SOARINGVOYAGERS

MINI Is back !!

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000+05:30

I am by far no expert on the world of Motorsport. However, I do enjoy the world of Rallying as a spectator. I have tried to follow the Formula racing as well as the Moto GP circuits, but the on road racing just doesn’t ignite the same passion which rallying brings to the table.

Most people perceive rallying with big powerful cars, while the reality is all about the dynamics of the car and how the car handles. The power is necessity but the handling and reliability plays a much bigger role in the success of a rally vehicle. Rallying involves both off road and on road driving routes.

Since I started following the World Rally Championship, I have come to understand the underlying strategies and am starting to appreciate the sport for what it is. At first I was overwhelmed by the Team Citroen with Sabastien Loeb. He was performing at his best.

Soon I was reading about the history and enjoying videos from the past. MINI has a fabulous history when it comes to Rallying, winning the Monte Carlo round of the WRC when it started and then stunning everyone with wins all over the place. However, with MINI away from the race track for a long time, most people have forgotten how great this car really is.

This year, with its return to the WRC, MINI is performing superbly for a team just starting off a new leg. The new big cousin of the MINI Cooper, the MINI Countryman is the winner for this years’ DAKAR Rally in the South American wilderness. It has been able to overcome the odds against off road heavyweights such as the Hummer and the entry from Toyota. It is definitely a feat that should put MINI back on the board of motorsport enthusiasts.

Am I Back?

2012-01-29T09:19:00.000+05:30

My reading and writing has both taken a toll during the years of my graduate studies. My CBSEs took away the pace and addiction to reading fiction. This I was able to buy back to some extent during the years of my undergrad. However, as the years progressed, the reading has taken a back seat. However, those years saw a progressive increase in my writing. I started off writing blogs which then led to short stints with www.themoneytimes.com and www.indianautosblog.com, which both ended fairly soon. Coming to the US, I was convinced that I would devote more time to both reading and writing. However, after the initial few months, the time devoted to both reading and writing are insignificant and I am not proud to admit this.

However, as with everything, there are in and out phases. With this blog I plan to make a comeback to the world of popular writing. The first thing I promised to myself was that I would not post this to the world wide web claiming my return till I had written and saved 10 posts offline which would then be posted as a string of posts in the coming few days giving me a scope to rekindle the love for reading and writing. As before, my writings would be based off of what I am reading online and offline and my opinion on it. Have fun reading, if you still bother to visit my blog!!

Ekta Yatra

2011-01-26T08:14:00.001+05:30

It has been 8 months since I posted. It truely has been a long time. And it has taken an issue like this to bring me back.

A few days back I heard the BJP had announced that they would unfurl the Indian Flag at the Lal Chowk of Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir). I did not know why that was news. I read the entire article to come to know that the government was opposing it. This was enough to generate interest for me to start reading up more. I have taken to following this news piece for the past few days.

What I fail to understand is that why is the unfurling of the Indian flag an issue on Indian soil. I understand that Kashmir has had some issues with Pakistan crying itself hoarse about how Kashmir should have been a part of their territory. Well accept the fact that it is a part of India. It has been since 1948. Even if Pakistan denies it, the least the Indian government can do is to accept that Kashmir is a part of its territory.

When the BJP leaders say that the unfurling of the flag is not a politically motivated move, they are ofcourse lying. They are a political party and that is what they do, politics. But that does not deny them the right to unfurl the flag at any place in India, and especially on the Repblic Day that is celebrated with such enthusiasm. It is one of the days when many a people hoist the flag on their own roof tops. The joy and pride is unanimous.

All the government needed to do was to support the decision to unfurl the flag and done it together with the BJP. It would no longer have been a political advantage for the BJP. By stopping the Ekta Yatra, the government has had to show their lack of strength against the separatists.

It all started when Gilani dared to say that Kashmir was not a part of India in Delhi. He should have been arrested. But no, the government chose to turn a blind eye to the statement. Today it has come around to bite them in the ass. When a national party states that they would like to unfurl the national flag on national soil, how can a party claim that they will do what they need to, in order to stop the hoisting of the national flag. It is a shame for the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to allow a separatist leader to dare to say all this.

As has been rightly said, the effort put into stopping BJP leaders from hoisting the national flag, if put in the other direction, would have ensured peaceful hoisting of the flag. That would have been an appropriate response from the government, but alas, it is Manmohan Singh.

The Power of Advertising

2010-05-01T02:22:00.004+05:30

The war of advertising rages on. Rival groups pitch battles worth millions over the brand image management. And advertising plays a crucial role in it. Coke backed Sprite and Pepsi backed Mountain Dew have had the advertising feud for years and they have outdone each other every few months. The agencies representing each of these clients fight it out tooth and nail to keep their customers satisfied.

And here I bring to you another example of such an war starting to simmer. BMW and AUDI, two of the German trio of high end luxury vehicles, have been brought into a war that may last for a long time to come. Look at the article linked below to find the poster promoting BMW over a Audi dealership in Hong Kong. Think of the person coming into the Audi showroom. Wouldn't the larger than life BMW capture the imagination and make him rethink the decision.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/04/larger-than-life-bmw-5-series-ad.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Carscoop+%28CARSCOOP%29

Now we just have to wait and watch how Audi decides to hit back. The luxury brand from VW can not be expected to take it sitting down.

The Dilema of the Police Car

2010-04-30T04:08:00.002+05:30

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/04/first-jaguar-xf-police-cars-go-on-duty.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Carscoop+%28CARSCOOP%29

Go ahead. Read it. Yes, it is a very interesting article. Let me give you a jist if you don't feel like going to the article and reading it. The UK Police Department has ordered Jaguar XFs for its motorway patrol fleet. Yes, Jaguar XFs. The Indian police forces still battle out with the age old Qualises, some on the old Maruti Gypsy King and the rural departments still boast of the rusted old Jeeps.

And then, you expect them to be world class. Yes they are over worked. Yes fewer and fewer people join the forces and it has a bad name when it comes to serving the public and also when it comes to corruption. All may be right. But shouldn't the government try to improve the conditions. Make it safer, more people will join. Increase the perks and attract the brighter minds. Make the jobs lucrative and challenging rather than mundane and dangerous.

India deserves a world class police department. Bring forth the change and introduce a new work ethic. A total revamp is the only way to go.

Life without Inhibitions

2010-04-21T21:45:00.000+05:30

It is a great article. Just think of the thrill!!

http://www.instablogs.com/outer_permalink.php?p=man-who-climbed-13000ft-up-the-eiger-without-a-rope-and-then-jumped-off

A Travellor is Born

2010-04-20T07:23:00.001+05:30

Ian Wright. Does the name ring any bells??

To most people it would not. But to me, the name brought back memories from the past. The memories of my birth. Not my birth as a person, but my birth as a travellor.

I go back over a decade to the year 1997. I was still studying in primary school and this was the time of my summer vacation. My best friend, my Dids, Moony (well that is what i prefer to call her), was visiting as she would during most summers.

Although my Dad would give us enough homework to keep us busy atleast for a few hours each day, our schedules were packed elsewhere. We would start the day at around 10 in the morning with a few tv shows. At noon each day, the channel would switch itself to Discovery, which at that time was on Channel 22, atleast on our tv set. It was time for Ian Wright. I was always hooked to the show called Lonely Planet. It was always a treat to watch.

He would wander the planet, from the Australian outback to the Brazilian rainforest. I would stay mesmerized for the entire hour and only then would i go to take my bath at 1.

My family has been travelling ever since I was born. My mom, has had a job which gets her transferred to all around the world, and this has embibed in me the habit of travelling. There are some people who can live their entire lives in the same city. Three years for me is the limit. I just can not continue to live at the same place for more than that time.

My undergraduate studies kept me rooted to a single city for 4 year, and what a pain they were. The years just never seemed to end. I visited a large number of places in those few years, but I was still living at the same place. I guess that is not the life I have grown up to like.

I have a lot of places that are on my list of visit. And today, as i sat watching a show of Lonely Planet, Ian Wright took me back all those years to the root cause that i wanted to travel so much. See everything that I wanted to see. Be like him. A new place just found its place on my list. NEPAL.

Season 10

2010-04-05T22:05:00.001+05:30

My previous post layed out the ground for this one. Yes I have finally started following the sport that millions around the world have been following for years. But probably a good time for me to start. It is often very tough to watch a sport without supporting someone. It may be some team or an individual (yes even an individual in a team sport).

However, this time round, I didn't have to beat about the bush much to start following a team. I know there were the Ferraris and the McLaren team to be proud of. There was also J Button, the defending champion, of Brawn GP who trasferred to McLaren this season, to look forward to. Yet, I thought it might be interesting to keep close to the new team on the block. Well, the team with a new owner would probably be a better description. Force India F1. Being an Indian, probably sparked the initial connection, Vijay Malya was another star attraction, yet the constant improvement in the team, showed a path so different from others. This here was a team that I could be part of, from the initial years. It had a history, yet the history was not related to the name.

And so, I have started off with keeping a track of them. When I look at the results of a race, I have a name to look out for. It definitely helps. And to add flavor, the team has been gathering points in every race from the start.

Sutil has had a few problems, with always being within the top 10 at the grid, yet failing to score any points in the first two races. On the contrary, team mate, Luizzi has been luckier, if we may say so. Though he has started lower down the grid in almost all the races, he has been able to garner points for the team as well for himself in the first two races of the season.

Then came the latest of the races, the Malaysian GP, third of the season. And the team has performed very well. Sutil has finished at the 5th position and pushed the team ranking upto 6 above the more experienced teams such as Williams F1. Lets see where the team lands itself in the coming races and how it performs as the season progresses. I for sure am having a nice time keeping track.

Found the Formula - Finally

2010-04-02T21:55:00.003+05:30

A mechanical engineer. An automobile enthusiast. Always ready for the thrill. And wanting to live life at the edge. However, I have always stayed away from the Formula One racing. Don't ask me why. I have asked me the same a great number of times. The past four years of college, i could have watched. I didn't. Atleast i could have followed, yet i didn't. Why? This question has eluded an answer for a long time.

Yet with the closing of the 2009 season, I was introduced to this great new world. Even though the season was over, i managed to get my hands on to the recordings of the final day races of some of the circuits of 2009. As i sat gripping the edge of my bed and hanging on to each and every word from the commentators, i realised i had found something that i had been looking for a couple of years now.

So what was i looking forward to for years and i had not found as yet? I was looking for a sport to follow. I stopped following cricket when i went to college. I am so grateful i did. There is just so much cricket, it doesn't leave time for anything else. I so much agree to the John Abraham ad, which says, everything's got to wait with so much cricket on.

So here I was looking out for something interesting to catch on. I tried my hand at football, trying to keep in touch with the EPL. My friends were hooked on. I enjoyed playing the game, but somewhere, i just couldn't keep to it. I was still looking. I tried following and reading up on the Formula One, yet it never worked.

And then late last year, the bug finally bit me. I was hooked. Now with the 2010 season underway, i have been following the races on a daily basis. I look forward to each and every weekend and go through everything right from news updates, live commentary to telecast recordings that i can get my hand on thanks to YouTube.

With the automotive racing making a bit more sense, i also decided to look at the World Rally Championship. Another gripping sport, the strategies, the teams, the speed and the people. Oh yes, its something to look forward to all right. And to beat it all, there is the harshness of the terrain and the adventurer inside me sees this as yet another opportunity to know the vast unexplored terrains.

Currently, this week, the Jordan Rally WRC is underway and the Malaysia Grand Prix is about to begin. Enjoy!!!

The BUZZ Word

2010-03-03T23:28:00.002+05:30

Somethings can be seen as a blessing, or a curse. The same can be both, in certain ways a blessing, while in other terms, a curse. And the same can be said about Google BUZZ.

Without Google Buzz, i was not getting readers on my blog. However much i wrote, didn't matter, people just weren't interested in coming back and checking to see if i wrote a new post. This has surely changed with the BUZZ. People get to see my post as soon as i post it, and surely i get some feedback.

Now the curse on the same lines. People will post their comments on BUZZ itself. They forget that comment can be posted on blogger as well, which will surely be more appreciated. But that is again the trade off, either get readers to read, or hope for some reader to stumble upon your blog, and wait for him to comment. So here the BUZZ is the devil himself. You just have to make choices. I go with the readers, you all can post ur comment on buzz. I'll do the rest.

The Swiss Connection

2010-03-01T08:38:00.003+05:30

Islam is supposed to be the religion of peace. The 'Koran', other than being the holy book, also means 'peace'. However, a lot of people seem to have forgotten this simple message. Sadly, these are the same people who are responsible of decision making.

On one hand, there are the known threats like the notorious Osama Bin Laden and the cunning Dawood Ibrahim. Well kudos to these great men, no terrorist have ever been so wanted or so famous for such a long time having avoided capture and death. Then there are the more menacing ones, people like Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyian Head of State.

Out of the blue, he wakes up one bright day and decides that the country of Switzerland is an enemy. This is the same Switzerland that remained one of the only two countries in Europe to remain neutral throughout both of the two great wars. In fact, in just another 5 years this country is to celebrate 200 years of remaining neutral. They have not fough a war since 1815. And yet, Mr. Gaddafi decides on this country as his target.

Switzerland, sitting amidst the Alpine heights, has been a symbol of love all over the globe. What Kashmir was to Indians till the 1970s, Switzerland has been to the entire world. But that is not what the tyrant in Mr. Gaddafi saw.

My reason for taking Mr. Gaddafi to task in this article, well his call for a fatwa against the nation which epitomizes the message of peace and love. Reason?

A country needs to have the right to preserve its culture and heritage. The alpine territory is no different. Sitting in beautiful valleys, the hamlets, villages and towns have no history of minarets. They do not need any now. And so, the swiss government decided to nip the growing number of minarets in the bud.

The government does not infringe upon the right to freedom of religion. All it asks from the people is to maintain the architectural beauty that is the swiss idiosyncrasy.

Minarets are proprietary to Islam, and so the Libyian Chief decided to take it upon himself to call for a fatwa against the peaceful state. ONe can only hope, at this point, that the rest of the Islamic world, does not pay heed to his whims and fancies and continues to respect the decisions of individual governments in running their countries.

The Hypocritical Plastic Smile

2010-02-03T06:05:00.000+05:30

I have finally learnt the joys of the true smile after a very long time. Not only when you see someone flash a true smile, when you are happy in the real essence, it is reflected on your face in the form of a smile. The smiling face makes people around you happy and you, yourself are blessed with the happiness that keeps you smiling.

However, smile is not always the true one. I have had to keep a smiling face at so many people. For some reason, my years in college were gifted with a large circle of acquaintances who considered themselves my friend. In addition, there were people whom i almost detested, but for some reason or the other, had to keep my relations better than that. And so i had to smile whenever our paths crossed. And in those instances, i had perfected the plastic smile. I do not know how many of those people actually knew that my smile was far from being from the heart. It was something that the lower half of the face did on its own when meeting someone of acquaintance, but the mind was not interested and the heart was definitely not in support of it.

Once the college years were over, i decided to give this a rest. I kept a straight face as far as possible and didn't smile unless i felt happy. And i rarely felt really happy on seeing someone. There were however, a few people who could bring the real smile out into the open.

More recently, in the past few months, i have been happy most of the time. It is a true blessing, but i have not had the reason to be sad. This has reflected on my smile as well, which has been omnipresent over the past few months, and the people who have come to know me in this time frame know me as a jolly person, who has a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes which compliment the smile.

And then there is today. I have had no reason to smile today. Reasons remaining close to my heart, let me reveal that there were no unforeseen incidents, but somehow the smile just didn't come to my face, and i kept to my resolution of not smiling if i didn't feel like. However, the plastic smile, the hypocritical plastic smile, reared its fangs towards the end of the day. Again, forced by the expectations of new acquaintances who feel that yous should bid adieu to them with a smiling face, even if you don't feel like smiling. And so, under peer pressure, i flashed them the plastic smile only to resent it from the moment onwards. And this is my confession, which might make me feel better.

HEY PEOPLE!!!

2010-01-15T07:55:00.002+05:30

Let me know when you make a camera
that mimics even the resolution of the eye.

Let me know when you make a heart
that feels the same pain.

Let me know when you make a machine
that gazes amazed at a meteor shower.

Let me know when you make a light
that cools like the moon on a full moon summer night.

Let me know when you make the internet
as fast as the thoughts.

Let me know when you make a phone
that lets you be near the other person.

Let me know when the mirror finally cracks.

Don't ask me no questions.
I got no answers here!!!!

Photoblog

2009-12-24T23:06:00.002+05:30

Hi Everybody,

I have been writing on this blog for some four years now, more regularly in the past two years. However, i'm finding less and less time to write now and as you may have already noticed will be writing less frequently. However, i have just started a photoblog and would like to invite you to take a look over there. I will try to post pics that have a decent quality and depict something peculiar or atleast interesting. Some may be trivial, but i'll try to make most of them worthwhile.

