Universal Truths....

Astronomy is a topic I have always been deeply interested in.. I often ponder over the intricacies of the universe.. And discuss it will anyone who is interested.. Two things that hav always fascinated me are, time and space..

The hugeness of space and time scales of the universe is mind boggling in itself.. The universe has been around for more than 10 billion years.. Most of us cannot even comprehend the enormity of this figure.. To think that the entire human civilization has only been around for 5000 years..

Many stars visible from earth are thousands of light years away.. It means what they appear to us today, is what they where thousands of years back.. So, in fact, we are actually able to look back in time.. Who says that time machine is yet to be invented..

Consider the opposite scenario.. Suppose a guy is sitting with a very powerful telescope in a planet 2 million light years away.. He would be able to see the light reflected from the earth 2 million years back.. i.e. he would see dinosaurs roaming about all over the place..

A topic as fascinating as astronomy, is relativity.. The wrapping of time and space.. Although I could understand the logic behind the mathematical derivations which indicate the shrinking of time and length as speed of a body approaches the speed of light (studied in college), I have never quite been able to grasp how and why does it actually happen.. How can scientists like Stephen Hawking and co. think and derive theories in areas which most others can't even comprehend properly.. The more I delve into it, the more intrigued I get..

When I think about all these things, I realize how insignificant we are in the larger scheme of things.. The minutest malfunction in the inter-galactic machinery can completely obliterate our very existence.. And there is no way we can do anything about it... We are all puppets in the hands of greater forces.. Maybe, it is from here that the concepts of God and Destiny hav emerged...

Any discussion on such a topic cannot conclude without a mention of extra-terrestrial beings.. I'll just quote a dialogue from the novel Contact, by Carl Sagan.. A child asked the leading lady about what she thought of extra-terrestrials.. She replied, "There are more stars in this galaxy than there is sand on all beaches of earth.. And there are more galaxies in the universe than there is sand on this earth.. So, if it's only us, then it seems like an awful waste of space".....

it's a Jungle out there....

When I recently saw some swanky and futuristic buildings in a few ads (ex. the Fiat Palio ad with Sachin), I wondered where those were located.. Bangalore was my bet.. or Hyderabad.. in the Hi Tech City.. I was wrong.. when I went to the Bandra Kurla Complex for the 1st time, I was nothing short of amazed.. The humongousness and extravagance of the concrete structures is something to behold..

And guess what, I am placed right in the middle of BKC (i.e. Bandra Kurla Complex) for the whole 2 months of my summer internship.. Looking out of the window of my office, I can constantly see the gargantuan structures of IL&FS,ICICI, NABARD etc... not that the building I am working in is too far behind.. I must add......

Just to bring things in perspective.. the cost of my building was 125 crore.. And it is one of the smaller ones around.. The only thing I hate about the place is the lack of greenery.. Not a single tree in the entire area..

Having seen the area in so many ads and movies, I expected to be witness to at least one such shooting during my internship.. That almost didn't happen.. But today (with just 1 week to go before I wind up my project), as I was entering my office, I saw a temporary shooting setup being made right in front.. An hour later, a galaxy of filmstars decended on the scene.. Akshay Kumar, Tussar Kapoor, Esha Deol, Archana Puran Singh, Laxmikant Berde (remember him?), and the guy who was the villain in Gulam (forgot his name).. They shot a few scenes and then disappeared..

Gone are the days when the leading couple used to run around trees.. They still run around in a jungle.. But nowerdays, it's in a Concrete Jungle.................

The place were I always wanted to be...

NITIE had always been my dream b-school.. From the time my brother, who was then a student of the institute, told me about it, and showed some pictures.. It was unbelievable that such pristine natural beauty could exist right in the middle of the cauldron of Mumbai..

Entering the gates, is almost like crossing a worm-hole (forgive the metaphysics).. You seem to be transported from a metropolis to a hill station in an instant.. What with the hilly landscape, the scenic pond near the hostels, the classrooms perched on the hill-top... And who can miss the Vihar and Powai lakes in their full glory..

Most b-school campuses are incredibly beautiful.. But students hardly get enough time to enjoy their beauty.. But this is not the case with NITIE.. You can always squeeze some time to wander on the winding road to the top.. or lounge near the pond.. or disappear into the esoteric banks of Vihar lake..

But then, all is not fair and lovely in campus.. Many have spotted an unwanted tourist in the environs of NITIE off late, a leopard.. He seems to be on the lookout for dinner at nights.. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the privilege of meeting this most elusive inhabitant of my b-school.. Maybe someday I will.. But then, I may not be around to blog about it next time...........

My Mind Space...

Got the idea to make a blog of my own from Sallu.. It's great way to express your thoughts, and reflect on them down the line..

Well, what should I begin with... The last 1 year has been quite sometime for me, coming out of small cities into the most happening city in the country.. Sometimes i miss my engineering days.. But then, my days in the B-school have been as eventful and enjoyable, if not more.. There is much more to learn form my batchmates and the environment, than through profs. and classes.. It's wonderful to be with people who you know, will be in the who's who lists in the future..

Only 6 more months to go before placements.. Then student life over.. The end of all fun and games.. More responsibilities to take care of, more things to think about.. Looking forward to those days as well..

More in the next edition...