Musings.............................

At the end of an era....

2010-03-17T23:44:00.007+05:30

Part II: At IIM Lucknow

I came to Lucknow with a lot of plans and a very high expectation. I was excited to meet people here. My parents had accompanied and though we were much troubled with the harsh UP heat but they were proud to be here and see their daughter being a part of the IIMs.

The first week was good. Fell in love with my room, excited to see the balcony. The outer ring road, Saamanjasya, the faculty block, the pathway, Chanakya, Patanjali and the library with a good collection of contemporary authors in English fiction made me go all ga ga. This was the place and I was sure I would have a wonderful 2 years here.

So started my first week here and everything was going just perfect. Then started my interactions with people. And it was from this point that I came to face to face with reality. I met many people and expected all of them to be of high intellect (first myth) and rational (second one). Won't say much about the same, just that the people with whom I spoke to in the first few days were the ones with whom I din't speak in the whole year that followed!

The second phase was the rush of events that followed. I got nominated in ABS, and I found how others reacted to this news. The cut throat competition and the fight of getting into one of the committees was the next one. Interviews, tasks and more interviews followed and I found myself giving interviews for committee selection at 2 am in the night!

Then came the CV game! Game with high bets as they hold the key to a good summers....and so said all the seniors. Iterations after iterations.....evaluation and reevaluation. And in between all this, we had the rigorous classes, tyrant Manac subject and the prof, submissions, presentations and so many competitions. In between all this hustle no one realized the end of the first term. It seemed like a lifetime and the one week break was just not enuf and we found ourselves back to campus amidst all that we had run away from. The lifestyle in the first term which seemed so weird became a routine. CV game had a new twist now with the addition of the deadly HR questions. And before we even realized we started attending ppts and found ourselves infront of HR managers trying to babble those HR answers we had prepared! And so ended the much hyped and talked about summer process. Life took a relaxed pace for the time being and so came the time to rewind......

Its here that you realize that there are just 24 hrs in a day and it would have been much better if you could do without sleep....since the first is a fact u have to live with and second is the one u cant do without, you start making your choices....good marks in quiz vs a competition vs talking to ur parents on phone(after a long long gap) vs old friends vs new ones vs etc etc. You sacrifice one thing for the other weighing each possible option not knowing what u r doing and if its really right to make that choice and unknowingly either u started running after success blindly or screwing urself completely. Oh God! if I could only take one peep into future...where the choices I take now would lead me too. Thats one option God devoid us.........and so it is......here I am, not sure of the decisions I took, not knowing the person I am turning to, not having a clue to where I am leading to, just hoping it all makes sense in the long run.......right now I haven't have a clue my friend!

P.S. forgot to mention some of the cool stuff i did here.........cycling in the campus at 3 am in the night, getting wet in the rain, danced like crazy in the hostel induction party ;) and got associated with Bhavishya :)

At the end of an era....

2010-03-14T15:44:00.005+05:30

Part I: How it all began

Well that's how it looks to me. The time seems to have flown or rather vanished from the time I last shared something here. Lets go back...flashback (imagine all the visual effects)

The last time I had written a post, I was packing bags to leave Mumbai for IIM Lucknow. The dream had come true and I was all set to rock this new world. There were so many things I wanted to do and explore. And I was happy looking forward to the next 2 years.

The days before joining just went by partying: giving treats, attending farewell parties, induction parties , meeting up with old friends in Bangalore and millions of chain mails from my soon to be batchmates.

That time was great, everyone around me seemed happy and the process through which I came to this place seemed so full of good omens. I couldn't imagine anything wrong going here. Right from the exam, interview and the final result everything went as beautiful as it could. And most of all I was going to be a part of the selected few!!

What was to come was (how do i say this) never imagined in my wildest dreams..but I got to go now...have to pause....one quiz, two submissions await me.....so please wait for sometime....I will be back soon!

Just a thought....

2009-05-21T16:12:00.002+05:30

The whole day i have been browsing through various blogs (this is the only thing which hasn't been blocked in my office till now), read a large number of posts and also went through my own archives. While reading the previous posts i came across this post of mine http://unltdtime.blogspot.com/2008/05/certified-engineer.html and i felt that this was the best i had posted till now. Then i remembered telling pallavi this morning that i had loved this post of hers http://humor-in-nonsense.blogspot.com/2009/03/thank-you.html .
I also read many more posts and i found that the ones i liked most, the ones which touched a cord inside me where the ones which had a tone of sadness, and then i remembered that adage "the sweetest songs are those which are sung in sad times". and also the poem by William Wordsworth 'The solitary reaper'

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

Politics in India....m loving it!!!

