Cant believe am back in blogosphere after 2 long years......talking to oneself is not a virtue many appreciate, all the more putting "things on paper" is equally popular in the corporate and the educational world. TO think about it, even marriages have to be registered so basically "Word of mouth" breathes only in the marketing circles anymore. So where were we, i really do not get why articles have to be about a single topic, thought, blink, even Life in larger sense of life is ephemeral, then why cant a single thought inspire 3 lines and burn out rather than fade away in a page. There are points in time when you feel Troy, you think you can control your life, there is another line of though however as to how everything is planned, and that what you do or not do as an individual is nothing but a note in the symphony that someone somewhere had composed. Question is, if someone did compose!! who are the ones enjoying it? Its true! every note is a firefly, happy to live/die next to someone similar. So essentially we are living in an Anarchy, where everyone is expected to do what is best for him/herself, so as to improve the weighted average. Is it not apparent as to how rare a new invention/discovery/thought has become lately? Or those born in the earlier centuries plucked the low hanging fruits like Mathematics/physics et all. So races have to continuously try harder to be defined, fair enough! Gosh had to do something!!! but first I should ensure that atleast someone should go through the pain of reading this..! Google talk...lol///
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Life @ Imt : A whole lot of confessions
This one was due for a long long time. But then I've been busy or to say "kept busy" would be more appropriate. As the title says this one is about how and where exactly have i been for the last two months. It in no way shows u the entire picture but still will give u a glimpse of how this normal engineer chap has been overwhelmed, kept awake, has been on a "high" literally and metaphorically, found his armory, lost weight, and has yet somehow survived to tell u the tale.
P.S. : everything from here on is the way i saw the scenes, the way i want you to see them, any pun is intended, all thought's bear resemblance to living and the dead.
The epic journey began on June the 22nd, as i left home for IMT i must confess i was apprehensive and full of self doubt, joining IMT was by far the toughest decision i had made in my short life, this was a decision that was left solely on me by my parents, repercussions of which would be faced by none other than me, and the responsibility to prove that the decision was the right call, on none other than me. So when i say i was a little psyched out when i entered those Gates would be an understatement. As i came across loads (literally) of students queuing up for the registration process coming from distant towns, some of them proud, some resigned to their fate, some trying to justify their decision, some unsettlingly confident, it was clear to me that i was surely not marooned on a desert island, and that there were people living on that island for a long long time before i had arrived !
If registration was a tough job, room allocation was tough multiplied by 10, sweltering heat standing under the sun and SAC members sitting in their air conditioned lair allotting rooms to 20 at a time and taking whole lot of time. Me being told a name namely " R praveen " and a number numberly "A-63" as my roomie and the room. With all the parents interested in doing 2 years worth of networking in one day and all the students hoping for a lot of things, it all really was unsettling on many levels.
Orientation week, yoga at 5:30 in the morning and Gibberish for the rest of the day ohh and the night. Yeah this exactly is how it can be described in one line. I would like to talk about the first day though, cause that was the only day i felt mixed emotions, as for the next 6, i was unable to feel anything except for sleep deprivation.
June 23
Yoga didn't happen, i like any other over eager sapling reached the grounds on time to find it empty desolate and sprinkled with a few like me cursing for various reasons which were
"yoga wasn't happening"
"yoga is going to happen from tomorrow"
"we had to wake up at 5"
"the yoga instructors did not wake up at 5"
mixed emotions as you can see!
loads of people retired immediately to their rooms, I on the other hand, unaware of the premium of free time and sleep, decided to tour the campus at 6 in the morning, clearly act of a novice.
Holding first of the infinite cups of coffee that i would be "downing" in the coming days i started my pilgrimage, from j lobby to the clinic, the library to the reception, the mess, the badminton courts. the newspaper boy, the college sweepers, none were ignored by my astute observation powers.
