Shedding the Inhibitions...

Christmas eve..

2011-12-25T15:56:00.001+05:30

First of all Merry Christmas to all. This day when the world is painted red and white is usually very special to all the children across the globe and same was the case with me. The day we waited for, or the night may be..;) So much fun it was to be fooled by your parents, and how cleverly they used to fool us!I vaguely remember once as a 7-8 year old I started having suspicions about the existence of Santa, and I tried to spy on my parents. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep as I had this plan of catching them red handed, but alas, they were smarter..and again I couldn't figure out if it is was actually Santa! Nevertheless I started believing what I could never perceive: Santa used to plant the gifts in my father's socks and place it under my bed..:D. Waking up early and searching for the single sock, running to my sister to find out what Santa had gifted her all formed a part of my Christmas morning for quite a many years..:P
The christmas tree with all the decorations and the santa in our hall, the christmas party with all the kids in those colorful costumes, all form a wonderful part of my memory.
For all those who could relate with this post I am sure you miss those X-Mas eves..!

Signing Off
Nirvaan

Trivia: The red and white costume of Santa was popularized by Coca Cola in 1930.
P.S. I know it's just another post, but then just felt like jotting it down..:P

Where are the best brains of our country???

2011-10-08T04:23:00.000+05:30

Dear Readers:This post is published on the site ''News that Matters Not".

"Apart from the top 20% ofstudents who crack the tough IIT entrance examination and can "stand amongthe best anywhere in the world," quality of the remaining 80 per cent ofstudents leave much to be desired,"

This statement came from Infosys'chairman emeritus, Mr. N.R.Narayan Murthy, and was received with a thunderingapplause by a Pan IIT audience. The first thing which struck me was if not inIIT's then where are these bright minds, as referred to by Mr. Murthygoing..?It further intrigued me that what suddenly made him come up with such a'sweepingly high handed' remark. After much pondering I contemplated that thenumber of IITians joining Infosys must have been considerably rising..:P

On a serious note, according toMr. Murthy, the mushrooming of coaching institutes is a deterrent to thequality of students qualifying for arguably the toughest exam in the world. But,I would like to ask him a question, ‘Do you think the current curriculumfollowed in any of the higher secondary boards sufficient to crack JEE?’ Thestudents go to the coaching institutes because they produce results and theyare pretty much visible. As they say seeing is believing. As a matter of fact 95% of the students clearing theJEE have reportedly been taking coaching in some form or the other. I believe there is nothing wrong init, obviously if one strives to be among the best he would not care for themeans, and he shouldn’t either. With the framework of the education systementirely dependent on rote learning, there is no way one can have the cuttingedge without some extra guidance. Ultimately it all comes down to the viciouscircle of the education system, coaching industry and the Joint Entrance Examination,with the IITians becoming a soft target now and then, more so, in the recentpast.

My point here is that why take a dig onthe students, rather than doing something to restructure the current educationsystem to prevent the so-called influence of the coaching mandis like Kota, who just help the so-called not-so-good students withthe so-called pattern recognition techniques and make them clear the exam. Onthe retrospect I believe even if such not-so-good students are able to clearthis exam they are probably much smarter than the bright kids and are able tofind the loopholes in the system, optimize their efforts accordingly and cashon it..! Why make a fuss over it…??Don’t we believe in getting the smart peopleon the table!! I know it sounds a bit rhetorical but then, do spare a thought.

Good research in India is as scarceas hen’s teeth and in this context I would like to put this question to Mr.Murthy, an IIT alumnus himself, why don’t you come forward and invest inquality research. Why do you need to ask the government to fund it? When youare setting your sight on making the quality of research in India at par with the MIT’sand the Harvard’s, why don’t you yourself take a stand as the Googles and the Microsofts?? Moreover in India a PhD. student is looked down upon by theundergraduates and most corporate do not even recruit them. How are you possiblygoing to change this prejudiced mindset, another impediment to quality research work inour country?

