Rangeen Kagaz

Dust and spice

2012-02-13T20:21:00.001+05:30

Today I reached the southernmost tip of my journey - Chennai. In the bus from Hyderabad, I could literally feel moving closer to the equator because of the heat. As my third metropolitan city, Chennai stands out as being not cosmopolitan. It could be the areas I've seen are old Chennai because the dressing style of people is quite untouched by western fashion. And plus the crowd is primarily Tamilian, with no mix of races and cultures. It is a dusty city which seems to have clung to its ways.
As being a capital city, it does have its share of chain restaurants and retail outlets. On the ride from CMBT to T Nagar, I saw KFC, Big Bazaar, More, Reliance Fresh etc. Also found a BFC: Bigboy Fried Chicken. It feels good to see that Indian brands have grown as chains. Earlier chains were confined to McD and Dominos.

Since we are talking about food, lets talk about the rava dosai I ate in the evening which came with a daal like saambhar, coconut and green chutneys. The green chutney was tangy as if it had raw mango. It is the first speciality of Tamil Nadu for me. The red garlic chutney of Mysore was also a good experience. After eating versions of Mysore Masala Dosa in BITS and outside Samhita office, the authentic version near Mysore Bus Stand was revealing. In Bangalore and Hyderabad, the south Indian food came from UpSouth and Chutneys respectively. The highlight remains the AP food at a friend's house, home-cooked by her mother.
And lastly, speaking about food, lets talk about chaat. Sadly I missed it in Karnataka. In Hyderabad, the chaat isn't good at all. I ate panipuri in 4 different parts of the city and all of them had soft puris. Of course I am talking about their lack of crispiness before being dipped. Looks like the cooks who make them don't do it well. The chaat ka pani wasn't great either : poor show right from Bikanerwala to the street vendors. Hoping to try Chennai's versions tomorrow.

Review of 'A Calendar too Crowded'

2012-02-08T22:59:00.000+05:30

Title: ACalendar too Crowded Author: SagarikaChakraborty

Publisher:Niyogi Books Price: 295

This is thefirst book that Sagarika has published despite writing light fiction and poetryfor various online and print media. The subject of the book is women and theirplight in the contemporary society. This in a way matches my work closely as Iam currently touring the country visiting organizations working for womendevelopment. However, while I know the grim reality, I am meeting people whoare trying to better lives and have had excellent achievements too. On theother hand, many of Sagarika’s stories are grey with no silver lining.

The only whollypositive example is ‘Selling a Body to Gain a Mind’. Despite the negativetitle, it is about breaking the vicious cycle which sucks generations of womeninto prostitution. It talks about how the daughter of a commercial sex workerstudies away from the environment and makes something of herself. It is writtenin the form of two letters and again stands solitary in this kind of style. Whilethere are other stories that have a hopeful tenor, it is the only one thatmakes you feel good at the end of the story.

The book is ananthology of stories. Each unit is a month of the calendar and the special daysfor women are introduced at the beginning of every chapter. In a few cases, thestories have corresponded to the days mentioned. But mostly, it is just areminder that while life goes on like a chore, there are conferences anddiscussions being organised on that plight. An example of synchronization isthe above-mentioned story. ‘Selling a Body to Gain a Mind’ is featured in themonth of April in which April 4 is Anti-Child Prostitution Day in Italy.

While readingthe book, the first few stories appear a little unoriginal. While the words arehers, the style of capturing the well-known subjects like gender discriminationetc. isn’t new. The first story especially felt like the general literature onthe topic. However, as you progress through the book, her stories getcaptivating. She has addressed a variety of important issues and seems to have coveredan exhaustive list of them. The chauvinistic dictates of society in ‘Behindthose Whispers’ (March) and ‘The Trials of a Nice Girl’ (August) culminate wellin society’s astonishment in ‘The Last Flicker’ (October).

The life of amother is viewed with a negative lens in ‘Finding an Ideal Mother for my UnbornChild’ (January). This clashes harmoniously with ‘Of Jatakarmas and their StanaPradidhanas’ (August) which is about the expectations from expectantmothers and how the pressures of modern lives keep these expectations unmet. Asa short story is usually an intrigue on its own, I am not commenting further onany story or mentioning the topics of other stories.

The book is agood read for both men and women. While it is feminist in its outlook, it willbe a study in the more struggling circumstances that women face. As I read alot of contemporary and older literature in Hindi, the topics of these shortstories are not new to me. But if you have not read that kind of fiction, thisone is a sound initiator.

A little aboutSagarika:

This Kolkata-bornstudied law at National Law University in Jodhpur. She is currently enrolled inISB, Hyderabad. She loves Salsa and as mentioned earlier has made a foray intofiction and poetry earlier. Her research projects have been on varied topicslike corporate governance, monetary economics and religion.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda. Participate now to get free books!

Mother earth, ICPL & ICF

2012-02-05T11:25:00.001+05:30

Industree is a social enterprise which consists of two entities the for-profit Industree Crafts Pvt. Ltd. (ICPL) and the non-profit Industree Crafts Foundation (ICF). ICPL has a domestic brand called “Mother Earth” which has outlets in Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The brand sells apparels, home furnishings and organic food under the lines Earth Fashion, Earth Home and Earth Food.
The foundation engages in skill development programmes for the artisans. ICPL sources its products from rural artisans and SHGs. ICF has incubated and mentored four SHGs. A significant fact is that this mentoring is not aimed just at getting regular suppliers for ICPL. Along with supplying to ICPL, the SHGs are encouraged to get other buyers and establish themselves as a micro-enterprise. In some instances, ICF has helped them develop customer relationships with other organisations. For example, Industree transferred all assets as an advance to two SHGs, Ashraya and Samanvaya, and encouraged them to become independent enterprises. This enabled them to achieve orders from different companies such as Thunk, Volvo and Govt. of Karnataka, as well as supply regularly to Industree. The groups have constantly repaid all their loans.
Annual Reports and financial statements for the last three years are available on their website for both ICPL and ICF. A notable fact about ICF is that it takes no donations from external organisations or ICPL. Its inflow comes from Grant-in-aid project grants and consultancy fees from the Government.
Grant-in-aid projects
The Ministry of Labour has been financing, since 1981-82, voluntary organizations by way of grant-in-aid for taking up action-oriented projects for the benefit of child labour and women labour. The women’s cell in the Ministry of Labour, thus encourages voluntary agencies and non-governmental agencies to formulate income-generating schemes and other action projects for women labour and renders financial assistance to such agencies for executing these projects. The amount of assistance given by the Ministry of Labour will be restricted to 75% of the recurring cost of the project as per the approved budget. The remaining 25% of the cost including the non-recurring cost, if any, will have to be borne by the organization concerned.
Source: Ministry of Labour

Reviewing Conversations

2011-11-15T20:14:00.001+05:30

Conversations are a part of our daily grind - the memorable moments andalso the ones we'd rather forget. Some are stimulating, some are mundane. Theycapture thoughts of the speakers and the silence around them captures theunspoken expressions. One kind word can warm three winter months says aJapanese proverb. At the same time, the wounds by words are deeper than thoseby swords. It is this magic of words and situations that Rajeev Nanda hasbeautifully captured in his first fiction book "Conversations".

The book is a collection of short stories. Thesetting is always urban and contemporary. The stories span from dreams totruths. It is a book that has benefited from crispy editing. While the firststory ‘Splinters’ talks about dreams and how the protagonist has lost track ofhis own. The next one is still surreal with its conversations with God. Thereis a struggle with idealism in ‘Soldier’. ‘The Taxi Ride’ is fiction within fictionwhile stories thereon have taken a touch of reality. The graduation from loftyheights to earthy depths is brilliantly assembled. Short pieces of poetrystrewn amongst the stories add value to the book. At the same time, lines fromthese poems can be quoted by themselves:

E.g. from ‘I Have’

“I have a lifetime full of joy,

But, all I need is a moment of ecstasy”.

The poet has penned universal experiences in ‘Darkness’:

“This one idea that was aborted,

Sits in my heart like a lump,

Like a still child in a womb.”

In the last poem, the ‘Misfit’ says:

“I kept quiet to contemplate,

Mirror and the reflection expectantly wait

I turned and walked away;

The mirror and reflection shattered lay.”

Coversations is a book that makes you thinkwhat would you have done in the protagonist’s place. It teaches withoutpreaching. It is not a mystery thriller that binds yet it allures the readerwith reality, which is a staggering feat to accomplish. The enigma in some ofRajeev Nanda’s stories reminds me of Anton Chekhov’s works - The questionshanging in the air after a story has ended.

While the setting is urban, it is also verycontemporary. Some of the stories are also based in the U.S. Rajeev has shownstruggles within families when issues like adultery and extra-marital affairsarise. While the issues are not new, he has changed the angles. Whether hischaracters are fence sitters or on either sides of the line – there remains anelement of unease and introspection. Incidentally, there is a poem called ‘Introspection’:

“If I never talk to myself,

Whom can I expect to speak to me?

If I fail to own myself,

Whomcan I expect to take charge of me?”

In his stories,there is death but not grief. There is depression but not sorrow. There is envybut not jealousy. To experience these, read the book.

About the book:

Publisher: LeadstartPublishing Pvt Ltd

Price: India: ₹195 Elsewhere: US $14

ISBN:978-93-81115-12-1

About theauthor:

Rajeev Nanda completedhis graduation (B.Sc) in general sciences from D.A.V College in Jallandhar,Punjab (India) in 1984. He did post-graduate diploma in Computer Science andother professional certification courses in software & technology fromvarious institutes in New Delhi while working for a startup.

After spendingmore than 10+ years in the US, he relocated to Bangalore to help Intel setuptheir IT group in India. His professional expertise lies in strategy,technology and management leadership. More on his professional experience can be found on: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeevnanda

He startedwriting at the age of 10. In his college years, he picked up controversialsubjects, like atheism, to write for the college magazine. He published his firstbook (e-verything.com: How to map out a viable e-strategy) in 2001. His fictionwriting was a private affair until 2005 when he uploaded sample stories onAmerican Book Publishers’ (ABP) web-site. The editorial board of ABP extendedthe contract in Sep 2005 which resulted in the book ‘Conversations’ in 2009.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda. Participate now to get free books!

Entrepreneurship School by SSP

2011-09-22T21:30:00.000+05:30

You read about my romp in Katgaon earlier. Let us now talk about why was I walking amidst the bhindi plants.

So I was in the field to capture a woman talking about organic farming, which in turn, was a part of the field visit to record the progress of E-school program. The Entreprenuership School is run by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP). This project is being supported by a corporate donor via Samhita. The visit was part of the reporting services provided by Samhita.

SSP has been working with rural women since many years.During their interactions, they saw that though women were able to get loansthrough micro-finance and cooperative societies etc., they are unable to run abusiness profitably because of lack of relevant information.

Go on reading >>

Maid in India 2.0

2011-08-29T13:32:00.002+05:30

My earlier post Maid in India 1.0 described the method of operations and the impact of the project. An interesting distinction is that is financially sustainable in the long run and also scalable. Though the organization needs grants for supporting some activities, Decimal Foundation wants MII to run independently. The project has received Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation.To know more about MII namely its financial sustainability, scale of operations, challenges etc. read on.

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Fulfilling Half Day in a Village

2011-08-24T23:38:00.003+05:30

Visiting a village was one of the things I wanted to do since long. Though Jagriti Yatra filled that wish to some extent, today was better. (And ya desire for a longer visit still smoulders) I'd gone to an official visit today to Katgaon village in Osmanabad district in Maharashtra. The purpose is to monitor and report on a project supported by a corporate donor. It's a small village with population of around 5000. This post is about my travels, another about the impact of the NGO which I visited will follow.

