Chirag is OUT!

Ah!!!! 365 runs still to make, and our star batsman Chirag Jain is back to pavilion... I and Prashant Gawai are still fighting, but he is a bowler... So, my eyes are seeing a lot of expecations from me in other's eyes. 1 run per day required, but that also is too much. Coach is gone...

From the very first day in my second year till today, there have been innumerous incidents when I sought his guidance. An ideal senior always ready to help others, he has been a mentor, guide, friend, senior and what not! IITs have two kinds of people in bulk. One brand comprises of people storming acads, MUGGOO, and Second is at the other end of academics, HUGGOO.... There is this endangered species which balances between the two, STUDD. Being a part of winning PAF (Performing Arts Festival), dramatics events, a Mandolin-player, various scripts to his hand, an enthusiastic trekker, and a CPI (Cumulative Performance Index) of more than 8.8, He was the leader of this brand... I had the honour of being the first one to hear his "Shayari" many-a-times, most of them simply superb.

With the person like him leaving institute, There was no doubt why lots of people were present (around 20 including 3-4 girls, Mind you this is a huge number... All males who have passed their adulthood in IITs will wonder at this charismatic personality, and get what I am saying. (I am also starting Shayari now, considering it as reason of female crowd.) The scene was different, but script was of last part of marriage, when bride leaves parents' place. Chirag played the role of bride very efficiently, while all others (including me!!) were bidding him goodbye with a heavy heart. Though I'll be in touch with him, IIT Bombay campus surely has lost a gem of person. No-one can ever replace him.

Warm Wishes for your future, Chirag
A small tribute to all-great memories of four year stay with you.

Ragging - "The rage of age-ing people"

While most of freshies/freshers (first year students) are afraid of ragging, few know what is it? I ask a junior to give introduction about him/her, and he/she telling his/her friend later, "Aj to fans gaya/gayi yaar, Senior ne pakad liya.. Ragging li." You ask, "How many girls are there in your batch?" and his friend has to hear the abovesaid line again. Order a junior to get something from canteen, when he is already going there, and with the stricter rules against ragging coming up, you may get trapped. So, Beware!!

Before entering college, I sometimes thought, "How can one force me to do something which I don't want to do?" I never could understand a few things... How can a 2-feet, 15 kg. person traumatize you, just because he passed the same exam few years ago... Can someone force you to drink, smoke and many other things. With very less exceptions (which occur in universal laws too), Ragging is not a physical abuse. This is a mental game, which most of the juniors lose, even before playing. They succumb to the pressure build by themselves, and this fuels the fire in seniors more.. I have a lot of friends, who I think were good people (definition of good also varies brain to brain)....were into alcohol, drugs, smoking later (courtesy good seniors). If in my first year, I hate smoking, drinking.... How come so drastic change that just in my second year, I am forcing someone else to have it.... This is just a vicious circle, where I feel relieved in my second year after passing the legacy to next batch.

Freedom of thinking is a subset of Right to speech, which our constitution has granted to all Indian citizens (legal or illegal). And no two brains interpret same signal in the same way (unless it is a hot babe, and both brains are male :D). Same is the case of thoughts about ragging. What I think about ragging:

It includes all those acts which lower your self-esteem, pride. When someone force you to do something which you don't want to (And mind you, this doesn't include getting something from canteen, when you are going there and senior is paying). There is something a senior can expect being a senior: Slight respect from juniors, and this is not much. Although respect is a thing which can't be inherited, This is gained by one's work, behaviour, but certainly, even if you hate a senior, don't show it.... The law is true for everyone, not only for seniors. Infact, this leads to healthy and warm relation amongst people. Physical abuse is the worst form of Ragging. This is criminal offense punishable under law. This is good that it is almost absent now.

There are some positive points also about it, agreed upon by many people, like
1. It creates a healthy interactive enviroment.
2. It makes a person open up.
3. It gives a person chance to think independently.

And many more personal benefits are quoted.. Thinking this is, in a way, Self-Defense mechanism, which says that "Brain can't scold itself for doing something wrong for long, After sometime, it makes some fake good points about it." I tried but couldn't agree to any of these. Can you?

Aur Batao

"Aur batao, Kya haal chaal hai?", or some modified version of this, is usually the first statement in any formal talk, and Informal talks are now on verge of being extinct. Good Bye will be out of Indian English soon. Now, with India swiftly moving (or trying to move) towards advanced culture, where time is very important, people have devised many ways to save their time in chatting.... Gone are the days, and those people too, who sat and gossiped from dawn to late nights with a Hukka in between... I always think what could have been so interesting to keep them united, enjoy each other's company ( May be they discussed about hot females of village... Ever overheard some 80-year old person commenting, "Arey! Apne Ratanlal ke chorey ki bahu bhi kya cheej hai!!" :DDD)

You are chatting with someone (and you two are not lovers, in which case, doesn't matter if anything relevant is there to talk or not.... Famous love psychologist Udham Singh says, "Every crap is relevant in love, and After that, every important thing is crap"). And when nothing is there to talk, one person says, "Aur Sunao" and you say (not by mouth), " Do I sound like a joker?, Am I telling fairy tales?"

