Duality benefits

BITS-Pilani is known for its academic flexibilities and the dual degree system where a student completes an MSc and an Engineering degree in 5 yrs is the most popular one. Being one such student, doing an MSc in Chemistry and BE in Electronics & Instrumentation, I have had the fortune of attending two farewells- twice the photos, wearing that coat two times in the hot sun and attending one decent farewell in the audi and one awful one (2k8 batch, take a bow- you screw up everything) and a second helping of CDCs and all that associated with it. Other benefits include not having to spend an entire semester totally consumed by boredom as we have the great opportunity of getting run over by engineering CDCs.

There are few a silver linings too- we got our batchmates as PAs in our labs (which has worked out quite well for a lot of us), easy advice on how to write exams (hasn't helped me though), quite a few treats as our friends got placed or got through to B-Schools and what more can be more pleasurable than just watching them having a blast while we wrestled with lab exams, online exams on weekends and assignments. Well, not exactly, we too joined in the fun with them since it as infectious (if not more) than the jaundice that struck us last sem.

We spend an extra semester in campus and become the grand-old people and I was fortunate enough to be in the same room for all these years. We have seen the institute change and the view from my room has changed drastically- from rocky and grass infested in first year to the constant literal ground-breaking that rocked our 2nd yr (coupled with the power crisis, they gave us quite a few good days) and now to a lush green football (which was shifted twice?) and cricket ground. As I write this, someone is delivering left arm off-spin as a live cricket match is on offer on most days of the week! There is one thing that has not changed, the view of Zuari bay and the town on the other side and the constant breeze that makes for an automatic 'door-slammer'.

People are packing, ready to leave and I saw this last semester too and I told myself- " Micro on the last day and you got one more sem here". Not this time though (although an equally hopeless exam awaits me on the last day), no more sems (hopefully??hint of any NC??) to come back as 4 years have gone by faster than the breeze that blows in from the Zuari bay. I cannot yet reminisce or feel nostalgic or feel sad for I got miles to go or rather 3 more exams to go. I guess I am glad to be a dualite since it simply does not give me the time to feel sad (having to fill options for 288 PS-2 stations did its part too) and I do not want to feel sad for it has been a glorious 4 years for me, not always, but on the whole, it was worth the journey. I may not be a good engineer, but the journey has changed me and made me wiser.

Thank you....

Proud to Plagiarise

I have a dream, a dream that one day my country will be ruled by a government for the people, by the people and of the people, not by a government for the rich, by the rich and of the rich. I have a dream that one day, this country will be able to balance the developmental aspirations of the rich as well as the livelihood necessities of the poor. I have a dream that a time will come when the rich help the poor overcome their condition and we will see a nation where there is no gap between the rich and poor.

I have a dream that this nation will appreciate an honest person's work and not just throw him out because of a small taint, but I also hope that they will not let men with completely tainted records lead this nation into darkness. I dream of a day when access to education is not restricted by money or caste, but is provided to those who deserve it.

I dream of a day when our country is green, clean and beautiful and everyone wants to maintian this beauty for future generations and not sacrifice it for the greed of a few.

I know that it is too much to ask for, I know it is Utopia that I am dreaming about, but we must dream for we must aim for the stars only then can we reach atleast the moon. I proudly plagiarise from Martin Luther King, for his dreams did become reality and I too hope against hope that the dream becomes reality.

The Story has only begun

One of my best friends told me about how another friend of ours had got placed in Microsoft and how she was the only one who got placed there from her college. It was not a surprise for me since she is the only person that I know who joined a good engineering college to actually become an engineer whereas for the rest of us, becoming an engineer was just an insignificant epilogue. We were told that once you get in, THAT IS IT and at 16, you believe what you are told by your parents, who actually had no clue about what they were saying and who were taught this by friends and the initial sources were coaching centres that had to grab the school toppers regardless of the interests of these students

A popular bollywood movie had the phrase 'kahaani abhhi baaki hai mere dost', meaning 'the story is still not over' (roughly!), but in engineering life, the story only begins once you are in college and then there are higher studies options to think about and then careers in core or software or a transition to management or something else entirely.

I do not know what is right or wrong, to have joined BITS has been an unbelievable experience for me since it widened my horizon, I met some of the most talented people ever, some of the most smartest, sharpest minds and learned to live in a mixed environment which had people from all over the country. It taught me to learn and learn and learn all the time, even from the most insignificant of matters, from everyday incidents about dealing with people, taking pressure, meeting deadlines (to be more honest- how to submit an assignment- copy, borrow or just plain old bluffing) and countless other things. But engineering wise, I really doubt whether I have done justice to myself and to this institute. Time will tell, but it is most likely to ring me up and say 'Yo dude, m2l2. ggwp hua mkl' or something like that.

