Rendezvous with Death..

The 1st year of engineering is probably one of the most excruciating year’s in a student’s life. Finding an engineering student who has not been “ragged” in his 1st year is about as difficult as findng a house wife who does not watch Ikta Kapoor’s soaps. I was relatively lucky in this respect, and somehow managed to wiggle out of 1st year without being ragged to the same extent as my batchmates. Before I entered college, my brother had challenged me to pass through the 1st year without being slapped by a senior. I somehow managed to achieve this quite remarkable feat. But today, I remember the most mortifying incident of my life, an incident which I would easily make it’s way into any Bollywood pot-boiler, an incident which I am sure to tell my grand children one day.....

It was the that dreaded 1st month of college, when ragging is at it’s grotesque peak. I used to live in Raipur, and commute to my college, which was in Bhilai, by bus. By doing so, I used to violate one of the tenets laid down by the seniors of Raipur, which stated that every fresher from Raipur has to travel by train to Bhilai. And during the train journey, the freshers used to get royally ragged by the seniors. I had decided I wanted none of it. So I traveled alone by bus. But I knew that the day any senior finds out about my blasphemy, I would be taken straight to the guillotine. I needed to be extra careful to make sure that no one sees my getting into, and out of the bus near our college. So, I always took the usual precautions of reaching Bhilai well before college timings, and getting in and out of the bus about a km away from the college gates. But the sinking feeling that I might eventually be caught one day never ceased to be at the back of my mind. And one day, my worst fears came true.

One evening after college, I boarded a bus to Raipur, and nestled into a comfortable window seat. Just about 15 minutes later, a rowdy fellow on a bike began to ride along the road, just in front of my window. After staring in my direction for a short while, he suddenly exploded into the most vulgar slang attack. While riding his bike, and staring in my direction, he began to utter the most obnoxious profanities I have ever heard. I knew it now, this was a rowdy senior from Raipur, who had seen me getting into the bus, and was now hot on my trail, wanting to scare the wits out of me. But I thought that as long as I was inside the bus and he was on the bike, I was not in any physical danger. He would soon veer off and go away.

I was wrong.

Suddenly, the guy accelerated and overtook the bus. Then, most unexpectedly, asked the bus driver to stop. Soon he was rushing into the bus, anger raging in his face. I knew now, that I was done for. It was time for me to say my final prayers. As he charged towards my seat, I knew that I was seconds away from being pummeled into smithereens. My misadventure of disobeying my seniors had gone fatally wrong. The rough had now reached upto the seat before me. And then, looking at the guy sitting an chewing "pan", on the window seat in front of me, shouted at his highest pitch, “You f****** a******, can’t you look once on who is on the road, before spitting through the bus window!!!”

Phew!!! I had come back from the dead! I felt like someone whose death sentence had been cancelled after the firing squad had taken it's aim! It was the luckiest day of my life! I had lived to fight another day.....

Star Trek

If there is one thing every man (and woman) wants to know, it is his/her future. Through centuries, various concepts and logics have been evolved, which aim to somehow decipher what the future has in store. Palmistry, numerology, tarot cards and zillions of other such techniques. But scientists disregard them all. I too have been fascinated by all the various ways in which we try to know what the future holds, but have found no evidence, persuasive enough to make me believe any of these can actually predict the future with and degree of certainty. It was with this initial skepticism that I first treated astrology as well. But the intricate nature of the zillions of possible combinations of planets, and all the mathematical jugglery involved in making astrological predictions, forced me to probe deeper into the subject, in order to try to verify for myself, whether there is some scientific and factual basis behind this occult sphere of knowledge.

Astrology’s underlying principle is the fact that the various planets in the solar system, have an effect on human nature, behavior and health. This is something I do find believable, although not scientifically proven. It’s well known that the sun and moon exert considerable magnetic and gravitational forces on the earth. The moon causes tides and sun’s flares disturb satellites. The moon’s gravity is also said to cause variations in human behavior. The word “lunatic” has been derived from the word “luna” meaning “the moon”. It has been proved that many mentally unstable people go beserk on full moon nights. It is only logical then, that other planets in the solar system also exert some gravitational or magnetic forces (however miniscule in magnitude) on the earth. And some of these forces could also possibly influence human nature and health. Nothing has been proved till now, but all I say is that we should not disregard the possibility of something happening just coz it has not been proven with our exiting knowledge base.

Yet there are certain aspects of astrology I find difficult to digest. How can astrology predict things unrelated to human behavior, like accidents etc. Also, how can one derive information about one’s parents, wife and other relatives. I can’t see how the effect of planets on one person can cause all these things. Having said that, I do believe that there must be some explanation for these phenomena as well. An explanation which has not been found yet, but could be found in the future. My belief stems from the fact that several concepts and anecdotes present in ancient Indian scriptures, which were earlier regarded as fiction, have now been proven. Indian mythology says that each incarnation of the universe exists for 1 day in the life of Brahma i.e. 10 billion years. Scientists too have recently estimated the age of the universe as approximately 10 billion years. All of us know the story of how “Abhimanyu” heard the way to enter the “chakravyuh” while he was in his mother’s womb. Recent research shows that children do remember certain things from even before their birth, in their subconscious mind. But they are unable to comprehend those thoughts as they are in very abstract form.

I am not saying that astrology CAN indeed predict the future, or that everything is predecided by destiny, and that we humans cannot control our own. I just believe that we should not treat the great art of astrology (I prefer to call it “art”, rather than “science”, as science demands proof for everything) with contempt, but should instead try to unravel the esoteric intricacies of the same. Maybe, some day we will discover something that will change our world.... quite literally....

Finally, the search for the scientific foundations of astrology has some parallels with the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, about which Carl Sagan once famously said, “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”.

The Birth of a Nation.. oops 2 Nations..

The history of Indian independence struggle, the creation of Pakistan and the Kashmir conundrum have always intrigued me. Of late, I have had the opportunity to go through a lot of literature on these topics. What I have read, whilst clearing some doubts, has also raised more perplexing questions in my mind, about why things happened the way they did, and what could have been......

To understand the reasons for the partition of the country, we need to go back upto 1000 years in history, and try to understand the reasons for Hindu-Muslim differences. Islam was brought to India by successive muslim invaders from the north west. The atrocities committed by these aggressors on the natives, the forced conversions, and the vandalisation of temples created a distinct sense of hatred in the hearts of the hindu people towards these invaders, a feeling which later got directed towards the muslims themselves. For hundreds of years to follow, hindus tended to treat muslims with disdain, many families going to the extent of refusing to touch anything touched by a muslim. Such grossly unfair behavior on part of the hindus only alienated the muslims further. One remarkable piece of history says that, in the 19th century, the Maharaja (who was a hindu) of Kashmir (were the majority of the population was muslim, who had been converted to Islam in the 14th century) tried to reconvert the people of Kashmir back to Hinduism, and asked the hindu priests of Kashi to perfom the requisite religious ceremonies. But the priests refused, and as a result, majority of Kashmiri people remained as muslims. One wonders, had the Maharaja of Kashmir had succeeded in his efforts then, the Kashmir problem as it is today, may not have existed at all!!

Now to the Indian independence struggle. By the 1920s, the Congress had positioned itself as a party representing all Indians (hindus + muslims + Sikhs etc.) against the British. But this did not stop leaders like Jinnah from creating the Muslim League, which claimed to fight for the rights of muslims. The British took full advantage of the simmering differences between the 2 communities and tried to maintain the divide. Although Gandhiji tried everything in his power to appease muslims, as well as treated Jinnah with great respect, he could never bring Jinnah close to his line of thought. Experts say that one of the many reasons for Jinnah’s reluctance to appreciate Gandhiji’s ideas could have been the fact that he was a typical high society, westernized and modern person, who did not identify himself with the “half-naked” saintly figure who preached “swadeshi”.

Gandhiji’s actions used to routinely invite protests from hindu fundamentalists who believed he unfairly favoured muslims, even at times sacrificing the interests of hindus. They sighted examples like-

1.Gandhiji reportedly asked for recitations from The Holy Kuran in temples as a mark of communal harmony, but never for the recitation of The Gita in mosques.

