A commemoration of sorts

It's been a long time coming. I look back at my previous post, and wonder what led me to procrastinate so much. I have to admit that while the thought of writing a few words has crossed my mind a couple of times in the past year and a half, I just couldn't bring myself to put fingers to keyboard for this purpose. And what strikes me most is that I spent all of 2011 without writing anything.

Anyhow, my world has changed quite drastically since I last posted on this blog. I've graduated. I got a job. I've even completed a year at my job. Each of these statements in themselves warrant separate and detailed posts, with me going on at length (read:boring) while making poor attempts at some dry wit, with a dash of introspection and nostalgia thrown in.

But what finally provided that metaphorical kick to my butt and propelled me to write this post has to be that I completed a year at my job. Having a little free time at work (a mighty rare thing, i may add!) prior to that great anniversary led me to collect my thoughts and reflect at what I believed the past year meant to me. Not getting into specifics, but two highlights for me, personally, would be the people I have interacted with, and the music that I have heard. Somehow, looking back, I could clearly recall instances when I encountered a specific music piece, and the people who recommended it, or who were around me when I came across it. So this post is going to be about the people around me, and the music I came across. The music has been a longstanding companion of mine in my daily drives to work and back, and an occasional companion during work as well. Most of them were the kinds that I really started obsessing for a sizable duration of time. In a way, this post shall end up being an indirect tribute to the people I've met who have, in their own special ways, helped me evolve my music tastes, and have contributed to my evolution in a broad sense:

Here they are:

1. Switty Switty from Delhi Belly: After categorically avoiding the entire Bhaag DK Bose craze that was sweeping everyone, especially in the hostels during the fag end of our college life, I re-discovered the brilliance that is Ram Sampath (totally love his work with Sid Achrekar on Colorblind) through the soundtrack of Delhi Belly. One year down, and I still haven't tired of its songs. Apart from being one of the songs I instantly took to from the OST, I also happened to do a small jig on it in front of Ashima during one of our early meetings. I'm sure that's what impressed her to be my friend. (Read: Heavy sarcasm). Also, as scandalized as he may feel at my mention of this, Nitish could totally pull off the sort of outfit and attitude that Imran Khan has in this video.
   
   
   
   
2. Ek Hain Anar Yahan from Dulaara: A song that I had heard many times earlier, but was brought back into vogue after Ashima randomly asked me which movie was it from. The song has since found a niche place in our group, from Kavya's epic dance on the karaoke night we'd organized at Dhara's place to being a showstopper at our BKR gala night sessions.
   
   
   
   
3. I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab For Cutie: An absolutely brilliant song, which was recommended to me by Dhara. The opening sequence is one masterful piece of work, with 4 minutes of instrumental music which has different musical instruments building upon a simple set of notes on the bass guitar. Fond memory of singing this song during the karaoke night.
   
   
   
   
4. Roadhouse Blues (Live) ft Eddie Vedder: The Doors were inducted as members to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, featuring Eddie Vedder singing lead vocals. A rather brilliant performance, imho, and no one could have paid a better tribute to Jim Morrison than Eddie Vedder. Notice the improvisation that Robby Krieger does after the first chorus, integrating the tune of Eleanor Rigby in the guitar solo. Sukirti's devotion to Vedder has been a trigger in me going back and revisiting Pearl Jam and listening to Vedder's new album, Ukulele Songs. It took some time, but has grown on me a lot since my first listen. For now, let's just focus on Roadhouse Blues, shall we? :)
   
   
   
   
5. India/Mountain Time by Joe Bonamassa: Recommended to me by Sagar as 'the best guitarist that you would've never heard of', I found his skills as a guitarist to be quite extraordinary. Having heard two of his albums, Live from nowhere in particular and Dust Bowl, he complements his skills as a guitarist with his voice fairly well. I personally find his music to be quite fabulous. I found significant inspiration in his music while I was preparing for the Delhi Half Marathon last year. While jogging the distance between my house and the Chatarpur metro station, this song came up on my player, and in that one moment, I felt my steps were in perfect harmony with the song, sending a feeling of immense joy flowing through me.
   