Reporting to the library converted in to an auditorium was the first of the many appointments we were supposed to keep. The days timetable was chalked out till the last minute. Don't get the picture? let me help you,
"the cameraman will cough at Sharp 11:15"
"the chief Guest(dearest Prem) will drink water at 11:21 sharp"
"the melodious nightingale will start the welcome address at 9:30 sharp and the first of the melodious notes would be coming at 9:30:01 SHARP!!!
now you see what i mean.
But i must confess between all the circus, this was the first of the many times i felt that i had achieved something and that from here on in my life everything that i say or do should indeed be worthy of being done by an IMT'ian. Little was i aware of the next thing i was going to see.
The hours passed and "tea" was called for. The rain gods angry at not being offered some of the endangered "Paneer Pakoras" decided they had had enough, as the rains pelted, in front of my eyes came a scene that i will not forget for some time to come, as it happened :
1. The rains did not deter some of the students (read 400 of the 490) from trying their luck at the abysmal coffee vending machine, or at the paneer pakora stall for that matter.
2. The director asked "Dearest Prem" if he would like something else?? "Dearest Prem" after surveying the battle for pakoras at the counters "smirked" and politely refused!! and that was the first of the many instances i scoffed at how things were done at IMT.
The rest of the day was dotted with addresses by "anyone and everyone who could share his wisdom", and the ubiquitous word "Attaindaynce" pronounced precisely as written with the consistency non nonpareil by one of our seniors. Come'th the lunch hour, we were supposed to eat enough to take us till dinner in 10 minutes. As i reached the "line for roti's" i came across my first and last confrontation, being the Gentleman Yours Truly is, he acted in the most reasonable manner possible, the fairer sex on the other hand might have gone overboard a little, but then knowing a few one liners does make you feel like using them, so well no offense taken although a lot was meant!! But i sincerely hoped that other around would exercise a little more civility and would act their "year" and would refrain from using the most "clinched banal hackneyed trite" one liners possible!!
Confused???? well this is as much as you get to see!!
As night approached the shoulders were sagging, the pressure of remembering names was climbing, the hope that something interesting will happen, Diminishing. And then came the unmatchable on many scales senior ,
"You think we are fools???(looooooooooooong pause) hmmmmmm??
are the lines he used as opening notes every single time,
and
"tommorow (looooooooooonger pause) Yoga (looooooooongest pause) 5:30
as the last words, before we were lead of to the fields to hail "Mehkar Singh" and do a lot of other stuff which reflected the creative IQ of our seniors, some of it was great , some of it made you yawn!!
Thus reaching the bed at 3:30 am with mind full of days happening, roomie already fast asleep, i set the alarm for 5:00 and though enervated, i still though it was a day that brought a lot of new experiences and in spite of all the "Bhasad" was worth it.!
The rest of the orientation week was pretty much the same as above, just that the pressure of networking increased, the much talked about outdoor activities came to pass, people you had already met suddenly did not have a name, had my first case study in one of the orientation lectures and was the first time i realized i could speak and do it well, at that!, slept through the entire day woke up to find that had missed most of the "atttaindeyence" for that day, panic came to pass, A lot of sleepless nights came to pass, A lot of "standing on stage and saying nonsensical things" came to pass, the most memorable of which "Amit Singh! Ye gym kab khulega", a lot of going of the field at 5:15 am only to come back at 5:30 for Yoga came to pass, not sleeping for 3 consecutive days came to pass. And last but not the least "aankhon ko komalta se band karlein" and having heard that sleeping of in the yoga session, waking up only when kicked by the yoga instructor came to pass.
The time of the actual lectures had now arrived. "B3" was how i was christened, books were distributed and a whole lot of them at that.Was 20 minutes late for my first lecture courtesy Ghaziabad traffic. Was disappointed after the first lecture where in an old chap tried to teach law and brought back memories of an engineering classroom. The second was the one where we came across the famed teacher having a lot of critical acclaim, having heard a lot about her, was a little apprehensive, her style totally classic and thus the cause for all the "warning Signs"by our seniors. Was thankfully not selected to become the class CR. For the first time came across fellows who just had to have a drag between lectures and would not care to have a pollo before coming back and breathing down your nose.