Do visit my photoblog at
http://www.photoblog.com/rupakbanerjee

Thank you

Rupak

Fall Day - 24 October

2009-10-26T11:11:00.003+05:30

Fall is a season of colours. In the tropics, we see only a few shades of yellow and brown when fall comes in. However, as you move towards the tundra regions, the effects of fall become much more prominent.

It is a time which poets describe with exotic expressions. I'm no poet and hence, i cannot describe it with such eloquence. Neither am i a great photographer that i can capture the moments on film, or rather pixels as they are today. However, i can try to depict the season and some of its glories with a combination of both. I'll give it a shot. Please don't curse me if i don't do a bad job at it.

Saturday 24th of October 2009, some of my lab mates decided to celebrate as the FALL DAY. Well i was game. I'd not be free the entire day as i had some prior plans, but i would join into the fun as far as i could.

My policy is to mingle with the new culture as much as i can. And i try to do that as far as i can go. Its a total learning experience. Small rituals, customs you can only learn when you are with the people. You just can't find everything in the books. And reading them would never be the same.

So come Saturday morning, i picked up my cycle and rode down to Jake's house, where the whole thing was to be celebrated. First thing planned out for the day was Apple Picking. I have been having apples since a very young age. Initially, i knew that it was something that mom brought home. As i got to know more and got around to understanding the process of shopping, i realised that they were grown somewhere and then brought to the stores where we got them from. Till date, that is all i know. Poets have a brilliant habit of describing apple orchards to be beautiful.

In going through their words, i came to picture them as fairly large trees some 12 to 15 feet in height and sturdy enough to take our weight if we climbed them. Well not exactly as large and sturdy as a mango tree, but somewhere nearby.

Firstly, i overshot the ride on my bike and had to picked up by a very helpful Jackie, who had put the whole thing together. After reaching the base, we took a while before heading out for the farm where we would pick the apples. We got there after a drive of about 20 minutes. A lovely drive no doubt. My camera refused to rest.

Once we were there, i was in for a shock. The apple trees were just a whisk taller than i was. The apples were beautiful. There were so many varieties. The taste of the apples fresh off the trees, one can never match with anything off the shelves which are at best a day or two old. So this was just a minute or two at max off the tree before you took the first bite. Oh what a feel.

We then, went to buy Pumpkins and then headed back.

The colours that i could warm my eyes to were just out of the world. I have never imagined trees to be lined with leaves which are flaming red, burning orange, firey yellow, mauve, purple, maroon, brown (with all the shades that you can imagine) and a whole lot more. I tried to take some pics. I hope you like them. They have been uploaded to facebook. Here is the public link. Please feel free to click on it and enjoy the pics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=163981&id=588355629&l=a6b99aa247

Every dog has its day - it may be good or bad!!!

2009-10-26T10:29:00.001+05:30

I believe that some days are made in way to help you feel blessed and gifted and ofcourse happy. You do feel in exactly that way. On those days you are extremely jovial. Everything seems to fall in place. You think that the day couldn't be any better. And these feelings are all true.

Then God decides, that your life needs some balance. And you get one of the days when you are taken nailed to the post, stripped and everyone around you seems to be laughing at your plight. One such day just took place. During the day, one could never think of what was happening. Once it was all over, and i could get my mind back on the lines of thought, i realised what had just happened.

It was early morning, I had just woken up, my comp had barely powered on. I was yet to get my mind to wake up. Suddenly, i got saw my Dad online and he pinged. All he said was that i should keep extra care of myself, things might be dangerous and i should be extra careful. Well, i'm sure he had a reason for saying it, but some evil thoughts crept into my mind. The devil was playing its game.

I tried talking to my sister. I think i said something wrong to her, and she just freaked out and got angry on me. She often does that, but on that particular day, it was just one more flavour of the day. Not long after, i got to my work and got a mail from my girlfriend, that she no longer wanted to talk to me. Yes she does that sometimes to grab attention. But not that day. I now had to try to figure out how i had pissed her off. I had to find a way to get her to pacify.

THese all were the toppings. I'm yet to reveal the base. This was also the day that i was supposed to give my first presentation at work. I was pretty worked up on that. All my mind was focussed there. The brain felt overworked and if it had been a windows xp based machine, it would surely have 'hanged'. I'm lucky it wasn't.

The day passed. All is back to normal. All sorted. I feel grateful.

Trash cans... find me some..

2009-10-26T10:16:00.002+05:30

Dustbins have always left me perplexed. Yes my mind is confused with the lack of dustbins when you want an area clean.

One of the instances that comes to mind very clearly is when i carried a can of cola into the metro station in delhi. Well i know it is an area of no food or beverages. But then you need to have bins where people can spit their chewing gums if they want to, or dispose of a choclate wrapper that they may have been having. Bottled water is availble within the complex, but do we just dump it on the floor after taking a swig.

Generally, indians by nature are not compulsive cleanliness freaks, but i took one extra step, went out of the station again to find a trash can. I was in a very good mood, and wanted to dispose of it in the proper manner. Nothing nearby. I came back inside and asked one of the security personnel where they threw any wrappers or stuff like that. He had never looked for a trash can since he had been posted at that station three months ago. Gosh. After some more searching, i gave up. I seriously gave up. Not something i do regularly. But i was fed up. Not just with the situation, with the entire system, with the people, with the attitude. I hated myself for giving up and giving in at the same time, but i found a lonely corner, dumped my empty cola can and proceeded to go into the station area. no hue and cry was raised.

Now coming back to present, i found cigerette butt disposers in my university campus here at Rochester Institute of technology. All the incidents with lack of trash cans in india came rushing back to me. I decided to click some photos to add to my blog with the post. The place is lined with trash cans and recycling bins and in addition to those, you also find the separate boxes for disposing off cigerette butts.

I love this place. Authorities in India need to wake up. Please.

Tennis @ 0 degrees

2009-10-22T04:49:00.002+05:30

It was the middle of last week. Having been in the university for quite a few weeks now, i was hoping for an opportunity to play some sport. Some relaxation was urgently required. So when the option of playing tennis arose, i jumped at it without loosing any time.

I hardly knew at that time that we'd be playing outside on the open courts. It was around 9 in the evening when we went down to the courts. It was already freezing. We didn't know the temperature of the courts, but decided to take out our racquets and hit the courts.

The lights were put on and i started playing after a break of over 6 years. As rusty as i was, i could barely get the ball over the net for the first few minutes. Soon the body warmed up to the game and we could atleast play as amateurs. The game picked up and after a lot of exersion, i was able to take my sweatshirt off and play in my tees. The chill of the air could be felt clearly, but the body was being kept warm by the effort that the game was making us do.

After a grueling two hours, we decided to call it a day and head back to the shelter where each of us would get on with our respective works. When we finally got back to the warmth of our labs, we were shocked to see the temperature had dropped to a degree below the freezing point. It was amazing. We had just played tennis at zero degrees centigrade. It would be a unique experience for some time to come.

Well the winter is ahead of us, lets see if we end up playing at lower temperatures and survive too.

A copy of this letter is with a lot of people. Just thought more people might enjoy it.

2009-10-12T09:57:00.001+05:30

Hi,

Hope you are in the best of health and your family is fine. I'm sorry that it took me so long to get to writing to you. But you have to believe me that starting off in a totally new places has you going through all formalities and settling down. And as soon as the classes began, our work load has increased exponentially. I have tried to cover the entire journey and the first few days in as much detail as possible. But do ask me if i have missed out on anything. Though i'm not expecting a mail of this length back from either of you. But do take some time out to write a few lines whenever you can.

Anyway, i'll update you on my end of the story. You should go and read my posts on my blog sometime. It has the details of my flight from Delhi till Rochester.

I reached here alright on the 26th of last month. That is just a week ago. My plane didn't fall out of the sky, neither did it get hijacked and flown into any towers. Because then you would have heard of it on the television and not got a mail from me saying that i am fine.

As i got to Washington, i realised that life here would be very different. Looking out, i could see the change in climate and looking inside, i could see the change in the atire of the people. The clothing style changed and so did a lot of things. The first shock came at the check in for my flight to Rochester from Washington. All i had to do was put my luggage on the counter, it showed the weight and the light went green. Then i had to enter my ticket number into an automated machine, and it printed out my boarding pass for me. I always knew that Checking In was an important part of the flight, but here it was all automated. There was no one at the counter. There was a lady standing around, who was there to help the shocked passengers, and had to come over to help me get the entire thing done. I'm sure i'd be able to get it done the next time i'm flying.

The next shock came when i was waiting for the boarding time for my flight. A girl came to a kiosk to get some food and passed right in front of me. All she was wearing was a transparent bit of creamy white cloth draped around her till a bit over her knees. What i failed to understand were two things. Firstly, was she not feeling any cold, while i had still had to keep my jacket on, as the inside of the airport was still pretty chilly. The other thing was why did she even put that bit of cloth on, it was not helping her in any way. Still i couldn't muster up the courage enough to go up to her and ask this question of her.

Though the flights from Delhi to Doha and then from Doha to Washington were huge airliners, the one from Washington to Rochester was by a small aircraft, barely larger than a private jet. There were just three rows of seats and no hostess. The pilots just asked us if we were all set and then shut the cabin door and took off. I slept off for most part of this flight and so wouldn't be able to tell you much more.

After reaching i have been going through a lot of formalities, but i'd have to agree that the people in the offices here are a lot friendly and actually help you in getting the work done. In India, i would never have been able to complete so much work in just a few days. From immigration formalities to enrolling for my courses and then to find off campus housing, opening of bank accounts, getting a phone number and so much more. I really don't know how i have managed to finish this stuff. Do keep in touch whenever you get time. Orkut is definitely a very slow option. Mailing is my most preferred one, but only if it suits you as well. The reason for this being, that a lot of my labs don't encourage chatting on gtalk and also that the time difference could make it difficult to find a good time to meet online. However, any time you feel that you'd like to chat with me, you can just let me know 24 hours in advance which time would be good for you, i'd surely make sure that i'm online att hat given moment. If you mail me, its the best way. Maximum info can be exchanged over mails. And i enjoy writing.

Well i'll start with my college. For the first time in four years, i'm happy about my college and even more glad about my department. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is located in the suburban area, just outside the main downtown area of Rochester. Most of the areas are empty spaces with a lot of tree cover and alot of open grassland area. Even the institute is layed out on a huge land space. The campus takes up more than 1300 acres and you can understand that it is not possible to get from one end to the other on foot. There are shuttle services from the different parts of the campus. This area also includes the on campus housing areas and the campus book store along with the field area and the health centre. The academic areas are a very small area of the campus but still they'd be as much as all of the Panjab University's main campus including the hostels there. So that is a huge area.

My department is housed in the College of Engineering, which consists of some three huge buildings. Our department along with Industrial Engineering and Microsystems Engineering is given a separate building, while the computer sciene related branches have a room to themselves. I do not know what is in the third building. But i know that it is part of the college of engineering. Then the building in front of us is the college of science building.

In my building, there are three floors. Here there is no ground floor. As in they call the ground floor as the first floor and there on the higher you go, the higher numbers are there to designate the floors. Very much like Bangla, where there is no ground floor. So i'm getting used to calling the lowest floor as the first floor. The first floor in our building houses some class rooms and a computer lab. Also, there is the lounge area and some study areas. The lounge area is open 24 hours 7 days a week. It is supposed to be a group study area. But is often used for relaxing or meeting people. Then there is another enclosed group study area which often Profs utilise to take informal sessions. There are also some cabins available which can be used if you are in need of some self study and need isolation for sometime.

Moving up the building, we come to the second floor, which houses the mechanical engineering office, along with the office of the head of Department, Dr. Edward Hensel. It feels so good to have so many profs here when UIET had none in its Mechanical section. Then we had only one Dr. Manu Sharma, and here everyone has a Dr in front of them. One feels more inspired on seeing the labs as well. They are well equipped and crowded even though the rooms are pretty big. Students have built their own experimental setups as well. This floor also houses plenty of offices of the Professors. There is also an auditorium and some classrooms.

Well i have been going on for a long while now. Need to get back to some assignments that i have. Will tell you more in another mail sometime soon.

Stay in touch.

Have a nice and enjoyable day ahead.
May God bless you.

Hi Everybody

2009-10-12T09:40:00.002+05:30

I moved to Rochester about 7 weeks back. Very eventful 7 weeks to be sure. Initially i started with the orientation and then moved to the starting of classes. Opportunity brought to me the chance to be a teaching assistant and then the even greater desired opportunity of becoming a research assistant. New experiences.

The work schedule is surely very tight. And with the quarter system followed at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), its a very competitive place to be in. The work life does take a toll on your life with social life being reduced to people who you see within your house, i.e. your roommates.

I now feel lucky to have developed a taste in music during my undergrad years which keep the atmosphere lively for me throughout the day. I can keep my mind focussed using that as a buffer between the outside world and the work world.

But the only thing that i miss is my second love. It has been a second love since the very beginning of my college years. It is the practice of writing. I can sit down and start writing. Whether i'm tensed, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, feeling down in the dumps, feeling lonely, or am way too happy to express my feelings in any other form, i can sit down and jot away on a piece of paper or on the blog, which at times ends up on my blog, while at other times, in the trash can at the edge of my room.

Being in a new environment brings out so much to write about. I have written long mails to my friends after reaching here. I think i'll publish one of them which i sent copies to all. But the work load here has finally took me away from the practice of writing. I hardly have time to sit down and jot down some words. Actually, the mind is kept to task all day long, and so the creative bent of it, slowly takes a back seat. I really hope that i can settle in quickly and get back to writing regularly. It is something i miss dearly, after one person, who probably knows who they are, without my mentioning the name. That person turns out to be my first love, sharing the podium with my work.

I surely will find that email i sent to my friends and publish it as a post after editing out the formal intorductions and the ending lines, or replies to somethings personal they may have asked. I hope you don't mind that.

Analysis - Failed!!!!

2009-09-26T05:18:00.001+05:30

Let me try and study the person in front of me.

First. I'm sitting in the library. was working till now, but finally decided that my mind had had enough for the day. its a friday, i should be out partying like hell. But no, i'm sitting back watching the clock tick. I have no particular reason to be here, but still i am here. Can't change it now.

THe girl sitting in front of me is a neighbour. I have spoken to her a few times by now, but still there is the element of surprise and i plan to analyse the image that i can get of her without pondering on the things she has already said about herself.

I'll start with the shoes. Though not in the face, they are colourful. The sole has patches of bright yellow and forest green. A pair of blue jeans is matched with a shirt which has stripes on it. Colourful stripes. Gosh, i'm not good at this sort of thing. My eyes are not exactly meant to pick out the naunces in people. I give up. Will surely try it some other day on some stranger. Probably while travelling on the train. That is the perfect setting for such an analysis.

Where to Define the line?

2009-09-26T05:09:00.004+05:30

The thoughts started coming to me as i moved to my final year of undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering. That was an entire year ago. What started as a speck in the mind has grown into a well defined problem, but still the solution eludes me.

Ok. The problem is about defining the line between acquaintances, friends, colleagues. How do you differentiate. Some are easy to do. A person whom you only meet in office and wish him a good day and go back home, is surely just a colleague. Then there is the friend from school who is still there and keeps calling you. You like it when they call. This person has to be a friend. But what about all the others. Are all the others destined to be in the category of acquaintances?

Niagara Falls

2009-09-21T04:22:00.008+05:30

The first time i had heard of Niagara falls was when i had the opportunity to go to Victoria Falls ( Zimbabwe / Zambia ) in the year 1995. My dad had mentioned this other great falls, THE Niagara. Wow, it was thousands of miles away, how would i ever make it there. My Geography teacher, in Dunraven School, London, was also a source of info. We were to study the erosion of the Niagara bed and she had just come back from a holiday just there. She showed us the pics from there, and till date i can vividly remember it, she was standing there on the left corner of the pic, with the entire American Falls pouring down the side.

It was one of the destinations on my bucket list. I can check it off. Some of the others include, Ayers' Rock (Australia), The Pyramids (Egypt). Most of these date back to my school days, when i was being taught about these exotic places and i would see myself roaming the same in my dreams.

When i got to Rochester, we were offered to be taken to the Niagara Falls from RIT. Why would i even think of saying no. I just signed up for it. I was up for it. The date was to be 20th September. Time passes quickly, and the day came before even we had to think about it much. No dreams. No imagination. I miss those now.

The morning dawned, i was up at 6. After exchanging a few words on the chat with my brother, i was ready to make my move. The bus would be here to pick us up at 0815. All on schedule i was on the bus. I won't waste time on the bus, or on other trivialities. i will now move to the moment of truth. We had arrived.

Moving in, i had expected to pay some ticket to enter the complex. This is so common in India, but here i was not charged a single penny. I was happy. Yes i'm a miser. Can't help it. I enjoy spending on gadgets or my cycle. But when it comes to other things, my mind just fails to accept it.