Got an exam tomorrow, going to be run over by a freight train at full speed. So, ciao people.



PS- this is my personal experience and that of many who studied with me in my hometown and what many of my friends had told me. Your experience could be different and if it is, you are really fortunate and hats off to you for having done what you wanted to do.

At War, they live life

Recently I read the books 'Fools Rush In', an autobiographical account by Bill Carter about his trip into wartorn Sarajevo and 'The Zahir' by Paulo Coelho. There was a common factor in both of them, it explained how people in the middle of war were living their life to the full and how they were not worried about trivial matters of existence but concentrated fully on the present. This was the central theme of the first novel and formed an important part of a revelation in the latter novel.

'Fools Rush In' explained how people who have survived a day in the frontline enjoyed a well earned break by drinking and singing and also about a fashion show that was organised in the city of Sarajevo right in the middle of war (the song 'Miss Sarajevo' by U2 is based on Bill Carter's book).

I suppose having survived certain death, humans become more aware of being alive since they have realised, whatever it is that we do to keep this body breathing, it will stop one day. Yesterday was a hellish experience which they were able to see through and are thankful for having one more day to live and tomorrow, they might not be this lucky. This makes today the only certainty, the only thing that is visible and within their reach. Hence, they make the best use of today.

They are not burdened by the mundane aspets of daily life, saving for a rainy day, paying for rent, getting a degree or looking after the family for all of this is too far in the future to even cross their minds. The only constant and certainty is not even today, but this nanosecond for in the next a missile or bullet or shrapnel could take away everything. We are weighed down by our actions in the past, we have things to do in the present, we have dreams and aspirations of the future hanging over us and always, always miles to go. We are all prisoners of our past, expectations about the future and helplessness in our present.

We sacrifice our present in the hopes of a better future, we carry our past with us- its weight pulling us down. I do not know what is right- to live forgetting our past, uncaring about the future and living a free present or to lead a cautious, planned life. But one thing is for certain, not all of us can be totally free, for if that happened, the world will not run. Not all of us are free of commitments and we will never be free of our past for it determines our present.

There is a practical way out perhaps- we can stop worrying about results and what will happen in the future but just give it our best. We can learn from our past and leave the experiences behind just as pointers and to remind us of our mistakes and
low points so that we do not repeat them especially because how much ever we want to change the past, we really cannot do anything about the time that has gone by. I guess this is what 'Bhagavad Gita' tells us, it is our duty to perform our actions and it is not for us to worry about the results and also says that whatever has happened has happened for the good.

Freedom

What is freedom? The ability to do as we wish? If so, we have only moments of temporary freedom, like a leash tied around a dogs neck. As long as the rope is free of tension, we are free- free to do what we wish like in that small little circle. Once that rope is tight, there is nothing to do about it but submit and find solace in our momentary freedom. This freedom is most definitely not an illusion, it exists and is true, but it is has a range. It cannot extend beyond that and when this freedom ends, we are frustrated.

Whatever we do, we are all tied down. Tied down by our past, tied down by the expectations of others about our future and by our helplessness in our present. When we are young, we fulfil our parent's wishes, we go to a school then a college and get a degree- all this decided by our parents or our economic condition. We then enter into a job, start a family and we need to support the family and sustain the family. When are we ever free in this world? Only when we are unconscious, before have begun to walk and talk- it might seem a contradiction since babies cannot move and cannot express themselves. But their smile must tell you they are happy.

We are tied down by commitments to family and work, we have social obligations, favours to do since they have done favours for us a- quid pro quo. Deadlines must be met, assignments must be completed, exams to be written and we forget ever asking ourselves what we are doing to ourselves, this world and what the hell we are doing with our lives. When we ask that question, it is an uncomfortable feeling for it is not in the answer that discomfort lies, but we ask why we have not asked ourselves this question before and the answer to the question is still elusive. We are living a life that has been either advised to us, told to us and ignorantly and complacently accepted or forced down upon us.

Is there any freedom in this? We are all prisoners of our past, expectations about the future and helplessness in our present. Can we leave this world behind us and move into another realm? Can we escape this life and go into the uncertain? It would require immense courage and perhaps most importantly recklessness beyond compare and even bordering on the insane.

Paris je t'aime

I just could not resist. My right hand is paining after a long trivia battle, my eyes are puffy and sleep beckons, my stomach rumbles on and my mind is not working properly either. It is a quarter past two of the thirtieth day in the month named after the Roman god of the Gates, the year 2010.