Class introductions happened over the next three weeks, with some of the people standing out for loads of reasons:
....... : for his utterly insatiable appetite for witty banter
...... : for his famed shorter name "jiggy"
..... : again for his "hawkey" eyes and the hairless skull...
.....: for his inquisitiveness in LAB class
......: for his sharing of experiences in OB class and the "own it all" walk
....... : For the most innovative sleeping postures and constant bodily movements
....: for her moodiness and astute observational powers(she noticed the bodily movements above), the sandals, and well from becoming an Introvert -> Extrovert, and for becoming the future FAM teacher.
........ Mam: for her amazing lectures
.....: for his experience and stage fright or may be playing it safe(will be elaborated below), and perennial smoking
......:"for his famed "born in jaisalmer and Son of soil" dialogue
......: for her water bottle nd dentisery...!
......: for her asking all the questions and being a genuine individual
and finally
........: for her being pdpeeed in the library, and for her being a real sport all the time.
At the same time time there were few people i found outside the class who were on the same frequency as me especially the "first markup event team", a few seniors, the girl with the perennial band aid, the girl with the gr8 "finance plan", the roomie who was just perfect and loads of other people that really helped me settle down at IMT.
Between all this was the time for the Club/Committee circus. Where in first years were called in the middle of the night to be judged by seniors who not always were worthy enough to judge. Some disappointments and shocks later i landed up in IRC, the International Relations Committee at IMT Ghaziabad.
Now came the first major event for our batch the "IPL" tournament, Gravely under prepared and there only because none other volunteered, a few members from our class namely
anirudh, jiggy, ankit, avneesh, gaurav, rohit( if i have forgotten any names kindly do not mind)
worked hard put something together and reached Kapilmohan ( it is here that the stage fright of ..... disconcerted me"), expecting nothing out of the event when we were awarded the first position it was really the first time that i felt that feeling that one wants to feel all the time, SATISFIED. A glimpse...
The IPL was followed by appreciation and a little more recognition everywhere. At the same time a certain camaraderie had started developing within B3. Meanwhile the first quiz's, a lot of IRC work had creeped up from nowhere what followed was disaster, sleepless nights, below average marks and a lot of mixed emotions at personal level. Hours were spent relaxing in the library AC's which till date remains my favorite hangout place in college, Gyan was given by lots of seniors, the nescafe promenades, Yellow wretched thing, and again emotional dynamics taking up a lot of time.
The next writable thing was the "Domino's Event" where buoyed by past success a few from our class reached Kapilmohan, the case study wasn't rocket science but the fact that we were the only first year team present was a little daunting. Minutes to our presentation and we had not reached a consensus, finally again lacking in preparation we opened our mouths in front of the domino's marketing VP, and our respected seniors, it came of pretty well given the fact that even after reaching the stage we had no clue what we were gonna say. Still i feel this event to was a milestone in terms of we people coming of age.
The midterms approached fast and so did a few projects and case studies. Nights in the library, banter in front of the class ( the OB Experience), the debacle( the qtbt project )
and the 7 papers all went past in a flash. Some went well some did not, but the good thing, results are nowhere to be seen.
Meanwhile the freshers , yeah the party that is supposed to happen as you enter the college came to pass and few one liners did got stuck " I thought we were supposed to have a party" , "we have thrown freshers and there is no1 here, its Disgusting", the booze flowed though like the Yamuna, the dj was better as compared to the cultural night( yeah that happened after the orientation week, cant write bout every single thing now!!! Can I ???), dancing till 6 in the morning was a joy even more satisfying was the feeling that you belong in certain groups and that you do have some potential friends in the making.