Go on reading >>

Review of "Musings of a Wanderer"

2011-08-19T10:29:00.000+05:30

Author: Shreya Chatterjee ISBN:9381205006

"Musings of a Wanderer" is Shreya's first published work. This collection of poetry by Power Publishers is a slim volume at 96 pages and very conveniently priced at ₹100. She has written since her school days and her poetry has been published in magazines and blogs. Like most Indians, she is bilingual and writes both in her native tongue Bengali and English. Without further ado, lets talk about her book.

Shreya has captured everyday emotions with a simplicity and depth that is both touching and surprising. Touching because you would have experienced the same feelings some time or the other and her words hold the potential to evoke buried memories. Surprising, because at times, what she writes is so straightforward, one wonders why didn’t no one think of putting it this way before. E.g. while writing about her mother’s abandoned slippers,

“Perhaps they even

Had a rest outside the temple steps,

But who knows for how long.”

from ‘Her Foot Friend Played Hide and Seek’. Here, she beautifully crafts an ordinary image that conveys the tirelessness of a busy homemaker. Similarly in ‘A Quiet Stroll’,

“A stroll

By the quiet river,

Nibbling at

Grass strands.”

Many of her poems are based on the onset of monsoon. And almost every one of these is heartwarming as, though she chooses simple words and writes a short verse, she manages to draw a vivid image for her reader. E.g.

“My window weaving a new tale….

When a gush of wind drenched me wet…” from ‘A Shower at Night’ and

“A laughing face,

I rush outside,

To welcome

My first shower

In love with

Those once a year,

Raindrops.” from ‘In Love with Raindrops’

Though the above lines express the joy of the poet at the first rain of the season, melancholy is more pervasive a theme in this collection. I wonder why this would be so in such a young poetess. Although, I must confess that this surprise comes forth from an optimist and joyous soul who rarely pays homage to pain. Based on this collection, it is of course beyond my judgement to know whether sorrow is a dominant theme in all her work or it catches the fancy of the poetess’ pen alone. Shreya underlines this distinction in her work on the back cover of the book when she defines herself as a “writer by profession, poet by will”. Her poems have not been grouped according to themes or tones. So the interplay of joy and sorrow can be a refreshing read or a bumpy ride depending on the readers’ mood.

“Even they speak

A volume of words

With their downcast eyes.” from ‘Downcast Eyes’ and

“Your silence

Softens

The sore toes

The aching heels.” from ‘Curiously Silent’

As you can make out from the above lines, the diversity in themes truly makes them expressions of a meandering traveller on the journey of life. In the anthology, there are love tales in ‘Two Cups of Coffee’, ‘Behind the Blinds’ and ‘Breaking’. There are tales of warriors and cries of the natives in ‘Warrior’ and ‘Voice’. There are also some poems that encompass social issues, these are the ones which captured my interest first out of the lot. The plight of child labourers is captured in ‘Child Labors…’

“I cry out at her glittering face

‘Books would FEED me

-But NEVER within hours’. ”. Indeed how true that is.

A dutiful women caged in her home in ‘Queen of Our Land’

“Given to the whims of an insolent husband

She wore a painful smile-

Scrubbed and polished,

-Kept things spick and span.”

Or “I am light that stays invisible” in ‘To Be a Woman’.

On the whole, the book is an interesting and different read. For all lovers of poetry, Shreya is one to watch out for. May her poems never get shackled by eight-letter words and nor the emotions so abstract as to be beyond the understanding of anyone but the poet.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda. Participate now to get free books!

Maid in India 1.0

2011-08-17T15:10:00.008+05:30

"The ‘decimal’ is simply a dot within a number. Its position within a number determines what the number means to us. Just a shift to the right or left changes its meaning exponentially." 

Decimal Foundation, an NGO in Mumbai, cites the above as their inspiration. They serve an omnipresent and yet ignored section of society - domestic help. Do you know when was the last time your maid had a health check-up? Every woman associated with Maid in India gets free medical care every couple of months. To read more about the great work they are doing, and about my visit to their office, read on.

Go on reading >>

About the yatra

2011-02-02T01:18:00.000+05:30

Among the role models, my favourites are Gram Vikas in Orissa - Joe Madiath, Goonj in Delhi - Anshu Gupta and Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan and the focus session on Women and Leadership by Jude Kelly.

You can read about our experience with them on the yatra at Yatra Saar 2010. After every yatra, the experience of those wonderful 18 days is compiled by a team consisting of yatris. This year's document is out. Glance at it, it's a little long, so you may not like to read all of it, but do have a look.

Download pdf of the summary of those amazing 18 days: Yatra Saar 2010

Tata Jagriti Yatra 2010

2011-01-13T14:37:00.005+05:30

यारों चलो बदलने की रुत है

These lyrics by Prasoon Joshi is what Jagiriti Yatra is about. It’s a journey that spans 12 cities across the Indian mainland igniting change in 400 young men and women. It takes these participants known as yatris to meet social and business entrepreneurs who are role models in their fields. The 400 yatris for the 2010 yatra are a diverse bunch from all regions of India and 12 other countries including Germany, Ethiopia, UK, Jordan, US and Australia among others.

Not only is the diversity amazing, the things people have done are mind-blowing. In my own group, there are two IAS aspirants, one lobbyist, a doctor who’s worked with ‘Doctors Without Borders’, an environmentalist who’s been to the UN conference in Copenhagen and the Sarpanch of a village in Chattisgarh. Isn’t it just breath-taking? I’ll keep mentioning the brilliant people I meet throughout my posts. For now, let us take a look at what the yatra is about.

Go on reading >>

Get them on the shelf

2010-08-28T14:26:00.001+05:30

Image via WikipediaDo you like reading or do you dislike it?
If you like reading, do you have a title in mind that isn't on the library shelf? Please tell me about it.
If you don't like reading, there must be one or two books that you have heard of. If you want to read them in near future, please let me know.

The books will be ordered for BITS library. Even if you are not a BITSian, you can suggest books that a college library should have.

Any genre which suits general reading will do. Novels, biographies, travelogues, anthologies....... Because as Sir Francis Bacon said "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested. "

For BITSians, please check in the catalogue that the book isn't already present. (They don't believe in two copies.)

Also, it'll be really nice of you if you could tell me the publisher and ISBN. You need to Google only one book, poor me will have to plough through the whole list.

The empty comment box is waiting for you....

Yaadein 1.0: Elections

2010-08-24T10:00:00.019+05:30

Elections would seem a strange choice as the first topic among college memories. But, it was there in one of my first posts on this campus and the last elections just finished yesterday. Election Commission (EC) was the first activity that I took up in campus. Imagine being the second week in campus and the Chief Warden is interviewing you at 9pm in his chamber.

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यादें

2010-08-24T01:09:00.000+05:30

कॉलेज का आखिरी साल, हर लम्हे को पूरी तरह जी लेने का जज़्बा लेकर आता है| हर कोई कहता है कि यह चार साल ज़िन्दगी के सबसे सुनहरे साल हैं, जितनी मस्ती कर सकते हो कर लो| पर यथार्थ में यही ज़िन्दगी की नींव के सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण पत्थर भी होते हैं| चौथे साल तक भविष्य कि चिंता दस्तक देने लगती है, साथ ही दोस्तों की अहमियत महसूस होती है | इस उधेड़बुन के बीच मैं यह चिट्ठा लिख रही हूँ, कॉलेज के रंगीन दिनों पर | कुछ दोस्त विदाई ले चुके हैं, बाकीयों से बिछुड़ने का अहसास है | पर होठों पर सदा मुस्कान लायेंगी कॉलेज कि ये यादें ........

PS: If you are a non-Hindi reader, don't worry, I won't be writing the memoir completely in Hindi :P

Driving in Jabalpur

2010-05-26T22:14:00.000+05:30

If you appreciate chaos, you would love this. Heavy traffic, no rules whatsoever and roads with potholes. Driving a two-wheeler in Jabalpur is at times a circus where you are unknowingly one of the jokers. I went driving for a mere 8 km today and a few peeks at the journey can tell you a lot about my daily experience:

I’m driving a bit towards the left on the road and a passenger auto decides to go left and stop right before me. No problem, with autos you can expect that they’ll turn or stop whenever and wherever they feel like. I then overtook it from the right but then somebody has to get down on the right side.

A few metres ahead there’s an auto with a trolley at the back driving in the middle of the road. Abruptly it takes a right turn, no indicator, no hand signal. Luckily I was slow because I had just passed a busy area and stopped about two feet from the auto.

The busy area that I had come from is the special suburb of Gokalpur where for some unknown reason; people tend to cross the road all the time. On this 300 metre stretch of road, I tend to keep my eyes wide open because you never know who would take a leisurely stroll across the road. And this happens at all hours. I would not be surprised if I go at 6 am and there is somebody brushing and crossing.

Contrary to my experience earlier, the traffic has increased manifold in my city. The roads seem to be complaining and people seem to be innovatively coping. Now, being overtaken from the left is common. Hence, I now know why God gave me two ears. You need to know from which side or from both are you being overtaken.

And yes you need sharp eyes too. As you need to check the path for potholes too while driving. Even my favourite stretch in GCF (Gun Carriage Factory) estate has become riddled with them. It is a 2.5 km long road nestled among hills which are splendid when flowers are in full bloom or lush green in monsoons. It is an exception to the main city roads where the dust is so bad; your lungs would choke if there is no cloth tied across your face. The sun at 46 degrees and dust do ensure that every two-wheeler has terrorists on it.

Btw, if you are ever planning to visit, do drive a two-wheeler, it is a significant part of Incredible India.

Time Efficiently Disbursed: TEDx

2010-02-05T22:41:00.004+05:30

Inspiring ideas + enthralling evidence + splendid speakers = TEDx BITS Goa

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. TEDx was a conference which attracted many speakers from all over India who wanted to spread their ideas. It was an awesome experience to hear those prolific thinkers today. TEDx was preceded by TEDx University where a few speakers where given 4 minutes each to present their idea. The main speakers were given 18 minutes each.

Some of the impressive performances were of : engineer turned toymaker Arvind Gupta, world music band Shanti, structural engineer Himanshu Parikh, YES+ guy Khurshed Batliwala, Rubik cube prodigy Bernett Orlando, MIT artist Chris, entrepreneur Nikhil Velpanur, origami artist Shivaram Narayanan, founder of Blank Noise Jasmeen Patheja and film-maker Aparna Wilder. There were many other speakers, you can see the list @ http://www.tedxbitsgoa.com/speakers

Arvind Gupta has marvelous hands and an intuitive mind. He makes scientific toys out of household things including discarded materials. A cycle tyre tube and matchsticks were used to make various polygons with shape-shifting properties. A triangle is the only one which doesn't change shape, demonstrating that the shape is most fit for mechanical trusses. He showed an electrical motor, a sprinkler, a Velcro slate and wool pen for blind children among other things. His work is the kind of grassroots innovation India needs.

Another grassroots change is being brought about by Himanshu Parikh, a structural engineer who believes in Water and Sanitation as the tool to change millions of lives in India. He strongly believes that we don't need aid from abroad, just one-time investment by corporates, community and government can change the faces of Indian villages and slums. He presented data which was eye-opening. Though he said that an average investment of 6000 per family for drainage gave rise to about 75k of investment by families themselves. A fact that I find hard to digest despite his facts. But, if his movement can become widespread in India, it would have a much bigger impact than green and white revolution put together.