The first glimpse of it that i got was captured on the camera. But even before that, you hear the roar of the water going over the edge. The scene is a beauty. What else do you expect when you see 285000 litres of water going over the sides per second. Gosh. Thats some figure.

There are basically three falls, The American Falls, The Bridal Viel Falls and then the magnanimous Horseshoe falls. The ameerican falls is on the american side, i guess you guessed that. Then there is the Bridal Viel falls. Reason for naming it that way, do not ask me, i did not name it. I tried, but no board specified it.

Then there is the horseshoe falls. The entire falls, when viewed aerially, gives the shape of a horseshoe. I didn't manage any aerial views, but most of my pics are now on facebook and you're free to browse them. I'll put the link at the end. Else you'll get engrossed there and not read at all.

In between the American Fals and the Bridal View Falls lies the small Luna Island. You just cross a sturdy bridge and reach there. Lovely place, see for yourself. No need to trust me

Move further west and you reach the horseshoe falls. It is something that i should not attempt to describe. I would never match up with nature in creating the beauty. Just a hint, the mist around the area rarely allows pics to portray the entire thing. And its too big to capture in a single frame.

I kept following the path. An empty one at that. Past the river, it wound like a snake. I followed it as best as i could. The scenaries were lush green. The gargling sound reverberating in me. I felt part of it all.

The more i headed upstream, the sound became more a part of me and less of a roar from outside. Travelling alone means you can move at your own set pace. No hurries. No one getting bored while you stare at the wonder in awe. Each has its own tastes. Some enjoy in groups. I enjoy alone. Vivek (Bihari) Sinha was surely an exception.

By now, i had already got the help of two gentlemen who had agreed to take pics of me with the falls in the background. You can never manage this alone. Another gentleman, then guided me to the THREE SISTERS ISLANDS. It was named after the three sisters ( daughters of a local eminent citizen). I followed. The first one didn't seem to be a wonder. Neither did the second. I moved to the third. I was beginning to feel that i had to be disappointed here. And then there at the end of the third island, there stood the 'Little Brother's rock'. I moved there. It had warnings of not entering the water. I had not seen this warning in the entire of my wanderings till now. What was i to see. I emerged at the point from where the water rushed to the Horseshoe falls. All that water. It had to be atleast thrice the quantity that was rushing down the American Falls. I was left astounded. More photography ensued.

Half an hour and some 200 MB later, i felt it time to go back. I headed back. According to me, all was over, including space in my memory card. I had already run out of two sets of batteries. I was on my last. I didn't expect much to be remaining. The map showed nothing more. There was the museum. I was not going to take any pics there. My personal policy.

As i trudged along, i kept asking a few more people if there was more to see. Most had not even seen all that i had. Finally on my last stretch of walk, i started the crossing bridge which was over the part of the river that would eventually be the American Falls some 200 metres downstream. Here were something called the American Spectacular Rapids. I looked down. And i knew where the nomenclature came from. No genius was requried. It was what came to your mind. SPECTACULAR.

I got a to the bank as soon as i could and let my camera do the rest of the work, while i gazed on in awe. The water jumped, roared, rolled and froth ensued. The rocks beneath, withstood. How i don't know. The power of the river, the wrath, before going over the edge. The final resort before it goes over the falls. Did it want to. I was amazed. Did it know that it was going to fall a sheer drop of 200 ft. Did it feel scared. If it did, who were we to feign braveness.

I remembered all those veterans of courage, who had braved themselves into barrels and jumped over the edge, feeling what the water was feeling around them. Some survived, others weren't as fortunate. But that was more than a century ago.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155243&id=588355629&l=f53fe9614f

- x -

Coming back, only one thought keeps coming back to me. Is it better to bind the river and artificially beautify it with the lush green gardens. Or would it be better if we saw what the travellors saw centuries ago.

As i mentioned, I have been witness to the Victoria Falls as well. It is beauty, stark naked. No artificial modifications have been made. And it looks gorgeous. There are viewing areas. But it has not been converted into a resort. It is still in the middle of no where.

Even after todays extraordinary sights, i'd be forced to say that i preferred the former.

2009-09-19T07:02:00.000+05:30

What an evening!!

There are some days in life that you would never forget. I'm not experienced enough to say so, would be at the end probably. But it so seems that i can still remember the first day i went to Dunraven School to talk about my admission. The incidents just seem to ring in the head.

I will try to get through some of the days that i remember very clearly. I also remember meeting some people in my life. Especially, when i was in UIET, i have distinct recollections of meeting some people for the first times. I treasure these memories.

One such evening was last Sundays'. I will try to recreate the atmosphere as best as i can.

It was a couple of days back, when i met an elderly gentleman at the office of the apartment complex where i have taken refuge in Rochester. A very friendly person by nature, i took to his words almost instantly. From what i gathered in our first meeting, he has a vast knowledge and is eager to learn more. Armed with more than five languages in which he has sufficient fluency, he has studied and seen a lot more than what we can even hope.

When a few days later, i ran into him again, i bagged myself a coveted offer. He was kind enough to invite me to dinner with him on the Sunday. He asked me to be there around 4, when the afternoon is just passing the baton to evening.

I made a mental note of it and came home very glad. As i had got to know during the brief conversations with him, that he treated us, as his surrogate grand children, and we were welcome to call him 'Grand Pa'. I was thrilled, to find a relation so early in my stay in this new land.

Sunday arrived all too quickly. A lot has been going on in my life, so i didn't realise how time slipped by. The morning went by quickly and it came to around 2. After having my lunch, i got down to getting ready. I had always seen Grandpa to be dressed in a suit. I was slightly worried as to what to wear to the dinner. I finally decided on going in a shirt with adequate trousers. In any case, i didn't want to look under dressed. I knew there would be another person there. From what i knew he had been at RIT till last year.

The time came and i felt worried on the fact that, what if the plan had been cancelled. It wouldn't feel good coming back upstairs. But everything was set in order. I reached down and the door was opened by 'Grandpa'. He was wearing his usual glowing smile. I was relieved. The situation was not a formal one. The other person was Kartik, i was introduced to him. After chatting for a while, i got to know that he was still in RIT, though an year senior to me, in the computer science department.

Grandpa asked me to choose from a range of drinks, all of them non alcoholic. I went for ice tea, devoid of any sugar. He brought it out. The blend was perfect. We continued in our gossip. Grandpa was going to show a musical from 1953, though it had been a ballad at 'The Broadway' in the early 30s. It was called THE BANDWAGON. Starring, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse and Oscar Levant, the experience would be a total new one for me. I had never seen an adaptation of a theater performance into a movie and that too from the 1930s.

Grandpa proceeded in telling us some background information and told us about the director, some stuff about the actors and their behaviours. He went into all the intricate details. I wondered on, how he came to know all this.

Soon the movie started. Parallel to this, he brought out the chicken which was to be the subject of our dinner and placed it in the oven. The rest of the food was ready i presume. The movie started. I had to stay focussed to catch the humour between the lines, though most of it was pretty explicit. The movie didn't feel like one from 75 years ago. The music was fun and the story raced forward. Often, we were punctuated by some detail being explained by Grandpa. It made the watching more meaningful. We would understand a lot more now.

Finally, the movie came to an end, and all too soon. The food too was ready. We moved to the dining table. Grandpa had made the effort to light some candles and set the setting for a nice long discussion. We got on with the food and discussed all different sorts of topics. We got on with details of our family ancestry and the American history followed by the slave trade. The topics changed so quickly.

It was a three course meal, starting with poached pears. I can still feel aroma filling in my mouth. Next course comprised of chicken with some vegetables and a beautiful sauce. Sauces are generally not described as beautiful, but this was beautiful. What else could i describe it as.

Then finally, we came to the salad with a fine layer of vinegar and some oil, which i have planned to ask Grandpa about the next time i visit him. We moved back to the living area. He had played us some classical music which was sweet to the ears. Now, we got to know that Grandpa himself was from the performing arts and he had majored in Chemistry and Dance during his college. This was news. It explained his keep interest and knowledge of the world of music. But still, he knew more than four languages and could talk about almost anything under the sky. He had the urge to learn and kept doing so.

Soon we were greeted with coffee. I took my black coffee without any sugar. oh the brew. he was a master cook. I had decided not to let go of any options of coming down here anytime i got the opportunity.

We ended the day with chocolate cake, which still seems to stick to my tongue. How can i forget the taste. At 9, Grandpa decided it was time that he went to drop Kartik who had a good few miles to go before he got to his home. I was just to climb a single flight of stairs. We thanked Grandpa for the fun time we had had, i was sure of coming back and got the offer of joining him again in a fortnight. The next sunday, he would be busy.

As they headed to their car, i headed up the stairs. I had plenty of work to get through. And i was well fed now. Even if i died, i would be in peace.

2009-09-13T18:40:00.000+05:30

A Mechanical Engineers Dream Country

A few days ago, walking down a car park i noticed something peculiar. No two adjacent cars were the same. In fact if it was a modest sized parking lot, you wouldn't find the same car repeated twice.

My mind set to work. I was sure there was an explanation behind this. I realised in a jiffy, that this was after all the country with the largest variety of automobiles in terms of production and imports. While in India, we still have the number of manufacturers so limited that they could be counted on the fingers. But this by far not the case here. Even counting on the toes after the fingers are over, would not help much. You'll see the makes from Japanese manufacturers the likes of Honda, Toyota alongside Korean giants such as Hyundai and Kia. Then there would be the European bullies, such as VW and Porche not leaving apart all the companies swallowed by VW. Then there is the home grown FORD, GM, Infinity, GMC and the list goes on. I'd be a fool to even attempt to recal all of these.

There are several large shops selling auto parts right off the counter, like we get the chemists, so all you'd have to do was to jack up the car and get under its belly. You could change what you wanted with DIY sites and even modify your own car to some extent. Though going to the expert is also an option.

And there's more. You can do so much more.

2009-09-12T07:32:00.000+05:30

On my way to the US of A.

My next flight was QR 051, from Doha to Washington. The security arrangements made it evident that i was headed to the US. i have never before been subjected to so much screening prior to boarding a flight. And it was all routine.

Having slept through the entire of the last flight, except for my breakfast, I was determined to make the most of this one.

As the flight was taxiing to the runway, i kept my eyes focused on the outside. I too wanted to capture a glimpse of Doha. From what i did manage to see, as the airplane sped off the ground, the city has a lot of haphazard tall constructions and nowhere near the organised structuring such as that of London or Amman for that matter. Obviously, a more detailed analysis of the city could not be possible at the speeds i was travelling at.

As the aircraft took to air, I knew that the decision to request a window seat was the best decision for this flight. The land ended as soon as the runway and gave way to the docks. The man made docks were followed by natural islands, and then the deep blue sea.

I soon got engrossed in the in-flight personal entertainment system. Some half an hour later, we were crossing over Jordan. I recognised the familiar landscape below. The rolling brown hills followed by vast stretches of barren land radiating a golden shine. This truly was the holy land.

Fourteen hours of continuous flying is surely supposed to get your bored. However, the in flight entertainment system of the Qatar Airways can keep you occupied as long as you're interested. The other alternative is to sleep it off. During the course of the flight, i ended up watching four movies and a few tv shows. Starting with "Confessions of a Shopaholic", "17 again". I soon moved to 'Casino Royale' the bond movie. This was followed by two episodes, one of 'How i Met Your Mother' and the other of 'Big Bang Theory'. Both i had watched at a previous date, but still were refreshing. With just a bit more than 2 hours to go, I proceeded to start my final movie on board, "Ghosts of Girlfriend Past'.

After each bit of movie session, I would take a peak out of the window and gasp out. Most of the people around me were sleeping, and remained oblivious to the stark beauty of the views below. As the plane rose higher and higher, it was mostly the clouds and their shapes and designs that continued to perplex me.

When we passed over Canada, i could clearly see the the islands. The vast lakes. The large forests. Oh i could never imagine the scenes that i saw that day. How would i forget the day.

Doha - Just a Transit

2009-09-06T00:09:00.003+05:30

I reached Doha (Qatar) at 6:25 local time. The time in India was nearing 09:00 at that time. I had slept through most of the flight. The plane was to take off at 05:00, so the night was spent at the airport and hence the sleepiness. But now after a long nap, i feel quite refreshed.

The first thing i noticed about the airport was that they use a network of low floor buses to board and de board passengers to the aircrafts. Though a major transit area, their airport is not equipped with connectable passages to bring the aircraft to the doorstep of the terminal.

The transition process was pretty simple and I was able to manage past it without any hassle. I soon reached GATE 14 of the boarding lounge from where i am to board my next flight.

With loads of time to spare, I decided to look around for a while, and what better place to start but the "Duty Free Shops". They were all situated on the ground level whereas my movements had placed me on the first level. Looking down, I saw the grand flagship of the Mercedes Tristar standing there with a logo of US$125 on it.

Curiosity got the better of me and i rushed down. It was a lucky draw ticket for US$125 to win a MERC S300. Definitely worth it if i was going to stay there.

As i basked in its radiance, taking the opportunity for a closer look, my eyes caught a glimpse of a marvel I had never seen before from so close. I had definitely seen these in the car magazines and also in the movies. I may also have caught sight of one on the roads of Amman, when i visited there, but so close, never. The Aston Martin with its emblem of the snitch just seemed to start me in the eye. THe Model was DB9 coupe. There sitting right in front of me was the carrier of the legendary british secret service agent Mr. Bond.

I wandered closer. Just a peek inside. The thrill of sitting inside could now be imagined, if not felt. It was defintely better than any picture or movie could ever portray it to be. My camera was with me, but no batteries. Gosh i missed them.

On My Way

2009-09-06T00:09:00.001+05:30

I'm at the airport. The formalities done, i'm waiting in the boarding area lounge for the air crew to announce the boarding of QR 233 to begin. I'm travelling Qatar Airways to Washington via Doha. My destination is Rochester, NY. I'm headed to Rochester Institute of Technology to start my stint in the Mechanical Engineering Department toward a master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.

I would like to specialise in 'Systems and Control' but i don't know if i'd be suitable for such a subject. Anyway, that is something i need to think about after reaching.

Things on my mind right now include changing flight at Doha, and the immigration at Washington. But i guess i just need to sit back and enjoy the flight. Its going to be a good experience. Atleast i hope it will be.

The boarding has begun. I'll get back to more posts as i proceed. whenever i find time, i'll make a post. They may be posted on the blog at a later date. That time only will tell. Till the next post, adios.

Before the Interview

2009-08-14T22:46:00.002+05:30

Come the month of June i knew it was high time i had to apply for my Visa. I had recieved my i20 some weeks back, but had kept postponing the application for visa. Somewhere deep inside, i was afraid of it. I knew this was one of those links in the chain on which i had no control over.

On the second of the month i submitted the visa fee. Pressure was rising to get the process done at the earliest. By 9th i had got my visa forms filled and ready. I was now ready to take the date. When the option of selecting the date, i chose one 2 weeks away. That was the last date that was on offer. The phobia was still in effect.

Over the next two weeks, i put all my documents in place. A undertaking for the financial support from my parents was also prepared from the local notary. All was going according to plan without any hiccups. But the tension within was still rising. I was keeping a cool face. My brother got whiff of my tension. I guess i had responded a bit rudely to him more than once.

With two nights to go for the interview, the panic button got activated. I started keeping to myself. I was thinking of all the probable questions. Jotting down points that i needed for each answer. I had decided on not writing out answers or preparing them. Mugging them up had been ruled out a lot earlier. The points started spinning in my head. I often felt i'd mess up.

The previous night, i finalised what to wear for the interview and all was set. After an early dinner, i was advised to go to bed early to be fresh in the morning. As i lay down, i just couldn't get sleep in my head. The questions would come back to haunt me each time i closed my eyes. I decided to get up and watch some tv shows on my laptop. I proceeded to do the same.

Each time i felt that i felt like dozing off, i'd rush to my bed to make most of the opportunity. But alas, it was not to be so easy. After three attempts, i realised it was three in the morning. I decided it was high time that i slept. I went to bed and started thinking of the BAJA experience. After another hour of turmoil, i was able to doze off. Finally.

The next day, the tension had eased. I was pretty relaxed. Inside, the whole process took a bit more than an hour. No serious problem was faced. And the Visa Officer was a real friendly person. With just a few questions on my course and college, he let me go with the golden words that i'll be recieving my visa in a few days time. The night before and the experience would be with me for more time than i would wish for.

Back and Forth

2009-08-02T13:34:00.002+05:30

Every few months, I come back to my blog and realise that it has been quite some time that i have not written for. Even now, I have quite a few topics that i would like to write about. But alas. Lazy Me.

Since the 24th of June, I have not done much. I mean mentally. In fact, when i come to think of it, I have not done much before that either. I'll tell you more about my past two months in the coming few weeks.

Finally, let me tell you. The countdown is ticking very fast now. 23 days from now, i'll be flying to Rochester. A new place, country, continent. I surely will have a lot to write. Hope i can keep up.