As of now after all that has happened over the last one and a half months, things seem to have settled down, in class you know the people you would like to sit next too, the photography sessions in class have made me write freelance photographer next to my name, the IRC work, the study schedule being followed, meeting deadlines ( as placecomm rules apply), in awe of some second years everything is going on simultaneously and well at that!
Rite now its one of those rare calm Sunday's and the lull before the storm that has allowed me to sit down and write in this space. Lots of interesting and scary stuff is lined up for the coming days the mahindra & mahindra event, the LAB project, the study schedule and the things about which i do not know as of now; yeah actually all this stuff does look interesting to me now and not merely a deadline, perhaps MBA rigor is starting to sink in.
On a closing note this is what comes to mind :
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Of the need for change....
I was flirting with this idea for a long time now, that of getting this haircut, finally yesterday i did go through with it. And it feels great. As i look back, i do want to find some reasons as to why i wanted this cut in the first place.
Change is good, its refreshing and well it serves its purpose by breaking the monotony. Getting up every morning and seeing the same old face staring back at you again and again and again can get to you, well it did and i thought to myself......
It was an exam night and i had been mugging all day, by the time it was 12:00 under the star's, my head was aching, oops understatement, It was about to Explode. As i clenched my hair that night out of sheer frustration....
I was running at about 11 km/hr and what was annoying me was not the speed or the aching muscles, but the hair, that just wont stay put. As i for the infinite time pulled them back....
So, now as i sit back and use the power of thought , i can say with a lot of certainty that this change in my visage is primarily to cater to my comfort. Secondarily to boast about the power i have to change at least something in this world.
Well now as i have successfully gone back in the hindsight, It is time now to listen to people as they pontificate. The hair dresser "Sir, so many months of hard work and you want to chop them all of in one go!", "funny"!!. A bloke compared me with "langda tyagi" a character played by Saif ali khan in a film called "Omkara", now if i thought this was insulting i clearly did not foresee this coming, "you look like Shikhar Dhawan", if only i didn't know who he was i wouldn't have taken, Offense. But even as i maintained my stand that this was due to the above mentioned reasons, An ambassador of bollywood came right in my face and
" Dude! the film is not even out and you've already copied him!"
Now what "film" and who "him" was what i was thinking and bang
"Man you sure are bollywood crazy!!",
now it was getting out of control i finally plead ignorance and asked the questions
"what film" and "who him",
what followed is the most "looked down upon look" I've ever come across,
"You haven't seen the promos of Ghajini, he looks smashing!!",
I thought he was going to hit me wen i asked
"who is looking smashing",
then he passed the final judgment
"(smirking) Dont lie to me , You copied Aamir!! and now you are acting smart!!!"
well i just wished i had been Smarter and worn a CAP.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Of the thing i see most.......
Thank god its not my Face, am not that paranoid about my looks....
No, its not my Phone a close contender though...
Cricket? well it comes close but not the chart topper..
my Hands, interesting thought , they are always in the picture YES, but never in the center. So, NO...
Dreams/Zilch well i sleep for 7-8 hours everyday so, technically we have a winner but, NO that is not where this buildup is heading, how do i know? Cause well i had decided the theme of this blog even before I started typing. So lets say Dreams are a close second.
So what is it then? Are you still reading? Are you that curious? Well we as species are, so you, are forgiven.
What i see the most is in fact the Wallpaper on my laptop.
Now whoever came up with this concept ( No i do not know the name, and Yes, i do not use Google to fill up this blog) clearly had one thing in mind, Personalization, thats what after all makes us humans happy. The feeling that we own something and that we can do whatever with it, No do not even think about contradicting it, We all do it, and We all know it.
What a wallpaper offers is much more than the above mentioned "feel good effect", peace of mind, a window for our dreams, a personal statement, a reminder, a goal; are a few facets of it that come to my mind.