2. He favored Sheikh Abdullah ( leader of the muslim majority in Kashmir) over the hindu king Hari Singh, but did not voice his support for the majority hindus in Hyderabad, who were under the Nizam.

3.His reported statements that hindus in Pakistan should embrace death rather than come to India, and asking hindu refugees to vacate the mosques they had taken shelter in, in Delhi.

But inspite of all his efforts, he could not placate Jinnah, who even after Gandhiji’s death, reportedly said “.. a hindu leader has died..”.

Gandhiji’s philosophy of non-violent struggle against the oppressor has no parallels in human history. It was quite miraculous how one man could energize an entire nation to follow his novel ideals. Gandhiji’s methods succeeded against the British, but would they have succeeded against an enemy like Hitler, who believed in terminating any opposition at 1st sight?? Gandhijis ability to persuade people to follow his ideals through “anshans” (fasts) was also exemplary. That one man could make so many people follow the path shown by him, without any threat or use of force, speaks volumes of the stature he commanded in the masses. But his detractors may say that the way he forced the Congress, and later the Indian Govt. to change their decisions just because he did not agree to them, showed that he behaved like a dictator himself, and his fasts were some sort of “emotional blackmail”. All said and done, Gandhiji’s leadership was no doubt the single biggest influence behind India’s independence. And no matter what anyone says, no other Indian can ever reach his heights.

Coming back to the Kashmir problem, it is highly puzzling that after the Maharaja of Kashmir signed the accession accord with India, and the Indian army was called in to drive away the tribal invaders who had infiltrated into Kashmir, why did the army not finish off the job and drive them completely out of the state. Why did they stop half way through, which resulted in the creation of what we call “PoK” today. Kuldeep Nayar, in his book “Distant Neighbors” says, “Nehru’s idea was to clear the Pakistanis only upto a point which could be militarily defensible”. He also writes “Going further..... would have embroiled the Indian forces unnecessarily in an area and terrain which was unfavourable, geographically, as well as population wise”. Maybe this was the reason why recapturing “PoK” has never been on the agenda for India, in any of the 3 subsequent wars with Pakistan, although the Indian Parliament has passed a resolution proclaiming India’s right over Kashmir in it’s entirety. Why plebiscite was not held in Kashmir in the early 1950s in accordance with the UN resolution, when India would have won hands down ( since Kashmiris were extremely agitated over the atrocities committed by the Pakistani infiltrators), is another tricky question. Maybe because one of the basic conditions for the plebiscite, that the Pakistanis should vacate the area under their occupation, was never fulfilled, or maybe because of India’s distrust of the UN, which was completely favouring Pakistan at that time, under the influence of the US and UK.

Even today, the 2 countries are grappling to find a solution to the K-factor. For Pakistan, Kashmir has been a fantastic way of diverting attention from it’s domestic problems, created by half a century of corrupt politicians and military dictatorships. Perhaps, converting the LoC into an international border is the only feasible solution now, which successive govts. on the 2 sides continue to ignore, under domestic pressure. Till then, the “Kashmir” soap opera would countinue to be broadcast to high TRP ratings in both countries. Funnily enough, the word “Kashmir” too starts with a “K’.....

What Women Want!!

While rummaging through some of my old mails, I just found this forward sent to me long time back by Sallu. I have no idea whether all this stuff works or not, but it makes for interesting reading..

**************************************

There are two basic stories for how men and women "start off" together, and two basic stories for how men and women "end up". Through all of time, I'm sure that men and women have been playing out these stories... and I'm sure that they'll continue to play them out long into the future (that is, unless I have something to say about it... and I do).

THE MEETING STORIES

Here's "Meeting Story #1":

Boy is attracted to girl. Unfortunately, boy doesn't have a clue about how to make girl feel ATTRACTION for him... so instead he tries to "pursue" girl by offering her dinners, gifts, and flowers. Girl finds boy "nice", but there are no "sparks", so she "just likes him as a friend".

Here's "Meeting Story #2":

Boy is attracted to girl. Fortunately for him, boy understands ATTRACTION, and begins to communicate with girl in a way that makes her feel a powerful physical and emotional response for boy that she can't control. The sparks fly, and boy and girl "get together".

As I'm sure you know...

In story #1, GIRL is in total control of the situation, and both of them know it.

In story #2, BOY is the one who's in control of the situation.

THE STORIES OF HOW THINGS "END UP"

Let's assume that somehow boy and girl actually "get together". Things usually go one of two ways after that...

Here's "End Up Story #1":

Boy and girl get together. Boy realizes that he "REALLY likes" girl. Boy begins to act more and more predictable. Boy starts to share "how he feels" about girl too often. Boy becomes more and more submissive. Girl loses that feeling of ATTRACTION that she once had for boy, and has no way of explaining or understanding why. Girl leaves boy, and boy is left wondering what happened.

Here's "End Up Story #2":

Boy and girl get together. Boy understands that no matter how much he likes girl, he cannot let himself become a Wussy who chases girl around "sharing how he feels" and become boring. Boy keeps the relationship interesting, and he keeps challenging girl. He stays in control of himself, and by understanding his role as "The Man" in the relationship, keeps girl interested and attracted to him into the future.

And again, as I'm sure you know...

In story #1, GIRL is in total control of the situation, and both of them know it.

In story #2, BOY is the one who's in control of the situation.

If you look at your experience with women, I'm sure you'll see that these short stories describe MOST of the experiences you've had. Now, of course there are slight twists and variations, but the message is clear:

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND HOW ATTRACTION WORKS FOR WOMEN... AND HOW TO KEEP THE ATTRACTION GOING WHEN YOU MEET A WOMAN YOU REALLY LIKE.

If you don't understand ATTRACTION and how it works, then you are destined to keep playing out these same stories for the rest of your life. It's very unlikely that you'll stumble upon the "magic solution" by accident...

ATTRACTION IS DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN THAN IT IS FOR MEN--VERY DIFFERENT

The reality is that you CAN stop this negative pattern if you WANT to.

But the key is:

1) Understanding how ATTRACTION works for WOMEN.

2) Understanding YOURSELF so you don't ALLOW yourself to act like a Wussy, become boring, and turn a good thing into a bad one... but instead you do the RIGHT things to keep everything on the right track.

If you know how to make a woman feel ATTRACTION for you, then you can control your destiny with women. If you DON'T know how to make a woman feel ATTRACTION for you, then you cannot control your destiny with women.

Read that paragraph again, and think about it for a minute before you go on.

OK, so I mentioned that ATTRACTION is very different for women than it is for men. Different how? What do I mean by that?

Well, generally speaking, for a woman, ATTRACTION is a PROCESS... not an "event". It happens over time, and it becomes stronger or weaker depending upon how well the man in the situation understands how it works.

For a man, ATTRACTION is much more of an "event", meaning that it's either there or it isn't. It really doesn't matter whether or not the woman understands how it works. (As an interesting side note, if a woman really knows how ATTRACTION works, and her intention is to manipulate a man, it usually works VERY well.)

So think of a woman's "Attraction Mechanism" more like a volume knob than a light switch. It's like a fantastic, classy old car that needs to warm up for a long time before you can drive it... not like a brand new Honda that you can start up and get right on the freeway with.

Here's a little secret about women and ATTRACTION: If you'll just take a little longer in every situation to AMPLIFY a woman's ATTRACTION, she'll love you for it... and you'll experience rewards that will make the extra time you spent seem like the best investment of your entire life.

Here are a few specific tips for you for the "Meeting Phase":

1) Start with something STRONG, not with something WEAK.

When a guy finds a girl interesting, he usually turns into a ball of nervous mush. Then, he usually makes the mistake of letting the woman KNOW that he's nervous and weak.

Don't do it.

Do something STRONG.

Challenge her.

If she thinks that she's cool, make fun of her. If she's smart, argue with her a little.

If she's doing something, tell her that you could do it better.