Another movie

2009-07-09T00:52:00.005+05:30

With so much happening in the past few days, i have not been able to keep up with the writing. Each incident seems worthy of putting up on a blog. But laziness gets the better of me each time. But at 1 in the morning, there is little laziness and the need to while away some more time brings me back to writing.

I have been watching the new release of Akshay Kumar, Kambakkht Ishq. I still remember the Amir Khan starrer ISHQ. It was absolutely hilarious. I did not expect anything of the same level from this movie, but still we've come to expect some quality from Akshay Kumar.

Though the 'Dog' - 'Bitch' sequences do seem to be a rip off from Hum Tum, there are certainly some scenes which take your breath away. The timing and the presentation of the dialogue have been taken good care of. The entry of Akshay Kumar could have been better timed. Bringing him in at the very start of the movie has been a wrong decision. An entry in the 'Tashan' style would definitely have brought more cheers from the crowds.

The music fails to impress. A number of the stunts seem too lame and the picturizatino could have done with a bit more quality. A regular masala flick. We have come to expect more from this actor. A two and half to three star is all it would get from me on the scale of five.

The savior is the scene where the operation is held. The stunt man keeps mumbling and the words are a treat to the years who expect some fun from the movie. The important thing is to go the movie without any inhibition to laugh and enjoying it as far as you can. The movie goes uphill after the interval. Mr. Boman Irani is a darling as usual. People like him can definitely bring a movie to life for the brief moments that they are given free reign.

We need not forget our very own Javed Jafri either. Another great actor who never suited the lead role. He can make your sides ache when he's in a supporting role. May it be 'Paying Guest' where he pulls off a feminine role or here where he dreams of suing whoever he can. He goes to the extent of calling himself 'Suer'. The word is very aptly used and his presentation is awe inspiring.

Well now coming to the let down. Whichever part of the movie has Kareena taking lead space on screen seems to get boring. She has proven herself to be dumb in previous movies as well and never made a mark where comic timing is of essence. It may be well to remind you all of Golmaal Returns, where a lot of screen time was given to the actress, but to no avail. She just fails to impress. A one time watch, the movie is a pure masala meant for some decent entertainment. Don't keep expectations too high.

The first Monsoon showers

2009-07-02T10:57:00.002+05:30

It has finally been confirmed that the monsoon is here. Take a look outside and it is evident. We need not wait for the met department to announce that the monsoon is finally here.

It was day before yesterday, and i was out to buy some cigarettes when the rain started coming in big drops. The wind was blowing and the weather turned pleasant in a very short while.

Soon the droplets started to come down faster and the people scuttled for shelter. Everyone wants the rains to come, but why not get wet. Its fun. And if you're not on your way to office, there is no harm in getting a little wet.

With no change in my walking pace, i walked the mile back home. It was one of those walks that take out the stress from life. All your worries are left behind and you move forward away from it all.

This would be just another example of the situations the camera doesn't help in. The feeling and the atmosphere is something the camera can never capture in its entire form.

Open Source

2009-06-30T20:33:00.002+05:30

Well let me begin. There are primarily two schools of thought, not only in the world of software / hardware, but also in regular life. The world of open source believes that information should be freely and readily available to all. While the other realm believes that information and knowledge should be kept in the wraps, and restricted to oneself.

Let us first evaluate open source. As the knowledge is shared among all, a lot of minds ponder over the problems being incurred. Hence, the solution is found at a much faster rate. The development curve is steep. Taking the analogy to the real world, we have a condition, where you share info with others. So more people know about the problems that you are facing. Hence you are more likely to find a solution.

The other option is to keep things under proprietary and restricted. This is the fundamental principle being followed by Microsoft. They keep their knowledge and know how to themselves. But does it help? In fact NO. They have now been compelled to use codes from some linux based OS in their newer versions of the Windows. They are steadily falling behind in the development of new technologies. Same is the case of people who try to keep their knowledge to themselves.

Share and Rule is the new world order.

It is unconventional to dedicate a blog post to someone. But this one does deserve a dedication.

I dedicate this post to Souvik Das Gupta and Vikas Ruhela. They introduced me to the concept of Open Source. And not to forget Ayush Joshi, who truely believes in the postulates of open source.

Life Goes on After Four Years

2009-06-13T08:20:00.000+05:30

I'm back home after college. Four years of staying in the hostel and now it seems all different. A lot has changed behind me in these four years. Or has it. Or have I changed. There are a lot of different perspectives to this. But which one do I choose.

Anyway, a significant change that became so evident last evening was that I returned to the world of cricket. For the last four years I was totally disinterested in Cricket. One major reason being the lack of comfort in which we were required to watch the game. Some of us found enjoyment in watching the game in the overcrowded common room where over a hundred people packed in to enjoy the moments of the match. I'm sure the group feeling was more active there but somehow I was not attracted by the common room. On the other hand, I always found some other work to be done during that same time which slowly took me away from Cricket.

Now that i'm back home, I slowly got back to Cricket. Last evening I watched the entire match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and got so engrossed in the match that I postponed my bath for a while just to see the entire match. I was not ready to move away while the match was on. I'm yet not the big fan who'd take time out of the day to get to watch a particular match, but yes once I'm onto a match, I'm not going to leave it in midway and move on. Lets see how I keep this passion of mine in limits.

Some images from the past

2009-06-05T14:32:00.003+05:30

18th November 2006.
Mr. Blair finally admitted that Iraq was a mistake. Can he return the lives of all those who had to loose theirs for his mistake. Come on. You are responsible people. You need not rush in and say i made a mistake. You need to grow up from being Kindergarten students.

I had kept the clipping for a blogpost. It had got buried. Just found it.

Six Months have passed

2009-05-27T23:12:00.002+05:30

I wrote this post last night. But am posting it now.

It has been six long months. SIX months since the terror attack on Mumbai. It started on the 26th of November and lasted for a never ending 60 hours. It is also the death anniversary of the first Prime Minister of our nation. Some nearly 62 years ago, our motherland had been handed back to us and Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru had taken charge of the affairs as the Prime Minister. The day is apt for questioning whether our functioning as an independent nation has been successful or not.

The terror attack on one of the landmarks of India was supposed to be a wake up call for the nation, to sit up and fight back. The NSG did fight back, but what about the nation as a whole. It had taken those attacks to remove non performers such as Deskmukh and Shivraj Patil from their posts as Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Union Home Minister. And guess what, Vilasrao Deshmukh is now back as a Union Cabinet Minister. Why have WE voted to bring them back.

Even though everyone was screaming about reforms and change, we didn't go out to cast our votes on the D Day. The voting percentage was no better than any of the yester years. Mumbai, which should have come out strongly, managed a meager 40% voting. Does this mean that we have given up on the government, and who the power is given to.

What about the issue of the terrorist who was caught? We are spending millions on his protection. But have we even been able to convince the international community that the attacks have been sponsored by Pakistan, let alone Pakistan accepting the fact. Why are we even giving him a trial. If he's indicted and locked away, another siege might be underway in a few months trying to get him freed.

At that time,six months back, we had been promised a better equipped police force. Do we even remember the name of the officer other than the ATS Chief who lost his life that evil night. What about the NSG commando who finally captured Kasab? He should be the hero of the night, Rather, we have made Kasab into one.

To top it all, i would draw your attention to the Lahore attack today at a location where the 26/11 mastermind had been placed under house arrest. The same attack could have taken place on the some Indian consulate forcing us to release Kasab as well. What then??

The turning Point

2009-05-03T00:39:00.000+05:30

Bollywood has finally taken an unexpected turn. It has now tried taking on the science fiction genre by the neck. Previous attempts on this genre in Bollywood include movies like 'Koi Mil Gaya' and its sequel. Though a major hit, it did not introduce any new concept or invention. UFOs and Aliens are popular topics and though no film maker had tried to venture on those tracks, the concepts were well known.

On the other hand, this year has brought two movies to the block which deal with science fiction concepts. First came the Akshay Kumar starrer 'Tasveer'. The movie revolved around the protagonist who was able to view the world through the eyes of a person of whom he had a picture. He could travel across the realms of space and time in doing so. Yes, 'Butterfly Effect' from the year 2004 comes to mind on watching this, but there are significant changes to the plot and concept.

A few weeks later, we were brought face to face with a camera which would predict our future. The movie was 'Aa Dekhe Zara' starring Neil Nitin Mukesh by Jehangir Surti. The movie was more of a thriller and a chase, but the concept of hte camera was indeed nice. The venture of Bollywood directors on such unknown turfs is surely encouraging. Though the audience did not recieve either of the movies in a friendly manner, but yes, the audience needs to mature and give actors and directors more room to work in, other than silly love triangles.

Motorised stool

2009-04-27T23:07:00.000+05:30

see more pwn and owned pictures

Why can't college students in India make small things like this. They don't cost a hell, and are fun to make. Even i blame myself for not creating stuff like this. But my juniors, please try to make such things in the future.

The guru and the disciple

2009-04-27T03:00:00.002+05:30

A totally waste of a post for any reader that i may have, but for two people. Vikas Ruhela and Karan Chaudhary. Well both of them have honoured me by mentioning me in their first blog posts. Vikas goes so far to thank me for giving him the idea of blogging. Well, i do not claim credits to him starting to write, for the sole reason that i might have just mentioned it in the passing sometime when i was drunk and he took it seriously. But i do feel good that he has taken this seriously. This person has a lot to write and when he starts something he actually goes on and on with it. All the best for your writing. I'll keep a watch on your blog Vikas.

Anyone else who may be interested in his blog, please check the following link,

http://treasureofmy-life.blogspot.com

For Karan's blog, please visit

kcode.wordpress.com

go ahead and enjoy reading.

Does the camera Help??

2009-04-24T18:03:00.000+05:30

I come from a family that enjoys to travel and going to new places just runs in the blood. My mother's job requires us to settle in different parts of the world, for a couple of years and then shift again. My father has been traveling to new places each year ever since he can remember and continues to do even now. The credit for this however goes to my grandfather, a great traveler.

As for myself, i cannot put to words the feeling when a plan begins to take shape. I am yet to visit the Southern India, but the north itself has so much yet to be seen. India is a vast country and a person would have to be a fool to believe that he's seen it all. The land, people and the language changes every few miles and there is thousands of miles to be covered here whichever direction you choose to make your move.

However, since the past few weeks, I've been pondering over the usefulness of the camera to the traveler. An artist surely has a use for it. he would be able to capture a lot of interesting incidents or issues even from the routine life of others.

But when it comes to the traveler, is there a better camera than our eye. The images that this captures remain etched in the mind for the lifetime. Two trips of the many i've been fortunate to make, that ramain vividly etched in my mind are the trips to Puri (Orrisa) and RaniKhet (Uttarakhand). The places are separated by a thousand kilometers. One brings to life the ferocious Bay of Bengal as the tall waves race in and the retreating current is strong enough to dis-balance the wild buffalo.

The latter is a haven for the romanticist. Located at a height of 1869 m, it is still the foothills for the mighty Himalayas. You'd wake up to the soft wetness of the morning dew. As the day progresses you can choose to laze around within the village or take a walk along the numerous paths leading into the woods. Whichever path it is that you choose to follow, just look into the distance and you'd be sure to spot the snow capped peaks. With just a few places to be seen over here, the focus remains on the nature around you. As the Sun starts on its decent, its time to head home for all.

In the hills, there is only a very short period, after sun down and before darkness wraps itself around you, which can effectively be called as the dusk. At Ranikhet, this is the time you just have to be in the open. On most days, the mountains in the distance are covered in a blue haze that is almost unique to this place.

Getting back to what i've been trying to get at, there was just a single thread binding the two places i have just mentioned. And the thread was, i did not take my camera along on both these trips. During the first instance way back in 1998, i was just 11 and yet to get a camera to call my own. For the latter, me and my friend had decided against taking the camera with us.

The visit to Puri is ten years behind me, but the roar of the waves as they came racing in or the still water on the third day of our stay just refuse to fade away. The day was no moon and the waters were unusually still. The rest of the week, the waves would drag us up shore and throw us mercilessly on to the beach before dragging us back. We would be forced to dig in our knees and elbows in our attempt to cling to the shore and would end up with sore patches all over the body.

Neither the roar of the waves nor the stillness of the mountain air at Ranikhet can be captured on a camera. We often endeavor to capture the beauty of such exotic places, but all we are able to bring back with us on the bromide plate is a mere shadow of the heaven that cannot be shifted. And as we all know, the shadow is far from being a replica. It is cold and emotionless.

Some photos do actually leave us in awe, but then imagine what the real place would be like. I'm sure your imagination will fall short of the true beauty that the place holds in store. Examples of such places include the images of the Niagara falls or the heights over looking the Wadi Rum in Jordan.

Moving on to the topic of war photography, we would probably realize this discussion to a greater extent. Image the war scene that we read about in the anecdotes from the second world war times. They are far more gruesome compared to the images that we see. It may be true that blood and gore is spattered all over the images as we see them. But the description of the same scenes just go over the edge. A similar scene can be imagined if we consider the terrorist attacks that have left the country in awe. The images that scar our newspapers do depict the horror that is created, but if you dare to imagine the same scene, you'll realise that there is much more to the place and the incident than the picture can depict. And that horror is much more compared to what the image does.

My encounter with John Grisham

2009-04-15T01:25:00.000+05:30

After a very long time, i again decided to pick up a novel. I've been off and on as far as my reading goes, for the past three eyars, but the habit of regular reading has long since gone. Now, when i recall the days in London, when me and Joy would visit the library bringing back fifteen or so books at a time. The books would be issued to us for a period of three weeks, but we'd be ready for refreshing the collection only in a week. The days were fun and i would laze around all day reading.

The years of CBSE were not so supportive for reading, but i got back to my hobby in college. Still, since my second year, my reading has been very intermittent. Finally, a few weeks back i picked up a book from ISBT (Inter State Bus Terminus), Kashmere Gate. “The Associate” by John Grisham.

It is not the first time that i'm coming across Mr. Grisham. My previous encounters with him include 'The Rainmaker' and 'The Broker'. I've also been fortunate to witness the adaptation of 'The Rainmaker' in the movie form.

I do not need to reiterate that the books are based on law and their defendants and perpetrators. However, i always get the feeling during the novel that i'm living in times of peace whereas the book talks of a war front. I get so attracted into the piece that i just wish to leave all this engineering stuff and go and join the people fighting it out at the frontline of law.

The BAJA Experience

2009-03-29T11:53:00.001+05:30

The BAJA experience begins right at the time when a group of people first decide that they would participate in BAJA. Thereafter there is no looking back. From bringing a suitable team together, to registering the team and clearing the interview, these are the elementary stages.

Henceforth begins the real challenge. The design of the vehicle, fetching sponsorship and then the fabrication. In the design stage only, there begins conflict in opinions. Two sets of designs were being worked upon and both believed their own one to be superior in quality.

Bringing in sponsorship for any event is a tough job. Additionally motor sport is still in its nascent stages in India. It became very difficult to convey the benefits of sponsoring a team in a motor sport event to most companies here. To add insult to injury was the recession. Most companies were cutting on costs and sponsorship was a core area for cost cutting.

The fabrication stage brought the entire team together. The bonding improved. We would often be working till 2A.M. and then go searching for dinner. Our hands were seldom devoid of grease. Our classmates often mistook us for mechanics. But the passion did not subside.

Roadblocks had become the path for us. Sometimes, it would be some fault at the brakes and at other times the suspensions would be the source of trouble and the rest of the times, it would be the drive train.

In spite of all the hiccups, the vehicle was completed, behind schedule, but before the deadline. Then it was transported to the BAJA site at Pitampur.

Finally the even was on. All our efforts were now at stake. The days were spent repairing and improving the vehicle and then getting the vehicle approved. The different static and dynamic tests were testing times. The hill climb left us all in awe.

Then arrived the final day. The prior evening, Dhananjay Sood of our team had been placed in NATRIP. It definitely was a time to celebrate for the team. The vehicle had finally reached the grid. All the vehicles lined up I order, ready to be led by the Yamaha ATV, was a sight we would never forget.

Nerves were running high as each member was allotted his specific tasks. And then the vehicles were flagged off. The moment we had all worked for had finally arrived. With a deafening roar, the vehicles all pulled onto the track.

Road Safety in India

2009-03-13T01:09:00.001+05:30

Road safety in India is something that is talked of only when the newspapers point out that over 200 deaths occur on the National Highway 8 (connecting Delhi and Jaipur), or some other such eyebrow raising facts. Otherwise, the authorities seem to leave it to the common man to fend for himself when it comes to road safety.

To begin with if you notice the bus drivers who are driving buses on long routes as well as the ones that drive on city roads have a feeling that driving a heavy vehicle also means that they own the road. They would overtake from the left and force their ways into the lanes of other smaller vehicles. Even buses such as the Volvo service being operated by the Haryana Road Transport Corporation are driven in a very lunatic manner.