"Spoilt for Choice" is very appropriate in this regard. There are after all a billion of them out there and Yes, they are all "Free". Getting lost in the myriads of themes , trying to do justice with every single one you come across and like( Gandhji you Rock), trying to find Yourself in one of them, trying to change, cause well we may chew nails for an entire lifetime, but changing wallpapers and shoes is a "Fundamental Right", again it only reflects how short lived are our emotions and how desperately we all want something "Better".
I have always been fascinated by nature and my personal comfort, by the latter i mean dark( with respect to color) wallpapers for the times i have a headache(and thats a lot of times) and i want as minimum contrast as possible, the former is an answer to all my calls, dreams, places i wish to visit, how i can sit on a bench under an overcast sky and enjoy the greenery around, how i can watch National Geographic for ours and not complain; All of them.
So as a tribute to all the wallpapers out there, here are some of them that i truly adore. Of course you all have favorites and may not like the the following but at the end of the day whats important is that, You are the one "Reading", and I am the one Publishing.
well these two i think are what butterfly's have as roofs, and if i were to have my dining table on one leaf and living room on another ...sigh
open sky as far as your eyes can see, being a delhiite, standing in a lush green open field with blue sky all around is well next to impossible, but this one's gonna happen sometime soon.
how bout this as a jacuzzi, that light has so many forms, leaves so many textures, and both together can create such magic.
this one's of a glacier in Iceland, if i were to camp someplace this will be it.
A cruise up to the arctic and down to the antarctic, one of the many things that rule my wish list. This picture just shows how even the arctics best predator is beautiful from a distance, and thats how nature always wanted it to be.
on a beach with a novel and a pinacolada, white sand, clear water, what gizmo can give you such a pleasure .....
into the tropics with diversity all around...
even as i finish with this post i feel refreshed, why earth is a beautiful planet, I now know, All Over Again!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Of Need for Speeed....
I do not remember exactly when i transformed from an anxious to a presumptuous Driver. Back in the old days when i was in 7th i got the keys to "Bajaj Priya" a family heirloom that was now mine to flaunt. Driving through Colony roads i was a firm believer of keeping it slow and steady. As days went by the speedometer needle began to hover around 60 and the scooter started shivering, I knew the threshold had been reached.
Many summers and winters later there was a shiny bike( Yamaha Enticer) standing in my garage, thanks to commuting needs of my brother. It was a big promotion and i never missed a chance to show off its RPM. The horizon widened and my range was now 4 kilometers from the house so every Saturday, Sunday thanks to a Coaching Class i got to unleash the force and touching 100 was now a habit. Cutting across traffic, changing lanes at pleasure, i was now the "Schumacher" of my little biking world.
Two wheeler to four wheeler the journey was smooth, though the turns were tricky in the beginning i gradually developed an 'entente cordiale' with my Maruti 800. My brother, I always thought was a rash driver and i avoided sitting next to him while he was at the wheel, vice versa also(much to my surprise) was true cause in my mind I was a humble 40km/hr 'ish driver. Much later did i realize that no one who knows how to drive a car can sit besides a driver and not be uneasy.
College brought along with it an unexpected Perk, i joined a carpool and no it was not just any carpool, there was no driver or a taxi, there were however 5 different college blokes from various years strutting their stuff once a week. My father ever so cautious never quite liked this system so after much haggling and exausting all other alternatives, "common sense" prevailed. I was now in the club, so once every week i took the 'Maruti 800' and to college, not having a license was an issue so seniors drove it( i hated it) until i was according to the 'Constitution of India' old enough to Drive.
It was my freshers and me Shitiz( a pal from college) were like popcorns in microwave, bursting at seams with excitement. With only two of us going, a license under my belt and no pestering seniors it was the day i turned a leaf(literally). Home to college was 33 kilometers and we reached in 38 minutes, that was the day i realized my driving prowess and YES there was no looking back.