Some understandings I generated for the falling standardsare: the increased quota system (I didn’t want to bring it here, but thenhad to), the no. of attempts for JEE going down to 2, since 2006, theincreasing number of IIT’s, the decreasing number of world class faculties, all lend a hand to the declining standards of IIT, but the bottom line is: Come what may, they arestill the best!

All said and done, I want to knowwhy Chetan Bhagat (another IIT alumnus…sigh,,!) cannot mind his own business (ifat all he has any) and has to poke his nose in every other news relating toIIT, a publicity stunt?? I hope not, but sounds very probable considering hisnew book release was on the cards. I just hope he doesn’t sit down on a fast (whichseems to be the coolest thing today) next time someone takes the IITians totask! After all, after Sex and SRK, the new phrase is Sex and IIT’s sell. Onthe hindsight I also expected Mr. Jairam Ramesh to come up with furore againstMr. Murthy, but sadly he did not.

Finally, a man of the stature of Mr.Murthy, having all the resources at his behest, should probably come up withmeasures to ensure that only the best passes through this filter of JEE, andrather than demeaning the efforts of the 17-18 year old kids, should be focusinghis energies on nurturing these minds to put India higher on the global map.

Signing off,

A non-IITian, who would have likedto be in an IIT, even if it meant to be a part of the remaining 80%.

P.S: I just hope CB doesn't come up with a loooooooong post in this Sunday's TOI editorial.

Impromtu..

2011-07-22T14:22:00.000+05:30

I came across this post on someone's blog and dunno why, felt an instant urge to answer these questions..

1. Without sharing your name, who are you?
A simple guy, loves to be loved, an agnostic, loyal to his relations, to some extent an introvert and is himself only in company of friends..!!

2. Describe yourself in less than five words.
Ambitious, Observant, Knowledge-Thirsty, Trust-worthy, Vampire..;)

3. Do you have any special talents? What?
Wish I had...but sigh...:(..Wait..I can drink as much coffee as you want me too...Do you count that..??And yes I can abuse well, but then that's such an abundant talent...On a serious note, I can do anything for my loved ones...!

4. Are there any talents you wish you had? What?
I wish I could dance like Hrithik...Sing like Sonu Nigam, play like Sachin, kick like Messi...Could write Well..forget it..this list's never gonna end...

5. What are your most important interests? What do you like about them?
Reading and writing has to be top most...They both give me solace..They take me to a different world altogether..

6. What is your opinion of Lady Gaga?
Well..it takes something to achieve so much at such a young age..She actually beat Sachin in thw world's most famous personalities..!!

7. If you could go anywhere right this second, where would you go?
Gwalior..Back to hostel..I m so missin' those special people there..

8. What are your favourite foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
COFFEE!!Although I don't get it all the time..infact not even once..ofcourse nothing can beat home-cooked food anyday..

9. Do you have siblings? Talk about them; if not, talk about being an only child.
A brother and a sister..My brother more like a guardian, sister more of a friend..One of my best'est possessions(Ok make that two..:P)

10. Do you like sports? What teams do you support?
Of course!!Cricket is a religion as they say..Indian Cricket team..Spain's Fifa 09 team:P, Barca,The Lee-Hesh pair..that's it..

11. Do you have any tattoos? If not, would you ever get one?
Not yet..no plans either..

12. Have you ever donated blood? Why or why not?
Yes, the day I gave my AIEEE examination...Probably b'coz my cousin just took me there and I had no choice :|

13. How do you like your coffee and/or tea?
Coffee..Has to be strong..Put in as much coffee as you can..with little or no sugar..

14. Are you left- or right-handed?
Right

15. If you’re in college, what are you studying? If not, what did/what are you planning to study?
Completed engg..(not ask me to write a code), pursuing MBA

16. What are some of your short-term goals?
Get a good job..Get into an IIM

17. What kind of music do you like?
Something soothing..

18. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

i love my India..*patriot*

19. Have you ever been overseas? Where and when?
Bhutan..yes it's out of India...(ok..enough of laughing), a month back

20. Have you ever been to the circus? What did you think at the time?
Yup..I loved it..but hated the smell there

21. Are you wearing shoes right now? If so, describe them. If not, describe your socks/feet.
Actually I m wearing floaters..