When you PUSH a little, and show some BACKBONE, she'll push back. That's your sign that the GAME IS ON.

If you just chase after her like the 100 other Wussies that have been bothering her this week, you will just be another boring, predictable face in the crowd.

2) Keep the TENSION UP.

One of my favorite concepts is "Never let the line go slack". This means that once you SPARK the "chemistry" or "sexual tension", you need to KEEP IT UP.

Just because she starts doing things that hint to you that she's interested doesn't mean that it's time to STOP. Quite the opposite, actually. Turn UP the volume a little. It's working, so do more!

3) Tease.

The word "tease" has a couple of meanings. One of the meanings has to do with doing things that are slightly annoying to get a response from someone. The other meaning is subtly different, and has to do with drawing out a response that you want by doing certain things that indirectly trigger it.Do both.

If you're about to kiss her, wait until your lips are so close that you can almost feel her... and then STOP. Pull away, and smile.

If you want to know how she feels about you, say "You LOVE me" in a condescending tone of voice, and see how she responds. If she says "NO I DON'T!" in an exaggerated, mocking way, then she probably DOES "love" you.

Teasing is fantastic. Do more of it.

And here are a few tips for the "End Up" phase:

1) Never become BORING.

Being predictable and boring is a cardinal sin when it comes to ATTRACTION. Don't do either.

Of course, telling a man not to be predictable is like telling a dog not to hump your leg. Most guys are PAINFULLY predictable. We LIKE being predictable, actually. I get it. But when it comes to a woman you enjoy, you'd better figure out a way to STOP IT.There's nothing that will kill the sparks faster than her knowing what you're about to do or say.

2) Don't hand over control.

Women like men who make decisions and take the lead. Now, I'm not saying that women like men who are overly controlling. What I am saying is that women don't like guys who are always saying things like "I don't know, what do YOU want to do, baby?".

Women don't want men that they can control, so don't be one.

3) Respect yourself, and keep your own interests.

When a guy meets a woman he likes, he often wants to spend as much time as possible with her.

This is natural, of course. But there's a big danger here, as well. If you put your life aside for a woman, you will become less interesting to HER. In the long run, it's MUCH better to keep your friends, your interests, and your hobbies, and to spend time doing the things you enjoy... WITHOUT HER.

And I think it's VERY important to keep improving yourself as a person, and continue to be a guy that she can look up to and respect. As soon as you start acting like she's going to be around forever, she'll start feeling less and less ATTRACTION for you.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Now, as you read these examples, can you see the bigger picture forming?

Can you see the deeper message?

The deeper message is that you need to understand how ATTRACTION works for women, and you need to do those things that keep the ATTRACTION BUILDING FOREVER.

Now, where does this all begin?

It begins with YOU. And it begins with you learning how to control yourself and your emotions. It begins with you needing to understand the history of how and why men and women become attracted to each other. It begins with you learning the basics of how to use subtle body language and communication to make women feel ATTRACTION for you.

Roshogolla Rhapsody

India is not a country, it’s a continent. Not just because of it’s vast landscape, but more so because of the multitude of vastly differing languages, cultures and temperaments residing under one umbrella. No other country in the world has so many disparate regional identities and attitudes, and yet manages to retain a single national character. Every caste has it’s own USP as it were, Punjabis are known for their “live-life-to-the-fullest” attitude, Gujratis for their entrepreneurial excellence, South Indians for their dignified conduct. Having said all that, each caste possesses some negative traits as well, which people from the rest of the country love to mock. I am not qualified to talk about other castes, but being a Bengali, I can endeavor to do an analysis of my own caste. So here it goes folks.....

What are the top 4 things that come to your mind when I say the word “Bengali”?? Fish, academic inclination/intelligence, artistic talent, self-centeredness.... That’s the answer most people would give you. The 1st two elements of the reply are uncannily related. More than half of humanity believes that a Bengali’s academic intelligence stems from the fact that fish is an indispensable part of his diet. Scientists have proved that fish is good for a whole lot of things... heart, skin, hair etc. But they are yet to find the link between fish and brain. Until they do, this will remain the most widely discussed rumor about Bengalis.

A Bengali’s fishy fetish stems from the fact that Bengal is a land of rivers, distributaries and backwaters. Fish and rice are the most abundantly available edible substances in the region. Just as milk and wheat have become synonymous with Punjab, coconut oil with Kerala, fish has become an integral part of Bengali culture.

The high level of academic inclination/intelligence has it’s roots in a Bengali’s nature. Bengalis are not known for their entrepreneurial skills. Most of them would rather work for someone else than start an enterprise of their own. Since most Bengalis belong to the service class, they lay extra emphasis on their children’s education. That they have to be good in studies is drilled into every Bengali child’s psyche, and as a result, most of them turn out to be pretty good at it.

Creativity and artistic talent are also traits which most Bengalis intrinsically possess. Most of them have clear and resonant voices, ideally suited for professions like singing and anchoring. Most are also good at one or another art form..... at painting, at literature, at instrumental music, at dance etc. etc. (And some a great punsters and cartoonists too!!!) Rarely would you find a Bengali without a passionate hobby. And yes, a Bengali loves his sport.

The last defining character of a Bengali is his self-centeredness. I would like to clarify here that self-centered is not the same as selfish. A selfish man may hurt others to achieve his own goals, whereas a self-centered man may not hurt others, but will also not go out of his way to help them. He is very happy to live in his own cocoon, not reaching out to others, and not taking initiatives in solving their problems. Most Bengalis would never cheat anyone, but will never be philanthropists either. This trait of theirs does at times make them unpopular amongst friends and society.

So folks, that was my take on bengalihood. My comments are the result of observations I have made through my interaction with friends, family and others over the years. I might be completely wrong in my assessment, and may alter my ideas if some more persuasive evidence to the contrary appears before me. Comments welcome!!!

p.s.-Well, so much for an insider's perspective.. for a non-bong's take on bongs, click here

Kleinefelt Pete Marvick Girdler

Placements are over.. and as the dust settles down on the nerve wrecking events, and the euphoria of been a party to the best ever placements in the history of NITIE subsides.. it’s time to do some retrospection.. for some post- mortem.. for some data mining and analysis.. Soon, all the facts and figures will be out.. the highest , median and average salaries, the foreign offers, the lateral offers, no. of jobs per student.. blah blah blah.. But what will never be published is the human side of the story.. the emotions which all of us went through during the process.. and the little incidents which touched everyone’s lives..

At the beginning, let me state it clearly.. that in this year’s placements.. one of only 2 things happened.. 1. You either got the company/profile you always wanted.. 2. Or you got something better!!.. Almost no one has any reason to complain.. Now here are some of the best stories.....

Nikhil into KPMG- This guy is unbelievable.. He’s never been rejected in any interview in his life.. not during MBA admissions.. not during summer placements.. and now, not during finals either.. It's a record very few can boast of..

Embarrassment of riches- Talk to hitting the bull’s eye.. There’s this guy in the batch who had 3 final offers.. one from one of the leading global banks, one from a top FMCG MNC, and one form a global pharma giant.. He couldn’t decide where to go.. What a dilemma to be in!!!

Fortune favours the brave- You are one of the last rankers in the batch.. You specialize in a function for which there are not many jobs available.. and you have done your summers at a shitty PSU.. What can you hope for?? Certainly not getting into the most coveted FMCG company in campus.. and yet.. this is exactly what the guy manages to do..

Photo finish- Now for the most touching story of all.. a story of 2 ladies from the same college.. a story of 2 very close friends.. both battling for the best FMCG IT job in campus.. But as in any Ramesh Sippy blockbuster, there was only one post on offer.. One of them was going to make it.. the other was going to be chucked out.. The recruiters simply could not decide who was better.. but they had to make a decision.. and when the decision came, both ladies had a mixed bag of emotions.. The one who made it was as happy for herself as she was sad for her friend.. and the one who did not, felt just the opposite.. But at the end of the day, the other lady got another job she wanted dearly.. and both friends returned home happy.....