Then come the drivers on two wheelers. They are the most adversely affected in case of accidents, and still they are the ones that care least when it comes to road safety. You'd be surprised to see so many two wheeler drivers jumping the read light and riding on the wrong side of the lane. All is being done to save a few minutes here and kilometer or so there. Wearing of helmets is seen as a compulsion that has been imposed by the traffic police. People go to the extent of wearing hard hats, used at the construction sites, as helmets. This is other than those who prefer to wear broken and helmets without any standard accredition.

Add to this the odd sort of traffic that is found in India. There are horse pulled carts, tractors, rickshaws, cycles and what not sharing not only the roads but also the highways. The risk that they undertake, they are not even aware of. The police does not even bother these people and neither do they bother to take a while to give safety a thought.

Now we may come to the cars. Speed limit is a sign that is there for others. This is the attitude that most drivers have when they're on the highway. They drive without the consideration that some animal might just walk into the road without giving them time to think. Then there are all the other drivers who may commit a mistake, or even a villager who might decide to walk onto the road at a time when he thinks apt.

The problem is not just in the people. The problem lies with the fact that we as a whole country view road safety. Everyone is more concerned about things like time and ease of travel. But what we fail to acknowledge is the requirement for road safety. There is no requirement for schools to introduce a class on road safety and issues relating to it. Places such as United Kingdom too have road accidents. However, the traffic system there is altogether different. People do make mistakes, but all children in schools are talked to about road safety and how to act in times of emergencies.

God forbid, if any major city in India is ever hit by a large natural calamity or such a thing, people are never prepared for them. Proper drills should be conducted in schools, offices and all major institutions in order to keep people prepared for handling such scenarios. An earthquake such as the one that hit Gujrat a couple of years back causes a lot more casualty than it should because of the fact that most people never know what is the right way to act in such scenarios.

Similarly, in case of road accidents, people are not aware of the procedure to be followed. Very few people are aware of first aid methodologies. These all facts add up to the increased death toll and other casualty in our road accident cases. If the people were more aware and more concerned about the risks associated on the roads as well as take adequate precautions, then the number of such casualties can easily be brought down to a more minimal figure.

The auction

2009-03-07T09:28:00.001+05:30

Last there suddenly arised a question about the auction being conducted for the material possessions of Mahatma Gandhi. The controversy was pretty deep rooted. The government had already filed for a stay on the auction and a lot of heated argument was going on.

Through this discussion arised a point of whether a single person could dictagte terms with a government and whether the government should even bother to bargain with him. Yes, 'bargain' does sound a cheap word when matters such as these are being discussed, but deep down this is the reality that we are talking about.

Anyway, the question had cropped up when Otis had set two conditions on which he would agree to call off the auction, one of them being that the goverment should agree to spend a particular sum of money on solving poverty in India. Self acclaimed spokespersons had come forward and announced that the country should not talk of conditions and that no individual was suited to dictate conditions with a country like India which is the world's largest democracy.

However, what was forgotten was that, this person was trying to help a just and humane cause. On the other hand, there are people like the terrorists who had highjacked the Indian Airlines flight to Kabul, who too were setting conditions with India. They were terrorists and were anti social and anti national security. However, the government had then gone ahead and made the deal. How does the government feel that they can talk their way out of this. Why talk to them and ignore the call of this person, when we all know that this cause is more just and is intended to help the people of this country only.

a quiet sort of friday

2009-02-22T00:35:00.000+05:30

A more relaxed friday i have not spent in the last six months. In fact not just a friday, a more relaxed day i have not spent in the last several months. Won't go into the details, but the day started off with a layed back breakfast with nothing to worry me about. Then Ankesh, a friend, came over to my room and we spent the morning in reminiscence of our first year. When he had to leave, i took a slow and soothing bath. The evening had arrived. A walk in the university was something i had not done in a long while and decided to take advantage of that as well. When i got back to my room, the sun had just set and the weather was lovable. Picking up a book that i was planning to finish, i just laid back and let the author take over my mind. Music was playing from my laptop and it the atmosphere was set for a quiet evening. The phone had been put on silent intentionally to avoid the spell being broken. In another hour or so, i pulled over my bed clothes and let the mind take a rest.

Visit to Bethma (Pithampur, Indore)

2009-02-14T10:24:00.004+05:30

The date is 29th of January 2009. We are in a field near to a village called Sagori in the district Pithampur. This place may be identified to be near a city called Indore in the heart of India. There are 18 of us out here from our college along with nearly another 1000 from all parts of the country. We are all engineering students. The event is SAE INDIA BAJA, where we are required to design and fabricate an all terrain vehicle and then race it at this all terrain track.

The track

Suddenly, we are faced with the need for some spares and some machining of our parts. We decide that four of us would head out to Pithampur area and find some where to get both the work done. The people are Harpreet, Akshat, Devanshu and of course Me.

Harpreet

Akshat

Devanshu

Soon we were at a place on the Pithampur road. We were advised that we would get our job done here. The search began. Time was against us and the Sun began to set. We decided to split groups and Devanshu and myself were given the task of sourcing the required spare parts while the other two would get the machining done.

Both of us left in search of a suitable shop. None of the shops had the required parts. We were advised to go to a place called Bethma some five kilometers away where all our required parts would be easily sourced. Though i was a bit skeptical about going to this unknown location, Devanshu showed great courage and decided that we should go over or the team would not be able to perform on the next day. And so off we went.

We caught a shared auto for this place, and the auto driver pronounced the place to be some 7 kms away. The Sun had set and darkness had fallen pretty quickly. We sat in. The auto got on its way, and barely 500 meters into the journey i was regretting having taken the decision. The road was pitch dark and the auto was crawling. I had my camera with me along with my phone and some cash. A dread came over me on how to return from this place and whether it would be a large place or some small village with a motor parts shop. Nothing was clear.

Conversation started with a guy on the auto who turned out to be a mechanic and he re-assured us that the parts would be available at the shop we were directed to and that we would not have any problem getting back to Pithampur road either. I felt somewhat better. A lady too pronounced the same. Soon the guy got off as his place had arrived. A while later, we too reached our destination. The auto driver said that conveince to Pithampur road was available till about 9. He too would be going back in a while.

We got to our job of finding the parts. The shop was located with ease and the proprieter turned out to be a very helpful person. Soon we had all the stuff we required. Akshat had called a few times by now to ensure that we were getting the work done and in proper manner. Now it was time to get back. We got to the same chowk (crossing) from where we were to get hold of the autos.

But alas, there were none. I enquired from a Chemist as to what would be the procedure of getting back. He suggested we go directly to Indore as there were transport available from this place, Bethma to Indore directly. On our insistance that people were waiting for us at Pithampur road, he advised that we take lift from some large vehicle and get off at our required location.

After a bit of a hustle and number of rejection, one generous soul agreed to take us to our destination. We got on to the truck and he took off. After a few exchange of words, we all fell silent and enjoyed the journey back.

On reaching back to where Akshat and Harpreet were getting the machining job done, we told them the story of our adventure. They were pretty cool about it. The driver accompanying us, told us that it was better that we had hitched a ride from a truck as light vehicle are often stopped and robbed on that 7 km stretch. The person at the machining centre too agreed to this and said that it was our fortune which had brought us safely back, as often people get robbed and beaten up on that stretch.

We thanked our stars and got back into the car to ride back to Indore. My mind would not stop at the innumerable consequenses that the adventure could have led to. The numerous blames that would fall on us for taking such foolish risks. But the final word was that we had got back from the treacherous journey unscathed.

I looked at Devanshu. We both acknowledged that the journey was worth the risk. We had an anecdote to recollect later to our friends and later in gatherings. We had been to the interiors of Madhya Pradesh till where no other member of our team had had the opportunity. We were bound by this adventure for ever.

27th jan - waking up on the train.

2009-02-05T11:44:00.000+05:30

My favourite card game - Patience.

My favourite companion - time.

I am travelling once again. It's been just two months since i travelled. The last time i was travelling, i was alone and getting back from Kanpur. Still, i feel that i'm back with my lost companion.

This is the first time i'm travelling with a team. Never before have i travelled with 18 others. And my verdict, i prefer travelling alone or atmost with one or two others as i have so often done in the past. Here, the food keeps coming of its own accord, as someone or the other keeps feeling hungry. There, it's the thoughts. I was alone on the bus. On the train, i was able to get the lone berth. It was welcome.

Why can't there be a career with a job role of just travelling. I just want to travel.

Journalism is an option. It allows you to travel. But i don't want to make a living out of it either. Whenever, you make something a way to live off, it comes at a cost. You are under compulsion when you're getting paid to do something and the fun in doing the same work is reduced.

Travelling is a hobby. It comes to me naturally. I have inheritted it to some extent. It is what my heart yearns to do.

Oh My GOD

2009-01-13T03:02:00.000+05:30

How can a movie be so beautiful. I am watching the movie "Oh My GOD." And to tell you the truth, it is awesome. This movie has reignited the flame of watching low budget movies. I have always felt that these movies have a lot more to offer compared to their costlier counterparts.

The actor continues from the other beautiful movie 'Das Vidhaniya'. He would best be described as 'the victim', for truely that is all he is generally portrayed as. Is it the movies that he picks or the movies that pick him, either way, they turn out to be a treat to all.

This movie talks about how the 'common' man is always looking for avenues to get rich or earn money fast, but they are at all times oblivious to the vast number of opportunities that come their way.

RED ALERT

2008-12-31T16:15:00.002+05:30

http://www.bengalgenocide.com/mughalistan.php

Check the above link. I found it on a forum. Pretty normal sort of forum, coz i am not into visiting terrorists forums. Anyway, just check it out. Surprising and to some extent very scary.

Its a bit long so do give it some time...

Ghajini

2008-12-30T19:39:00.002+05:30

Amir strikes again. Same style. Perfection personified. With that particular hint of the movie being a remake of some south indian blockbuster. To notice the hint, all you need to do is check out the fighting sequences.

I was worried before the release of the movie. This was some love story. I was hoping it would not be some Fanaa repeated. I have always been a great fan of Mr. Amir Khan. I keep going back to Andaz Apna Apna often. Having had fights with my previous room mate as well as my brother on the best actor, i had to be worried that he does not repeat some Fanaa kind of blunder.

But alas, it took me 4 days to get to watch the movie. Finally saw it late last night. Well, I am writing about it here, no doubt it was great. The passion that has been depicted. The underlying theme of Short Term Memory Loss. Everything just blends in so nicely that you just can't miss the Amir Khan touch to it.

I STAND BY MY WORDS - AMIR IS STILL THE BEST THAT BOLLYWOOD HAS TO OFFER AND HE WORKS WITH THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE.

Mr. A.R. Rehman has always continued to work with him and they are an awesome combo.

My baja team

2008-12-21T18:45:00.002+05:30

This is a press release that talks of my BAJA team in Hindustan Times.

23 Days later

2008-12-21T18:36:00.000+05:30

The Trident opens tonight. So does the Taj. Two scarred landmarks are brought back to be respected. The facade can be worked on and redesigned. But can the scars etched in our mind be healed?

It has been more than three weeks since the ghastly incident when a few foreign terrorists took India's coastal landmarks in for a siege and played along causing immense loss of life and property. The confidence of people took a hit. Iconic places such as the Taj, which stood for the power of Indian people could be attacked so easily.

Five days later, people will come out on the streets, take out candle light vigils, probably call for a minute's silence in honour of the brave those who laid down their lives as well as the victims of terror who were slaughtered during those fateful 60 hours.

What needs to be given a thought is whether we have made any changes. Even after 23 days, all we have in our platters are fighting politician. Some god forsaken Antulay goes ahead and places the blame of death of our ATS on a rival political party and hopes to gain political mileage. Is this what we are reduced to. Fighting over trivial matters when issues of national security are kept on the back-burner.

If action be taken, why has India not mounted enough pressure on Pakistan to hit out at the terror training camps in POK. Why is that US is mounting more pressure on Pakistan as compared to India which has actually taken the hit. When we know that Dawood's narcotics smuggling channel was made use of, why not stop trade with Pakistan till he is handed over.

And then there is the Sena. I'm not talking of either, but both in this case. The Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, both have called for the public hanging of the captured terrorist. Who are you to demand public hanging for him. Was Raj Thakray publicly hanged when he carried out equally outrageous atrocities.

The terminal

2008-12-20T22:05:00.000+05:30

hey guys.

i finally get to use the termianl on Ubuntu. I had always heard that linux involved the use of the terminal. I was sure that would be the case. Then i met Vikas. This was a guy in first year. I was in my second year that time. He introduced me to Ubuntu. This was a distribution of linux which got you to do everything using the GUI (graphical user interface). Well i'm acting technical for a change today.

Anyway, i have not been using the terminal except for using Vlc occassionally. Well finally today i installed JVM (Java Virtual Machine)on my system using the terminal using the termainal followed by the netbeans. Lets see how i progress on using the terminal from here on.

By the way, i have also registered for the CODE FOR FREEDOM contest being organised by SUN INDIA. I hope i can manage a prize or something. I'm really hoping for it. Being from the mechanical engineering background, this would be truely pathbreaking.

Goonj T shirts

2008-12-18T18:39:00.003+05:30

I definitely believed that the organising committee or the publicity committee could do better than this. There is no lack of talent or creativity in my college. But this is all that they could come up with. If someone has the IIT Powai Techfest T shirt, just show them what a truely great design is supposed to mean. You need not be in an IIT to be able to create T shirts. After all they are not taught to create t shirts there.

Getting back

2008-12-18T18:32:00.001+05:30

I had been planning to post the completed Baja vehicle which has taken most of my time over the last few months as the next post. But i guess that wont' be possible. My mind keeps brainstorming ideas and i feel that sharing it here is the best outlet that i can give it. So here i go. I'm back to posting here again.

Greenery in the University

2008-12-11T20:24:00.002+05:30

Atleast leave the green patches in the university alone. Suddenly the Vice Chancellor has a freak attack and he decides that no vehicles are to come to the student centre. So what does he do, he goes around and converts the green patches in the university and converts them into parking lots.

Here we see a parking lot being created where it was grassland prior to this. I will also upload a picture of the library parking which is not even converted into a proper parking. Just opened for the cars to enter.

How does he justify this??

2008-12-11T20:10:00.002+05:30

I am just attempting to promote my Baja Team. This is a news excerpt from Dainik Bhaskar, a national hindi daily newspaper. The team they are talking about is the team from UIET, Panjab University.

THe city is organised....

2008-12-11T20:04:00.003+05:30

The city of chandigarh may be beautiful. It is also said to be very organised. But where is the footpath. Are the people not allowed to walk on foot. Is driving a motor vehicle the only option. How long will the city remain low in pollution if the trend is not stopped here.

God in a playful mood

2008-12-09T18:46:00.001+05:30

Often there are questions that even we ourselves are afraid to ask ourselves. Then God comes into play. He sends someone to ask you the question when you're least suspecting it. The answer that you probably just blurt out without thinking is the true answer. And then the train of thought is set off.

Something like this happened with me late last night. I was out with a friend and we were just sitting around idly thinking of something to start the conversation back again. After being somewhat silent for over 20 minutes, he suddenly asked me whether i was passionate about robotics.

Well let me give a bit of background to this writeup. I have been involved with robotics for the past two years and am planning to do my masters in fields related to robotics and automation. Well the plan definitely is to do something. And hope that fate helps me along in this endevour.

Getting back to where we were. I was stunned by the question. I blurted out that i was not exactly passionate about the thing. However, i felt that this was something i was good and following it till i found something better to do with my skills. That time, i was not bothered by my answer to such an extent. But as time went by, i realized what exactly i had said.

By the morning the exact implications of my statement had hit me hardest. I will recount another conversation i had several years back. My counterpart in the conversation was Mr. Park, my teacher of mathematics in school. The school was Dunraven School. I had stayed back after school working on an assignment when i ran into him. We started having a conversation as to what i wanted to do after my schooling. That was a phase when i used to be good at maths.

So i confidently told him that i was good at maths and physics and would like to pursue a career at that. He pointed out to me that it was not about something that i was good at. Rather it should be something that i enjoy doing. If i was good at something but didn't like doing it i would loose interest in it after some amount of time and then my skill would slowly wear away. On the other hand, if i pursued something which i really enjoyed doing even if i was not good at it, i could always keep trying and become good at it.

I had failed to understand what that meant. I had never loved doing something. I enjoyed doing a lot of stuff. And when i did something well, i enjoyed the response it brought out, not actually doing it. So what would i need to do now?

Coming back to this morning. I am still confused as to what i said last night. If i am not passionate about robotics, should i even follow it. But what other option do i have. I am yet to understand what i enjoy doing. So should i just wait around and see what i finally end up enjoying doing.

In the meantime you could also take a while out and think what you actually enjoy doing.... not just what you are currently doing.

Traveling

2008-12-08T18:58:00.003+05:30

Some people truely enjoy traveling and visiting new places. On the other hand, there are those who just claim to enjoy traveling. For both kinds of people the following site should be of some interest.

www.trekearth.com

Check it out.