   
   
   
6. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (studio recording) by Pink Floyd: While I had heard the live version many a times in the past, I found that I hadn't heard this song. Blasphemously enough, I hadn't heard a studio version of any song from the album 'Wish You Were Here'. Sukirti played part 1of the song in his car when we were returning after watching the play, Jai & Juliet. I was extremely amused to realize that the full song, both part 1 & part 2 together make for a 26 minute piece. Reminded me of the Yes Album, Close to the Edge, which has just 3 songs on side 1, totaling some 36 minutes. But coming back, it really is an extremely intricate and complex piece, no matter how many times you'll hear it, you will find there to be a new element that you had not previously encountered.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi from Phir Subah Hogi (by Mukesh & Asha Bhonsle): First heard my Chhote Dada sing it for family when he was visiting us, the song stayed with me for a long time after his departure. The movie itself is loosely based on Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment. I totally feel Sahir Ludhianvi's lyrics, especially the last stanza,
   
   "Maana ki abhi tere mere armaanon ki keemat kuch bhi nahi
   Mitti ka bhi hai mol magar, insaanon ki keemat kuch bhi nahi
   Insaanon ki izzat jab jhoote sikkon main na toli jaayegi
   Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi...."
   
   
   
   
8. Chalte Chalte from Pakeezah: I don't remember how I suddenly came across this song one fine day (perhaps it was while reading about Kaifi Azmi), but the song and the visual setting of the song had that feel that ensured I couldn't pull my eyes away. I downloaded the movie that very night, and saw it with everyone on the weekend that followed. An absolutely brilliant movie that was 14 years in the making, and has a fine performance by Madhubala. Wonderful lyrics by Kaifi, a mellifluous performance by Lata Mangeshkar, and fine acting by Madhubala and Kamal Kapoor.
   

   
   
9. Greatest Hits by Queen: I shall make an exception here, and include the entire album as a must listen for music aficionados. For me, after watching Google's tribute to Freddie Mercury, it was tugging at my insides that for the greatness of Queen & Freddie Mercury, and the place they occupy in British music, I had just heard a handful of their songs (We will rock you, We are the champions and Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and I want to break free). I started out with listening to their performances at Live Aid and at Wembley in 1985 and 1986 respectively, followed by the Greatest Hits album. I was definitely not disappointed by what I heard. Bicycle Race, Don't Stop Me Now, Play The Game, Friends Will Be Friends, Radio Ga Ga, Fat Bottomed Girls, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, You're My Best Friend and many many others are definitely great songs, and the live concerts are bursting with a certain energy that is virtually unmatched.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Akhiyan Udeek Diyan by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The greatness of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is unmatched by all means, and this song in my opinion just exemplifies that fact. I would have to admit that in spite of being a Punjabi, there is very little that I understood of the song in the first go (just the main lines of the chorus), and thanks to various translations, I can now at least understand a sizable portion of the song (the lyrics seem to vary depending on the version you're listening to). You can identify a young Rahat Fateh Ali Khan joining in between to make for a very interesting jugalbandi. This song was stuck in my head for well over a week, and my waking hours were spent mouthing its lyrics. A lovely song, with one of my favorite lines being,
    
    "Rawan tak tak thakh gayi aan mein,
    kaleyan reh reh ak gayi aan mein,
    ek ek pal dil gin ke guzaar da
    aaja pardesiya vasta ye pyaar da
    aaja tenu akhiyan udeek diyan
    
    
    Translation:
    
    
    I have grown tired of looking at the many trails,
    I have grown weary staying alone,
    I count every single heartbeat I spend,
    Come O’ foreign one, I plead for the sake of Love.
    At last come! My eyes long for you, O’ Beloved, My eyes long for you.
    
    
    
    
    

    There are many more, but I shall stop now given the lack of time, and to give my non-existent readership some time to ruminate on these.

    
    Happy listening y'all!

    
    

    Peace.

Of life getting older and older...