We had the placement bash last night.. when all of us set aside our physical and emotional fatigue, and enjoyed together for the last time in NITIE.. From today, we will begin to leave for our hometowns.. and then, we would probably never meet each other all at the same time again.. All this reminds me of the song......

VITAMIN C

GRADUATION

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives

Where we're gonna be when we turn 25

I keep thinking times will never change

Keep on thinking things will always be the same

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back

No more hanging out cause we're on a different track

And if you got something that you need to say

You better say it right now cause you don't have another day

Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down

These memories are playing like a film without sound

And I keep thinking of that night in June

I didn't know much of love

But it came too soon

And there was me and you

And then we got real cool

Stay at home talking on the telephone with me

We'd get so excited, we'd get so scared

Laughing at our selves thinking life's not fair

And this is how it feels

1 - As we go on

We remember

All the times we

Had together

And as our lives change

Come whatever

We will still be

Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs

And we make the big money

When we look back now

Will our jokes still be funny?

Will we still remember everything we learned in school?

Still be trying to break every single rule

Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?

Can we ever find a job that won't interfere with a tan?

I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye

Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

And this is how it feels

Repeat 1

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?

Can we survive it out there?

Can we make it somehow?

I guess I thought that this would never end

And suddenly it's like we're women and men

Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?

Will these memories fade when I leave this town

I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye

Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

Repeat 1

Note:- In case you are still wondering what the title of the post means, it’s the full form of KPMG :)

The Final Countdown....

Well........ The most exciting and enjoyable phase of my life is just about to come to an end.. In a month, my MBA at NITIE will be over for all practical purposes.. Placements are due in early jan.. then I will be off to which ever place I am required to do my 4 month final project at.... To say that I would miss this place would be an understatement.. Over the last 1 and half years, I have probably learnt and enjoyed more than all of the 21 previous years put together.. I would like to reserve my ruminations on my learnings for some other time.. Today, let me focus on all the fun I’ve had..

24 hrs 10 MBPS net connection is probably the favourite pastime for each NITIEan.. I’ve gotten so addicted to it, I shudder to think how I would survive without it.. The fantabolus scenery.. the late night walks on “The Monty Carlo”.. the cricket matches.. the afternoon naps.. I would miss’em all.... NITIE has also been a time for many personal firsts for me.. my 1st skit/play.. my 1st swimming experience.. my 1st full fledged outing.. my 1st dance.. my 1st victory in a contest.. the list in never ending....

To add to the long list of firsts, I just had my 1st boating experience a couple of days back.. in the NITIE pond.. and it was a most exciting and nail biting one at that.. God only knows what prompted 4 of us.. a “Jackal” who can’t swim, a hyperactive “Baba”, a “Gulti” with a penchant for theatrics, and a burly “Goanese”.. to bustle into a tiny boat.. More than once, we were almost on the brink of martyrdom.. with the boat being tossed from one side to another by our collective antics.. Somehow, we managed to reach home in dry.. Phew..

This will be my last post for sometime.. I'll give blogging a break till placement.. My next post will have to wait till I get my another 1st in my life.... My 1st job.....

Minds on Fire!!

MastishK 2004- India’s 1st Fully Online Management Games Event is over.. And as part of the 30 odd member organizing team of MastishK (which we so passionately call Team MastishK), I can sit back and retrospect on the biggest adventure of my life so far.. I don’t know what other team members are feeling at this moment, but I for one have a mixed bag of emotions.. Ecstasy.. at the success of the event.. Sadness.. that “Arbit Choudhury” will no more be a regular part of my life.. Relief.. that I can get back to being a normal un-obsessed human being again.. Am sure that everyone in Team MastishK has learnt something from the event that he/she will remember for ever.. Today, I can reflect on my learnings.....

Plans are meant to fail.. but what should not fail is your resolve.. believe in your dream.. Plans can change.. dreams can’t....

Differences of opinions are as much a part of teamwork as camaraderie is.. Fight for you opinion.. back it with reason.. but be ready to change it if something better comes up..

Customer is King.... look at your offering from the eyes of the customer.. It is not you who will buy the product/service.. It is the customer who will do it.. Offer what the customer likes, not what you like..

Now for some of my team-mates, it is incredible how each one fitted into his/her role.. each one did a job he/she was best suited to.. Starting off with Nikhil and Hemant.. Quite apt that the job of co-ordinators was done by them.. Both have entrepreneurial ambitions.. And this was as good a baptism they could have had, as any... Ashita, Milind, Payal, Medda, each with sharp minds and great ideas, conceptualized the games.. KC, the SCM bond, created Law’gistics single handedly.. VAK, the Qizzard of Oz, made the quizzes.. And hats of to the juniors.. who spent even more sleepless nights than the senior team.. implementing all the ideas..

This is the last I will write about MastishK.. Experiences pass by.. Impressions never die.....

Memories of MastishK

"Arbit" Appreciation

To say that the last 2 weeks have been overwhelming, would be an understatement.. What started of with my trivial forward of Arbit Choudhury comic strips to my mailing list, has snowballed into manumental proportions.. after having received truckloads of appeciation mails (not just from various B-schools, but also from remote corners of the corporate world), i am finally beginning to realize that I might have created a phenomenon.. something which has the potential to become a global B-school icon..

Now the dielemma is, not if, but how to continue with it? Should we make a website for Arbit, or a yahoogroup, or make all fans wait till MastishK 2005.. One ingenious idea is to make it the world's 1st Open Source Cartoon Strip.. inviting ideas form all readers and incorporating the best ones...The decision will come soon.. for the time being, let me wallow in the sea of appeciation.. here are some of the best compliments we have received so far--

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just saw your complete collection ofarbit choudhury. it was really amazing.hats of to uguys for creating something so unique.keep doing thegood work.hope to see more from your guys in future

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liked the character sketch of Arbit Chaudhary very much. He is verymuch of what we do in B School Really remarkable.

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frm a huge plethora of forwards it was a welcome relief....

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Extremely nice creativity, especially ur SCM concept of sex, underworld of one way, andJIT. Being an engineer and experienced in JIT & SCM organization, Ireally like this cirque.

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keep going and give every1 a reason to smile.

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Creativity and application to achieve a great and memorable result.

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Well I myself is not froma B-School grad but then I have seen the B-School life from quite close.This sure is a good description of that. Well Dilbert talk about the lifefor an employee.. which is not the case with ARbit... I guess you should tryfocusing on the early days of Arbit in the college when he enter theB-School and gets the shock of his life to get a different picture of theB-Schools..

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the character ARBIT Choudhury is simply superb, apart from the fun part I think it carries some message for MBA criticizers, its your creativity guys. Hope ARBIT Choudhury will hover around for ever.

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I just wanted to congratulate you both on the innovative and creative ideaof creating a Cartoon Character with which all of us can associateourselves with.

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Life of Arbit C. and mine looks almost the same.

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Astounding, is the only word that comes to my mind when I think offeed back for your work on Mr. Arbit Choudhury. Amazing art work andalso witty strips, and moreover everything is related to Mangement, sothats really goog.

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hellofa job u guys have done..actually you know what makes me write this is many of Arbit'ssnippets i used to have with my friends this actually took me back to my discussions with them on chaiki tapri...as i still owe my MBA to govind(the chaiwala)..hahaha..

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Just saw a piece of "F" ART- a good art.

Infact was thinking that this is what we used to think while Doing MBA.

But only Work pays and not just ideas which die in our mind,

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Arbit is a nice icon for B schoolers I'm sure.I'm very certain all the B schoolers who have read the strip would havesaid to themselves, "Hey! That's me!". I could relate to him myself! Whydon't you form an Arbit fan club and ask readers for ideas.

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What surprises me is that you managed to find time and creativity despite your busy schedule to invent it! Having done an MBA and having an inclination for creativity, I understand and appreciate your work. Great work guys!Hope you'll carry on with the strip. Maybe you could make it a fortnightly treat for your colleagues. If you have a regular college magazine or newsletter, get it published. I'm sure people will admire and appreciate your efforts.