22. List some things you’d like to do before you die.

Proffessionally: Own a big company
Socially: Gift my dad a Rolex GMT master. Settle down with my spouse and family (including both our parents) in Bangalore..
Personally:Want to pen down a bestseller

23. What do you prefer to write with; pencil, pen, crayon, Sharpie, lipstick, chalk, etc?
Pen..Since I was a kid..

24. Do you like movies? What are your favorites?
Who doesn't..??Favourites being Shawshank Redemption, P.S.I love you, The notebook,..just to name a few..

25. Do you like chocolate? What’s your favorite kind? If not, WHY.
Bring it on..There is only one kind of chocolate which says 'Eat-Me'..!

I would like the folowing people to answer it as well..Lodha , Swikruti , Lavish , Manyu ,Bulb , Khandel , Da**a , Goku , Yudi, THE , Puss , Kala ,LL
However I am sure most of them would not trouble their asses and fingers and leave it unanswered..!!

Signing Off,
Nirvaan

Refreshingly Cool..!!

2011-07-17T19:16:00.003+05:30

A movie on celluloid, which is refreshingly cool, breathtakingly beautiful, artistically aesthetic and naturally loveable..!I won't disagree with the fact that the picturesque landscapes of Spain took away some of the emotional quotient from the film, but i ain't complaining...and that is because I simply loved it..!!There were scenes which literally took my breath away...and some beautiful moments which touched..like the one in which Hrithik is sitting on the boat, with moist eyes and a realisation of how beautiful this life is...The moment when Farhan calls his mom from the prison (i know most of u won't even remember that, but to me it somehow clicked!). there were dialogues which were original, and might just go on to become historic.."mera naam imran hai,but dost mujhe pyaar se majnu bulate hai". No wonder, Farhan Akhtar has kept the best dialogues for himself...The Doordarshan sequence in the bar, and another one where Hrithik is on a video call...are truly genius..Throwing out the cell phone, Farhan giving Hrithik a pink 'mushy mushy-Japanese-School-Girl' cell phone...The three grownups playing planks..all bring smiles to your faces...A sensous kiss between arguably the sexiest male and the sexiest female..skydiving,waterdiving, Tomatino,Running with bulls behind you are certainly the plusses..;)Ya there was an emotional angle in the lives of all the three protagonists, but then who cares..!When kalki points out that 'obviously you won't like to go on a boy's trip after marriage' along with Hrithik and farhan I also had the same question in my mind...Is it??Similarly, when Hrithik says that 'Who needs a wife for entertainment, when you have 1000 crores in your bank account'again this thought crossed my mind 'Is it?' but a fraction of seconds later another thought came in 'BULL SHIT!!'..To be honest, it was actually a good film to check out, a relief from the usual nonsense Sajid Nadiadwala types..!Some wonderful poetic moments by Javed Akhtar, hearttouching and foottapping numbers by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but undoubtedly the hero of the movie was Carlos Catalan, who captured the magnificent Spain in his lens so exquisitely and yes ofcourse Zoya Akhtar, for bringing back the DCH era once again..(yes there were glimpses of DCH here and there). In short Bollywood has come a long way from 'yes and no' to 'Ya' to 'Yup and Nope'..(I guess for the first time yup and nope has been used on the big screen..although m not sure..:P)and succeeds in its attempt to be ubercool..!
Don't miss the trip..There's much more to Spain besides La liga, Barcelona (n yes they showed kids wearing Xavi and Pique Barcelona t-shirts) and Real Madrid...!

Shocking Insensitivity..!

2011-07-14T18:56:00.000+05:30

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan!!