Jasmeen is a founder member of Blank Noise, a community initiative which raises the issue of eve-teasing. It is an issue which plagues Indian society and it was heartening to know that somebody is raising a voice. If you wish to know more about this vital issue, do visit her website http://www.blog.blanknoise.org/ Or join them at twitter @ http://twitter.com/blank_noise

Jessica Mayberry talked about community journalism which would focus on incidents and individuals ignored by the mainstream media. Her work can be another way of rural empowerment.

Shanti band's performance on melody based fusion music was beautifully rendered. It was a pleasure to listen to the symphony of sitar, tabla, keyboard and drums.

Bernett Orlando was a pleasure to watch. The kid is only 13 and can solve Rubik cubes in minutes single handed and even blind folded. It was amazing to watch the fast, nimble fingers of this 6 times national champion. The hand shadow puppetry show by Amar Kumar Sen was fun too. Another set of nimble fingers that served a feast for the eyes. Seeing origami by Shivaram Narayanan was a new experience. His pieces were almost lifelike. I thought of it as only an art, never crossed my mind that it would have so many applications.

Two websites which I found worth checking out: Bharath Gyan and Bytes for All.

Bharath Gyan talks about the science lying undiscovered in the observations of ancient India. Khurshed Batliwala showed a few examples from here. One of them showing how we always knew that the earth is round भूगोल and it moves जगत. From his examples, I have a feeling that the site would be fascinating to read.

Bytes for All is a journalism initiative centred on IT innovations which affect daily life. It would be an interesting kind of news to keep ourselves abreast with.

This was a fruitful day spent listening to these wonderful people.

Applause and gratitude to Swetansu Mohapatra, the student who brought TEDx to our campus.

Reading Weekly 2.0

2010-01-25T22:41:00.001+05:30

I told you about the MATRIX reading club in my post Reading Weekly. I had mentioned that Art of War, Zahir and Bourne Series would be discussed next week. Sarthak has done a nice writeup of that meeting. You can check it out at his blog, The Difference.

Solid Words

2010-01-23T22:20:00.001+05:30

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.
Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway.

Taken from "Meditations from a Simple Path" by Mother Teresa

Reading Weekly

2010-01-17T01:00:00.000+05:30

A new activity got added to this semester besides 8 courses, GRE classes and Wall Street Club – MATRIX Reading Club. The club is an attempt to bring together people who are passionate about reading. It seeks to broaden horizons and light sparks of interest. A meeting could be loosely structured around a few books, the talk could veer around to an interesting article in the newspaper or to the world of books and authors galore. I got the idea last sem but was too busy to implement. So, this sem delving into it.

Yesterday's meeting went as follows:

In the last meeting, we had decided to discuss Bourne series by Robert Ludlum, The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga and India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha. We started with a talk between Ankit and Neha about the historian. When Ankit mentioned Jayprakash Narayan, Syam took over with an analysis of Indira Gandhi and her rule. That was followed by feudalism and communism in Kerala. I came to know Kerala has 140 Vidhan Sabha and 19 Lok Sabha seats. Somewhere in between there was Ayn Rand and not believing in her philosophy thrown in. Syam was talking about objectivism, the philosophy that she propagated. I've never read her and took it as objectivism i.e. sticking to truth. Talked about how every author, unless they are a historian writing in black and white, is unobjective. The authors views do seep in. Gave an example of Gone With The Wind, where Margaret Mitchell paints blacks as an integral part of the family in South America. That led to the etymology of the word lynching, traced to Willie Lynch's methods by Achal. There was another digression on objectivism as Achal tried to reason that unless reader believes in the work, it can't be objectified. These three meanings make me appreciate why people mug up word lists for GRE :D

Science fiction also found a way in with Neha talking about The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and The Foundation by Issac Asimov. While I was getting cold coffees, there was a discussion on Ghost In The Shell series. Benefit of organising meetings in night canteen, we get to talk over coffee and bournvita. We didn't much get to Arvind Adiga except that the book begins with a village in Gaya.

To participate in a stimulating discussion like this wasn't just nice, it was fun. Next week, we have on the table, Zahir by Paulo Coelho, Art of War by Sun Tzu and Bourne series again. A classic e.g. Wuthering Heights is also in queue.

Sunrise

2009-12-25T06:53:00.003+05:30

Image by Thai Jasmine via Flickr

I was lucky to be up at dawn today. My window gives me an amazing view of the central lawns, hostel buildings, the river Zuari and the bank beyond. I noticed a diffusion of orange in the sky when I woke up signaling sunrise. My window does not face the east, so I went to the other side of the building and stood hanging out of a window to watch the colours in the sky. The window is before a terrace, the door to which is sadly, always kept locked. The hues of the horizon change every second. First there were streaks of bright orange in the middle of the sky. Near to the land, the orange diffused to a misty grey. And above, hung the clouds in shades of white and grey. As the sun rises somewhere beyond my vision, the orange lightens. At one moment, there is a glow to the whole sky like a golden light has overtaken the orange and the grey. The orange gently lightens to herald the appearance of the sun. The sun is hidden beyond the hills but the light has spread.

This is Christmas morning and I want to sing Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

सू करू छे

2009-10-07T12:23:00.002+05:30

पिछला आधा हफ्ता ट्रेन में ही गुजरा । पहले वास्को से जबलपुर, फिर जबलपुर से सोमनाथ और वापिस – ९६ घंटे का सफर । गुजरात मैं पहली बार गई थी, खमण- ढोकले तो नज़र नही आए पर अमूल की दुकान हर स्टेशन पर थी । गुजराती नमकीन लज़ीज़ होते हैं पर ट्रेन में तो दाने-पानी को तरस गए । वो तो घरवालों के साथ थी तो खाने का एक थैला साथ था, वरना, गए थे । हाँ राजकोट और जैतलसर अच्छे शहर थे । राजकोट में अमूल श्रीखण्ड खाया तो अणुशक्तिनगर का श्रीखण्ड याद आ गया । { अणुशक्तिनगर -> देखें I love Mumbai } । ऐसे ही जैतलसर के भजिये याद रहेंगे ।

पेट पूजा से आगे चलते हैं उसके एक स्त्रोत पर। सोमनाथ में गाय-बैल थोक में हैं । गुजरात में 'दूधो नहाओ' ज़रूर होता होगा अगर अमूल और वाडीलाल सब बेच न डालते हों । एक ही शहर में हर तरह का पशु पालन दिख गया - गाय-बैल, बकरियाँ, भेड़ें, मुर्गे और गधे ।

सोमनाथ मन्दिर परिसर में बहुत सारे कबूतर रहते हैं । दाना चुगाते लोग और दौड़-दौड़कर कबूतर उड़ाते बच्चे दोंनों ही सुंदर छवि बनाते हैं । मंदिरवाले शायद साम्यवादी हैं इसलिए कुत्ते और शूकर भी मौजूद होते हैं ।

अगर आप कभी सोमनाथ जाएँ तो गुमने का कोई डर नहीं है । जिस जगह से समुद्र-मछलियों की तेज़ बदबू शुरू हो जाए, बस समझियेगा पहुँच गए। सोमनाथ से लेकर दीव तक एक भी मछली बाज़ार नहीं दिखा पर गंध 'आपके साथ सदा के लिए' । गोवा में तो यह धूप कभी नहीं महकी । पर गोवा जैसी ठंडी-तेज़ मस्त हवाएं भी हैं सोमनाथ में । स्टेशन पर ट्रेन की पटरियाँ खत्म कर दी गई हैं की कहीं ट्रेन समुद्र में न कूद जाए ।

सोमनाथ से दीव के रास्ते में एक नए तरह का रिक्शा देखने को मिला । आगे से मोटरसाईकिल, पीछे से ट्रॉली। फोटो में देख सकते हैं आप। बैठने का आनंद उठाने का मन था, पर सफर सिर्फ़ इन्डिका में कटा।

यहाँ पर स्टेशन से मन्दिर पहुँचने में ही इतनी गलियाँ हैं की होश फाख्ता हो जाएँ। बनारस घूमी हूँ, उसे मात देती हैं ये गलियाँ। पर इतनी गन्दगी होगी ये सोचा न था। सोमनाथ एक तीर्थस्थल है, पर ये मेरा देखा हुआ सबसे गन्दा क़स्बा है।

ये थे मेरे गुजरात भ्रमण के कुछ अनुभव। गुजराती लिपि देवनागरी से मिलती-जुलती है। कुछ अक्षर अलग हैं जैसे क -> ક । गुजराती में उसे डाँट कर सीधा खड़ा कर दिया गया है। बेचारा मुँह बाए खड़ा रहता है।
दीव और गोवा नाम पढ़कर एक सवाल उठा मन में । हिन्दी में गोआ गोवा और दियू दीव क्यों हो जाता है? अगर दिमाग की बत्ती जले तो अवश्य बताएं ।

हिन्दी में

2009-10-05T16:13:00.003+05:30

थोडे दिनों पहले विकल्प का लेख पढ़ा पिलानी के हिन्दी प्रेस क्लब के ब्लॉग पर| बहुत दिनों बाद हिन्दी में कुछ पढ़ा| उसके बाद प्रतीक माहेश्वरी का ब्लॉग पढ़ा| बहुत अच्छा लिखते हैं| तब से हिन्दी में लिखने का मन कर रहा था, इसलिए अगली रचना हिन्दी में| अब से इस चिट्ठे में थोड़ी हिन्दी, थोड़ी अंग्रेज़ी|

!!!Two hours

2009-10-05T16:05:00.001+05:30

In those two hours, the world went topsy-turvy. I received three CDC papers in two hours, one was good (surprisingly) and the other two left a lot to be done in T2 and compre. But these are not the two hours I am talking about. They are the ones that followed. I decided I was in no mood for snacks, instead went to the library and settled down with a book, only the fourth person inside. No network inside lib, switched off my phone. The clock showed six and I was completely immersed in All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot. Another hour went by among sheep, horses and calves. {James Herriot is a vet and writes about his country practice.} By now, I was ravenously hungry. I proceeded to the Institute Cafeteria for samosa chaat (staple food at IC). Saw some crowd outside audi, couldn’t figure out why. Maybe there was something related to the visiting MIT delegates, but without prior intimation… Wondering, I reached IC where the guy asked me that what was happening in audi. I replied with a negative probably for the first time. Anyway, returned at a leisurely pace to hostel where the world exploded. And I came to know a lot had changed…
Go on reading >>

An Answer

2009-07-22T12:17:00.007+05:30

An in-depth reply by a friend to my post Does Self-Improvement Improve? :

In my opinion, personal/relational influence is what matters. Books, movies,sports,music etc happen to be the channels through which the authors/actors/directors/singers(different persons) convey what they want to.What exactly matters, changes individually. At the same time whatever the person is trying to convey, has to be caught immediately by the person being conveyed. I call this ability to catch, "an innate spark".

Go on reading >>

I love Mumbai

2009-07-17T17:00:00.003+05:30

Arrival on 25th May, Departure on 18th July. A lot has happened in between.
An application I made is up and running on supercomputer Anupam Ajeya.
I found some great friends here, as you have read and some about whom you haven't.
I've travelled in Mumbai in all modes of public transport. Sometimes alone also.
And I am in love with the city.

Reasons:

Go on reading >>

एक फुग्गा....दो दीवाने

2009-07-15T14:30:00.004+05:30

दीवानों के नाम - Alan and Alibe. The story begins with Opal's balloon which brought the two together. On Sunday evening, we were coming back in a bus from Carter Road to Sion. It's the most moving-shaking bus ride I've ever had. Every time the driver hit the brakes, every person used to jump a metre ahead. And on Mumbai roads, brakes are a recurrent feature.