I saw the movie 'Paris je t'aime', meaning 'Paris, I Love You'. I had heard about the movie somewhere along the long walks that I take through the corridors of wikipedia or it might have been during one of those channel surfing marathons as I sat alone at home with just the TV for company during my tryst with entrance exams(the movie was released in 2006 May).

I used one of the clips for the 'Travel & Tourism' Quiz for 'Waves Winter-09', my college's Cul-fest. I did not expect it to be answered, but it was worth asking. Interestingly, it was answered by 'the guy who sat in the audience and was shouting the answers' during his first quiz in BITS in 2008. Kudos Mr.LDC cordi, nice work. Needless to say, his team won the quiz.

Enough blabbering, on with it. Or perhaps, in keeping with the spirit of the movie which has 18 short stories, taking place in different parts of Paris, I was just sharing my own stories. Now, to the matter at hand- the movie is about love, how Paris is the city of love. A lonely person finds love, a blind man finds love, a vampire finds love. It is about rediscovering love and life in Paris. 18 beautiful stories, each one some of the most impressive stories I have ever seen.

Each of them with a twist, a heart-wrenching tale of loss, couples reigniting the spark in the marriage and the most beautiful one is directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Do watch it, for it will make you fall in love and believe in love and fall in with the 'City of Love'. I wish I could go to Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower, the streets and the cafes and of-course the museums. It's a dream, a wish, a love that will never go away.

Obama - Hope, nothing else

If anyone said actions speak louder than words, I present before you Barack Obama, President of the United States! Nearly a year into his presidency, all he has got to show a is a disaster of a "note" in the Coppenhagen summit, a health care reform bill that still has a long way to go before becoming a law, a declaration that Gitmo will closed down and troops will withdraw gradually from Iraq and Afghanistan. All words and no action along with a Nobel Peace prize makes someone a Barack Obama.

Oh, wait- he did something, increased the number of troops in Afghanistan and then collected the Nobel Peace Prize and then made a ragtag note on how to "rescue" our planet, all in the span of 2 weeks. Bravo Mr.President, but I think you owe more to you predecessor than to anyone else (that includes his teleprompter). We have seen how low and how bad a US President can and the distant glimmer of HOPE mesmerised the US population, but I guess they had no choice (Joe Biden does not count as a choice).

But what went wrong the Nobel Committee? Did not know that Swedes were so stupid- they had forgot about Mahatma Gandhi half a dozen times. Maybe they wanted to make amends, give someone the prize even before he can really do something so that they wont make themselves look stupid as was the case with Gandhiji.

He spoke the truth in his Nobel acceptance speech as he said "Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land". This was an excuse for escalating US troop presence in Afganistan and accepting the Nobel prize in the same week. Jonathan Freedland hit the nail on the head when he commented "Obama is not saviour of the world. He’s still a U.S. president. He must represent the contradictory interests of a country still way behind on climate change", in the context of a disastrous COP-15 summit.

His report card for the first year in office can be best described as 'empty promises, yet we HOPE'. He has been a complete failure in making the failed banks in the US, the ones responsible the worldwide economic downturn, accountable. The billions of dollars that the American taxpayers shelled out in rescuing these banks are used to provide bonuses to the same executives whose risk-taking policies put the entire world in this misery. The recent decision to charge a grand total of USD 117bn on banks worth more than USD 50bn that were rescued in the Troubled Assets Relief Programmes was accompanied by a stern statement 'My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed.My determination to achieve this goal
is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people'. The banks will go back to rewarding the same strategies that destroyed the entire world's financial structure and will pay a fine of 117bn spread over 10 years, shared by 50 or so banks. 250 million USD a year, petty cash for banks with assets of more than 50bn. But the way said made it seem like a whole lot more.

"every element of our national capacity, our diplomacy, and development assistance, the power of our military and most importantly, the compassion of our country". "To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten" - Classic textbook styl speech-making. I say, give me a break man. Say something earnestly, don't just sit down with your speech writer and the 'Handbook on Public Speaking' and make a speech!

I hope Mr.President gets down to business after a year in office- he better for the world is not yet out of economic gloom. There are tonnes of other problems, Carbon Dioxide being one of them, Iran and North Korean issue where he can probably get something done because it just is about talking to each other, Iraq and Afghan conflicts where a solid decision on troop reduction including a precise timetable must be drawn and the closing down of Guantanamo Bay. I hope you succeed Mr.President because you managed to convince those who did not think much of the Father of my Nation. I hope you can convince the US people about the perils of Climate change, but it is just a hope, something that made you President.

The Days of Our Lives

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

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.

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.