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I have forwarded arbit to all my groups...he seems to be a great hiteverywhere...Yesterday at home we had a gala time reading andlaughing...Really good time...

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Expand, innovate, franchise and partner to make this bigger!!!

Talk to ET, BW, BT, BI!!!

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simply amazing...u guys seem to have put in a lot of work !!!! bahut socha hai strip par.....guess u have started a great idea that other bschool events would find hard to match !

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Though I am not a Management Grad, I am a consultant and I use all these fundas everyday. “Yeh Dil Cahe Thoda Aour”

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They say most of the Surd jokes were coined by Surds themselves.. After all it takes a real sport to laugh at one's own tribe... U guys have hit the nail on the head... MBA is all bosh... Keep up the good work !!

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Thanks folks... Arbit will be back soon.. in a mailbox near you..

"Arbit Choudhury"

A collection of "Arbit Choudhury"- The 1st ever B-schol comic strip.

The Making of "Arbit"-

OBJECTIVE: To create the 1st ever B-school comic strip.

STEP 1: Create the character
a). Decide on who should the lead character represent. As the strip was meant for B-school junta, the lead character was picked as a B-school student.
b). Decide the name of the strip/character. After much deliberation, the character was christened “Arbit Choudhury”.
c). Design the character sketch. The likes, dislikes, aims, aspirations, habits, behavior, talents of the comic hero were defined. The final character sketch was as follows-

“Arpit Choudhury is a typical 2nd Year MBA student of a leading B-school. His life revolves around all the daily chores of a MBA education. Tests, assignments, presentations, competitions, case studies, net-surfing, chatting, ctrl+C, ctrl+V are as much part of his daily routine as food, drinks, friends and girl-friends are. Sleep is word not present in his Dictionary. As any other management grad., he dreams big, and farts bigger. He often finds himself juggling with the concepts of strategy, logistics, marketing, finance etc., and tries (in vain) to apply these in real life situations. He has come to believe- “Management is an Art… And Art is a 4 letter word, with a 'F' silent ” !’”....
His wisecracks frequently have everyone rolling in mirth. Perturbed by his penchant for blurting business balderdash, his friends jokingly call him “ARBIT Choudhury”......”

d). Design the appearance. Design of the wardrobe, the hirestyle, and looks was done.

STEP 2: Generate Ideas
a). Think of original ideas. Days were spent pondering over humor in common B-school situations, application of management funda in real life and so on.
b). Take ideas from the environments. Ideas were taken from friends and classmates.
c). Test ideas on Humor scale. Ideas were presented to a test audience, for their feedback.

STEP 3: Sketch
a). Visualize the setting. Common B-school environs were visualized.. canteen, library, class, stairs and so on.
b). Draw draft with pencil.
c). Refine Draft. The draft sketch was checked for proportions and aesthetics.
d). Finalize Draft. After all refinements, the draft was finalized by bordering with pen. At this stage, the strip looked something like this-


STEP4: Colour
a). Scan drawing.
b). Decide the colour combinations.
c). Fill colours using Photoshop. After this, the image looked somewhat like this-

d). Put title bar on top.
e). Fill in the dialogues. And finally, an edition of the 1st ever B-school comic strip gets created.

It's Showtime Folks!!!

MastishK- India's 1st Fully Online Management Games Extravaganza, has gone LIVE.. and for all members of Team MastishK, it’s crunch time.. Hardly any one of us has caught a proper nap since the 25th.. Everyone seems to be in hyper mode.. scampering here and there making arrangements, slogging it out managing the dynamically changing scenarios of games.. or simply burning the midnight oil answering queries of contestants.. Discussions, differences, disputes have become a part of our daily routines.. But as they say, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating.. and so far, the pudding tastes really good..

Nikhil, the IT whiz, incharge of managing all the technical nitty-gritties, shuttles from one team meeting to another, clearing technical snags, providing coding consultancy, and keeping the games on track.. Hemant, the creative mastermind, is constantly conjuring newer ideas for the look and feel of the site, fine tuning the gaming console and user interfaces as well as making sure that all schedules are met.. All game teams are busy crunching truckloads of data being fed in by participants across the land.. and getting the future phases of the games ready to go.. As for me, I am busy doing what I do best, and love most.. creating “Arbit Choudhury”-the 1st ever B-school Comic Character.. A new strip goes up daily.. After the ideas are ready.. about 4 man-hours go into the creation of each strip.. from sketching to scanning to coloring.. Hemant has been taking time off his hectic schedule to help me out with the creative and technical assistance..

Now for the junior team.. MastishK had been coceptualised long before the new batch arrived.. but they have been an intergral part of the development of MastishK.. so much so that it is impossible to imagine the launch of MastishK without their wholehearted participation.. more so as the event is completely conceptualised and developed inhouse.. not a single component being outsourced to anyone...

We have been overwhelmed by the success of the event so far.. With more than 10,000 hits and 2000 registrations.. not just from B-schools across Asia, but also from over 40 corporates.. and junta from more than 20 countries.. MastishK has far exceeded all our expectations.. and it’s not over yet.. Come 12th October.. when MastishK 2004 concludes.. all of us can finally take a deep breath and look back on the results of all the sweat and toil of the last 3 months.. and start the next endeavor.. whose implementation will be the responsibility of the next batch.. MastishK 2005.. bigger and better than ever before.....

The games have just begun....

The Pro of Con

I love thriller novels.. and at times, try to relate them to real life... and think if all that is really possible.. Today, my mind drifts back to the greatest con act I have witnessed in my life....

I was in 3rd semester, when a new lecturer(who will remain unnamed) joined my engineering college.. He created an instantaneous impact.. Everyone was impressed by his charm and knowledge.. He used to teach us Pascal.. He told us that he was a bachelor, and a native of Bhilai.. His father was working in the Indian Embassy in Nepal.. After having graduated in Computer Science Engineering from REC, Nagpur, he worked for a multinational bank in Nepal for sometime, before joining MIT for a sponsored MBA program.. But then disaster struck.. after retirement, his father fell ill and had to be brought to his home town Bhilai.. As he was the only person to take care of his father, he had to take a 6 month sabbatical from his studies and stay with him for a while.. that’s how he had landed up as a lecturer in BIT.. It was quite incredible that everyone believed his extra-ordinary narrative.. from the Director.. to the HOD.. to all Profs... other lecturers and even the usually cynical students..

I must say I was impressed by him too.. but I always had a simmering suspicion.. How could such a well learned guy who had been abroad for so long speak with such a rustic accent.. But none of my friends were willing to heed my reservations.. They were simply awestruck by his personality..

His teaching style was.... well.. different... Hardly used to provide us with any input.. and used to make us discover things by ourselves.. And we thought, this must be the way they do it in MIT....

As time passed by, news began to trickle in that the guy was short of cash, and needed some money to pay his MIT fee installment.. He asked some faculty for help.. People found no reason to disbelieve him.. lending him various amounts.. Slowly, he began spreading his web of deceit.. He borrowed money from one and all.. across the entire hierarchy of administration.. from the Director to the lab attendant.. and what’s more, he even conned a few students into lending him... He borrowed in all types of denominations too.. from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 500....

Slowly but surely, people began to smell the rat.. they began to realize that this guy was upto no good.. and began asking him their money back.. Then he began the most incredible jugglery act.. borrowing from one and repaying another..

By that time, we could already foresee his next step.. and we were not wrong.. One fine morning (when I was in 5th sem.), the fellow just disappeared into thick air.. Enquiries found that he never had any home of his own in Bhilai.. and no father either.. He used to stay in a rented house with his wife.. and had not even paid the rent for months.. He had disappeared from this house with his entire language in the dark of the night.. and the landlord had heard absolutely nothing!!!!

No one knew how much money the guy had disappeared with.. And there was nothing anyone could do.. No one had any written record about the money they had lended him.. What would you tell the police?? That I lended Rs.50,000 to a person.. believing in his concocted stories.. and now he has disappeared.. and I have not a shred of proof to back my claims..... You would only make a jackass out of yourself...