When the first time this happened, we were caught unaware. I was holding only with one hand which slipped on the rod, and got cut slightly. Opal was holding with both her hands and still did a mighty swing. Her precious balloon from Mad Over Doughnuts meanwhile, was being doctored by Alan and Alibe. The tiny hole in it needed immediate medical attention. So out came remedies from Alan's bag : first try -packs of Jaljira, second - sugar packets from Mocha, third - comb, finally a fevi quick. In this busy scene, the driver interrupted with brakes. Alan fell forward holding a rod with one hand. Then, in slow motion.. Alibe fell on his other arm, the balloon still clutched safely in his hands. Two guys and a balloon... The situation merited violins playing.. Alan says some did sound in his head :P

Yumyyy

2009-06-29T12:06:00.066+05:30

Sunday is fun day no, food day. Just a quick look at what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast at 10.30 - a glass of milk and sambhar vada

Image via Wikipedia

Lunch- Typical Andhra food in good quantity. Food was awesome. Andhra specialities - पुलिहोरा (tamarind rice), दद्दोजनम (curd rice) , रसम, आम का अचार, छोले।

Image by Chocolate Geek via Flickr

Then, a treat at CCD - Chocolate Fantasy,their speciality. A hot chocolate pastry with a scoop of vanilla icecream. I love dark chocolate.

Image via Wikipedia

In hostel, for dinner, sweet corn soup and we made four packs of maggi (3 ppl).

Image by jetalone via Flickr

Then, for dessert, we cut a water melon.

:-) :-) :-)

Now, why did I eat so much in one day? Maybe because Vir Sanghvi publishes Rude Food in Brunch on Sunday :P

Does Self-Improvement Improve?

2009-06-25T14:29:00.006+05:30

Self Improvement is a must section for any book-shop now. I went to Odyssey store some days back and they had those in huge numbers. Then, I went to Matunga Circle this weekend, and they were there too. Matunga Circle is a place in Mumbai where second hand books and cheap reprints are sold on street-side shops. (I got an old book on financial management for 10 bucks). I also got Robin Sharma's Megaliving and Who Will Cry When You Die?, though they weren't such a treat to my wallet.

Megaliving is a true blue, 'you can have a perfect life' book. It begins with reassurances that you can turn around your life and has a 30 Day program to revolutionise your life. My mom is suspicious of such attempts at becoming successful and believes in action not words. I do not know whether such books can change lives but they sure give me an uplifting feeling. For a while I could have a can-do attitude and an optimistic outlook. Long term effects are more a product of my philosophy and upbringing rather than inspirational literature.

Many books in the motivational genre have went on to become best-sellers. They are read by countless around the world. So, does the world now have self-motivated, go-getters who never say die? Though if I consider the world around me, BITSians are constantly working to improve in their fields, be it my batch, seniors or alumni. Each one does something to excel, it is almost amazing. Reason, I suspect is just the atmosphere at college.

Coming back to books, most authors claim that they have changed thousands of lives by their endeavours. Is it pessimistic of me to think they are bluffing or do books actually change lives? Or........ the high lasts only for a day?

One believer: Abe Oye!
One non-believer: Soul Surgery

Essel World

2009-06-15T16:40:00.008+05:30

As you know we reached Borivli after an interesting journey. From the jetty, we took a ferry to Essel World. At 480 per head, it was costly entertainment, but worth it I guess. Especially for Alan and Opal, who went on all rides, mostly more than one. They give the top prize to Rock n Roll, a small ride which made their brains do big circles. In it, the seats rotate continuously, no track of which way is sky and which way is earth. Plus, the mandatory going round in a circle too.

I would call Hool-a-Loop as the most jarring. It’s a roller coaster which has extreme dips and a 360 degree loop. Whenever we went down a slope, everybody used to scream. It was perhaps the first time in my memory that I was screaming involuntarily. Nothing else has ever made me scream yet including 3-feet long snakes when I was 10. When X saw the first almost vertical dip, the words that came out were “हे भगवान्, मैं यहाँ क्यों आया”. Opal got so scared by this proclamation that she didn’t open her eyes throughout that ride.

There’s another roller-coaster called Cadbury Xyclone, but it is tamer in comparison to hool-a-loop. I went twice on this one and all of us tried putting our hands in the air instead of clutching as if holding on to dear life.

Another big one was a giant wheel that used to go from horizontal to vertical, with high-speed revolutions. This time it was I who got scared because of X’s proclamations. The guy himself went on to all rides, but managed to transfer his fear around. I have been on giant wheel before, so if you put me there without giving much time to think, it would’ve been okay. But after listening to “यार, ये बहुत खतरनाक है” and “अब ऊपर मिलेंगे”, I didn’t open my eyes. X has a nice theory, it feels better if there are two in one gondola, at least there’ll be company while dying: D

There was also ice-skating and roadies-style bull-ride. After ice-skating, opinions: Opal – “four-wheel skates practice doesn’t help”. Rav – “No skating for me in this life”. Me – “I’ve never tried skating, after looking at them, good…” Alan was our sole champion in the ring.

That's the water splash. Only Rav and I went for this one.

Out of a local train

2009-06-10T14:02:00.004+05:30

A major event in my EPA as in Extra PS Activities: Essel World on last Saturday. We left at 7.30 and came back at 8 :)

For destination Essel World, we braved the local trains of Mumbai for the first time. We includes four other friends besides yours truly. And since I don’t want to be bashed up for telling you about their silly acts, let us call them Opal, X, Alan and Rav.
Go on reading >>

Nature's bounty

2009-06-04T10:59:00.004+05:30

I am living on the seventh floor in New Bachelor Hostel now. btw, how do u define a "new bachelor"?
It rained for the first time today. And the view from my balcony was awesome. There are no buildings to block my view. So I see only tree-covered hills and a blue sky above. I've been told that we can literally walk through clouds when it rains. I'm waiting..
The best time view is in the morning. The sun's rays' interplay on the hills, the shifting patches of sunlight. Gives a lovely start to the day.
The campus is about 5000 acres in area. I think half of it must be greenery. And we are not the only ones in Mother Nature's lap, there are scores of red-faces monkeys too. Even one of the guys found the monkey-babies cute, merrily clinging to their mothers as they walk. Also, there's a cute cat who lives near the canteen. She's still afraid of me but not of the lassi that I gave her.
The campus reminds me often of home, I guess nature will always be like a home away from home...

Techno Immune 2.0

2009-04-05T22:41:00.009+05:30

There are times when you have to be philosophical and bear the injustice that life gives you..
Presently, just the power cord of my lappy has stopped wrking. Techno immune again as i am, wont be regular here...
Hopefully, my creative energy would find an outlet in CC or in a frnd's room..
c u
Quote: Nothing stands in the way of a willing heart and a strong determination :D

Can I Call You Angel ?

2009-03-19T01:45:00.001+05:30

by Erin Sheets

The snow fell, leaving a halo of white upon your head,
and that's when I said,
"Can I call you Angel?"

You looked at me with surprise,
but I could see it in your eyes,
and I knew.

As you sang silent night,
your beautiful voice put me at ease,
and I asked please,
"Can I call you Angel?"

A smile came to your face with serenity and grace,
but you said not a word.
In my darkest hours you held my hand,
never leaving my side, and I said, while I cried,
"Can I call you Angel? "

You then began to wipe the tears away
and erase all the gray in my life.
You led me down a path of gold,
telling me of the creator above,
and again I asked with a greater love,
"Can I call you Angel?"

You never answered my plea,
so I fell to my knee in prayer.
As I opened my eyes, I could see you before me;
Your wings spread and a golden halo upon your head
and one last time I said,
"Josslyn, can I call you Angel?"

.

2009-03-12T23:56:00.005+05:30

Enchanting, captivating, bewitching, mesmerizing
Why is the dark sky so deeply convincing

The darkness engulfs even the lone star
Its moments of bravery forgotten
It tries always quite hard to spar
Why does it still get beaten

Spellbound it draws you closer
Beauty of the fruit forbidden
Rationale, courage and valour
Defeated by the demon within

Trials and tribulations they mar
Fear and flight together train
Judgement within is at war
Cowers mind beneath that rain

Rising and falling, bending and crawling
Moving where the darkness is shrouding

Cheers!!!

2009-03-05T01:32:00.004+05:30

Keep smiling, it's contagious. My warden has this quote outside her door. Beautiful, isn't it? :-)

Life is too short to be depressed. The best feeling is when you feel a sense of gratitude for life's blessings and let that shape your expressions and actions. There are little-little things that happen everyday that make one feel so happy and grateful for all that life has given. A call from a parent or friend when you r blue, a big smile from a person whom you know only slightly, praise from a stranger.....

Would you want to be happy and content with life? They say the magic lies not in fame or fortune, but in the attitude towards what you have got. Things might be going wrong at times, but if you look, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. It's far, but look at it and keep moving onwards with the the joy of the world in your heart.

Kindness

2009-03-02T02:57:00.004+05:30

The title may seem simplicity itself yet I choose to explain it. Helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped. We generally associate ‘kindness’ with being charitable and philanthropic. But, kindness is also your behaviour towards friends, towards those that serve you and towards strangers.
My first brush with people actually practising the teachings was when I read about Vasant Kalbag, founder of Kindness Unlimited. He was featured as an Everyday Hero in Readers’ Digest. A Mumbaikar senior citizen actively engaged in spreading the word of kindness. That lead to the discovery of helpothers, a website dedicated to making people kinder. Not by doing great deeds but by practising everyday kindness.

There have been instances where the simple acts of kindness that I witnessed have moved me greatly. There is a friend of mine who is excessively caring towards dogs. It is a wonder how patient and loving can she be towards strays. There are dog-lovers aplenty, but very few care about the ones on the streets. No wonder that if you stand with her, near a pack of dogs, soon you’ll be the centre of a group of wagging tails.

Another time, when I was travelling in a train with friends, one of them was overwhelmingly kind and polite to a girl asking for alms. Even after sharing his food with her, he remained polite till the time she moved from our seat which she did not do very willingly in the hope to still get more. People can be so unkind to those who can do nothing to them. Though I do not support begging, yet it is disturbing to see the tone in which people rebuke. The strong, sharp words just to emphasize how much they dislike the practice. Since she wasn’t moving, I’d asked him to be more firm with her. And the reply I got was that if he does then what will be the difference between him and others. That incident left a lasting impression on me.
Lastly,
“Kindness is the rent we must pay for the space we occupy on this planet.”

Serving the nation

2009-02-25T23:37:00.004+05:30

"It does not matter, who I am, I will work, and work, all the forces of universe, will also assist me. I will achieve , what I dream."
I took this oath with hundreds of other students on 7th February in the auditorium. It was initiated by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he visited our campus to inaugurate Quark 09. He said that when you dream, when you work, it does not matter who you are.

At the end of his inspiring speech, there was an interactive session with students. Somehow, all the questions submitted beforehand were from boys. So, he asked that last two questions should be asked by girls. One of them was mine:

Me- "As a technical student, when we are getting excellent education in a technical institute, after college, would we be serving India more if we become a researcher or would we be serving India more if we become a grassroots activist?"

Dr. Kalam- "If you take 100 engineers, technology group you take, my feeling is 10 to maximum, depending upon the institute, 20 percent, they will like to be interested in real research.So it is the necessity of the institution and the country also, to support the research. Because, competitiveness India is 41 now. Out of hundreds of nations, the competitiveness we are 41. If you want to become number one, two, three, four, five - science needed. Science only gives new technology. New technology will not be available to us immediately, till the technology becomes a product, somebody gets money for it. So science... Science, we need to encourage science. Government of India willing to spend 2 percent. Out of that, 0.8 percent for fundamental research. But our institutions are not spending."