2009-05-20T00:16:00.003+05:30

I never found Indian politics so interesting....never followed it coz it always depressed me so much.....only one thing used to come to my mind when i used to pick up tit-bits about the current happenings in politics in India..."kuchh nahi ho sakta is country ka". But suddenly I find it so promising. Well not suddenly...is it due to the clear mandate given by the citizens (must have heard it so many times on news channel...but this is the apt thing)...no i don’t think so..........after the amazing poll results i started really paying attention to the news and happenings in the political arena....a thing i had given up totally....and there's a good news.......there’s an undercurrent of change and a change for the better!!!....Indian politics is finally taking a new turn and it’s promising. And why do I say that.....oh to summarize in short (i can’t keep the excitement!!)
A seasoned diplomat, who has worked for 29 years for UN, had run-up for the post of UN secretary general, turned 53 years and could have easily had a comfortable and luxurious life after retirement has joined politics and won!!!.....u guessed it....Shashi Tharoor....is an MP (shouldn't we be proud of having him in our parliament!!)
And then there’s Rahul's army of young, educated people who could easily have led their own easy life in some foreign country but are here, ready to do their bit for their country...Well m just happy that we have at least a good representation of India (I was sick and tired of all those pot-bellied, uneducated politicians representing us...kind of felt ashamed at their stupidity and ignorance)...all that is set to change.....i really hope so it does!!!

Now a last word for the Gandhi family……Priyanka Gandhi…the ever-so enigmatic face …I really hope she comes into politics and Rahul Gandhi....great work.....the way he worked his way through the grass-root level to bring this phenomenal win for Congress and the understanding he is showing now...the way he's trying to cleanse our political system!!!..Hats off man

Enuf of lazying around!!!!

2009-05-07T23:24:00.003+05:30

I am writing this post to make a fresh start once again. Its been a long time that i did anything remotely creative. Not that I am short of stuff to write or I've been very busy which almost every mumbaikar is....well atleast i can say i m not a mumbaikar coz m still very very free....and have been too lazy to even make an effort. But enuf is enuf.

The thing is I've wanted to revive blogging for so long, but kept postponing it. I had some very good excuses...but all excuses are over now and I really shouldn't postpone it any more. I like blogging so why do i keep cursing eth around wen i get bored.

I'll make the effort, organize my thoughts and write eth down. Its a pledge I am taking. I won't just keep whiling away.

P.S: its kind of a scolding m giving to myself. Please keep adding liberally to the list.

Photu time.......click click!!!

2008-05-30T15:06:00.010+05:30

Some of the memorable moments........

OC road!!!!......kisi muvie ke set jaisa lagta hai......ek narrow road ke dono taraf jungle......wenever i walk down this road i start humming this tune........gazab ka hai din, dekho zara.........

Initially OAT (Open air theatre) which has been rebuilt and is now closed......hehehe......yahi hua tha convo........

Dikshant Samaroh....for all those lesser mortals like me, its diksha dat means shiksha or education( i think...) ka ant.......dat means completion......dat is convocation!!!!

my gang.....apni degree ke saath!!!!!!!

Certified Engineer!!!

2008-05-30T14:48:00.004+05:30

I've kind of lost my writing ability but this post has to be written as an ode to the awesome time i spent last week....(its good that i m using my laptop........i dont know how many more trees wud've been cut if i had used paper........d 1st line took me 10 min to start.....aage kya hoga!!.....hope its worth the effort).

Last week was awesome.......no other word to describe it. Taking d 5:30 morning flight to reaching my beloved alma mater.....my BIT. There’s so much to write about that I am getting really confused where to start from. Right from the time our flight touched down at Ranchi.....it was like walking down the memory lane and simultaneously updating it.....noting down every minor detail. Arrey......yahan Big Bazzar khul gaya!!.......yeh road toh waisi hi hai......etc etc. And then BIT.......not the slightest change......OC road bilkul waisa hi.......nd sharma ji ka samosa still the best samosa i've ever had.....admin ne waise hi pareshaan kiya....yeh form wahan bharo.....ye application likho etc etc.

But the best part was meeting all ur friends after a gap of 1 whole year at the same place where u had left them. And its amazing to see dat the distance or time dint change the warmth of friendship (i pray it never does so). U have the same feeling of comfort nd cosiness in their company. After the initial celebration u start noting down the changes....arrey tum to bilkul nahi badle…..tune to thoda weight gain kiya hai etc etc. But one thing was common among all of us.......sabne weight gain kiya tha...the only difference was in the scale. BIT used to keep us fit ;) .