It’s an incredible story.. and the more I look back on it, the more outrageous it seems.. I was not a victim of his treachery.. but a very intrigued spectator of this sensational swindling act.. all my college friends were testimony to the affair as well.. And I am dead sure that no one will ever forget it..

God alone knows which unsuspecting beings are being conned by him right now.. Sometimes I think.. what would I do.. if by some strange coincidence.. I happen to meet this most extraordinary conman again.. Would I admonish him for his deeds.. Or would I congratulate him on his extraordinary skills.. Perhaps.. I would do both...

“A thief is not the one who steals, a thief is the one who gets caught”

Everything I Do, I Do It For You....

If there is something every MBA grad. is obsessed about, it is something called PLACEMENT.. From the time he enters the gates, to the time he leaves them, if there is something constantly on top of his mind, it’s the P-word.. Everyone wants to crack the biggest firm, and the fattest pay-check.. everything that we seem to do, has only 1 ultimate objective..

Now for the guys how make this happen.. Every B-school has a student placement team.. guys who slog it out throughout the year trying to get the best companies to campus.. It is an unenviable job.. You need to be on your toes all the time.. the smallest goof up may result in many job-losses.. You need to work doubly hard, doing all the dog work, and staying abreast with all the latest developments in the industry at the same time.. the last thing you want to do is to ask an HP executive about competition from Compaq..

All this takes it’s toll on the person’s academic performance as well.. Placecom guys really need to be masters of multitasking and time-sharing..

And what do they get for all that sweat and toil.. Some say, they get an opportunity to secure the best jobs for themselves.. Not sure about that.. but I do believe in one thing, what is the harm is furthering your own cause, as long as it does not impinge on some other person’s interests.. As long as the placement team does not sacrifice the cause of the batch for their personal benefits, I do not think anyone should have any reason to crib.. After all, would any one of us sacrifice academics, extra-curriculars and leisure to indulge in something that will not result in any personal gain at all?..

I have not had a chance to be in the Placement team.. I am sure that I am not good enough for it anyway.. but I have had got a taste of the action.. during Day 0 of for the final placements of our seniors and summer placements of our juniors.. when I was one of the personnel deputed at the Help-Desk.. For the uninitiated, Help-Desk is the hub from where all activities and schedules are coordinated.. It's the most chaotic place during Day 0.. All the chaos, confusion and non stop-hyperactivity has prompted us to call it “The Hell Desk”.. It’s a real nerve-wrecking experience.. You really need to be as cool as a cucumber to handle an assignment such as this.. But I had great fun doing it all the same.. I’ve realized, chaos can be enjoyable too..

Come Jan, I will be on the other side of the so called “Hell Desk”.. when the obsession with the P-word reaches it’s crescendo.. when one and half years of education will be put to test.. when one right or wrong answer can change your fortunes..

CGPA Secrets....

Phew!!!.. just finished the 2nd last exam of my active student life.. Now just 3 more months and 1 more exam left.. and then I'll bid adieu to something I have been for the last 20 years.. i.e. a student.. Not sure whether that will be a good thing or bad.. But it’s inevitable all the same..

I’ve always been reasonably good in studies.. used to be the topper in school and college.. and am in the fringes of the top bracket in NITIE too.. Sometimes I try to figure out the reason for it.. after much thought, I’ve come to believe, “Some toppers are born brilliant.. others make it through hard work.. and there are others, who just get lucky!!” .. I guess I belong to the 3rd category..

Having observed myself and my batchmates over so many years, I have developed my own theories about studies and grades.. So, here is “The Jackal’s Guide to Good Grades”-

1. “Don’t work hard, work smart”- You do not need to mug up entire chapters and books to get good grades.. For every topic, mug up only as much as is required to fill up 3 to 4 pages in the answer sheet..

2. “Do your homework”- Go through all previous question papers.. and make calculated guesses about what may be asked.. NEVER waste time over niche and esoteric topics..

3. “Study for marks, not for knowledge”- Don’t waste time trying to understand things like why space and time get warped at higher velocities.. Concentrate on “What” and not on “Why”... Trust me, this saves a lot of mental energy..

4. “Know your Prof.”- Know what type of answers the checker of your paper likes.. does he/she prefer global fart?? Or plain concepts?? Does he/she read the answer sheet?? Or weigh them before giving marks??.. and mould your answers accordingly..

5. “Write big, if not bigger”- Double your font size in the exam.. use the 5 * 10 Rule.. Write not more that 10 lines per page, each having not more than 5 words..

Caveat- All these were personal opinions based on statistically unverified empirical evidence. These are not necessary and sufficient conditions.

A Beautiful Mind

It’s been almost a week since I last blogged.. Many batchmates have been asking me the reasons for this blogging-hiatus.. I’ve just been too busy this week, being engaged in the most creative endeavor of my life.... I have written previously that this year, “Prerana” enters uncharted territories.. Today, I can unveil 2 things that have been my obsession for the last 2 months- “MastishK” and “ARBIT Choudhury”

“MastishK” is the online management games extravaganza which takes place as a prelude to “Prerana” this year.. I need not elaborate on that further, as there’s a separate blog dedicated to MastishK-and the minds behind it.. All I would say is that it is a dream that many of us have been living all this while.. A dream that is just about to become reality....

I’ve have been part of the MastishK think-tank since the very beginning, when Nikhil initially came up with the idea on Online Games... And been privy to the evolution of “MastishK” from the outset.. My role has been that of a “Creative Consultant”.. generating, refining and transforming ideas.... I have tried to provide whatever little creative inputs that I could from time to time....

My full scale involvement began about a month back, when Hemant came to me with the idea of launching the 1st ever B-school comic strip during “MastishK”.. I was hooked immediately.. Being rather infamous in the batch for being a pungent punster, this was a chance for me to channelize my talent towards more productive pursuits....Tthe 1st and foremost task was to conceptualize the lead character for the comic.... As we are targeting the B-school community, I decided that the lead character wud be a B-school student, and the strip will deal with daily goings-on in a typical B-school.. This done, I embarked on the toughest part.. i.e. generating ideas.. It took me almost a month to cook up ideas good enough to be incorporated in the comic.. For days, I did nothing but think, think, and think.. At times, waking up in the middle of the night to discuss my latest brainwave with Hemant and Nikhil.. Finally, a host of ideas for the various editions of the strip were ready....

The next task- locating a cartoonist to draw the sketches.. We approached batchmates, juniors, professionals, but to no avail.. We could not find anyone who could deliver the desired quality within the given time limit and under the resource constraints we were under.. Then one day, I said to hemant, “Let me do it.”.... This was a huge decision for.. Sketching has always been my hobby, and I had done lots of cartooning in my school days.. I simply loved sketching figures form Tintin comics.. Ihad even made some cartoon strips of my own.. but I had never attempted anything remotely of this scale.. I just had to deliver.. I simply could not take a chance of coming up with a sub-standard product, because my own neck was on the line.. But then, when you’ve fallen into the sea, you have no option but to try and swim....

for the last 5 days, my room has been transformed into an artist’s studio.. with me cartooning away all day.. the drafts came out better than i expected.. all those who have seen them have appreciated my work.. after the drawing part was over, we scanned the cartoons and colored them in photoshop..

Just when everything was finally falling in place, the biggest dilemma surfaced.. You guessed it, it was about the title of the strip.. We had initially thought of the title as “A Random Choudhury”, with the lead character representing a random b-school student.. When some people expressed concern that the title appears to be a spoof of Arindam Choudhary, I had some serious rethinking to do.. The fictional character bears no resemblance in any way with the real person.. But I decided that it wud be better to change the title rather than risk the generation of negative vibes.. So I came up with another title- “ARBIT Choudhury”.. by this time, Hemant was hooked to the earlier name and was very reluctant to change.. After much debate, in typical MBA fashion, we decided to ask some sample customers what they want, asking our batch as to which title appeals to them more.... After a poll, “ARBIT Choudhury” won hands down…

So, tomorrow, on the 5th of September 2004.. “ARBIT Choudhury”- the 1st ever B-school comic strip hits the world.. in the Informalzz section of “MastishK"...

meanwhile, here is a sneak preview--

for more, goto http://mastishk.nitie.net/

Good Old Days...