At the end, he made us take another oath "I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity."
Amen

(Note: The 'Amen' is a personal addition, not a part of his speech)

Divided we stand

2009-01-18T01:17:00.002+05:30

“All are equal but some are more equal than the others” said George Orwell in “Animal Farm”. The statement most accurately depicts the tussle between egalitarianism and social divisions. Governments and intellectuals eulogize the romantic concept of egalitarianism but, reality remains starkly different. The Preamble of the Constitution of India declares her as a “socialist, secular Republic”. It also includes the Fundamental Right against Discrimination. Yet, in modern India, caste and religious differences are seen in prominence as never before. The flames are fuelled by political motives. The USA granted equal rights to blacks but, only years later were they able to hail the first black President. Worldwide, such differences have perpetuated, generation after generation yet intellectualism still strives and upholds egalitarianism.

Classlessness is a fundamentally right concept. Each human being is equal in the eyes of God and in the eyes of law. Equal rights should be enjoyed by John Doe and the billionaire capitalist. A few societies do realize this state. Like the nomads, some Chinese tribes and certain North Australian communities. In a Chinese tribe, which survives on hunting, the one who makes the kill is teased in proportion to the size of the beast to deflate his ego. In North Australia, each person is bound by custom to share anything that his neighbour needs. Everybody’s needs are hence taken care of. The nomads own nothing but the bare minimum and hence do not fight over what belongs to whom. These egalitarian societies have been built upon the principles of kinship and collective ownership of resources.

Individualism, privatization and the notion of ownership of resources– ubiquitous concepts in modern world, all but destroy the possibility of egalitarianism. The countries who gave equal share of wealth to everyone, saw their economies in tatters until they allowed some form of capitalism. Anti-egalitarians also argue that nature creates genetic differences. It makes some men more able than the others then why should their progress be stymied in the name of equality for all. Society being divided into strata is so strongly a part of every society that it must be essential for a stable society. It thus stands empirically correct even though morally, egalitarianism stands higher.

Awesome Day

2009-01-14T01:16:00.004+05:30

It’s a good time to be alive.

I had my first MT prac today. It was a good and at times funny thing. Electrical Experiments are all about connecting wires. You try to tie three thick bush-like wires to a single knob and the lab assistant comes at pulls at them. Unexpectedly they are seen in his hand instead of on the transformer. Next, my partner was trying to adjust the load on a motor. Somehow she rotated the handles such that the spring balance that was hanging from it unscrewed and went down with a clang. The instructor and assistant came running. First incident in that lab. Then after some time, when we were done with the readings, we tried to turn the motor off. I lowered the voltage. The motor hissed and then the silent lab came alive with the grinding sound. Our assistant was standing a few feet apart. We told him “Sir, our motor is making a sound”. That guy turned his back to us. Then seeing at a distant star, as if having a premonition, he said “Wait, I can hear some sound”. Till that time, the instructor who had been at the other end of the lab realized where the sound was coming from and rushed over. No damage done, thankfully. We didn’t exactly appreciate the idea of blowing something on our first day itself.

The evening was made fun by a DJ nite organized for Lohri. Maybe the name Bhangra nite would be more appropriate. I danced this way after quite long. One and a half hour of non-stop of dancing with friends – sheer joy. Doing फुगड़ी is another exhilarating experience. For the uninitiated, fugadi is a kind of dance step where two people, usually girls, hold each other’s hands and move around in a wide circle. The faster the better, even though the world is dizzy afterwards. And if you haven’t clasped tightly, you are flung out and land as a heap on the floor. Punjabi songs are fun to shake a leg to. Even last time’s Lohri DJ nite had been fun. Unlike the one in Waves where Nikihil Chinappa was the DJ. It is desi music that rocks.

So folks..my life is becoming better by the day.. how’s urs?

Friends

2008-12-19T14:37:00.004+05:30

A few days back, I updated my orkut profile. From living “with parents” to living “alone, friends visit often”. ..Friends are family now. More than any other relation in the world, friends brighten up your day, day after day. They are the people with whom you share every joy and pain and lay bare your deepest desires and fears. I like what Anais Nin said about friends:

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

In a Utopian world, friendship would be only based on the kind of person you are. But fallible people that we are, glitter sells more than gold. Trivial things like the way somebody dresses or looks, matter. Else, we cage ourselves with shackles of our language or region. The other day, one of my friends asked-“Aren’t boys better friends? They aren’t selfish, jealous or gossipy. True, you can’t ramble on about emotions and feelings to them but, they’ll help you in need even after you’ve had a fight.” I asked back-“Why aren’t you thinking beyond stereotypes? It’s a person’s values and not their gender that determines good friends.”
As he caught the word “friends”, another friend observed-“You know why I love being with my friends. At times, when I am upset about something, and sit silently; my family will nag me about it. They’ll want to swoop out of the sky like Superman and solve all my problems. Even when they don’t understand. But with friends; with my friends I can just be…”
When I think of friendships, another thing that comes to mind is that why don’t people let a guy and a girl be just friends? A small spark starts a fire of gossip that can char a platonic friendship. Somebody please tell them to give it a rest.
At times, you have a friend so cherished, that nothing could ever dissolve or even threaten the bond between the two of you. For a friendship to be a nonpareil, friends should not be absolute copies of each other. Their basic plane of thinking should be same, otherwise they won’t find any joy in each other’s company. But, in other domains, they can be starkly different and still be happy together. Celebrating differences makes you grow more than closed cliques.
When friendship takes root in one’s heart, love blossoms. Platonic love does not bring with it the sweeping winds of teenage love. It is more the quiet intimacy of a couple celebrating their silver anniversary. Like true love, true friends are also hard to find. But, when you do find one, you no longer wonder what an angel looks like. Somebody who’ll always be there for you, before everyone else and even when everyone else has turned their back on you. A shoulder to cry on, a listening ear for life’s troubles. Just the thought of them brings a smile to your lips. They can make you smile through your tears. And they are the ones who’ve seen you crying out of happiness. And that somebody is so much a part of you that the thought of going away….It’s just too hard to bear.
Hard indeed it is when a friendship breaks. A broken friendship is a stinging wound. A wound that takes too long to heal. Misunderstandings and pent-up anger can break the bonding thread so easily. The bond shatters like glass when trust is broken. There’s an element of trust in every relationship, which when broken once, remains a scar forever. Have you ever lost a friend to things that need not have happened? A day ago, there was the joy of companionship; a day later, there’s a void. You are left behind with memories of shared laughter and tears. Had you been a child, you would have wiped your tears and extended a friendly hand, but, now egoistic adulthood has closed the doors.
“Ask and it shall be given unto you, knock and it shall be opened”. Sometimes in life we think we don’t need anyone. But sometimes we don’t have anyone when we need….So, if you have been keeping to yourself; go out and seek a friend. And…your world will become better.

Note: I had written this article for Sizzling Sands 08, BPGC annual magazine which came out in print last month.

Studying Economics

2008-09-21T01:04:00.001+05:30

Taking a transfer into economics is one of the best decisions of my life. I amn’t doing all economics courses this sem, but still even two of them are enough to make me happy. At least I have things like POE (Principles of Economics) to look forward to when GAN (Graphs and Networks) or maths makes me feel like running away from college.

People still comment on my quitting chemistry. People includes, as u can guess, people from the chemistry dept. One of the seniors called me an eco spy who stayed in chem. for a year. Another prefers the term “dhokebaaz”. :D Surprisingly, even the faculty loves the game. When I was registering for economics, unfortunately every faculty at the desk was from chem. One of them says “you hate us, don’t u”. My protests were silenced. The truth is I do like chemistry; it’s just that I like eco more. Even today, when I passed one of them, he said “so, studying economics”. What am I supposed to reply?

I will be doing only economics courses in the third year. This sem, I have just two of them, POE and DYSOC (Dynamics of social change). A smaller name for it would be sociology. It is like going back to tenth standard social science and English again even though the course content is totally different. Till now we’ve done things like sociology of religion where we actually debated the origin of religion and the rise and fall of Hindutva. Getting to study all this in a technical institute gives a whole new meaning to diversified education. Most of my friends dislike, no, hate the subject but I happen to be an odd one out.

I also got another morale boost today when I read my eco Prof’s blog (yes, she writes one). Her classmates sure have done well in life. gvkumari.blogspot.com

So, that’s the world of eco for me.. .. .u r welcome to comment on it.

So Happy to be home

2008-05-20T22:16:00.003+05:30

It is wonderful to be back home after four and a half months.
The best part is the welcome that you get after coming home. The kitchen cupboard is filled with the foodstuff I like. The fridge has all the chocolates and delicacies I like. And my mom has even remembered every brand correctly.
खाना रोज़ मेरी पसंद का बन रहा है। हर दिन menu पूछा जा रहा है। चिंकी आज इंदौर से वापिस आ गई है।
There's broadband in which a site actually opens when u click on it.
So, all I am doing is eating , sleeping (like a log) and surfing.
In short, Life is BLISS.....

Elections

2007-09-01T15:49:00.000+05:30

The CSA ( Council of Student Affairs) elections are over. I reported at 7:30 in the morning and will go back at around 5 in the evening.Election Commission Memeber.There were 4 senior posts President, Vice President, Treasurer and General Secretary. And 4 representatives for each hostel; cultural, mess, hostel and sports.
From our hostel, there's no sports representative.

Finally, I'm here

2007-08-14T18:35:00.000+05:30

I came to cc(computer center) today so, I thought i'll put in a post about my new life.
Living in a hostel for the first time in my life felt odd for a few days but i am getting used to it.
Over here, every body has diff time-tables. There r total 8 to choose from. my time table no. is 4.I have classes from 8 to 11 and then from 4 to 5 on all days. saturday is half day.And then, there's EG (engineering graphics) practicals from 11 to 1:50 on tuesday and thursday.
Hostel food tasted terrible for the first two days. But, on other days, the service improved. The rotis are bad so I have become a rice-eater with an occasional intake of 1 roti.And these people serve sambhar with every meal. I had samosas and coffee for evening snacks today.There's a sweet every night,but till now only the kheer was nice.
I generally have tutorials in the 1 hour. And the other clsses r lectures, held in lecture theatrs. I must say the infrastructure is huge and impressive. U can go to bits360 to know what the campus is like. There photo gallry covers the campus vry well.

I'll type more later. I have to do EG practice now.

Techno Immune

2007-08-01T22:03:00.000+05:30

I'm going to BITS with the least high-tech gadgets possible, i.e. 0 (can't go with -ve). No Lappy, no Sony Ericsson type phone. Not even an Mp3 player. My phone's gonna be a Nokia 1100 or more likely my mother's LG model - supports Java, GPRS, coloured; amazing , mind blowing features, I know.
I'm taking an FM radio though. BPGC has three channels, BIG FM, Radio Mirchi and Radio Indigo. So, some good entertainment is guaranteed there. There are some college stations also, though I don't know much about them.
The main thing that leaves me wondering is that what would life be without handy Broadband? No orkutting and blogging?????????????????????????
There's a computer centre in Campus, but I'm not sure whether they'll allow me to use it for such frivolous activities. I mean, there might be some rule stating "To be used only for academic purposes". What'll happen then? Oh my God, don't make me think about that. I won't even be able to IM my mother. Ok there's the phone, but what about my friends.
Hope the computer centre people are open to students blogging away. If not this, at least the mail.
Or maybe some nice, kind, helpful, lappy/PC possessing soul at hostel will be my Saviour.

BITS Pilani Goa Campus

2007-07-30T00:03:00.000+05:30

I got admission at BPGC.The course is M.Sc. Chem. (Hons.). BITS gives the option of a dual degree also. So, I am hoping that when I pass out, I'll have an M.Sc. and a B.E. in CS or EEE. The branch for BE is allotted after 2nd semester depending on your CGPA. It'll have to be 8 or above to get CS.