A new site

2008-12-08T01:55:00.000+05:30

My previous posts over the last week or so have been on the serious note. Looking back, i feel that the situation does drive all our actions. Let us go back about two year. The movie Rang De Basanti had just released. A youthfulness and the power of the youth had been emphasized in the movie. Then came the decision to increase the OBC quota and the entire student community rose to the occasion.

Returning from the flashback, we see that when the same quotas were implemented a few months back, there was hardly any protest. Could the reason behind all this be tha there was no movie now which would unite the youth. So my blog is not to be blamed for being carried away by what happened in Mumbai and devoting a number of posts on that.

Now moving on, i just found an excellent site for those who love to travel.

www.trekearth.com

Just take a look at it. Organised and maintained it is. Do let me know how you find this find of mine.

2008-12-07T20:11:00.001+05:30

Why do we leave our protectors in such a bad shape. How do we expect them to protect us when they can't even protect themselves.

2008-12-07T20:04:00.001+05:30

My blog

2008-12-03T22:08:00.000+05:30

Finally i'm inviting you to my blog.
I have been blogging for quite a while now. And feel that it is time for you ppl to check it out too.
If you feel that there is any thing worth in it... just post a comment

http://soaringvoyagers.blogspot.com/

--
Regards

Rupak Banerjee
Mechanical Engineering (Final year)
Panjab University
Chandigarh

Ubuntu 8.10

2008-12-03T20:42:00.001+05:30

Hey ppl

I have been a user of Linux off and on ever since my second year. The only distro that my laptop supports is Ubuntu. However, my laptop has a broadcom card for its wifi access which meant that ubuntu did not support my wifi. I was left without the internet for days at end while using Ubuntu. But finally, they have come up with their latest version... 8.10

And guess what... the distro has got my wifi perfectly working. Gosh i'm happy.....

How long will it last

2008-12-03T20:26:00.000+05:30

Suddently there is so much action. But haven't we seen a lot of this already. Remember the Delhi blasts, this one and the Diwali ones before that. There is so much action and the media springs into the role of the guardian. Everyone feels that this shall be the final call. There shall be change. India is chanding its views on the issue of Terror.

But how long is it before some petit scandal again grabs the headline. Why is it that after just a week after such a calamity, we tend to leave it behind us. It is true, that we need to move on and not be bogged down by such man made disasters. But, when there is flooding, the state or the central government springs into action and takes measures to prevent such happenings in the future. However, when the havoc is wreaked by a few extremists, why is it that there is not as much action being taken.

It was this Saturday morning when we woke up after a few hours of restless sleep thinking over the fate of the Taj, whether the NSG had gained full control over it yet, and whether the seige was finally over. It's been just four days. There have been a lot of sackings, including that of the Deputy CM of Maharashtra and the Union Home Minister. However, do we see change in policy coming into effect.

I agree that we need to give it time. But have we not faced terror before. In my memory, i can still remember the 1993 Bombay Blasts. Aren't the actions 15 years late. And have we reached the point where we can feel safe. An incident which claims over 300 lives should atleast have the power to influence the change of policy. But this is time when we do not just move on. Rather we need to sit over it for more than a week. We need to see if the change in portfolios in the Cabinet made any difference.

The media needs to take responsibility this time. Don't bother about whether a supposed witch is going around making marks on the walls. Rather, keep showing the people how the policies are changing. If a promise has been made to emply more in the armed forced or to improve their training, keep going back to see if they have been fulfilled.

fight back

2008-11-29T21:17:00.000+05:30

“India must fight back. Mumbai must bounce back”

Coming back to write after a while is a usual habbit, and you know it. This post is very ordinary as it is again written in a spate of passion, as are most of my other posts. Don't be bothered by the starting quote.

However, i would like to agree with Mr. Amitabh Bachan on what he has on his blog, “And for God's sake, let us stop reiterating that cliched 'Spirit of Mumbai' retort. Yes Mumbai is strong and resilient and shall not be cowed down by any such occurance. But let us not conviniently use it as our cover shet, pull it over our heads and go off to sleep. Because that is what has been happening every time.”

It is not just the question of Mumbai bouncing back. It is about the decisions that India as a country takes to counter terror. This post, coming on the day that the seige in Mumbai has ended, should stir up thoughts. Every terror attack, may it be the Delhi blasts, the ones in Guwahati or the seige in Mumbai, is responded to by the Union Home Minister in a very passive manner and the media aids the process by calling out that Delhi people will come back and life will be normal, or that Mumbai is not cowed down and shall bring life back to normal.

But, we need to think about the scars that though are no longer bleeding, but their presence is felt everytime you look at them. India will need to bounce back. But before that, India needs to fight back. One decision that has been praised by the media, and deserves a mention in this post, is the change in policy where the terrorists were not negotiated with.

There is always so much to write and so little time. I will surely be back.

http://insightmahiprasad.blogspot.com

2008-11-24T19:05:00.001+05:30

Thanks for reading my blogs in the past. After a few weeks' break, I have once again started writing blogs on different issues on a regular basis.

I welcome you to visit my blog and post your comment.

http://insightmahiprasad.blogspot.com

Thank you

Mahiprasad

i'm back

2008-10-22T20:24:00.001+05:30

Hey ppl

I have been absent for the past one month or a bit more. Not my fault. The university had blocked blogging sites siting security reasons. now that they are back to functioning, i would be able to post on a more regular basis.

Laluji's Railways

2008-09-19T21:33:00.003+05:30

The Railway Ministry has been for long a homeground for the political masterminds of Bihar. The latest in the line being Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Our dear Laluji has been a hot favourite with anyone who prides himself as a comedian. However, Shekhar Suman, has always taken a lead in this offensive, not even sparing comments on his physical appearance let alone his speech or his mannerisms.

Mr. Yadav has had a notorious past during his reign in his home state of Bihar. He was involved in a number of scams including the ever so famous 'FODDER SCAM'. Finally when he was handed the reigns of the Indian Railways, skeptics called out that the already heavily indepted department would break all records in the losses incurred.

Laluji has not been at the helm of the mighty Indian Railways for over four years. The central government has seen many ups and downs. But not Laluji. The Indian Railways has for the first time become a profitable enterprise. The graph has been uphill all the way.

The skeptics of four years ago have been silenced. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad had even gone to the length of inviting Mr. Yadav for delivering a guest lecture to its students of management, to learn from the transformation that the railways has seen.

Socially Outcast

2008-09-18T16:20:00.003+05:30

The past year has seen the implementation of quota for OBCs. Gates to 6 new IITs have been thrown open. That too when seats of these reserved categories have been filled during counselling sessions in the previous years.

Now the government seems intent on implementing quota in the private sector as well now that the public sector is already covered. There are many people who would gladly list out over hundred reasons why quota should not be implemented or present their views on the contrary. However, today i'd like to point out a different perspective. Why is it that the quota is limited to the fields of nation building. Quota is constantly being implemented in places directly related to the building of the nation, be it medical profession or the professional studies or even the civil services for that matter.

Why is it not that caste based quota is being implemented in the parliament, or even the cricket team. Wouldn't it be fair that at least one person from the scheduled tribe, two from the scheduled castes and four from the OBCs be included in the final 16. Why is it that there is no quota in the armed forces.

What about friend circles? If you can implement quota in colleges in the name of education. Why not then force places in everybody's lives. Just make it mandatory for everybody to have half of your friends from the reserved castes and do see if you can implement it in kindergarten.

I too agree that protecting the nation cannot be sacrificed, but can nation building be??

Ashamed??

2008-08-28T19:13:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine went on an industrial visit to Japan lately. He's studying in IIT Jabalpur and the college has some decent colarborations and MoU's signed with a couple of Japanese universities. Thus, the visit which lasted some 10 days.

Thanks to Google Talk, we were able to keep in touch with him even when he was there, but finally when he did get back, he brought with him a truck load of information and stories apart from the goodies he had intended to shower himself with.

His not being an excellent reconteur did play spoil sport, but it forced us to use our imagination much more than we wanted to. Anyhow, he kept telling us of the advancements in technology that he witnesed there, the cleanliness and the awe that hehad been struck by at every turn. My many adventures around the world did not allow any of this info to be news to me, but i showed the general enthusiasm that a good listener should display.

During one lunch, he told us about how the production line of auto major Nissan was 92% automated. This did come as a shock. 92%!!!! Being from the mechanical background and having a soft corner for automation, the news meant so much more to me. He then told of a factory they had visited which was 100% automated. The only human intervention needed was in the administration and office work. This news sank in slightly more easily compared to the Nissan one, probably the element of shock had subsided.

Finally, the discussion veered to a presentatino they had had to present regarding their experience in Japan and comparing it to the Indian way of life. After a lot of effort they had cmopared. It started in a manner as, "Japan has a very mature work culture, India is catching up." Most of the presentation had the same jest.

THe final slide of the presentation talked about the bullet train. After a lot of praises for it, they concluded that its puunctuality was unthinkable. For the Indian Rail, they decided it was time to go soft and commented that it is the second largest rail network in the work, among other such praises. They concluded by saying that during extreme weather condition, the trains do get a bit off schedule.

What they did at that time may be justified by a sense of national pride and when we look back at the situation. But is it not time adequate that instead of being constantly ashamed whenever we have to face anyone, we turn an eye to the problem and face it head on.

At the time i was writing this piece, i was sitting at the station waiting for the train to arrive. The month was June. No sense of bad weather. And the train was to have arrived 4 hours earlier. The station enquiry was unsure of when it would arrive and no notification was being provided. They would only tell us that it was on his way. Finally, when the train did arrive, it was late by almost 7 hours.

Londoner in the Hindi Heartland

2008-08-04T03:35:00.001+05:30

I admit that my skills in Hindi are nothing to be proud of especially when it comes to writing and reading. It's true that no one has ever pointed out my bengali origin from my speaking as there is no evident accent in my Hindi speaking, but when it comes to writing or reading, find myself in rough waters.

Well taht is nothing to be surprised about considering i've done 6 years of my schooling outside India and just 5 years inside. But there I am with a weak Hindi and living in the heartland of Hindi world, i.e. Kanpur.

Having put the facts in front of you, let me explain what perils that person is bound to face. I have lived in Delhi and Chandigarh and travelled to a lot of places around the country, and one thing that i've found in common, right from Chandigarh to Kolkata and from Mumbai to Ranikhet, is that the road signs and bill boards and shop names are always in English, even if accompanied by Hindi or the regional language. However, that is not the case in Kanpur. Let alone the shop names, even the road signs and bill boards of "VODAFONE" are in Hindi!! Hell!! I thought Vodafone was a world leader in communication networks with the head quarters located in England.

While travelling in the local auto, life turn to hell if youplan to look out for some particular store coz the signs boards are all flashing by in Hindi which i can read, but not at 40 miles an hour.

Stting on the platform, i notice that the there is a sign board of a national bank advertising its education loans for education abroad. And guess what.... it's in HINDI.

LAZY me

2008-08-02T00:33:00.002+05:30

Well i guess i've finally caught up with the world of blogging. It has taken me over two years to get used to blogging regularly, but yes, i've finally come through.

Getting to the point now, have now been living in Kanpur for over a month now, having come for the internship option here at the Indian Institute of Technology. However, most of this time, I've spent within the boundaries of the Institute itself. My time has passed watching movies, mostly, along with work assigned to me. I've also been working towards the BAJA vehicle that we're supposed to be making. Lately, i've also taken toa bit of gaming and 'NFS - most wanted has been eating into my schedule as well.

Barring my visit to Lucknow and once to Delhi, and a single visit to the 'MALL' at 'Rawatpur', which again is just aroudn the corener, i've not bothered to step our of the campus.

Though i've been craving to drop down to Banaras and attemt a visit to the village of Chunar i've not managed either. I could give reasons for not having been able to go, but they'd be lame and boring to anyone who bothers to read this part of my heart.

2008-08-02T00:26:00.001+05:30

Over the past few weeks, i have been travelling a lot. This has meant that i'm spending less and less time on the internet and the gap in my blog entries. However, in an attempt to tap into my feelings at times when i'm off blogging, i try to write blog entries into a diary.

Waiting on the platform for the train is a very boring task. This is often energized by writing blogs on things which i have felt very strongly. I will now be posting some of these blogs which have been written in the past month but are being posted now.

In the name of innovation

2008-06-29T13:06:00.000+05:30

Specs with Vipers
Caps with wind shields
Pics of these striking gadgetry have often made it as attachments to my mailbox. It must be lying in some place in your mailbox too.

But today, the auto magazine in my hand shocked me when it informed me of a kids pram coming equipped with disc brakes among a lot of other gadgetry. The manufacturer, Kids Kustoms, are an american outfit.

Having gone in search of a decent mountain bike last year, i had come across the availability of disc brakes in the higher range of Firefox bikes. But what were the manufacturers thinking when they put a set of disc brakes in a Kids' pram?

Poking the audience in the eye

2008-06-21T20:47:00.000+05:30

Indian Cinema has finally matured. A lot of extremely

talented movies have come at various times over the

past decades and have brought accolades to the Indian

film fraternity. It may be Lagaan in the recent past,

but there have been movies like 'Salaam Bombay' and

directors like 'Satyajit Ray' who always make Indian

cinema worth mentioning.

However, Bollywood (as the Hindi movie industry is

known among many) has finally taken another step in

showing off its maturity. And this time, the step is

more of a leap. You may be confused as to what i have

witnessed from the industry and whether i'm trying to

praise the recently released 'Sarkar Raj' by our own

dear 'Ram Gopal Verma'. Well he has bounced back

after 'RGV ki AAG', but again, this sort of cinema is

not unique and has been worked upon in the past.

The movies that i'm talking about are 'Om Shanti Om'

and 'Tashan'. Please don't consider me insane, when i

say that they have taken Indian Cinema to the next

level of maturity. Opinions may vary in case of these

movies, but even though they were declared hits, they

were shunned by the movie critics all over. However,

i beg to differ in this case and would like to bring

to light what it was about both these movies that the

movie audiences enjoyed and took in so easily. I do

not believe they were classics, but they sure had

something special in them.

First came Om Shanti Om. It brought out the over

acting so common in the regular bollywood movies. It

was just mocking them. Those who believed that they

were true representation or pieces of original art,

were grossly mistaken, rather they were farces which

took on the whole industry as a whole.

Then came Tashan. It made every effort to supercede

its predecessor. The movie begins in small town

Kanpur. The settings are so natural. Then comes the

fact that the protagonist, Saif Ali Khan in the role

of a call centre exec, needs to travel to Haridwar.

Here they are supposed to be travelling through Uttar

Pradesh which is supposed to be the green belt of the

country. However, the picturization shows them

travelling through huge deserts and past deep

canyons. Where did these come from?

The most popular song in the film "Chaliya" is shot

with a song with Bhojpuri accent as its base. The

shot is picturized in the sea. All apart, where are

the indians in the song sequence. The movie does not

mention Kareena going abroad, yet the song sequence

has only African Americans in the back drop. How is

this explained.

Hindi cinema is never explained and actresses are

known to change their dresses multiple times within a

single song sequence, however, this is just pushing

the limit. The beauty of this movie is that it pushes

a finger in your eye showing you the gross lack of

continuity in the movies that has always been, but

not so blatantly. It is again a mocking of the many

practices which were so commonly done throughout

movies made in the 90s.

Let us just hope, we do not need any more such movies

to show us the point.

The Post that Vikas made (unedited)

2008-06-11T03:16:00.002+05:30

have a eye on this thread for last week and half....
The header is nice..."Moving on....BUT WHERE????"
and the topic covered inside is also very intresting ...UIET ka
Future ...
But yaar jab hum ek meeting rakhte han related to JAVA related to
LINUX are even SUN ke bhi ....
we have the attendance of arround 10 or 15 persons (are 1700 me se
10/15 i think not even 1%)
are haan admin me panga hai...
par us se bada panga hum me hai...
yaar kaam hum nahe karte... and blame college ko karte han
Hamare college se 2 girls ka MICROSOFT me placement me hua(are mana ke
WORLD WOMENS DAY ka profit mila par kuch to hoga he na un me)
are yaar panga college se nahe bando se hota hai....IIT Me bhi chutea
hote han....
hum hamare level par acha work karenge to he acha hoga.....
Haan one more thing the politics....sab barbad kar deya hai es ne
college ka ase log DR ban jate han jin ko kuch ata hai nahe bas
politics karte han...so plz ase bando ko elect kare jo kuch kar
sakte... and jo kuch karna chate han DR le liye election lado ..
Regards...
Vikas Choudhary.

___________________________________________________________________

Any unasked for swearing as well as indecent words in this post is regretted. I did not want to edit it and make it loose it's integrity.

Rupak

Work for yourself or the society. But make sure you work.

2008-06-11T02:53:00.000+05:30

"fayeda woh hai, joh sabka hai" - Shankar Nagre.