We also got to stay in the hostel. All 5 of us....the ‘gal gang’ as one of my friends has put it, had occupied 2 adjacent rooms and had made one room as the bedroom, the other room was used as the dressing room and it was a total chaos…all things littered here and thr…but dats how its meant to be in any kind of fiesta. And I’ve got to mention my gang here……pallavi- d phone wali, par is baar phone pe bahut kam thi aur pehle se kaafi shaant ho gayi hai…….anu- d nautanki, ek no ki naatakbaaz, bilkul pehle jaisi bas pehle se bhi jyada cute ho gayi hai……dipsy- d gizmo gal, this time she was all excited for her new ‘Vaio’ she’s going to purchase……..nd vani- my roomy for 4 years, d most caring nd lovable person I’ve ever met in my life, nd this time also she was taking care of me….nd d last person……urs truly……nd many ppl said I’ve become a total mumbaiya…..aamchi Mumbai!!!

And then the convocation day. We all got up early to enjoy the BIT morning, walk on the OC road nd have sharmaji ka samosa…..we never seem to have enuf of those. And then the convo……..all dressed in those over-sized gowns but still looking good. We all looked as witches and wizards straight from the Harry Potter movies. After waiting patiently for 2hrs and braving all the heat ( we’ve got so used to ac…..hehehe) we finally got our degrees and ‘We’ became certified engineers!!.

And then it stuck us.... it was once again time to say goodbye……..next time pata nahi kab milenge…but till then….let the bond of friendship be strong and let it stand the test of time and be priceless…….though its clichéd, but this is the only thing which comes to my mind now…… keep in touch guys and don’t forget me!!

Beautiful Poetry!!!!!

2008-04-23T16:15:00.005+05:30

I read this poetry by Pablo Neruda....and its so wonderful......couldn't help myself posting it here.....

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Ye hai bombay, ye hai bombay......meri jaan!!!

2008-03-07T11:01:00.005+05:30

Back to my favourite topic…..“Mumbai”. This place is surrounded by sea. Almost every place has got a beach and that’s the best part of Mumbai!! And a walk by the beach is so soothing. It works like a panacea…..bringing peace to the troubled mind and calm to the restless soul, with the warm sea water lapping at ur feet……..and if it’s Juhu beach….….u get the added advantage of the smooth sand (I love the place…..in spite of it being very dirty most of the times!!!).

Sunset at beach......a time when u just want to keep mum and observe and let the sea and the nature take hold.........

Well, there’s another sea, which amazes me more than the first one. The sea of people…..in the beginning it drives you crazy. You just don’t feel like going out. And people like me are just too scared……born and brought up in place where u see so many people at one time only in d morning and evening(when all people go to work and children to school) or in a festival …….in fact d road becomes so bare in d afternoon…u even here the leaves rustling. Mumbai is just the opposite….always chaotic. The shoving, pushing, dhakkam dhukka….....almost evb around u is ready to hit u if u come in their way. But lately it doesn’t seem to be so overwhelming. Once you realize u r a part of that crowd, and not, as one of my friend tells me a “Jhansi wali rani” who has to live in this big bad city; u can negotiate that sea easily.....just like a wave does!!.....sorry for putting the whole idea in such a blunt way….but I just love the similarity…..sea and crowd(shayad simile or metaphor kehte the…yaad nahi)

Watch ur steps...........May God help u if u falter........shayad itna kadam se kadam mila kar kabhi marchpast bhi nahi kiya!!!

My Alma Mater!!!!!

2008-03-05T16:15:00.001+05:30

Was missing college days a lot.......thought of uploading few pics which are my favourite.........

The gulmouhar tree looks so beautiful......some of the trees are so full of flowers dat it
appears all red in colour......

Mera College!!!!!!!!!!!

BIT looks sooo beautiful on a rainy day.......mesmerizing!!

BIT bus........the best, cheapest way to travel to town(ranchi as referred to by us)......its so
crammed most of d times dat once d driver had commented "hum to kehte hain bus mein bhi
train ki tarah boggie laga deni chahiye"

Jab bus na mile to auto hi sahara rehta tha........chaahe woh jitna bhi fare le.........but ek baat
thi........hum bhi pura fare wasul kar lete the.........must be clear from d pic......hehehehe

BIT looks beautiful in winters......just a sample of one of d blooming dales........

Looooooong time no see.........

2008-03-04T12:24:00.001+05:30

well, well.......i know its been a long time that i wrote anything.....not because i was so overloaded with work or because had nothing to write about( Mumbai mein reh kar aisa kehna gunah hai!!). Simply because i was most of the times too free to do anything(u know sometimes u've nothing to do, and u keep cribbing about the same and even if thrs something which u can do....but u still wont do it nd keep complaining).
Anyways.....right now i'll just put a wonderful poetry i read in "Little Women"......its a wonderful novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,
While the white foam rises high,
And sturdily wash and rinse and wring,
And fasten the clothes to dry.
Then out in the free fresh air they swing,
Under the sunny sky.