I have to report on the 8th of August. So less time, so much to do.Loads of preparations, lots of shopping. I think I'm going to have a hectic but fun week.

You know, a great thing about being surprised with 4th iteration result of BITS was the sudden vanishing of the need to study. I had a lot of assignments and practice sheets lined up for Sunday and Monday (Coaching off). And I was sort of "How's it ever going to get done". And two moments later, my hanged computer came to life and Whoa! I was a college fresher. A Bitsian!!!!!!

God, truly great are thy ways.

Just six days left

2007-07-14T18:17:00.003+05:30

I love my city but today I am really wishing i lived in a bigger metro. No bookshop here is getting the book on 21st. atleast, 3-4 days later. I'll have to go offline for those days lest i accidentally know the end.
I got this new countdown at leaky cauldron.I had to make the previous one. mouse over this one and see what i liked in it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows contd..

2007-07-13T16:03:00.000+05:30

Some more confirmed information
For the previous post, click here.

One of the classmates will become a teacher at Hogwarts - but not Harry, Ron or Hermione.
The "Godric" in "Godric's Hollow" is not insignificant.The significance of the place where Harry and his parents lived - the first name... Godric Gryffindor
We will find out a little bit more about Harry's grandparents.
Aunt Petunia will not be able to do magic.
The Brazilian title, "Harry Potter e as Relequias da Morte", translates into English as:"Harry Potter and the Relics of Death"
There is yet more to come about Rita Skeeter: At the Edinburgh Book Festival, JKR said: "I actually quite like Rita. She is loathsome - morally, she's horrible - but I can't help admiring her toughness. She is very determined to do the job and there is something quite engaging about that. There is more to come on Rita."

We will discover what Dudley saw when the Dementor approached in book five. Someone asked this in the World Book Day chat; JKR said, " Ah, good question. You'll find out! "
Sirius may appear again, though in which form is uncertain. The infamous question from the World Book Day chat read, "If we ever see Sirius again, what form will he be in?" JKR said, "I couldn't possibly answer that for fear of incriminating myself."

Wormtail's life-debt to Harry will come into play.
James and Lily Potter's professions/more about their lives will be revealed.
The gleam of triumph seen in Dumbledore's eyes at the end of book four is still enormously important.
Mr. Weasley's car will appear.

Source : Leaky Cauldron

Unforgivable

2007-07-07T23:48:00.000+05:30

I was submitting my blog to various blog directories. There is one called blogs by women. When I submitted my blog, it said that it will not accept blogs from India. Saying that they get invalid submissions is just not a valid reason for being so insulting.
""Sorry, we cannot accept postings from India. 99% of invalid submission are from there. ""

Seen my Blog Archive Calendar!

2007-07-07T22:39:00.000+05:30

I got some new stuff on my blog today. The blog archive has been changed to a calendar format. Thanks to phydeaux3
And also, thanks to Sueblimely, who led me to the calendar.Hers is a great blog. Very useful and containing links to all sort of myriad utilities.

Studying Kinematics

2007-07-01T23:59:00.000+05:30

Why forget Science?

2007-07-01T23:36:00.000+05:30

Most of us have an idea that our illustrious heritage is awe-inspiring; but rarely do we include the Indian contribution to science in it. The reason for this is that centuries of foreign rule and westernisation have forced us to believe that science is a bestowal of Europe.
Evidence has been found that this subcontinent had made much progress in science 3000 years before Christ. The remains of the cities of the Indus Valley civilization- Mohanjodro and Harappa show that they were well-planned. And the water-supply system, drainage system etc. were very advanced. Their proficiency in farming, brick-making, industry and embroidery was of high acumen. The reason as to why such a leading, advanced civilization retrogressed is yet unknown.
The Aryans had developed very proficient systems of medicine, surgery and agriculture. The golden era of science in India was from 400BC to the sixth or seventh century. Science flourished amply in the rule of the Mauryas, the Shakas, the Kushanas and the Guptas. For the attainment of knowledge, the universities of Nalanda, Varanasi and Takshila were eminent.
But, after the Mughal attack in the twelfth century, India's ancient culture and knowledge did not reach any greater heights. The wisdom earned by Indians was translated into Persian and Arabic and thus went to Arab world and Europe.
When India was in stormy waters due to recurrent invasions, there was reawakening of science in Europe. Time was not in India's favour. Due to the Imperial rule, India could not become one of the forerunners of modern science. The only benefit that the British rule brought to India was that the language of education became English which was the language of modern science.
A new page opened in the history of science when India gained Independence. Research began and thrived in many fields. Today, India boasts of the largest reservoir of technically skilled people in the world. This is when India is still developing. Imagine what we would achieve when we will be a developed nation.

Joy to the World -KV COD

2007-06-25T20:45:00.000+05:30

True joy of the heart and peace of the soul is what you will experience. A bewitching view is what thou shall see. You will stand mesmerized. And the place you would have reached will be my alma-mater Kendriya Vidyalaya COD. Sitting in the lap of nature, amidst serene, scenic surroundings, away from the blare of horns and noise of city traffic stands this institution. The school building has the backdrop of green hills giving it a picturesque view. When on a misty day, grey-black clouds float over the hilltops, the view is breath taking. When people talk about the panoramic landscapes that nature creates, they mention Shimla or Shillong, conversely; I will speak about my school.

Nature has bestowed its riches lavishly on the school. But, so has KVS administration. It has given the school a cluster of marvelous teachers who leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of leading students to their goals. I say that KVS has been generous to the school because it has also given competent staff apart from the teachers. As a student, I have found them really kind and helpful. And so have the others. While we were deciding the gifts for teachers on Teachers’ Day, there was a strong demand and consequently a unanimous agreement that we shall give the same gifts to them too.

Destiny gave me the company of these wonderful people only for one year. A year, which began with apprehensions on my side and expectations on the teachers’. The year ended with rewards and glory for me and uttering of “She could’ve done better” from the teachers. Whether I received any rewards or not, the year would have been special to me as it was spent in the company of fantastic classmates. You can perceive them as a bunch of teenagers whose high spirits rub on everyone around them. The pep and liveliness with which they approach life could leave you chirpy and cheerful until hell freezes over. Above all, our class shares a warmth that I can all but hold in my hands.

Friends are bound to be dear to a person. But, you know that it is something exceptional when you can say the same for your teachers. During the year gone by, I have shared a bond of intimacy with my teachers. I shall say that the world looks rosy when you know that somebody cares, and I mean really cares about you. You can sense the concern in their voices even when they are shouting at the class for not performing. You can see the pains they take, in the beads of sweat on their foreheads, when they’ve stayed after school to teach in sweltering heat; just, to ensure that your doubts are cleared. Remarkable people, aren’t they?

When I had to say goodbye to this magical place, I did not feel sad instead I felt as if my heat was being torn apart and would forever bleed for my friends and my teachers. The year shall be written with golden letters in my life, studded with diamonds. All that I can now say is:

“I am on a ship thinking of you. When I looked down, I dropped a tear into the ocean. And, I promised myself that until I find it, I won’t forget you…..”

A Street Kid’s Guide

2007-06-25T19:25:00.002+05:30

(How to get from here to there)

It’s hard to get from here to there

If you never get out of bed.

You lie a lot to fool your friends

But you fooled yourself instead.

It’s harder to get from here to there

If you set your goals too high;

Then nothing ever works out right;

Too soon, you no longer try.

But the hardest way to get from here to there

Is when all you ever do

Is count up the years, and miles to go.

Then you’re through before you’re through.

So how do you get from here to there?

Well, you first must believe you can

Let no one tell you differently —

It’s your life and it’s in your hands.

Then turn your dreams into your goals

And see what you need now

To satisfy the requirements:

The why, the where and how.

At first you’re overwhelmed, of course;

There is so much you don’t know.

But keep your faith, be strong and sure,

For you do have a way to go.

Take careful steps and do them right,

Take pride in each thing done.

Don’t look too far ahead of yourself,

Just that next step yet to come.

Before you know it you’ll be there, friend,

Your dream will then be real.

And you’ll be standing where I am now,

Telling others how good it feels.

You’ll tell them not to quit themselves,

To have faith, though it’s hard to bear.

So they will know it can be done —

They, too, can get from here to there.

Jennings Michael Burch

Note: This poem was written by a person who was brought up in foster homes, did not even finish high school but succeeded on the basis of his own efforts. He wrote his autobiography “They Cage the Animals at Night”. Maybe a word here or a line there that might help you get through a rough time. I hope so…

Taken from the “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II “.

My thoughts on Teachers and more...

2007-06-24T22:53:00.000+05:30

A teacher is generally described as a subject expert who passes-on the knowledge of past generations to the new generation. But a school teacher is more than that. A school teacher is somebody who shapes his/her students' identities and changes the fundamental definition of what they are.

When young impressionable minds are placed under the care of school teachers, they learn not only that which is taught to them but much more. They learn to be honest and hard-working if their teachers are so, and learn those moral values that they see being practised and not those that are preached to them. In this respect, the importance of good teachers cannot be overemphasized. There have been umpteen cases where the effects of bad parenting have been overcome by good teachers. Teachers serve as role models for their pupils. They must be even more cautious of the imprint their actions shall leave on their students than parents. Due to the limitless problems of life, parents might not always be able to demonstrate righteous behaviour in front of their children. But, for teachers this is a comparatively easy task. After all, to be mindful of your Ps and Qs for six hours a day, for six days a week is not all that hard.

A teacher can change his/her students' lives forever.When a child enters the primary school; he/she learns simple things which are the foundations of future knowledge. Along with these, the moral values of an individual are also shaped during this period. Primary teachers contribute less in terms of degrees and diplomas but more in terms of persons and characters.Their words are the ultimate verdicts for their pupils.

Moving from primary to higher classes a kid grows and teachers begin to look more like human-beings than gods. Pupils discover that their teachers are not perfections but have their own frailties. And when the tidal waves of adolescence hit, teachers may be thought of only only in terms of their faults and shortcomings. But, this is neither the students' fault nor the teachers'. It is just the 'rebel-cool' syndrome that teenage brings with it. The right guidance and support from teachers can transform a confused kid trapped in an adult body into a mature, grown-up individual.

These basic tenets of a person's character which school and parents together instil in him/her are the real treasures that he/she owns. Looking at the modern world with its cut-throat competition, you might want to bring me back to reality. A reality in which values have become obsolete and the right degree and over-smartness is the path to success. But let me take you to a reality at the higher-level. When companies recruit, the qualities which they search for, even in IIM pass-outs, are - being a team-player; an honest worker; a go-getter attitude and devotion towards the goal. And where do these virtues come from? From learning Maths and Economics or from learning Physics and Chemistry? Or do they come from knowing how to walk all over others? They come from the basics of what one was taught, the ideals one believes in. This, in turn brings us back to the old idiom but with a new touch, “Honesty is always the best policy even if it’s not the trend”.

When I was in Sagar.....

2007-06-22T17:35:00.000+05:30

This is a statement that our class had to hear often and was always succeeded by Upadhyay Sir's golden memories and reprimands for us. Upadhyay Sir, a marvellous, first-rate teacher had spent many years teaching in Sagar. He used to be really disappointed with the level of students he was getting to teach here. I have heard that the class learnt a lot about Sagar in the four years he taught them. Sir was quite a rage there. His coaching was sought after by the creme de la creme of Sagar. In fact, he got so tired of teaching from dawn to dusk that he voluntarily took a transfer to Jabalpur. But, there is one thing special about him. He has a strong policy that he would not tutor his own students. In this respect, he relents on no account. Sagar gave a lot of brilliant pupils to Mr. Upadhyay. There was that boy who used to come to school only to give tests and cleared IITJEE with his self-study. And then there was a batch of exceptional students with whom sir completed the entire course in two months (daily 2 hrs.). His batches consisted of only 8-9 students each. In one year, one of his students got 99 and the other 100. Another year, one got 98 and another 100. And sir came to know that CBSE merit certificates end at 99. So u see, when he was in Sagar,

When a friend leaves

2007-06-22T17:07:00.000+05:30

This piece was written on November 20, 2006.