After a really really long hiatus, I am back here to write a bit about the semester gone by and with it half of my final year. It has been an eventful journey. With the reopening of college in August, we were suddenly put into the limelight of being the senior-most students, the know-all omniscient creatures that have the answers to life, universe and everything. But for most of us, fourth year started off with sadness at not finding the familiar faces that we used to look up to, discuss stuff and seek advice from. Gone are those people who showed us the way when we were a newbie in this great college, embarking upon the adventure of college life. Looking dispassionately at the hoards of kids who join in, one can't help but look down at them with a little disdain. But over time, I guess, when you get to know them, you realize they aren't so bad after all.

This semester was largely about placements, the crazy monsoons, the commonwealth games, and the MBA/MS junta scurrying to find their dream destination for a Masters. I, for one, get really annoyed with the coaching institutes peddling their courses as if its the stairway to heaven and then some. It's all a sham, taking money from kids who are often as confused as one will ever see anyone to be, and who join it in the hope of getting some clarity into what they want to do in life. Of course, most, if not all of these institutes are too good to be true, and if I were to pick the only motivation that I had to give MBA entrances this year, it was to show these institutes the finger and prove my point. Whether I have succeeded at doing so, time shall tell.

Though many in India consider an MBA to be that singular thing that puts your career progression graph from slow track to fast track in two years, I beg to differ. Because of most of these CAT coaching institutes promising magical results, it has increasingly become a case of hard-working wannabes being pushed into doing one, and coming out as an arrogant pseudo-biz savvy executives who "have arrived", all thanks to an MBA!

I have seen, defended and been on both sides of the argument as to whether doing an MBA straight out of graduation is the way to go or not, but keeping this argument aside for a moment, the central argument that finds flavor with me is that you should not use a crutch to achieve this goal. Far too long, we have been spoon-fed by tuition's and coaching institutes and what not. There comes a time when you have to draw the line, the so-called Lakshman Rekha that tells you it's time to take on something on your own. You do this by outlining what you want, and how you are to get it, and then proceeding to ensure those outlines are met.

Many have a common excuse that they are lazy, confused and need a tough regimen to push them into working for getting through to an MBA, in turn giving credence to the Theory X by McGregor. But IMHO, if you aren't that motivated to prepare for an MBA, it's very probable that it's not the right choice for you, just yet.

But the arguments can go on and on. The mind can, most certainly, rationalize pretty much anything and everything. So there is no way of looking at it in black and white. Who knows, after all this rant against MBA's, I might cross over to the dark side like our senior and BDFL to the QC, Debasish.
Coming back to the 7th semester. (Yes, that is what this post was about!) Placements were by far the single most time-consuming thing in the entire semester. Being in the PlaceComm is a huge responsibility. One, under whose weight, I have many a times lost my cool in this sem. But placements of this batch have been one of the best till now, and hopefully will continue in the same way. The job is a demanding one, intensive in terms of time as well as effort, but not always bearing fruits to the extent to which it would be expected.

Quizzing has been going on as usual. MoodI awaits us this time around, and an entire contingent from the QC will be there. The juniors show promise in their numbers, and I do hope they continue to make NSIT proud in the years ahead. The most memorable quizzing moment of this season would have to be at BVCOE, winning back the Vikram Sarabhai Rotating Shield Quiz Competition for a third time, out of the 4 times it has happened since its inception.
The end semesters, which concluded 3 days ago, were a class act. Having arguably one of the shortest semesters ever, owing to Placements and the Commonwealth Games, the exams befuddled, confounded, foxed and flabbergasted even the very best (read DR's), let alone us poor mere mortals.

I think it's been a fairly long post already. Especially my rant on MBA. Should write on something better. Anyway, Peace. More to continue later.

I read a couple of books. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh. I spent over a month on the former, while I finished the latter in just around 3 days. I found both incredible, though at different levels. I think i'll need to re-read Siddhartha to thoroughly absorb it. It is incredibly heavy in thought. The fact that he has condensed it to just over a 100 pages doesn't actually help. The transformation in perceptions and thinking happen in a matter of a couple of paragraphs. It needs to be read really really slowly. Train to Pakistan is on the other hand, something that I am glad to have read, and it thoroughly shook me from the inside. I will elaborate later, giving more details in a proper review that it deserves. But here's just a small update to act as a mental note.
P.S. I am tired. I am a little frustrated with the internet. The sheer mental addiction to which I put myself through is insane. And for what? Just to be on that bloody facebook page for the hundredth time in a day? Screw it man, get a life. Signing off in the hope of doing something more constructive for a change.
Cheah!