In the context of Mumbai blasts, this yesteryear's lyrics is so apt! There have

been talks going round that Mumbai has become a soft target for the terrorist,

and quite visibly a favourite one too.No terrorist group is yet taking responsibility

of the attacks but everybody right from Indian Muhajideen to LTE to ISI have

been talked about. But the question which still remains unanswered is 'Who is

to be blamed for it??'...Certainly not the common man! All over the newspapers

and newschannels and social media the masses are making direct attacks at

the "tainted politicians", the "indolent policemen", the politicians from the ruling

party blaming the intelligence, the politicians from the opposition party blaming

 the policies blaming the ruling party's policies, but ultimately the question still

remains unanswered! There are leaders making statements that we can't stop

these activities completely, and what amuses me is the fact that the leaders from

the opposition party are actually more interested in making dig at this comment

by Rahul Gandhi, rather than concentrating on the real problem. Are the netas

actually to be blamed for these attacks. Today on a news channel I saw a local

Mumbaikar saying "Ye neta log hamesha haadsa hone k baad hi aate hai

aur hume dilasa dete hai," Are the netas informed about the attack beforehand,

so that they could do something before it actually happens??Someone quoted

that Kasab is still alive, but I want to ask is he the only terrorist, and how does

him being still alive justify this sorry act of terrorism. Had he been killed would

there have been no blasts?It's not about playing a blame game, and trying to

escape from this situation...

Well, to be honest, I don't really know what we actually need to do now! The

news tabloids are busy showing how they were the first to report this mishap,

how the Mubaikars are helping each other and showing courage in the face of

distress, by fighting all odds. I feel this is all bullshit! Do these people really have

a choice, with Mumbai getting a brand new identity- a testing groung for all the

new bombs?Are they really so tolerant to the blasts or are they simply helpless?

Nobody seems to have a clue as to what needs to be done, the police, the

politicians, neither the so-called Indian intelligence. Everything seems to be

scripted by the terrorists, who are actually able to put it into life successfully.

Everyone has defined role which he needs to perform next:

The home minister will sooner or later find out Pakistani connection in these blasts in order to cajole the affected ones (To my surprise they haven't found it yet!)
The President of USA will condemn the blast and so will the PM of Pakistan
The Indian PM as always will remain silent
An inquest will be launched by the Indian Intelligence.
The common people will do a candle march on India Gate and The Gate Way Of India.
We’ll forget everything in a couple of days; just as we have already forgotten the train accident in which more than 67 people had died, triple the number in these blasts, because none of our akins died in those blasts or in that accident.
The Mumbai locals will show their ‘heart’ and get going with their routine from tomorrow, afterall its a question of 'rozi roti'
We’ll continue playing more cricket with Pakistan team and beating them and then ofcourse patting our backs.

Through this medium, I don't intend to say that the politicians or the police are not at fault, but it's just a take on how everybody is busy blaming someone else, rather than actually getting to the bottom of this menace, and trying to extirpate this disease, once and for all. Is anyone listening..??

Signing off,

Nirvaan

I Do..!