Nostalgia is an amazing thing.... It is almost always sweet.. You tend to remember the good things in your life more than the bad.. Almost everyone feels that his past was better than the present.. In high school I felt that my days in primary were much sweeter.. In college, I felt the same about school.. And am dead sure, a year down the line, I would feel the same about my days at the B-school....

Perhaps this is the reason that nostalgic songs tend to be so popular.. One of the all time greats in this regard is “the summer of ‘69”.. Am listening to it as i write this blog.. Just got the full lyrics of the song from the net too.. So this one’s dedicated to all those “good old days”....

Bryan Adams 

Summer of '69 from Reckless 1984

I got my first real six-string

Bought it at the five-and-dime

Played it till my fingers bled

It was the summer of '69

Me and some guys from school

Had a band and we tried real hard

Jimmy quit and Jody got married

I shoulda known we'd never get far

Oh when I look back now

That summer seemed to last forever

And if I had the choice

Ya - I'd always wanna be there

Those were the best days of my life

Ain't no use in complainin'

When you got a job to do

Spent my evenin's down at the drive-in

And that's when I met you

Standin' on your mama's porch

You told me that you'd wait forever

Oh and when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

Those were the best days of my life

Back in the summer of '69

Man we were killin' time

We were young and restless

We needed to unwind

I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no

And now the times are changin'

Look at everything that's come and gone

Sometimes when I play that old six-string

I think about ya wonder what went wrong

Standin' on your mama's porch

You told me it would last forever

Oh the way you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

Those were the best days of my life

Back in the summer of '69

Days of Thunder..

I had heard lots of things about monsoon of Mumbai before I came here.. So was ready for some wet and soggy times when landed in Mumbai to join the B-school, on 26th June 2003.... And I didn’t have to wait long.. In fact, I didn’t have to wait at all.... I got soaking wet at Kanjur Marg station itself.... And then got a room on the ground floor of one of the hostels.. As i entered the room, I felt more like entering a puddle, with rain water all over the place.... Thankfully, I was able to shift rooms immediately... And moved to the top floor.. And what happened then??.... You guessed it.. Seepage from the roof......

It must have been a month before I first saw the Mumbai sun.. The rains just kept coming.. and coming.. and coming.... At times, it was difficult to even figure out what time of the day it was.. But after a while, I began to enjoy it.... during monsoons, my B-school, with all it’s majestic greenery, scenic lakes and contoured roads, looks even more like a hill station than it usually does.. reminds me of Darjiling....

Looking back at Vihar lake from the top of MDP hostels, you almost feel being transported into Jurassic Park.. Thick jungles, lakes and constant rains.. All you need are some monumental creatures to complete the picture.. It’s quite unbelievable that such exotic natural magnificence can exist right in the midst of a bustling metropolis.. All this prompted one of my friends to comment one day, “wish we had a 5 year MBA program here….” don’t know about others, but I for one would not mind it one bit..

Windmills of the Thoughts..

It was about 3 months back that Sallu gave me the idea of creating a blog, saying that blogging helps improve writing skills.... I’ve always enjoyed writing.. And it didn’t take me long to come up with a blog of my own.. Not as a way to better my writing skills, but just to reflect on the goings-on in my life.... Since then, I have been wandering into my mind space in this forum.. And it's been a most wonderful experience.... Just thought, why not blog about my blog today......

I have been reading blogs of many friends recently.. Some like to share their feelings.. Others, their ideas and philosophies.. And others just treat it as a daily log... what do I do?.. Well, a bit of all these.... I treat my blog at a real-time autobiography..

My blog has been gaining in popularity faster than i expected.. Friends like Sabya check it everyday.. People have told me that they hit upon “my” blog while searching for “their” name in Google.. I have received some really touching comments from some of my mates.. Although I don’t think I deserve half of the pleasantries they hav heaped on me, but I will take them any day.....

For me, the blog is a wonderful way of writing what I feel, and feeling what I write.. These days, I can always find time to blog on a regular basis.. wonder if I’ll be able to sustain it as life rolls by.. But will definitely try to be at it for as long as I can..

Maybe.. 20 or 25 years down the line, when I can look back at the stuff i’ve jotted down in these days, I would be able to reflect back on my experiences and thought processes of the present, and ponder on how life had changed over the years......

From Dusk till Dawn...

If there is something I enjoy doing most, it’s sleeping.. For me, a day consists only of about 14 hrs.. The remaining 10 hrs being permanently reserved as my sleeping time.. And under no circumstances do I allow any other activity to encroach into my moments of rest.. An afternoon nap is as much part of my daily routine as any other natural activity.. Sleep comes first.. Exams, assignments, presentations, sports, games, travel.... everything can wait..... till I wake up.........

  

In  school and college, there used to be regular time-zones when I could rest in peace.. But for the last 1 year, my sleeping cycles hav been turned upside down.. Quite literally.. Earlier, I rarely, if ever, saw the sunrise.. In the last year, I’ve seen it many times.... before I go to sleep that is.....

 

B-school students are nocturnal creatures, who never sleep until early morning.... Ya.. They must be slogging it out all the time for assignments and tests, right?.. Wrong.. Nothing cud be further from the truth.. Staying awake all night is a part of B-school culture.. It gets into your system as soon as you land in one of these weird places.. whether you have some work to do or not, you just don’t sleep early.. You play games, surf the net, chat with friends, read books, watch films... But you do not sleep.... 

 

So, how does one account for this sleep budget deficit?.. What are classes meant for? All u hav to do is to strategically position urself in an inconspicuous corner of the classroom, select a suitable posture (which makes others feel that u r reading ur notebook), and comfortably wander into dreamland.... There are a few guys (and girls) in my batch who hav perfected this into an art-form, who can doze off right under the noses of the prof. with consummate ease.. And if that was not enough, wake up all of a sudden and ask the most incisive of doubts.. 

  

I wish I could be in their league.. But I never manage to sleep in class.. And thus tend to carry the sleep in my eyes back to my room.. where I sleep at all sorts of odd hours.... But make no mistake.. Rain or shine.. Never once have I betrayed my commitment of 10hrs-a-day slumber.. Wonder what will happen when I get into a job.. would I be able to become a normal human being again?? Or  have my sleeping cycles been incorrigibly convoluted??.. Only time will tell.. for the time being.. It’s good bye and good night...........

The Birthday Bash(ing)

It is with great pain that I sit here to make this post tonight.. Great pain in the butt.. It’s my b’day today.. And in true engineering and b-school tradition, i've just been subjected to the most inhuman attack from behind..... Not that I have any justification for complaining.. I myself have been guilty of perpetrating this heinous offence on many of my friends.. What you give is what you get.. It was my turn to be on the receiving end today.... unfortunately......

I knew beforehand, that I was in for a bump-y ride .. As is it, I have a wiry frame, and don’t have too much cushion on my posterior.. So, had taken all the precautions I could, like wearing 4 undies and a thick jeans, just to soften the impact of the blows somewhat.. But an umbrella can’t help you in a hurricane.. The precautions proved woefully inadequate.. As boot after boot of each batchmate crash-landed on my seat, all i cud do was hope that i somehow manage to save my ass.... literally......

Later, some of my closer friends got a cake for me.. And after the customary cake make-up on the b’day boy’s face, it was time for some photo-ops.. Nikhil, Dutta, Tappu, Medda, Anish, Khanna, Khetan, Ashita, Payal, Sabya.. They were all there..

I am used to sedate b’day celebrations.. Just between family members.. This was the first time that so many people were involved in my b’day.. I wont forget this day in a hurry.. Atleast not as long as i feel the pain whenever I sit :)....

Birthdays come and go.. Life moves on.. These are days which remind you that life does not have a rewind button… Once u cross the landmark, there is no way of going back.. So, you might as well enjoy each second.. This reminds me of the song- “zindagi ke safar mein guzar jate hain jo mukam, woh phir nahi aate, woh phir nahi aate”........