Here I am, back again!

An anon comment on my last post made me realize how much I have been neglecting this blog. Though I was under the impression that I was writing this blog for myself, it seems a few people do end up chancing upon it now and then. Thank you all, whoever you are. :-)

Ok, so since my last post, a lot has happened. 5th sem passed by quite eventfully. After my trip to Mumbai and Pune, during the summer holidays, it was back to college, and how!

Welcoming the new batch, followed by their induction into various college societies was both interesting to see and a tad nostalgic as well, bringing back memories of our first year. I also spent most of my time juggling the various societies with which I found myself affiliated to.

The rush of Wednesday, 3:30pm is one that's going to remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come.
Apart from Preview, the documentary and movie screening society which me and my home-boys (Vabby and Row-hill ;) ) started, there were the weekly sessions of the NSIT-QC and the sporadic but significant amount of work in the PlaceCom.
It was both exciting and unsettling to see the future careers of so many people being decided right in front of us, and many times it made us aware of our responsibility in placing the batch. But it is a long drawn affair, and the duration of our placements period is enough to make one feel frustrated with the efforts needed to be put to make it successful. And yes, I must add it is a pretty thankless job.
IEEE-NSIT also saw its share of students registering with it. A number of events were organized in this semester, the credit for most of which goes to Siddi Jai Prakash for doing a splendid job as its Chairman, and also keeping everyone else on their toes, and in turn keeping the huge IEEE body moving in the forward direction.

Much of the fifth sem went contrary to what I had planned to achieve out of it. I saw myself involved in so much more than what I wanted to take up. The responsibilities never stopped coming. I ended up achieving more in some ways, but lesser in others. My academics remained stagnant. 4th Sem results came out, bringing none too great news for me. 5th Sem exams also didn't go as great as I would have liked. The honour of being taught by Prof. Raj Senani and the dedication with which I attended classes was not matched by my performance in the semester exams, and I felt bitterly disappointed at losing my last opportunity to redeem myself to some extent prior to placements. It was not to be. But hey, life goes on. The mind can find ways of rationalizing practically anything, and over time, I have also rationalized my setbacks in my mind.

Quizzing has given me a lot. I feel enriched by it, but have also had to face many pitfalls and tough times due to it. The non-qualifications at IIT-D were painful, but the win at Panache '09 at DCE, in addition to the victories in various other DU quizzes made it worth my while. NTPC Electron '09 continued to see NSIT do well, though it was a matter of so close, yet so far at the end. Losing in controversial circumstances is always tough, especially in big quizzes. Yet, NTPC Electron was one of the more fond moments of quzzing that I have accumulated over time. I won the online quiz at BITS-Goa, but still wait for prizes from them. Same goes for Panache. I was also announced as winner of the IIM-Cal online quiz just a few hours ago. Thanks to IIM-Cal in being generous in the amount of money on offer, and I eagerly await to get my prize. :-)

Here is a concise list of all that I've been watching and reading in this past sem:
1. The Books that I've read:
2 States: Cute and entertaining. Love the humor poked at Punjabi's. Highly readable.
Zero Percentile - Missed IIT, Kissed Russia - Another IIT-novel, not! Though the premise of having young, inexperienced amateur authors writing loosely autobiographical works isn't original, the story and the perspective that the author offered was new. Written in as simple a style as Chetan Bhagat, if not more, but still a fairly good read.