A different start to my blog than what you generally hear from me or most people. Well as you might have guessed, i've just got over from watching Sarkar. A lot of people might have found different aspects of the movie attractive, but for me, this single line stuck with me throughout.

Its not just a line that i liked. Its definitely more than that. Its something of the same philosophy that even Ayn Rand brought out in her masterpiece "THE FOUNTAINHEAD". Well i wont dwell near that anymore on my blog or else i'll loose anyone who bothers to read my page.

My point is that this line which Abhishek Bachchan (playing the role of Shanker Nagre) speaks out with a lot of conviction in the Movie "Sarkar Raj". I will not comment on how i found the movie. That can be left to a later post or might not be brought up ever again.

However, it is the same that line i believe in. How can i forget it. When Vikas brought it out in a post of his to a google group that we both subscribe to, i just felt i knew why i had a liking to the way this young man functions. I'll post what he had to say for you to see.

I've had a lot of debate with my father as well as a friend of his, Mr. Hemant Brar. Both have very different view points on what they should do for the country. My father believes that you just need to think for yourself, whereas this person feels that your life should be devoted to the service of the nation. Let me make this clear that neither live up to what they preach. Nevertheless, that is what they believe in.

However, what i believe and i hope that i can live by it too, is "WORK FOR YOURSELF, AND THE SOCIETY WILL BENEFIT. WORK FOR THE SOCIETY, AND YOU'LL BENEFIT."

It shows that the development of a person and the society are not separate, on the otherhand, they are inter-linked. Hence, we need to work for ourselves keeping our personal needs in mind, just because this will give you motives which you would be able to fulfill. But the activities should be such that you dont harm others. The benefit will be brought to the society of its own accord. You cannot forget that you're a very integral part of the society as a whole.

The DECISION

2008-06-08T15:10:00.001+05:30

Well i'm stuck on a decision and for the last few

days i've not been able to come across anything that

would help me finalize one option over the other.

The problem is to decide what to do after this

engineering is over. I've lived through three years

now and another year would make me a graduate. But

then what.

At times i begin to think that its best if i go for

my masters in Mechanical Engineering. Here again

there is the question of Germany or US. The pros and

cons are plenty on each side and a lot depends on

what universities consider me as a future student.

But it would have been so much more easier if these

two were the only option.

There is also the hidden dream job in my mind which

has nothing to do with my engineering. I really do

not know the exact work that i would be doing in

doing such a job, but the overall idea is a job with

ample freedom. It might be a job with the National

Geographic, travelling the world, or it could be a

job with some automotive magazine testing the

vehicles being launched and roaming the world. But

the primary thing that binds all these dream job is

the prospect of travel.

I am still undecided as to which option to follow.

But i guess thats life. I can't hope to know an year

in advance as to what turn will come in my life once

the engineering is over.

looking back

2008-05-23T06:45:00.001+05:30

Q. When do i write a post?
A. I do it on those days when i have spoken to none and there is an emotional urge in speaking out my mind to someone.

Q. Who is a good author?
A. A good author is one who can hold onto his feelings during an emotional outburst and put them into words at a time when he has calmed down and is not hysterical. A good poet also has the same characteristics except that his form of expression is slightly different.

Q. Could i be a good author?
A. Probably not. As of now, I generally write when i should be trying to control my feelings and then later on when the time to write comes, i'm more busy worrying about other things or contemplating the reasons as to why i thought on the lines of which i already did. Later i could turn out to be a much better author than i currently am. Hope i do.

Ayn Rand

2008-05-22T20:33:00.001+05:30

Harry Potter is addictive. I began to say something else in the last post but ended up writing all that you might have read. It will not be repeated this time. This was supposed to be the previous post.

Ayn Rand is a contagious author. I had mentioned that I had begun to read "The Fountainhead". Well i'm through with 377 pages till now. Till now i believed that every author, irrespective of the writing style, looses the pace of the novel at some point of time in his novel. In most cases, the author gives a very active starting. This is normally done to keep the reader attracted till the point of no return so that he ends up reading the whole story at least.

The author also ensures that the ending of the story is fast paced. This leaves a feel good factor and the reader regards the book as a fast paced book. What is normally left with loose ends is the middle part of the book. The middle of the book generally refers to the second and third quaters of the book. This is the place where the author brings in abstract concepts, introduces side characters and makes his attempt to adds weight to the book. He often explains a lot of things that might have been left out and gives depth and meaning to his writings. However, these do make the book somewhat boring to the reader though he can't help it and continues on with it.

The above pattern is relatively common with most authors. However, i happened to come accross a book that has not followed the beaten path. The book is 'THE FOUNTAINHEAD' by AYN RAND. Now that i'm half way through the book, i'm sure that there has been no gaps left in the book and the book maintains its pace and keeps the audience enthralled throughout. There is no way one can put it down.

The only chapter i couldn't understand is the one on the past of Ellsworth Toohey. I'm sure i'll come across something later in the book which will take its cue from that earlier chapter.

2008-05-22T20:30:00.001+05:30

Harry Potter

2008-05-22T11:46:00.001+05:30

I didn't think it was possible. I had not been into reading for the past several years. I did read a book once in a while and did relish it, but going on like this in a captivated manner.

When i was in London, sometime 5 years ago, i had developed the habbit of reading and it was the best pasttime that there could be. However, the CBSE boards, the entrance examinations and all that during the next two years took me away from reading for pleasure. For that period of time, the only reading that i was doing was for reference or for my study purposes.

Then came the period of college. Each year i would start by reading a couple of books, but by the time i was into the session by a couple of weeks, the book fever would be off and i would be spending my time on other insignificant stuff.

Finally an year and a half ago, came my laptop. That ruined my reading habbits to such a low that i would start reading and in a while i would get up to check my mail not to return to reading for the day. There was always so much to do. I could listen to music, watch movies, surf the net and do what not when with my laptop. The focus of my attention had shifted.

Harry Potter books still held the same enthralling experience. There was something in them which i could still not give up. Once i was with a Harry Potter book, i really dont know how it was that i didn't think of anything else. I just had my lunch and dinner and the harry potter.

It had been the same with Harry's adventures in his school ever since i started reading his books when i was still in Grade X. The first one will always remain my favourite. I had read upto the fourth part, which had released during our stay in London, by Sept 2002 when we finally returned from London to our own Gurgaon.

The fifth book was also read in a same sort of speed with it being finished within 3 days from getting a hold on it. Well, talking of the experience, my brother and myself couldn't decide on who would start on the book first. So when he made the mistake of putting the book down for a while, i picked it up and got on with it and the same thing was repeated when i decided to take a break.

All precendence was broken in November 2005. I was in my first semester and my exams were in full flow. The first set of exams in college should have meant a lot. But in the face of Harry Potter, all faded away and the craze took over me. My friend, the best one i have had for a long while, Arvind Solanki, and I had had a lot of discussions on Harry Potter and he finally brought me his copy of the 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince', the sixth book in the series of Seven. I finally got my hands on it after 5 of our exams had been seen through. The only remaining one was 'Basics of Electrical Engineering'. We had three days of leave for preparing for the paper, a previledge we no longer have.

And harry's tale was too good to wait for four days. I made a start with the thought that i'd read a couple of pages and then return to my studies. I did return to my studies. However, by that time three days had passed and only a couple of hours remained till my exam. The day was to be 2nd December. I had finished my sixth part of the harry potter series in a sitting of two and a half days. I had not returned to my room even during this phase. I had been lying in a corner of Arvind's room shared by his room mate Gagan Preet Singh Parmar aka 'Katta Racist'.

After the exams were over i left for my home in Amman, where my parents had been posted a couple of months back. The shock was to come when i got back. Half our class had flunked in that particular exam of 'Basics of Electrical Engineering'. Nearly fifteen of our mechanical guys from a total of about 35, would have to clear it in the following year. On hearing this, I was sure of my being among this elite group, but by God's grace i had been spared and had been given the cut off for passing the exam at 40.

Such was the craze of harry potter. I wasn't able to feel the same impulse while reading the seventh part last year, but nevertheless, book was over with in a matter of three days once again.

The Fountainhead

2008-05-22T11:45:00.000+05:30

I'm back again. Couldn't keep myself from writing something again.

It was just as soon as the semester exams had come to an end that i had picked up "THE FOUNTAINHEAD" by "AYN RAND". I had first seen the book with Chinmay, but that time i was emersed in my new found craze for RObotics and i had not found the initial appeal to start off with the book. HOwever, when i saw Udit embibed in the book even between the exam preparations, i decided that there would be no better time to get through with this book than during the summers.

It took me a few days to get through the first hundred pages, but ever since i've been ploughing through near the same amount of pages each day. As of today, i'm through with more than 80 pages and am still going good.

One of the reasons that i feel myself attached to this book is the feeling of empathy for the protagonist. At times i feel that i might be in a similar situation a couple of years down the line if my current ideology doesn't change. If you've read the book, let me asssure you that my ideology is not as rigid as that of Howard Roark, but at times i feel that being disloyal to ones profession is the lowest one can stoop and i'm really not ready to do it right now. Though i'm not sure what the future holds for me, i do hope that i can walk on the path that i have chosen for myself.

arrival at IIT Kanpur

2008-05-22T11:39:00.000+05:30

Hey guys,

Another emotional outburst. Well a lot has happened
in the past few days. And a lot is going to happen in the coming few days. I'm confused as to how much should i cram into this single post. So i decide that i'll surely keep this short. Details about everything mentioned here will come in other posts which i'll post only when i next feel like doing.

Where do i begin. Well currently i'm based in IIT Kanpur. I'm here for my summer internship. Will be staying for 8 weeks. Lets see how it goes.

Last week we got to know that our team has been selected for making the all terrain vehicle (ATV) for the SAE INDIA mini BAJA to be held in India for the second time. A total of 50 teams have been selected for making the vehicle and another 25 have been selected for the virtual design competition.

More to come later....

2008-04-20T20:45:00.002+05:30

Hi guys,

well sorry, it'd be better to say hi guys and gals. I really dont know who (if any one) reads my blog.

Well my dad started writing his own blog sometime back. He brings out interesting topics on his blog. You could give it a try.

http://insightmahiprasad.blogspot.com/

Let me know as well what you think of it.

2008-04-20T02:38:00.002+05:30

I am intent on blogging this time. This is the first time when i have entered two posts on consecutive days. I just hope i can continue. I will bring you interesting news from my further posts. So lets see how they come along.

Looking back... again

2008-04-18T22:26:00.001+05:30

Just looked at the posts that i have written in this blog. Well they have been spread nice and wide. I wont promise to be more regular but lets hope that i can be. I have plenty to write now.

The Blame Game

2008-04-18T22:23:00.000+05:30

Whenever we feel that we have not scored in our exams or difficulties are being faced, we start blaming the education system for all its flaws. But again when i think of all the people that are actually happy by this process and feel that any change brought to the teaching style or in fact to the system would be harmful, it gets me worried whether my school of thought is on the right side or am i blundering down the wrong lane and calling everyone else a fool.

On one hand there is the practical approach to education that i have been witness to when i was doing my schooling in Botswana as well as in United Kingdom. I found it interesting and was able to cope pretty well when i was there.

Then came the education in India, which i can now analyze having studied two years in school and then two years in college doing graduation. From my point of view, i feel that here we are studying, but we are not taught about the implementation and so we get left behind to a great extent.

On the other hand, the kind of education being implemented is to make you think and get you to materialize ideas. This means that the person would become more productive.

This also means that here we do have more graduates than a lot of countries put together, but still the research being done here is not innovative and we still rely on imported technology to do most of our jobs ranging from defense to all other matters of interest to the country and its welfare.

Diwali

2008-04-18T22:22:00.001+05:30

I wrote this post just after diwali. But forgot to post it. A lame excuse. Nonetheless, please accept it as a post not.

Yesterday was Diwali, a festival of lights and happiness, celibrated extensively around India and Nepal. I wont go more into the festival which a wiki will tell you more about in detail. However, in todays settings, when the call of the day is to save energy and cut down on CO2 emissions, is it advisable to celebrate a festival as this one.

The axe has been given to crackers with the Delhi Govt discouraging the use of crackers as a social menace as well as on account of the noise pollution, air polution, considering the vast amounts of smoke spewed out by the crackers. In addition to all this there is the problem of accidents that the setting off of crackers bring about.

However, our media often acts irresponsibly by neglecting all these warnings and chasing after TRPs and audience ratings. Let us take the FM channels in Chandigarh. I was fortunate enough not to be with my family this Diwali and so was listening to the FM channels. Throughtout the evening, they kept encouraging the audience to burn crackers and celebrate without a single word of warning on the safety precautions to be taken or the dangers involved with the crackers.

But today, are we in a position to even light up our houses and celebrate as we have been doing for centuries. We blame the industries and all other things including the government in cutting down the emission of green house gasses. However, do we ever give it a thought as to how we can save the earth in our small way.

I have sent a mail to the power grid authority of India, trying to find out how much extra power was spent on the occasion of Diwali this year, just in lighting up our homes. This would then be measured in terms of the CO2 released as a result of lighting up our homes and then probably we could analyse whether continuing with our tradition could actually land us up in a situation where we would no longer be able to celebrate, let alone bursting crackers.

My first true post

2008-04-18T22:21:00.000+05:30

Hey guys,

I have now been using blogger for over an year now. Well to remember the date is was 1st april 2006 when i first started using this site. The site has grown and developed a lot since i first saw it.

I was first introduced to blogging by a very close friend of mine, Souvik Das Gupta, who is a very popular blogger of his own.

However, i was not sure exactly how to write a blog. As of today, i do understand that there is no particular way that a blog should be written, but i'm sure that i would never be able to write about some personal stuff on my blog.

Now getting to the the my this particular blog. Well, ever since i joined college and soon afterwards when i met Chinmay, another close friend of mine, we were often in search of a medium in which to express ourselves. We were distressed about how a lot of things took place around us and could never find a vent for all the pent up energy within us.

Finally last night, on one of my random cycling tours, i hit upon the idea of writing blogs so that i could actually put through my idea to the world and could get responses and connect to like minded people thinking on the same lines as i do.

Having introduced my blog and a bit about myself, i would now like to get back to the reason i have started writing in this blog.

Enjoy Reading.....

The NameSake

2008-04-18T22:20:00.000+05:30

This classic by Jhumpa Lahiri, has recently been adapted into a really captivating movie by Rituporno Ghosh. However, all the book worms would agree with me that the experience of a book is definitely all the more different as compared to that of watching a movie. The major differences lying in the fact that the book allows you to imagine the worldly features of a person as you wish, while the movie places a face to the character which brings limitations to the thought process.

Even after the end of the story, I was unsure of the true protagonist of the story. The story begins with Ashima’s days in the US during the latter years of the 1960s, and comes to an end when she decides to leave the place she has grown accustomed to calling her own to the place she had craved for all this time, her childhood home, Kolkata.

The author allows us to go through the various stages of the ladies’ life right from the time she’s expecting her first child through her husband’s death in a foreign country and up to the point when she decides to head back to her birthplace.

A truly awe inspiring narration allows us to feel all the sensations right from the smells and the sights to the emotions being played inside her.

However, the middle of the narration and the last two pages leaves the audience confused as it a narration of times when her son is in a pensive mood and talks to himself. It would not have been possible for us to know that had Ashima been the narrator of the story.

The book also brings out of the closet the nature of most first generation Indians and specifically Bengalis. It depicts the manner in which they keep restrictions and the inhibitions that nestle in their minds. Although the image of the Bengali family is truly stereotypical, it’s an image not frequently portrayed.

I would like to recommend this book to all the Bengali families, may they be living in their homeland or otherwise. It’s a true eye opener for most. Watching the movie would be the best alternative for people unaccustomed to reading such as my room mate. But no excuses for missing this one.

CITY OF GOD

2008-04-18T22:19:00.001+05:30

I’m sure we have all seen movies on gangsters and on the underworld. If you’re a Hollywood fan, you would not have missed things like Godfather on organized underworld based on the Italian mafia. On the other hand there are the movies which have mafia based in the south East Asia such as Taiwan and such places.

Otherwise, if you’re one of those fans of Hindi film fare, you would not have missed the list of productions from Ram Gopal Verma camp along with a number of other directors venturing on the same lines. ‘Company’, ‘D’, ‘Black Friday’ and now ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, you name it and they have the underworld for you. Although they have given a lot of authentic information and the depiction is decent. In addition to this it’s a welcome change from the protagonist running around trees on hilltops in the films of the last decade.

This is talking of the last decade, but the situation has been the same for the last 40 years of the Hindi film industry. But here we have a Brazilian film that depicts the same story. The “City of God” is a Brazilian film set in the sub urban ghettos of the capital city of Rio de Janeiro.

The protagonist, by the name of Rocket, wants to be a photographer and narrates the whole story. The two hour flick is a flash back that Rocket remembers in a matter of seconds when he’s facing the hoodlums and the cops on either side and is stuck in the middle.