This phrase, invented by some smart people, commonly used when both the parties have nothing to say, each one completely known to other side. Some smarter people (including me...) use this phrase to start the conversation, as the most probabilistic answer to this is, "Nothing yaar! Same old life pattern" (Or sort of with maximum 2-3 lines). And then you say, "Hmm... So, Keep in touch. Take care" It's over :)

Riots: I saw them...

Today, July 9,2006: I, along with Prashant Gawai, had gone to Galleria, Hiranandani Complex. I had increased my weight by around 100 grams of Paneer Pav Bhaji (Ummmmmmhhhaahhhh!!!), and Prashant also was almost done, waiting for the bill.

2:35 p.m. (+/- 5 minutes) Bhaadddddaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm..... All eyes turned towards the noise, and next two minute happenings will remain forever in my memory. Although we didn't see the people who were creating nuisance, but we could feel their terror in eyes of people in front of them..... They were standing shocked with eyes wide open, as if someone had cut out their eyelids. Whole market was filled with mixed noise of people running here and there, Shopkeepers pulling shutters down, Security guards running in random directions..... Actions of all people were different, but the motive was same, "To be safe".... I saw big shop owners moving their stuff inside the shop and pulling the shutter down, An umbrella-seller running with as many umbrellas as he could have lifted....

I suggested Prashant to stay in some shop for sometime as I feared of getting trapped, but we had to pick bike also, So we came out in a fraction of minute, and were back to IIT by next minute. Valid/Quoted reasons behind these riots, which have been widespread in many areas of Maharashtra now, including Nasik, Aurangabad, and Mumbai etc., are as follows.

Two days ago, someone (unknown person) throwed mud on the statue of late wife of Shiv Sena Supremo Sh. Bal Thackarey. Thus, Shiv Sainiks got a valid/ constitutional reason for burning a police-post nearby, killing people here and there, disrupting traffic on national highways.... And when Uddhav Thackarey says in front of a huge gathering, "No one can take us for granted. I am with you, all." With all shiv-sainiks cheering, I bow my head down to MotherIndia, We don't say anything to each other. She knows me and I can feel her pain. Wow! What a democracy! If spirits do exist, B.R. Ambedkar must be weeping over his decision of granting Right to Speech.

Even while reading cruel stories of riots, My small heart starts pumping furiously. I read a lot of stories by people who suffered from Gujarat riots, saw documentaries.... One person accepts that he burnt 12 people alive in a house. I couldn't digest this statement of his, I just can't.... Another person killed a pregnant lady and led a procession with dead foetus swung in his sword.... And Gujarat is proudly saying that he is a local leader. Till now, I had read them. Today, I could understand/feel feelings of sufferrers, atleast a bit.

There are three forms of God: Creator, Care-taker, and Destroyer. If I say religion as a path to God, then same path will also lead to destruction. Some say third world war will be on Nuclear issue, some say on Water.... I predict, It will be on basis of Religion. Though I wish I be false. Animals must be feeling proud of their animalship, and Udham Singh have heard them pray, "Hey Lord! Don't make us humans in next life"

Presentation

Ask any guy (or any gal) in final year (or for that matter, any year), the most dreadful thing is "Presentation", presenting the work done in front of two/three elite people of that area (or more, if you didn't pray your lord in morning).

If you haven't done good work, then don't pray your lord, I have heard it from Udham Singh, "Gods don't indulge in illegal activities, and they don't bargain too." Even if you have done enough amount of work, there is always an imbalance in presentation. So many eyes are focussed on you (4-6 for sure, i am assuming nobody has an eye-ailment), you are a center of attraction, rather enjoyment :DD. Your heart is pumping like that of a cock, who's about to be onslaught... or that of a male buffalo before sacrificing... got it! (need more examples???? message me.)

I have always encountered this question, whenever someone asks what am I doing?, and I have to undergo a tremendous amount of pain to get him/her understand Dual Degree... Dual Degree was a concept initiated by IITs to encourage students getting into research work. Admission is through JEE only, and choice towards this curriculum is made at time of counselling. This is a 5-year course with around 3 years same as normal Btechs, fourth year includes advanced post-graduate courses, and fifth year includes a Post-graduate level project completed in 3 stages. First one includes complete literature survey of related area, and is completed in summer term just after 4th year. Second stage is completed in December, and more than half work is expected in this. Final presentation is in next July.

Now, as my first stage presentation is over, I am quite relaxed.. It's not that I am free now. There are a lot of things waiting for me to go near them and do them, but I am sleeping on a nice bed in my room, with Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar singing in background (sometimes Rafi also fights for his number) List is randomised, you idiot!

Though people may shift their area of work, but amount of work done, dedication towards it, command on the related subject, and GRADE ultimately, have an everlasting impact on your confidence, intellectual wealth, and very importantly CPI (Cumulative Performance Index).

My suggestion to everyone who has to give a presentation is to help everybody, be kind to weak students, don't pain animals, give money to beggars.. do all so-called-kind stuff... Who knows their wishes may help save your ass? Now I realise the ultimate aim behind these presentations is very subtle, "To make students good human beings" And mind you, wishes of these people, what the hell!!! Even God can't save you if you haven't done enough... Moral of the story, "Do good work, and help others (that may help you)."