2. Movies that I absolutely recommend you NOT see:
Dil Bole Hadippa! (over the top, arbit, songs so bad they're the only source of entertainment! )
Morning Walk (a sensitive topic dealt in a horribly mish-mashed and screwed up sort of way)
New Moon (have said enough on it)
American Pie: The Book of Love (If the entire series is like this, i don't understand it ... never found watching certain 'things' in a movie so turning off)
Nine and Half Weeks (disturbing, though mickey rourke and kim basinger make for good eye candy together)
Van Wilder - Freshman Year (so gross and repulsive in parts, you have to see it to realize the sheer pits of crap they've shown, but apart from them, its ok :P )

3. Movies that I would recommend -
21 (Man, the entire movie is so smooth! Never a dull moment, fundoo movie, totally watchable)
The Great Debaters (Fabulous movie, highly inspiring and it really moves you.)
Some Like It Hot (My first Marilyn Monroe movie, it's highly funny, entertaining and enjoyable)
The Departed (yeah, i know, too late i have been to catch it. But yeah, its pretty kick-ass! Jaw-dropping end)
Reservoir Dogs (Another cult movie I somehow missed till now, loved the attention to detail. Its pretty awesome)
Andaz Apna Apna (No, its not like I haven't seen it earlier, but watching it again brought back so many great memories! Funny through and through... it's a must re-watch! :-) )

4. TV Shows that I have been watching AND would recommend:
Dexter: An awesome TV Show, with its gripping storyline, excessive blood and gore and interesting dialogues. It makes for great viewing, and is perhaps the only TV Show I can boast of having watched straight from season 1 through season 4. Still watching season 4, which looks good from what i have seen. Surya is pressuring me to finish it soon before he blurts out the ending to me, but i'm still taking my time. :-)
Big Bang Theory: I am always a bit wary when it comes to hopping onto the Sit-coms band wagon, especially when you see so many around you raving about it. But BBT has stood its ground and has been a good source of entertainment for me in the winter holidays, along with Dexter.
House: Medical drama, interesting use of gut and instinct which Dr. House puts to use. Though after the first few episodes, the trend seemed a little monotonous and I shifted to other things.

My sister's return from Amreeka along with a trip to Bangkok and Pattaya for New Years with family, added to a fine end to another year.

Well, that is all I can think of right now, but will keep posting with a little more regularity I hope! As per existing plans, Enigmata as part of Innovision, shall keep me busy in January, followed by Mid-sems in February, Moksha in March and End-sems in May. April will in all probability go in keeping up with classes and thinking about "optimum utilisation" of time, but let me try and prove myself wrong. :-)

Cheers!

This is it. The time has come. The moment i've been waiting for. I don't expect anyone to understand this. But i'm making a note of this for myself. So that I don't forget this feeling. Proof is what I wanted, and today I got it. Cheers.

Happy Days are here again...

The results of the 3rd Semester are finally out. The date of this unexpected event turned out to be 9th June, 2009, a little less than 2 months after DCE took out their results for the 3rd Semester. As I have said in the previous posts, most students had given up on the result coming out anytime soon, hence the surprise. I did ok. Should've done better, rather, the teacher should have done better while marking my paper. Here's a piece by piece review of the course and the teachers of 3rd sem. The identities of the teachers shall remain undisclosed for reasons unknown to all:

1. Electronics I - A reasonably good teacher teaching us a not so reasonable subject. The fact that the entire course revolves around the one and only 'jugaad' book, Electronics Circuits and Devices by B. Kumar and S. Jain. Getting to know about it a day before the electronics mid sem didn't help matters. The subsequent abandoning of Sedra and Smith for this book was a decision i made, for better or worse. The net result being a score of 63. Not bad, nearly as much as I expected.

2. Circuits and System - Taught by a teacher who got an infamous reputation for giving suppli's, just because a person on lounge gave him a nickname that had a nice ring to it and had the word suppli in it. The teacher was able to some extent, but unfortunately would start becoming incomprehendable over time, with the greater complexity of his subject and verbal skills getting the better of us. However, I still appreciate the heartfelt and optimistic advice he gave me after flunking me in the mid-sems. I really felt I could change it for the better, and after working hard, I ended up with a 62.

3. Electrical Machines I - A subject with a teacher who was a guest faculty, who for all reasons of putting this conversation in the right context, was an alumni of NSIT. With a total of 7 lectures in the semester, which was the combined effect of either the students bunking or the teacher not turning up, the only things that could save us was some efforts on the part of the teacher. However, when the result came, the promises he made felt like he was rubbing salts on our wounds, and effectly ended up betraying my hopes of getting even a 70%. I could only manage a 56, although i hoped for 65+.