It’s a beautiful depiction of the way in which criminals grow in little slums and the outskirts of large cities. The police focuses its attention to the safety of the well off residents and the hoodlums here manage by targeting relatively smaller victims so that the police is least bothered by their activities. They don’t come into the media glare till they hit it really big as the city has a lot to portray.

The film is the true story of the famous crime reported Wilson Rodrigues. It’s a truly captivating movie which keeps you glued to the seat while you keep up with the story with the sub titles, unless of course you understand Latin and can understand what exactly they say.

The story does not bring the organized crime or the mafia into the picture and is depicted with simplicity which is otherwise lost in most other cases. It’s a much watch for those who feel that such crime only exists in India or at most in this sub continent.

do i understand myself

2007-06-15T18:49:00.003+05:30

I just don’t get it. It was the same person in me. I still believe in most of the same things that I believed in then. I accept that some things have changed. But the changes that have resulted are far greater and are hurting me. I don’t want these new changes. Well, you must be confused. Let’s start explaining what I really mean.

Reading “the namesake”, I was once again reminded of the schooling of three years that I did in London during the classes 8 to 11th. One thing that I’m reminded of from the studies there is that we were studying in the same pattern, I was still copying files and though I studied more regularly, I was studying less.

Although I study more now, my knowledge is far more limited. And it’s not only me, even my friends, who are topping in the class. They too have the same habit of leaving chapters and doing limited course. I’m doing the same number of chapters and all, the only difference being that I haven’t been cramming to the extent that they are capable of and I too was some years back.

But I’m not complaining on the marks. I have now learnt not to bother about the marks that I get. Somehow, I have stopped bothering about marks. I have stopped being scared before the exam or even before the result. This time I went to the extent that if I passed, I didn’t even feel the need to see the paper. I was sure that I had been allotted the correct number of marks by the teacher.

The problem lies somewhere else. The problem is being faced now that I’m doing industrial training and realize that soon I too will go into industry or into higher education. There I will be required to implement things that I have learnt and there is still so much that I just left which was part of my course and I skipped the topic or the whole chapter. How would I go about doing the same job when it came up in the industry or even during the course of my further studies?

I’ve started studying for my Graduate Record Examination. I want to continue my studies in the field of mechanical engineering only focusing on the branch of mechatronics. However, inadvertently I skipped the chapter of ‘Kinematic Synthesis’ which was a part of my ‘Theory of Machines’ syllabus. This would be very integral to my course of study in the future.

Today when I repent on these lines, I feel that it would be better if I could go back and study the things I had left out previously. I’m sure once I get back to my fifth semester, I will at least focus on two aspects of my course, the first being design of machines and the second being the various designing software which are the rave today. If I’m able to keep this thing in my mind, I’m sure my next industrial training would be more useful and I’d be able to contribute more to the company or institute to which I choose to go to.

Again in discussing all this, I forgot to mention the moot point for which today’s post is of importance to me. I just wanted to say that I understand that I learn a lot more during my school years even though I was studying less and was doing a lot of other stuff. Now although I’m more focused, I’ve not been able to pick up a lot of stuff regarding my course. I need to change this pattern in the next few semesters I have before I graduate. The habit is something I detest. I hate to believe that though I’m studying, I’m not really learning anything and all I’m doing is to cram some parts of the course in the little time that I have.

my first work experience

2007-06-15T18:49:00.001+05:30

I accept it’s getting a bit confusing, all my writings not being in order of their occurring, but then thoughts never are chronological. In fact, thoughts come and go, and that’s the way my blog is going to move from here on.

So today’s entry is about the fortnight I spent as my first work experience. The place was Kensington Palace Hotel, Kensington, London. It was held during my tenth class before I appeared for my GCSE examination. The beauty of it was that it was a true work experience and not training or an internship where one spends his time learning how to work and not do any actual work on his own.

Here I was a boy of 14 odd years and I was working in the Human Resources department of a hotel in the buzzing city of London. I was given all sorts of work that would be part of my job profile if I was to join the company as a full time worker. I was given work ranging from getting letters sent to the different departments to going for interviews for recruiting people into the company.

I had not yet sat for a proper college interview till then and I was going to take interviews for people appearing for jobs after having completed their college or otherwise. It was not that I was doing it alone, but I was with the HR manager who was going to take the interview and I got to sit right through it and rate the applicant on a scale given to me.

The job was an eye opener into the methodology that goes into the HR team and how the work is handled in the real world. There were many other odd jobs that I was getting done, for example I handled the making of the ID cards for all the employees single handedly with a bit of supervision from my colleagues for that time. This task included my sending out the notices to the different departments to get people to send us their photographs, compiling the data from the network and then writing out the ID cards. The jobs might seem paltry, but after all they have to be done by the HR people only and I was part of the team working on it.

The experience is one which I can never forget. Beginning each day early around 7 to reach the office by 9 changing different busses to get there and then finally getting out of there at around 5 to reach home around 7, including getting caught in bad weather, traffic and all those things. Most days I was worried my parents would be worried that I was late again and if I was alright. The days were one of the most memorable for me.

Now doing my training after the second year of college in JBM group, I realize how the work culture here is so vastly different from what goes on in companies situated around the globe.

the wardens' notice

2007-06-15T18:46:00.000+05:30

Well shall I call it another thorn in my crown, as I have made another of my acts to prove my residential evil? I know it sounds stupid, but then again, most of the things that I have said lately do. So let us begin on what exactly I did to this poor little guy who calls himself my friend and me his.

The semester exams were about to begin. The mind was working too fast and too wildly for me to keep it calm. I have always had this problem near exam times ever since I’ve come to college and I’m sure this has shown in my results. So there was no exception this time.

It was to the mess that we all started taking the mickey out of one of us who is also generally the target. I having been party to this got my hand bent into an odd position a couple of times. I didn’t mind it much as it was not something unusual, but then it happened. He went into one of his inhumane moods and kept twisting my wrist to the point when my eyes burned with holding back the tears.

After a lot of shouting and others pulling him off, he was sent off. I decided to complain to the warden of physical abuse and had already started to write the letter of complain, when my friend Abhishek came up with a novel idea which we could never have thought of.

The next day morning I had typed out a notice informing myself and my that particular friend to meet the warden in the afternoon failing which would result in our expulsion from the hostel. I was accompanied by four willing accomplices. By 12, the notice was stuck on the doors of both our rooms and I had eloped to a safe haven.

After a bit of deliberation, I dozed of. When I awoke, it was to the sound of the ringing of my phone. I had overslept and it was almost time to break the silence. The time to meet the warden was near. Even those not involved in the plot had taken note of the notice and were calling up to inform me consolidate me on my being served the warden’s notice.

I came back and made a patch up with the friend, but it was etched into his mind and all my hostel mates that I was capable of making complaints to the warden and so was a dangerous guy to fool around with. Since then, I have not been manhandled by anyone. The day this post is read by some of my friends, I won’t be spared for all that I have done.

But this will surely keep me safe for the next few months at the least.

confessions

2007-06-06T18:59:00.000+05:30

Confessions, eh? Well an odd time to confess is it? And what am I confessing? Well let me begin first. There are plenty of things that I need to confess but I have to get a start.

First, I must confess that I started this blog back in april 2006, with the blog on the visit to the air show. That time I myself didn’t know what a blog was. I had seen my friend Souvik blog, and so I just craved to write something similar. I have never been able to get that far but that time I had an experience to write about and so I did. The fist post was really long. I didn’t publicise it and I’m sure rarely would people have read it.

Ever since I didn’t have much of an opportunity to blog. I was waiting for such an experience and I got none. The next one came in October 2006, when we were taken to the Ropar Thermal Power Plant courtesy my teacher of applied thermodynamics, Mr. A.P. Singh.

Another six months passed and I was depressed that I was unable to write anything about all these things that were happening in my life. I am probably one of the worst bloggers of my times as my posts are never in the chronological order. I posted about my visit to ropar in march of 2007, some 4 months after the actual trip.

So now I have decided that I will make this a place where I can write all that I think of. This will be an outlet of what I want to write. There are a lot of things that even my most intimate friends don’t know. I can probably write them here. I can write what I want to. I will send the link to my blog on a number of communities on orkut, just to attract some viewership, but only those who feel attracted to my writing will stick by and will be fortunate enough to understand me to some extent.

I will be sharing my knowledge, experience and feelings here along with what i’ve gathered from friends and others. I will narrate stories that I have heard, the authencity of which even doubts me but I don’t want to create gaps in my post. Right now when I’m here in gurgaon for my industrial training, I will be writing more frequently and then posting a number of posts together. Lets see how I manage it.

So wish me all the luck in expressing all that I know in these pages.

By the way I have also opened a number of other blogging pages. One is for people interested in internal combustion engines. I’ll be putting the links in related links. There will also be more, lets see how far I can get with blogging.

mumbai to kolkata

2007-06-06T18:55:00.000+05:30

After having roamed the streets for a long time, I was now ready to board the train. Not feeling totally up to the mark in terms of health, I decided to buy a pack of paracetomols and get a loaf of bread and jam to take as food on the train. I had bought a ticket for the un-reserved compartment of a train from Mumbai to Kolkata. The train was to leave at 8:50 in the evening from the CST terminal of Mumbai.

The train left on time. I must admit I had not expected such a thing. I had not managed to procure a seat as most people had already taken over by the time I got to find the compartment I had never even had a look at. Then the railway police people boarded. The Maharashtrian accent of hindi along with their nature, they were just thrashing anyone not complying to what they were saying.

It was only by luck that they offered me a seat on the top berth as I was a university student. I don’t know what about me caught their attention but they were really ready to help wherever I needed it though I thought it better not to push the limits. The journey proceeded. The rumblings of the train kept me awake. There was no berth to sleep, there were 5 of us on a single top berth which was wooden and only meant for keeping the luggage.

In a matter of an hour or so, the police guys had done their job and had left. I was worried there would be some antipathy against me as I was being supported by them, but no, the people were all too simple for that. The top two berths in which I was sitting and the facing this one accommodated a total of 10 people. I was just one of them. Of the others’, one was a mechanic. Another helped his uncle as an electrician. Then there was one, who after being orphaned two years back had migrated to Mumbai in search of a job and was now working in a restaurant. Most were Bengali, and my being a Bengali helped me.

In a matter of some time, they grew to accept me as one of them. I was conversing in Bengali with them and having a great time. I was unwell and so I couldn’t take the food that they were offering. A bit later I probably dozed off as sleeping was not a possibility here. I was carrying only a single bag and I had tucked it with all other bags and so was worried at all times whether it would survive to Kolkata.

It was early in the morning when I finally left my slumber. I couldn’t believe I had slept even in this condition, but probably taking the medicine had helped. I was feeling better and now sincerely believed that I could survive this journey. I was not bothered to get down and use the bathroom at it could even cost me my seat. To add to it I didn’t feel the need and I had practiced this all my life since childhood, so what was the problem now.

The day kept passing. I was slowly feeling the urge to bite into the different delicacies the vendors were bringing in that to at such cheap prices, but I knew that I had to keep my health intact, and so I took no risks. I got talking to my co passengers and they were pretty glad to know that a university student going to the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur could be traveling in the unreserved compartment with them. Well they would be telling this to their friends at places they were going.

In the next few hours, the threat of loosing my seat was gone, and I got off at a station to take in some fresh air. My bottle of water was replenished by the co passengers as they were getting off at the stations and were bothered that I was feeling ill at times. They even offered to make space so that I could take a little nap, but I was in no mood.

Before I could expect, the dusk began to set in and it was dinner time again. One of the neighboring fellows also started feeling ill and I offered some medicine to him as he too needed some sort of medication to take him to Howrah safely. We finally had a game of cards before we all made some adjustments and settled in for the night at around 2 in the morning. By 5 I was again awake and so were the others. The train was to reach Howrah at about 6 30 in the morning and I was eagerly anticipating the end of my journey.

Here onwards, no one would ever be able to accuse me of having kept the silver spoon in my mouth since birth. I have in fact taken many a hardships forcing my parents to walk long distances so that I couldn’t be the reason for them to take the cab or any such thing. And finally the train did come to a halt in the station, of which my great grand father had been the architect. I got off, and took in my surroundings. I couldn’t believe I had managed to this all alone. It is one thing doing the whole feat with another one to accompany you and look after you in times of distress or discomfort, but here I was alone. Had I fallen ill, it would have been impossible for me to take decisions. What would I have done?

Well they were things of the past. Now I was in Kolkata, the city of my ancestors. I had heard stories of this place so often that I knew I would manage at ease. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind, I didn’t have the address to my Mamaji’s place. That was the place I was aiming to getting and I didn’t even have the address. But I was not the one to be bogged down, I remembered my way from the last trip here some 8 years ago when I was child. I was sure my memory would not deprive me and I would surely be able to find the house.

Getting out of the Howrah Railway Station and being witness to the magnificent Howrah bridge is something which I have read in numerous books along with having heard from my parents on various accounts. However, on my previous visits to this place, I had never felt any such excruciating feeling on experiencing this sight, the same goes to for my visits to the Taj Mahal, which I enjoy visiting for the long drive and as a getaway from home, but I have never found the Taj to be as appealing to me as it does to people around the world.

But this time, the case was so different, I was awe struck by the sheer appearance of the landmark suspension bridge which had stood through even during the second world war and all tumultuous and terrorized political past of the Bengal even during the post independence eras.

I approached the first person I felt would be able to help me and not be a tout. I approached the person in English as I had heard it was the respected language. I did catch his attention, but he was not comfortable, and so I immediately shifted the conversation to Bengali. I expected him to feel more at ease, but that was not to be the case and the person I had approached was from UP. When I told him that I was from Delhi, he seemed even more eager to help me and we soon got a conversation going in Hindi. Having been brought up a good part of my childhood in the northern India, I find myself fluent in Hindi and only a few can tell me as a Bengali when I first approach them.

He accompanied me to the Sealdah station from where I was to get the local train to my destination. He gave me his number to get in touch if I should face any trouble and then got on his way, but not before offering any more help. I was not going to take any; I wanted to make it to my uncle’s place by myself and with as little help as I could take.

Taking the local to the nearest station, I was now looked upon by the gravest of the challenges till now. I remember, even my mom who lived a good few years at that house has been confused almost every time we get there as to which exact street we should turn, and here I was attempting to find the place based only on memory. I didn’t even have the address to the place and I was walking to the place. Should they even have changed the look of the house, changed the gate, or grown a hedge around the house, I might be incapable of finding the place.

I did have my fall back option, though not one that I wanted to resort to at the earliest. It was my Krishna Mashi’s place. It was just two stations away on the local rail network. There was no tension in going there, just the fact that I would be shameful in admitting in that I had been able to find the place and the scolding that when I didn’t have the address why should I come so far. What would have happened if I had not found their place either, as I didn’t have the address to this place either.

But all this was out of question, I was confident of finding the place. Anyway, cutting the experience short, as it would get boring and loose the charm, I did find the place and was able to take shelter there. I fell ill by afternoon and after consulting the doctor that evening, I left for Kharagpur the next morning when it was still very early. My uncle, Debu Mama, came to drop me to the station and again I was on my own fending for myself.

in and around bombay

2007-06-06T18:49:00.000+05:30

IIT Powai, the place I had not considered while giving the JEE paper was evidently the best of the IITs. There was no comparison. Well who am I to compare? As I said, this was my first visit to any IIT. But the place just was too good.

We were lodged in hostel 13, thanks to Viksit’s friend Prateek who is a student there. He gave us his room for the six of us to accommodate ourselves. The hostels 12 and 13 had been completed only a couple of years back and were the best in architecture and otherwise.

The first day of the fest shocked me beyond belief. I was to go to the Model Rocketry workshop. I was on my way there. It was early in the morning around 10 to be precise, and already the crowd had started to come in. By lunch, when we came out after our first session, the place was crawling with people. The only other place where I have seen so many people was at the IITF (India International Trade Fair) at Pragati Maidan the previous year.

This was a technical fest and so many people would have interest in this sort of thing was a miracle in itself. Wherever you saw, there was a crowd. And no less was the participation. From colleges from the north to small colleges from the southern parts of India, so many students had taken the effort of making models and robots and cars, boats and what not to participate at this largest technical festival of Asia.

With a budget of around 77 lakhs, this was a feat that one needs to see for sure atleast once in a lifetime. I promised to myself that I would return next time for sure.

The days passed and there were a lot of happenings, which I no longer remember nor are they so important that they be mentioned here. Vivek had kept glued to the bed as he was not feeling well and had no compulsion to leave the bed as he was not participating at any of the competitions.

The days passed with ease and finally the day approached when we would split up into two groups. One would consist of the entire group except me who would be returning to Chandigarh. On the other hand, I was to continue my journey onto Kharagpur. I had already made my robot to compete at the IIT Kharagpur techno management fest called Kshitij.

The journey and the visit at Kharagpur will be continued in another post.