Recently, my best friend at school left the city. She was selected among the top 40 students in her coaching. She shall now live in her coaching's hostel and study devotedly for JEE. It is a beautiful opportunity for her and I am glad for it. But inspite of my happiness at her finally getting that for which she had been studying for the past month, her absence at school makes me sad.
She and I have been friends for quite a short duration, just five months but she is quite a close friend nonetheless. And at school, she and I always stay together. In all our free periods, the two of us could be seen studying somewhere in the school grounds. As the class is too noisy a place to study, we used to go out and sit and study somewhere. In fact our teachers were often astonished at finding us studying in the oddest of places.So, all in all, we spent our entire day in the company of each other and only each other. it'll be so lonely without her. When she used to be absent for even one day, i used to miss her and now....

One of our favourite places to spend recess was an empty booth near the school gate which was originally built for the watchman but never used by him ( he stays at the main gate and not at the side gate). We were always seen there during recess and even our teachers knew where to find us. The conversation that took place one day between me and my English teacher indicates our penchant for the place and our friendship.The bell for recess had just rang:
Sir: Go and enjoy your recess in your 'outhouse'
Me: Sir, I don't go there alone.
Sir: Preetika is absent?
Me: Yes, sir.
sir: Take somebody else.
(I shook my head.)
Sir: Nobody there?
Me: No, Sir.

I think I'll never again spend my recess there.

P.S. I think I got very sentimental at that time.

Memoirs of KV COD

2007-06-22T16:58:00.000+05:30

I've spent less than a year in COD. But this year has been great fun and has been very rewarding too. COD has great teachers like our class-teacher and Physics teacher Mr. P.C. Upadhyay; English teacher Dr. M. K. Jha; Chem teacher Yadav Sir and Guttuvan Sir for Maths. The year was fun because I had a wonderful group of classmates and rewarding because I got an excellent result.

The memoirs will include many things. I am also reprinting the posts that I wrote during the year.

Mangal's Aaloobande

2007-06-15T23:25:00.000+05:30

Christ Church does not have a canteen. Instead a guy named मंगल used to come with foodstuff at recess time. You could get आलूबंडे, cold drinks, Lays' chips, toffees etc. He was the one-man-army on a Bajaj scooter. The best stuff used to be his आलूबंडे, really delicious and कैथे की चटनी.Keeping with standard M.P. custom, everybody used to call him भैया , even though he was way older than our fathers. On Annual Sports Day, मंगल used to be a great hit. He used to bring his stove, pan and stuff and cook right in the school compound. Another special thing about मंगल was the difficulty in getting आलूबंडे during recess time. There used to be such a great rush that after bearing all the pushing and pulling, when one looked at the आलूबंडे in hand, one felt like Alexander the Great. My friends made me become Alexander many times.

Prayer

2007-06-15T23:12:00.000+05:30

Oh God!...
Help me log on without fretting
Guide me as I am interneting
Bless my downloading and uploading
Keep my browser from uploading

May my website be protected
Let not my password be rejected
Keep my line always connected
And all my inputs be accepted
Please keep all my programs alive
And to remember to backup my hard drive
And protect my computer from a crashing drive
From a virus that would make it a nesting hive.

Author - unknown

Drop

2007-06-11T15:54:00.000+05:30

I'm thinking of taking a drop. No dream colleges coming my way this year.There is a slim chance of getting something worthwhile in BITS or something through AIEEE. But anyway, I can't complain. I had originally thought that I'll do 12th this year and competitives next year. I know that's not the best scenario but I knew my capabilities. Especially after spoiling 11th, doing everything at the same time would have landed me in the ditch. If I get admission this year, it'll be a bonus. Truthfully, I was rather surprised by my AIEEE rank, given that I had not worked much for AIEEE.
My mother wanted to send me to Kota. But, I wish to remain here and study.

The most awful thing about taking a drop is that I'll have to leave my passions reading and writing for another year. As they say, बिना मेहनत के मोती नहीं मिलता ।
And, so u'll be getting very few posts to read from now on.

P.S. Coachings beginning at Radiance from 26 June

Harry Potter- something rare

2007-06-09T15:01:00.000+05:30

General Facts Not Disclosed in the Books
(Facts go from newest to oldest, with newest on top)

Prefects can take points; Ron got it wrong in Order of the Phoenix, which makes him a pretty poor prefect, eh?

Fred and George Weasley were born on April Fools' day (no joke).
Ginny Weasley's first name is Ginevra, and she is the first female Weasley born for "several generations," says JKR.
Molly Weasley's maiden name is Prewett.
Crookshanks is half Kneazle.
Dean Thomas's father was killed by Death Eaters when he refused to join them. Neither Dean nor his mother know.
Hogwarts has about a thousand students. (True, that number doesn't seem right, but J.K.R. said so, and she's the boss.)
Hermione's birthday is September 19th; Ron's is March 1st.
James Potter inherited lots of money and didn't need a well-paying profession.
James Potter inherited the Invisibility Cloak from his father.
Witches and wizards have longer life-spans than Muggles.
The Gringotts' goblins return the Muggle money they acquire back into circulation.
The approximate value of a Galleon is about five pounds ($7.30 or 8.00 Euro), though the exchange rate varies.
Dumbledore is 150, McGonagall is 70 (and is really an old softy; she just doesn't act like it), Snape is 35 or 36.
Hogwarts' school motto, "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus," means, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."
If placed in front of a mirror, the inscription on the Mirror of Erised ("Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi") reads, "I show not your face but your heart's desire."
The happiest people do not become ghosts (Therefore, we can assume that ghosts are people that died while sad, angry, etc. Myrtle was teased; Nearly Headless Nick didn't have his head completely chopped off; the Bloody Baron was...lonely?)
The Hogwarts teachers do not stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays. However, Filch, Hagrid, and Dumbledore do.
A few of the Hogwarts professors have spouses, but that information is restricted for reasons we will find out about later.
To remove the tail that Hagrid gave Dudley in the hut on the rock, the Dursleys went to a private hospital where the staff was very discreet, and said that a wart had gone out of control.
There is more to the cats in the story (Crookshanks, Mrs. Figg's cats, Mrs. Norris, etc.) than meets the eye.
The animal an Animagus turns into is a reflection on his/her personality.
For Hagrid, keeping dangerous creatures is all about overcoming something that could kill him.
Azkaban is in a sea north of the North Sea. A very cold sea.
You can do unfocused and uncontrolled magic without a wand (like when Harry blows up Aunt Marge), but to perform really good spells, you need a wand.

Memoirs of Christ Church

2007-06-05T18:26:00.000+05:30

I consider two decisions to be the best decisions in my life.
One, To take admission in Christ Church. Second, To leave Christ Church.
Funny, I know.

Christ Church has given me a lot. I owe it all the sophistication and refinement of my personality. Class IX and X were wonderful years of my life. Class XI, was not so good experience, so I would rather not remember it. So, let me take you on the journey to remember those beautiful days.

The World of Books

2007-06-01T20:39:00.000+05:30

Books-the one-way route to joy, pleasure, knowledge and entertainment. The world of books is bewitching. You can experience the joy of a happy child, share the experiences of a wise sage or feel the grief of a wounded soul. You may travel the world and explore the universe by reading a book. You could feel the giddiness of being in love or know the terror of war. Such is the amazing and fascinating world of books-forever enthralling its people.

AIEEE Result

2007-06-01T10:03:00.000+05:30

Paper	Subjects	Marks Obtained
Paper-1	Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics	216
Paper-2	Mathematics & Aptitude Test	Not Applicable/Not Applied

	B.E./B.Tech	B.Arch
All India Rank	8951 *	------
State Rank ( State code of eligibility : 20 )	436	------

Remarks:
BTECH: * - Eligible for Central Counselling
BARCH: -

XII Board Result

2007-05-23T09:33:00.000+05:30

Percentage: 94.8 %

SUB CODE	SUB NAME	MARKS	GRADE
301	ENGLISH CORE	091	A1
041	MATHEMATICS	096	A1
042	PHYSICS	094	A1
043	CHEMISTRY	098	A1
065	INFORMATICS PRAC.	095	A1
500	WORK EXPERIENCE	---	A1
502	PHY & HEALTH EDUCA	---	A1
503	GENERAL STUDIES	---	A1
	Result: PASS

Annual Function at School

2007-05-03T21:59:00.000+05:30

Hi,
There was Annual function at school today. And during the prize distribution ceremony, my name was announced. Guess for what? Not for the English elocution that i had to get but for "Student of the Year". It was a complete surprise. I had never thought that I would be named student of the year.In fact, i did not even know that such a prize is given. I've spent only one year in KV COD , hence this was my first annual function.
I am really happy today. Elated

Generation Gap-A Myth or Reality

2007-05-01T21:11:00.000+05:30

'Generation Gap' is a term which is often coined to point out the different behaviour of today's teenagers. Parents often use it as a negative term to indicate their anger and frustration at their offsprings' doing. While, on the other hand, teenagers use it to signify their freedom and label their own parents as 'outdated' and 'out of touch' with reality. In truth, it is neither a positive nor a negative term. It is definitely present, yes, very much there, as mindsets do change from one generation to another but it is not such a big 'real' issue that can become the cause of a fallout between teenagers and their parents.

As a child grows into a teenager and then into an adult, he wises to follow a different lifestyle from that of his parents. This might not be essential but is a sufficiently common scenario. A youth's social icons, his idols and the value system to which he adheres is often not the same as that of the parents. He might like to dress up differently and live differently from what his parents designate as the 'right choice'.
His thoughts an actions might not always be different. At times, they shall agree with those of his parents. It even happens that the advice of his parents which he considered 'obsolete' at the age of fifteen suddenly becomes full of wisdom when he is twenty-five.

Generation Gap is thus neither a complete myth nor a full reality. It is a fact that must be accepted by teenagers and their parents that at times, they may think differently on some issues as the social scenario has changed during the decades. It is not a complete reality since the core values of an individual do remain the same irrespective of the generations that may pass.

Being a Girl

2007-05-01T19:46:00.000+05:30

In today's world, if you are a girl then God has given you a better deal than others. I'm myself a girl and have thoroughly enjoyed being one. I'm sure being a boy has its own benefits but being a girl means that you can have your cake and eat it too.

A girl has all opportunities in the world open to her. She can be a fire-fighter, a pilot, a police inspector, a professor, a dancer or simply a home-maker. That is, she can choose whatever she wants to do except work in combat for Indian defence forces. Women are not preferred for highly physical jobs, but still they've broken the ice in almost all fields. Men, however have yet to be successful home-makers or primary school teachers.

On the emotional front, women have always been deemed more 'sensitive'. The complex emotions of the civilized world dwell in a woman's heart. In this era, men have developed emotionally. Boys don't cry is an outdated saying. Men do realise their emotions. But, often they need to be five years older than women to be on the same level. Emotional maturity comes late for men. In India, due to wrong social customs men have never experienced the power of emotions which separate home sapiens from beasts.Unless, they had exceptionally good parents, boys' worlds tend to be one-dimensional.