4. Electrical Measurements - A vast and theoretical subject with an understanding teacher, who was also coincidentally, an alumni of NSIT. For all the difficulties faced in the semester, the only teacher who helped us manage the semester in whatever way he could, was him. We all put extra efforts to ensure we did well in his subject, which i'm glad to say, I did, as did the rest. I got an 80.

5. Mathematics III - A difficult course, which had me going through the subject till 6:15 am on the day of the exam, my only disappointment apart from the fact that I would not have maths as a subject, is that I would not be taught another course by the teacher who taught us in 3rd sem. A brilliant teacher, and after knowing him over the past year, my respect for him has only grown. Had I had the aptitude, I would have seriously considered his advice to get into teaching.

Well, thats all for now. I will really have to pull up my socks for 5th sem, if i'm to make any improvement in my percentage for sitting in placements.

Adios!

Life in the holidays - 1

4th June, 2009.

Its been 8 days since I've been "totally" free, and well, already some monotony has started to creep in. This post essentially just to remind me that I am to do something useful with my time. So what have I been upto? Here I am listing all that below:

1. The Godfather trilogy: A wonderful depiction of the Cosa Nostra and the Italian Mafia. I particularly enjoyed the first movie, although I found all three to be equally well-made. Sofia Coppola lacked a certain charm with her role in the third, but one also gets used to her as the movie progresses. Marlon Brando in it has done justice to his role, and Robert De Niro did very well in the second. Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen was one character I felt sorry for he was constantly abused for being non-Italian, for not being a blood relative to the 'family' and because of the issues Michael Corleone had with trusting the ones closest to him. My rating 9.5/10,9.5/10,9/10 for the three movies respectively.

2. Another Robert Duvall film which I happened to catch was Thank You For Smoking. Its the sort of movie that messes you up a little bit, makes you question your moral system and knows how to put up an argument. The protagonist is Aaron Eckhart, who we later saw in the role of D.A. Harvey Dent, in the unforgettable epic The Dark Knight. I'd recommend it. Rating: 9/10

3. The Big Fish: Interesting concept, adapted from the novel by Daniel Wallace of the same name. I first read about it after hearing the song, "How I Go" by Yellowcard. I loved the song the first time I heard it, and only after almost a year after first listening to it, got down to watching the movie. Thoroughly loved it. My rating:9.5/10.

4. Flight of the Conchords - This TV show is a blast. Features two New-Zealand blokes in the US, Bret and Jermaine are the two-member band that try to make ends meet, find a girl for themselves, and play at gigs, breaking into hilarious sing-song routines every time. A brilliant comedy. 9/10.

5. The Motherhood River - A Chinese short children's story, which is one in a series of books titled Journey to the West, by Yuan Fang. More here.
The story is as the title says - about a river that makes anyone who drinks it pregnant. A solution to this conundrum is in the form of another river, drinking whose water aborts the child.
It was a pretty unique story with the monkey, pig, friar and the king as the main characters. Its a bit funny, especially the illustrations of the pig bloated and squirming, screaming he's going into labour etc... but overall a bit ridiculous at my age. :-)

6. Presently reading Imam and the Indian by Amitav Ghosh. Its a collection of short stories which he wrote sporadically over the course of several years and in between the various works that he published.
My personal favourite from the ones that I have read till now is The ghosts of Mrs. Gandhi, in which he gives his personal account of the '84 genocide, why he could not bring himself to write about it till now, and why other writers from that time are also reluctant to do the same. However, it makes for some sad reading, one that left me dejected and angry. Time may pass by, but such instances keep occuring, with the assistance of the official bodies that have been put in charge to prevent them. The '84 riots and 2002 riots were both genocides, mass-murders that were organized and planned attempts at eliminating certain minority groups and the fact that we continue to attach the misnomer of 'riots' to these events shows that we have accepted them as that, and given the guilty an easy escape route. In fact, there is plenty of material available online with regard to those horrific days when these mass-murders took place.

My present addiction is Lexulous, that online scrabble game that was made by the Agarwala brothers as Scrabulous, which got itself into legal troubles for trademark infringement. Its an entertaining way of passing time, and helps improve thy vocab, no? ;-)

Adios!