Times changed and i got a 'santro xing', this baby could go up to 140 if stretched. Gradually people sitting next to me while i was driving started wearing seat belt diligently and i knew i had arrived. 'Shanti path Round abouts', 'Raotularam Marg' were now official speed zones.
Finally in my 4th year in college the Delhi-Gurgaon Express way has been completed which allows speed addicts like me to discharge all the adrenalin desired. Spanning over 20 kilometers the expressway is as smooth as "whatever is most smooth". Covering the stretch in about 5 minutes is routine. With only three of us in the carpool now ( all the seniors gradually passed away(into the corporate world that is)) speeding has become a vicious cycle, No we do not compete for the "Schumacher Title" rather we all are naturally fast.
Cutting through lanes at 120km/hr with "Thunderstruck" playing on the stereo, it is the only DRUG i take. Am i invincible, infallible ? Well till now my slate is clean, i know when there's an opportunity to overtake, i know the length and breadth of my car, am not afraid of speed and YES i like to show off my talent. Am i proud of it well YES and NO. I do realize that we are all humans and a single mistake can be grave for all of us in the car, at the same time i am confident that there cant ever be a mistake with me behind the wheel.
Though lately having seen some Gore accidents in some movies and in real life, i have begun to introspect. Somehow i feel i am responsible for making my carpool buddies drive fast too, well they are not trying to prove anything to me, but lets say they too have tasted blood. So this morning when i left for college i placed a "sufi music" CD in the stereo and hoped it would help holding back the adrenalin, it worked fine for sometime but as soon as the expressway was in sight the speedometer was automatically showing 130km/h.
So lets say i have identified this urge to over speed as a bane. Though how long it takes for me to keep my foot of the accelerator is yet to be seen. A compromise that i am working on is to allow myself to cut through lanes at modest speeds of 80-90km/hr, but refrain from doing the same at 120 +.
As for now i have to drive to college tomorrow too and i plan to put a "MahaMrityunjay" CD in the stereo lets hope it works for the greater good of Mankind.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Reservation Road
Ever felt like running on city streets at night or experienced the stillness of a sunrise on a beach. Reservation Road is a movie that makes you feel these feelings, its quiet, its simple and ever so tacit. It leaves you with an aftertaste that is slight but still grabs some part of your conscience.
The movie boasts of a cast studded with "performer's", Jennifer Connelly(A beautiful mind), Mark Ruffalo (Just Like Heaven), Joaquin Phoenix(Walk the line), so what you get is a connoisseur delight. A father who has just lost a son in a "hit and run", a person living with the guilt of taking an innocent life, a wife trying to comfort a husband. It's no brain wracker but a movie which is as subtle as they come.
The story is not as predictable as you expect and takes a turn which puts the characters in very interesting situation. Though a bit slow the movie manages to keep you interested while you savor the performances by the actors. There is no 'Thrill' or 'Action' but there is 'Drama' and lots of it.
Jennifer Connelly though underused, is flawless and gives a performance full emotion and unstated sadness. Joaquin Phoenix is the grieved father whose life has come to a screeching halt and all he thinks about is "how to get justice". Mark Ruffalo impresses as a person plagued with the guilt of a convict.
The movie sure is not a 'Prime time' and wont be appreciated by the 'popcorn crowd', it is but a reflection of how 'We' humans are, how we grieve, how we all feel the guilt, and how we all still do have a conscience. Watch it for the flawless acting, for a quiet one and a half hour, and if you appreciate a real life story told in a real life perspective.
Rating:
7/10
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Jodha-Akbar : A confession
Three hours phew!!! Ashutosh Gowarikar perhaps in pursuit of opulence forgot about everything else. Studded with jewellery and costumes and forts and palaces Jodha Akbar is the perfect ambassador for the Mughal Grandeur.
Is there a plot?Are you kidding! Does Gowarikar think his audience has brains? NO. Pitiable plots, an evil “godmother”, ludicrous misunderstandings, Comic villains and devoid of logic this flick officially bans the use of Gray matter.