The Road to El Dorado..

The hostels in my B-school are one of the best in the country.. Spacious rooms.. Single occupancy.. Attached bathrooms.. And if all that was not enough, my hostel has balconies with each room as well..

Each hostel wing has 8 rooms.. Sometime back, some of my batchmates came up with innovative names of their wings.. one was christened as ‘Banjara Hills’, another as ‘Raisina Hills’, and yet another as ‘Utopia’.. My wing is full of ingenious creatures as well.. So, one fine night, in the midst of our module exams, we decided to name our wing as well.. After lots of discussions and deliberations, we finally named our wing as ‘El Dorado’.. Let me introduce you to all the residents of ‘El Dorado’ one by one..

Room 244.. S.G. .. a.k.a. “shabby”.. One of the chillax guys.. Great sports enthusiast.. Has perpetual PC problems.. Gives his own continuous commentary while watching cricket matches..

Room 243.. U.T. .. a.k.a. “gulti”.. Occupies all posts of President available in campus.. Roteract, CIE, Spic macay and so on.. Perpetually worried.. about grades, girls and his receding hair line.. Not unusual to find him, entering my room at 2.30 in the night to say, “Am feeling dead sleepy man.. Can you wake me up in an hour?”

Room 242.. N.K. .. a.k.a. “boiler baba”.. Have already written a lot about him.. Will just add here that his nickname owes it’s origin to his habit of boiling over in agitation on the smallest of debatable topics, and his seeming dis-interest in most worldly things..

Room 241.. S.C. .. a.k.a. “CR”.. Spends half his day sleeping.. And the other half, planning the class schedules for the rest of the week.. Cracks crazy PJs all the time.. Eats cricket, drinks cricket, dreams cricket...

Room 240.. G.K. .. Volunteers for everything under the sun.. Great at extra-curriculars.. Has a rather dubious bulging belly.. Has the incredible god-gifted ability to sleep and read novels right under the prof’s nose..

Room 239.. A.M. .. a.k.a. “the boss”.. Tall, dark, handsome.. Knows the serial no. of each book in the library.. Arguably the best quizzard in the B-school.. Bowls over girls with his brand of dashing sincerity...

Room 238.. M.D. .. He’s the Ritchie Rich of the batch.. Has the fairest and most painstakingly maintained complexion.. Keeps more cosmetics than the entire girl’s hostel put together.. Guess where he did his summers....... L'Oreal.. where else..

Room 237.. A.K. .. a.k.a. “AK47”.. The grand old man of our B-school.. worked for eons in Wipro.. Even profs. treat him with respect.. Has great passion for photography..

“El Dorado” is a picture of unity in diversity.. We’ve got people of all ages, all CGPAs, various amts of hair on their heads, wide ranging creative competencies....... It might not be the “city of gold”, but it’s got something for everyone.. young or old....

Cheetah bhi peeta hai.......

These days, the hottest topic of discussion in the B-school is the leopard scare.. Leopards hav always been frequent tourists to the campus, with it being adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and have had the odd dog for dinner at times.. But in the last couple of weeks, they seem to have had a change of taste, and have feasted (almost) on 4 or 5 people near the campus.....

The administration has swiftly moved into action.. Traps hav been laid.. Heavy patrolling started.. We’ve been asked to move in groups, and late night strolls in campus hav be outlawed.. Many in the junior batch are quite petrified.. If the leopard scare happened before their admission process, I wonder how many of them would actually have joined.....

As expected, the media has jumped on the story like a leopard as well.. both NDTV and Aaj-Tak were here tonight for on-the-spot reports.. They interviewed 2 of our batchmates.. I somehow managed to squeak into the crowd in the background.. Here’s hoping that my face got broadcast over cable television as well....

Weird Wired World....

Being in a top notch institute has it’s perks.. Sprawling campus, state-of-the-art infrastructure, great batchmates and so on.. But, the one thing that keeps most students hooked most of the time is a 4 letter word- ‘2mbps’.. That’s the speed of the internet lease line.. Most of the time, all of us are online.. Most of the studies, as well as most of the fun, takes place on the net..

The entire campus is on a 100mbps LAN.. All PCs, in hostels, in classrooms, in faculty rooms, in offices..are on the LAN.... Thus, effectively, one can access any PC from anywhere on campus.. Humongous amounts of data is transferred on the internal messenger (called ip messenger) daily.. Doc files, pdfs, software setups, songs, movies.. You name it.. It’s on the lines.. The wired world helps us play some ingenious pranks too.. When a Prof. declines to share his presentations with us, IT comes to the rescue.. All you have to do is share the CD drive of the classroom PC on the LAN, then copy all the presentations to your hostel PC as the prof. teaches in class.. So you get all the stuff that was taught in class, without even attending it.. This is what I call ‘virtual education’.....

Text and note books are on their way to obsolescence.. Most of us tend to download pdf versions of textbooks from the net, rather than buying a hardcopy.. Others don’t bother to read books at all.. Just the MS Power Point slides used by profs. in class are enough.. And what if you have a nagging doubt while studying??.... Well .. All you have to do is ‘multicast’ ur doubt on the ip messenger .. And voila.. In a few seconds, you hav answers from all those who know..

It is very difficult to find an activity we perform without the help of the net.. Wanna know bus routes of Mumbai?? Wanna know which movie is playing in which multiplex?? Wanna read newspapers or magazines?? Wanna book a railway or air ticket?? Wanna listen to the latest hit movie songs?? Or wanna set an alarm so that u get up early in the morning?? There is only one place to go.. near ur PC..

All important info. is sent through mails.. And it is not unusual for someone to write 15-20 mails a day..

IT has it’s effect on work as much as it has on fun.. During my 2 months of summer internship, I have hardly ever carried anything to office.. Whatever I did in office, I uploaded it on my Yahoo briefcase at the end of the day.. And I could continue the work from my room later.. But IT is taking it’s toll.. It has almost killed the reading habits.. By conservative estimates, I spend 80% of my time in front of the comp, whenever I am in my room..

Now for weirdest part.. Me and Nikhil live in adjacent rooms, and have a connecting door in between (which is perpetually open).. So in effect, we live in joint rooms.. So what does he do when he wants to give an important message to me late in the night, when i am already asleep?? Write it on a piece of paper and leave it on my desk?.. No way.. He’ll mail it to me.. As he knows that mail is the first thing I'll check as soon as I wake up......

"IT support is like a soft bed.. easy to get into.. but very difficult to get out of.."

"Power Points"

Which is the subject each MBA student is expected to be most proficient at??... Financial management, organizational behavior, consumer marketing?..... nope.. it’s the art of making and giving presentations..

Not a single day of a b-school student passes without him seeing a power point presentation given by someone, or he making one himself.... All..well..almost all profs. use power point presentations in their lectures.. All assignments and projects are invariably terminated by a presentation.. Presentations are the lifeblood of MBA education, and MS Power Point is the most useful software.. Even during exams, most students prefer to skim thru the short and concise stuff given in power point slides, than delve into volumes of text books..

Making a cogent presentation is an art in itself.. Those who are good at this have a definite advantage over those who are not.. Just doing a good job is not enough.. Convincing others that you have done a good job is more important.. Many people win competitions simply on the basis of their brilliant presentation skills.. It’s something which all MBAs strive to achieve.. After all, an MBA has only 2 all important assets.. his mouth and his PC.... If either of these is missing or malfunctioning, he is a dead duck....

Many next generation softwares like flash, swish etc. can be used to bring in fanta-bulous text and graphical effects.. But the good old fashioned MS Power Point still remains an all time favourite.. as they say.. it’s sasta, sundar, tikau....

When I was in PT, preparing for MBA entrance, we were told about the importance of having a good personal folder.. It was suggested that we give original tag-lines on the folder covers.. Many guys came up with clichéd stuff like ‘in search of excellence’, ‘spectrum’ etc.... Being my usual “pun”ny self, I decided to name my folder ‘Power Points’.... Never knew that the word would become such an integral part of my life in this way........