if it wasn't, I would settle for the fact that we made our presence felt and we too were able to add spice to our fest.
Although the event I did was not a huge hit, it was good enough and I learned a lot from it, not just from the quizzing point of view, but in general. I must also mention the personal succes I had during the fest, by winning and XBOX! Funny thing is, I do not know what to do with it!
It was only yesterday that we were all celebrating, having fun and with no care in the world having some awesome fun. It is all over and tomorrow, I have a mid-sem viva, a 3 hour lab session followed by another 3 hour make-up lab. Life can turn around fast eh? As the Blues song goes,
'Its kind of funny, how life can be,
Can flip 180, in a matter of days'
This post must conclude by congratulating all those who participated in our fest, especially all our outstation teams who covered all that distance to make our fest a success, the audience and spectators who are the soul of such an event, the event managers and all clubs and departments. Hats off to all of you for giving us a Waves that swept us away!
From a personal point of view, I am very happy. As the Secretary of the Quiz Club in BITS-PILANI, GOA CAMPUS, it is very heartening to see something that you love grow and attain success. We were able to bring in Shamant Rao, a quizmaster from Karnata Quiz Association for our highlight event, Waves Quiz, and this was followed a wide publicity campaign, which involved post in various blogs and posters being put up inside the campus. Another important incident which I must mention is the conversation I had with the quizmaster of the Waves Quiz. He, like everyone else, was simply blown away by our Auditorium, he was impressed by our infrastructure, the settings and surroundings of our campus and the enthu shown by the crowd and also the standards of our quizzing, which although is not the best in the country, is something which will slowly be a force to reckon with. Also, I was able to learn a lot and receive sound advice for my future and career.
It was worth the effort since we were able to attract 89 teams for the Waves Quiz(meaning 287 participants) for the quiz and the lecture theatre was nearly full. My friends tell me that this was the most succesful LT event(do not know whether it is true) and even if it wasn't, I would settle for the fact that we made our presence felt and we too were able to add spice to our fest.
Although the event I did was not a huge hit, it was good enough and I learned a lot from it, not just from the quizzing point of view, but in general. I must also mention the personal succes I had during the fest, by winning and XBOX! Funny thing is, I do not know what to do with it!
It was only yesterday that we were all celebrating, having fun and with no care in the world having some awesome fun. It is all over and tomorrow, I have a mid-sem viva, a 3 hour lab session followed by another 3 hour make-up lab. Life can turn around fast eh? As the Blues song goes,
'Its kind of funny, how life can be,
Can flip 180, in a matter of days'
This post must conclude by congratulating all those who participated in our fest, especially all our outstation teams who covered all that distance to make our fest a success, the audience and spectators who are the soul of such an event, the event managers and all clubs and departments. Hats off to all of you for giving us a Waves that swept us away!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Change, I must
There comes a point in life when you must change and that time has come for me. This sem has been hard and has questioned everything I believed, everything I wanted and everything I have so far done in my life. It is time to rethink what I am doing and my priorities and to go back to the fundamentals and start over again or, to go back to the point where you diverted to this path and then walk another road, in another direction.
I do not count it as a failure, but rather I would say that I chose the wrong path for me. I must go back and start over again. It might be difficult, but I must do it if I am to continue doing what I have loved the most in this world. There has to be a change and I must find a new path.
I do not know whether I will succeed, but I must and I believe I will. I started off by failing for three years and it was then that I realised anything is possible. Well, lets try and do it once more.
I do not count it as a failure, but rather I would say that I chose the wrong path for me. I must go back and start over again. It might be difficult, but I must do it if I am to continue doing what I have loved the most in this world. There has to be a change and I must find a new path.
I do not know whether I will succeed, but I must and I believe I will. I started off by failing for three years and it was then that I realised anything is possible. Well, lets try and do it once more.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I like.....EXAMS!!
I never ever thought that I would ever say this, but here we go. I have said it. But before someone throws me back into the asylum, do hear my reasons for saying so. Once you hear me out, you will say that is the sanest thing you heard in a long long time.
My reasons for saying so originate from the long hours I spend in the lab each week and that too in some of the most inhospitable conditions the college can offer(not that the lab is too warm for this time of the year or dangerous, but I rather not specify the exact reasons) and the hours spend trying to understand what is happening. I am actually scrutinising my timetable each day trying to figure which classes I can bunk without serious threat of any repurcussions! Gone are the days when I would just decide impulsively to take the afternoon off and have nap or bunk a lecture because it's too boring or sometimes even just for the heck of it. Every day starts off with the hope of some free period (reminds me of my school days) and by the end of the day, you are just tired from the 3 hours of standing in the lab and hours spend setting up the apparatus or writing reports.
There is precious little time, but the last few days have been surprisingly pleasant. I had exams from last Saturday and my exams finished one day ahead of all my other friends' on Tuesday. No labs, no reports and no assignments, just the 2 hours spend writing the exam and that is it. It was the relaxing time I had this semester and let me tell you it was much better than any other break I have ever taken in my life. My battery is charged and I am good to go, but how long before I get fed up of the labs is another question.
I hope I have convinced you my friend about my sanity and that exams are fun, in my case atleast.
My reasons for saying so originate from the long hours I spend in the lab each week and that too in some of the most inhospitable conditions the college can offer(not that the lab is too warm for this time of the year or dangerous, but I rather not specify the exact reasons) and the hours spend trying to understand what is happening. I am actually scrutinising my timetable each day trying to figure which classes I can bunk without serious threat of any repurcussions! Gone are the days when I would just decide impulsively to take the afternoon off and have nap or bunk a lecture because it's too boring or sometimes even just for the heck of it. Every day starts off with the hope of some free period (reminds me of my school days) and by the end of the day, you are just tired from the 3 hours of standing in the lab and hours spend setting up the apparatus or writing reports.
There is precious little time, but the last few days have been surprisingly pleasant. I had exams from last Saturday and my exams finished one day ahead of all my other friends' on Tuesday. No labs, no reports and no assignments, just the 2 hours spend writing the exam and that is it. It was the relaxing time I had this semester and let me tell you it was much better than any other break I have ever taken in my life. My battery is charged and I am good to go, but how long before I get fed up of the labs is another question.
I hope I have convinced you my friend about my sanity and that exams are fun, in my case atleast.
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