It is this one-dimensional world that is thwarted by womanhood. Girls get the best of both worlds. A boyish girl or even a tom-boy is alright but a guy wearing a skirt is queer. So, isn't a girl's world better?

The Elders, Pillars of Society

2007-04-15T10:22:00.000+05:30

"Aged widow found murdered in her flat." It is a headline of a news article which left me grieving about the state of our elders in our society. The above-mentioned lady used to live alone in her house. It has become commonplace and painfully so, to find the old living alone in the last stage of their lives. Just when they need the support of their children most, their kin leave them to survive on their own. It is the plight of our nation that just when troubles attack a person, help says goodbye and leaves.

Talking of the troubles of old people, the first thing that comes to mind is their physical fragility. But, something more important than bodily weakness is the need for emotional security and support for the aged. As Shakespeare said in the "The Seven Ages", in the last stage of his life a man is "sans everything". When such a condition arises, the youth must be present to support and care for their elders.

Sadly, the youth does not attempt to provide their parents or grandparents with this much needed care. They are shunted away to live in old-age homes or forced to live alone in their own houses. The young attempt to remove the old from their homes in order to enjoy their freedom. But, Alas! They know not that if they will remove the pillars of society, the establishment will crumble.

In such a scenario, the measure that can be taken to give the elders of society, a happy life is to include them in the main strata of society. If we cannot radically change the mindset of people, we can atleast provide the senior citizens with adequate medical facilities, spacious housing facilities where they can live together and interact with each other. Let the NGOs come up, let the government take required measures and let us ensure that no other lady is killed because she was old and lived alone.

My Favourite Columnists

2007-04-15T09:48:00.000+05:30

Reading is the primary passion of my life. Hindustan Times is thus, a daily neccesity, just like food. I read दैनिक भास्कर too, but generally skip its editorials.

The columnists I especially like are (in order):

Vir Sanghvi
Karan Thapar
Dr. Shikha Sharma
Khushwant Singh
Barkha Dutt
Khushalrani Gulab

Remembering More Things than One

2007-04-15T09:07:00.000+05:30

I have recently joined a Crash Course in Maths for AIEEE at Career Shapers. My mathematical skills are now being bettered by Mr. Adarsh Kumar Banka, a chemical engineer from IT, BHU.

He recently taught us a way to remember an otherwise confusing determinant.
For a general second degree equation to represent a pair of straight lines, the condition is that the following determinant should be zero.Remembered as:

all handsome guys and hard-working girls {enforcing gender equality}
having bright future
go for careerShapers {direct marketing}

Nice one, हाँ?

Board Exams Over

2007-04-05T14:34:00.000+05:30

The big daddy of all exams , 12th class board exams are finally over. I still cannot believe its over, I've been studying for so long. About one and a half months I suppose.
I've still got three more exams to give:
8th Apr -- IITJEE
29th Apr -- AIEEE
30th May -- BITSAT

I'll finally be able to shout "Exams Over!!!" on 30th May in the afternoon. I'll be in Indore as the BITSAT does not have a centre either in Jabalpur or Bhopal. I'm thinking of spending a day or two in Indore to enjoy. Can you suggest any nice sightseeing sites in Indore?

Love for God - Means to gain prestige?

2007-03-31T14:14:00.000+05:30

With references from "The Plate of Gold" by James Leigh Hunt

All people have a great yearning to be respected and admired in society। This admiration is gained either by fame of erudition i.e. by academic excellence, by their monetary worth or by being a 'noble soul' in the eyes of the world. Of the three ways, the one which men choose often to achieve prestige is - to appear to be a God-fearing, pious and charitable person.

But, appearance can be deceiving। When God or religion is used just to become respectable in society, the deeds are overpowered by words. It's the fame which becomes significant and the true love of God is obliterated. This can be seen in the poem 'The Plate of Gold'. On hearing the announcement made by the priests, many people gathered at the temple.They claimed that they were great philanthropists but did not empathise with the beggars who lay near the temple. They said they loved God but failed to love his humble creations who were present before their eyes.

The man who touched the plate when it turned to lead, was a very noble soul in the eyes of the people। His whole estate had been divided among the poor. But, this act had been done with the motive of being admired by people. There was no element of the love for God or true charity in his act. Hence, Heaven rejected this claimant.

'The Plate of Gold' very aptly describes how the name of God is abused to gain prestige and fame. It tells of all the men quarrelling with each other to decide who is the best lover of God. But none of them, except the peasant, had any pity or empathy for the downtrodden। All philanthropy, love and feeling of brotherhood was forgotten while giving alms to the poor.

It was an abuse of "God, religion and charity" when the notions were used to gain something for their own selves.

Examophobia grips parents

2007-03-29T12:04:00.000+05:30

Examophobia-the fear of exams, is supposed to give sleepless nights to all students. But, new observations have found that parents are the ones in danger of examophobia. Tension, nervousness and insomnia have become persistent problems of students' parents. It is somewhat unfathomable, isn't it? Lets try to analyse what exactly is happening to our parents.

When we analyse as to why examophobia is troubling parents, we find the cause as excessive worrying by parents. Today's competitive world has made parents wish that their kids must excel in everything they do, every time. This situation stems from the desire of parents that their wards must see success in this cut-throat world. Other than this I see no cause behind parental stress during exams. On discussing with several children in the school, I was astonished by the fact that almost every kid is stressed during exams - not because they are afraid of exams, but because their parents are stressed and nervous, so are they.

The observations that I made are very disturbing. Examophobia in parents will hamper their children's success. It is urged that parents should try to take it easy and not worry too much about examination results. Even if the exam is the Board Exam- the grand, grand examination, be relaxed for, at the end of the day, it is still an exam, - nothing more.

Note: I wrote this article while practising for eng exam. So some of it is fictional and the view is general not personal.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-03-24T11:22:00.000+05:30

This is some info i got about the last book about Harry Potter due to be released on July 21. It does not contain the end or anything such, just general info.

But, if u want to know nothing about the book before reading it, please don't read the following.

Confirmed Information

On this page you can find several points of information we know about Book 7। Each of these points have been confirmed by an official JK Rowling source।

Character Information

We will find out something "incredibly important" about Lily Potter
We will find out who R.A.B. is
We will discover more about Dumbledore's past
We will discover where Snape's loyalties lie.
Something will be revealed about Petunia Dursley, although it will not be that she is a Squib
Viktor Krum will return (World Book Day, 2004 interview)
We will see a reappearance of Dolores Umbridge - "It's too much fun to torture her not to have another little bit more before I finish." (MuggleNet/Leaky Interview)
JKR has said, "There is a character who does manage, in desperate circumstances, to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare..."

Plot Information

Harry will face Voldemort for the final time
Harry will be attempting to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes
Harry will return to the Dursleys' during the school vacation, but the magical protection Dumbledore arranged will expire on his 17th birthday when he comes of age
Harry will visit Godric's Hollow
There will be a reappearance of the two-way mirror
We will see the wedding of Fleur and Bill Weasley
The fact that Harry "has his mother's eyes" will prove to be an important plot point
At least one character will die

Other

The last word is expected to be "scar," but may change
We will finally learn the full reason why some people become ghosts when they die and others don't
The final chapter, which has already been written, will detail what happens to the characters that survive
There will be no more Quidditch matches

This article has been sourced from MuggleNet. For more interesting information log on to www.mugglenet.com

Flowers

2007-03-22T16:06:00.000+05:30

Flowers are a beauty.

Some time back, I had asked two of my classmates to fill my slam book. One of the guys wrote that he loves "music and natural beauty" and "natural beauty of nature" casts a spell over him. This is the first time I've got to see a boy who can appreciate the beauty of nature. (I am a huge fan of nature myself; have been a WWF member in the past).
Another one writes for fav. books "no time to read course books and then how can I read other books". Sort of true, isn't it?

And another one of my good friends wrote this:
What casts a spell over you? Keanu Reeves
Fav. Books: Majak hai kya, padta kaun hai!!!
It seems to me as if book lovers are soon going to be in the minority. But NO, till the time I and others keep falling for books, I think bookworms shall survive.

A little article on hindi and its popularity

2007-03-22T15:57:00.000+05:30

With over 500 million speakers, Hindi is the second-most spoken language after Chinese.
As per a 1991 census report, Hindi was proclaimed by over 77 % of the Indian population as the "one language across the nation".

The Hindi language consists of 11 vowels and 35 consonants and is written in Devanagari script. Hindi is equipped with a rich consonant system, with about 38 distinct consonant units of sounds. However, the number of phonemes, as these units of sound are called, cannot be accurately determined, owing to the large number of dialects that exist, which employ many derivative forms of the consonant repertoire. However, the traditional core of the consonant system is directly inherited from Sanskrit with an additional seven sounds conjectured to have originated from Persian and Arabic.

Hindi, the official language of India, is based on the Khariboli dialect of the Delhi region. A more scholarly, Sankritized form of Hindi was believed to have developed primarily in Varanasi, the Hindu holy city and is believed to have been based on the Eastern Hindi dialect of that region. The term "Hindi" can thus be an ambiguous term at times.

However, despite its leading status as the second-most spoken language in the world. Hindi is not employed at concurrent levels over the Internet and in basic home computing utilities. But, emphasis in this regard has returned with an increased vigour in recent times. With the proper guidance, support and governance, Hindi may soon ascend to become a true language of the world in every respect.

हिन्दी
Spoken	भारत, नेपाल, फिजी, सूरीनाम, अमरीका, इंग्लैण्ड, आस्ट्रेलिया,
क्षेत्र	दक्षिण एशिया
कुल बोलनेवाले	४८ करोड़
स्थान	दूसरा
भाषा परिवार	हिन्दयूरोपीय हिन्द ईरानी हिन्द आर्य

Group Photo at School

2007-03-21T11:00:00.000+05:30

Photos are excellent ways to remember good times and good friends. And, I now have a photograph of my classmates and teachers that I can treasure forever.

I went to school on the 19th and got a group photo clicked. The idea had stormed into my head a few days back. And since Chinky also liked it, we both avidly carried it out. There was a mock test in Maths in school on the 19th, so many maths students were already coming. And the bio students had to be told by phone. Though, we called the maths students also given, that they were unlikely to come in School uniform. In all there were so many phone calls to make that we shared the figure fifty-fifty between us.
I then called two of my teachers, Dr. M. K. Jha and Upadhyay Sir. Upadhyay Sir's my class teacher so we had to tell him and I called up Dr. Jha to make sure that he'd be in school at that time.
The next job was to get the photographer. Mamma knows him (he comes to college often) so I asked her to talk to him and he agreed to come.

I had a lot of fun on the 19th. But, some of the preparations went haywire. The photographer didn't arrive till 11:45 and I then had to call him. I must have sounded very rude on the phone as I had to yell to be heard over the din that the class was making. Since I was in the school, I off course could not have used the phone outside the class. In the staff room, I was told that Dr. Jha was absent but thankfully, he'd called and asked the students to wait as he'd be there by 12. Some of them were making quite a fuss about staying late and being hungry. Only some of the boys were fussy, the girls had no problem.
The photographer did come after ten minutes but the teachers hadn't yet returned from lunch(Some of them go to their quarters in the campus during recess). Even Pallavi came late but since everything else was running late she seemed to be on time. All my classmates didn't turn up.Two of the girls were in casuals apparently, due to some communication problem.
After all the hitches and hurdles, we finally did have the photo taken successfully.

Other then that I even took a few snaps of my teachers and one of Chinky with Dwivedi sir. She had been longing for it since Farewell day.

I reached home very late that day as I had to drop Nidhi off on the way. She lives in VFJ estate and oh my, her house turned out to be so far that it took us forever to reach there.

I was finally home- happy but exhausted. As it is said, -"All is well that ends well".