I wish we could wash from our hearts and souls
The stains of the week away,
And let water and air by their magic make
Ourselves as pure as they.
Then on the earth there would be indeed,
A glorious washing day!

Along the path of a useful life,
Will heartsease ever bloom.
The busy mind has no time to think
Of sorrow or care or gloom.
And anxious thoughts may be swept away,
As we bravely wield a broom.

I am glad a task to me is given,
To labor at day by day,
For it brings me health and strength and hope,
And I cheerfully learn to say,
"Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel,
But, Hand, you shall work alway!"

Nanhi si jaan in Mumbai

2007-12-11T11:51:00.001+05:30

How can one devote a blog to Mumbai nd not write d 1st post abt d "Local Trains"......the lifeline of the fast paced Mumbai....which keeps Mumbai running.
For me also the local has been an amazing experience.....nd its not just me......almost every1 has sth or d other 2 say abt it......its used as an ice-breaker........a conversation starter..........nd everywhere........be it a paan-shop or a 5 star hotel.

So i'll also start by some of my experiences...nd its a kaleidoscope.......

I bought a 1st class ticket......."train mein bahut bheed hoti hain.....achhe se jayenge 1st class mein"......ye sab soch rahi thi to justify the Rs 104 tickets( 6 times more then d usual tics).......Well......3 trains had crossed infront of me nd i dint board it.....u know y??.....itna dimaag lagane ki jaroorat nahi......simply b'coz i cudnt find d 1sat class compartment.....so wen d 4th train came.....i quickly got into it, 2^nd class (wahi jiska fare is 6 bucks only)nd had to travel the whole way,standing......so much for the "comfort".

While returning I pledged I wont waste my 1st class ticket......ab to jo bhi ho.. i'll find out ki 1st class kaun si hai nd usi mein baithungi......well!!....to my luck(or bad luck).....i found d 1st class compartment..but nd its a big but......it was a male compartment.....nd fully packed......hehehe........bahut paisa wasul kiya!!

Yet another day......but d same local........aaj decide kiya.....ab to 2nd class se hi travel karungi......nd bingo!!!!......jab train aayi tab itna rush tha ki when i finally got into d local, i realised it was 1st class female compartment!!!

I was getting really confused!!!!!..........ye logon ko kaise pata chalta hai ki kaun si compartment kahan aakar rukegi.......must b some arrangement( as I m a tube light!!)......i asked my seniors at work.......nd finally d gr8 jumble resolved.......platform mein pillars are marked to show where d compartment will stop......d red striped ones are for 1st class nd so on.......bahut jaldi pata chala na mujhe!!

Talking of confusions….Mumbai is perplexing nd very very chaotic…….slums nd posh areas aise mixed hai ki its difficult to demark the two. Infact the 1^st view of Mumbai which I had when d plane landed was of slums!!........Neways….as if theres less things to confuse new comers….all areas have a common nomenclature…Dadar(E) nd Dadar(W) nd same goes for all……Bandra, Andheri …..but don’t thing that East nd West areas are close!! Waise Mumbai is verrrrrryyyy crowded nd platforms…..wahan to lagta hai, always koi festival chal raha hai…….it sometimes takes 10 min to come out of d platform only. I had shifted to Andheri(W). I had just got down fron d train nd was congratulating myself for descending safely(yeah……..travelling in Local is an achievement atleast for d 1^st month). After a struggle of 15 min I finally hit d road nd asked d auto wale bhaiya

“saat bangla chaloge bhaiya”

“nahi………..waise yahan se koi nahi jayega….aap Andheri(W) se auto dekho”

It was then dat I realized I was at d ‘wrong’ Andheri.

These are some of the harmless incidents………time for some tragedy…..buhuhu…

Just back from jamshedpur, where I had another nightmarish traveling experience( kabhi fursat mein bataongi….). By this time, I had become quite apt of traveling by train. Well!!.....somehow I was not able to get on 3 trains(hehehe…..will I ever become a seasoned traveller!!)….when d 4^th train came….as always loaded with ppl…d train started but I made a dash for it……nd yeah!!...i did get on d train safely but behold my Lord!!.....itni aasani se nahi…..i saw dat my friend cudnt get on d train nd then d grrr888 Smriti…got down 4m d train (jumped 4m d running train!!........as many of my friends said when they heard of it……..but I hate to put it dat way). Phir ??......phir kya……ligament sprain in left hand nd hospitals(injection, x-rays etc) ke chakkar….with the Mumbai police as my escort!!

There are many such incidents...........but if u haven’t been bored a lot nd still have d patience to read my posts...then.......wait for d sequel!!