2011-06-18T00:33:00.000+05:30

Yes this is the day. Dressed in ‘his’ favourite red ‘kurti’ and her favourite Levis’ denims, ‘mascara’ on her eyes, gloss on her lips, pink nail paint, the cute kitty on her hair, the star shaped pink earrings, the ‘Fastrack’ watch which he gifted her, the ‘Nike’ snickers, the Mickey socks, and of course the ‘Rbk’ sling bag: she was all set for the D-Day! Afterall today was the day, she had been waiting for. The most wonderful feeling in her heart, yes after 14 long years of their friendship Krish was going to propose her! He called her up in the morning to set up a date at their favourite CCD outlet, which they used to visit so often, that they had become great buddies with the manager, who was alone in the city and actually moved in with Krish in his flat as a PG. But today was special, Krish had called up to tell her what he had wanted to, from the past 3 years, since entering the fashion industry as a designer. Now that he had made it big in the industry, he wanted to bare his heart out in front of her. She was rhapsodic, over the moon to say the least. How she had always wanted him as his companion, his BFF, as they say! with whom she could walk hand in hand in the beaches, till eternity. How she had wanted to have a small house of her own where they would be with their two beautiful kids. Before that, now she would have a boyfriend, whom she can talk to late in the nights, without bothering about anything else in the world, texting each other small bits n happenings, with whom she will fight over petty things, and then kiss and make up within no time. A shoulder she can rest on, a chest she can cry on. The one for whom she will wear the white gown. What would it be like? Will we remain the same as before? Will we still share the canteen bills or should I let him pay now? What will I gift him on his birthday? How will I talk to him once I am home, Mom’s gonna kill me :(, When shall we get married? Where will we buy our flat? All sorts of question crowding her enthusiastic mind, and before she could actually get the feeling sunk there she was in front of the Cafe, where Krish was waiting for her, a bit tensed and nervous, not his usual I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-anything attitude. He ordered 2 espressos, and a Cafe Frappe for Rhea, again something unusual, because he always used to have a Cappucino. Anyways, who cares, Rhea was just waiting to say ‘I Do’ as he would bend on his knees and slide down the ring over her finger, but alas he did not, and the coffee arrived. It struck her; he must have put the ring in the coffee glass, as they show in the movies, cheesy?? Not enough for the girl desperately in love. She gobbled down the entire glass in fraction of seconds, just to find the mosquito beneath the glass which she could clearly see through now, and Rishi sitting in front of him. A bit confused, perplexed, bewildered and again before she could figure out anything, Krish closed his eyes and caught her unawares by saying “We are getting married tomorrow”.

P.S: Krish’s hands on Rishi’s (The CCD Manager) shoulder.

A Day in the life of India..!!

2011-05-24T17:00:00.000+05:30

India is a bundle of interesting contradictions. All the diversities are pieces of a vast multi-cultural mosaic called India.

Have you ever wondered why someone peed right where there was a sign saying:

Noticed a car right where the board said:

Welcome to the Real India...Surreal India!!

In India we don't break rules...we simply don't follow them..!!
The ABCD Of India...

We Adjust,

We Bargain,

We Love Cricket,

We love Drama

We are Learning English

We Fight for Justice,

We Golmaal,

We Hate Himesh Reshamiya and Rakhi Sawant,

We Imitate

We believe in Jugaad

We love Kricket: We love it enough to not even bother if it starts with K;)

We love to Love

We Manage

We Narrate Scripts like none in the World

We are Obsessed with Munni ki badnami and Sheila ki Jawani..;)

We Populate:

We make unworthy people Quit:

We can't define RAJNIKANTH

We Scam

We worship Tendulkar

We Unite in Diversities

We Value Relations

We Work Hard

We Xerox

We Yawn anywhere and everywhere

We are proud of our Zero..!!

There is a life in every day of India..!!!

Signing Off-
Nirvaan
P.S: Well I dont take the full credit of this blog, I read about this TOI campaign somewhere, where the writer had beautifully used the alphabets to describe India. However this is just my take with an inspiration from the aforesaid article.

The bliss of solitude...Or...

2011-01-27T03:14:00.000+05:30

As the world spins faster and even faster-or maybe it is just how it seems when an email can reach any part of the globe in just about fractions of a second- we mortals certainly need a potpourri of ways to stand the resulting pressures.We got to maintain some semblance of balance and some sense that we are steering the ship of our life or we'll feel overloaded and over react on minute issues, and later have this feeling of guilt..Solitude, a blessing or a curse.. What appears to be a blessing in the beginning turns out to be a curse soon, but wait...before long goes back to its initial form... A state in human's life, which can better none, or can it...?? Let's take a look at both the perspectives of this word...In our life there may be a stage when we are alone, all alone, it seems to be wonderful. A peacefulness stemming from a state of inner richness. A constructive engagement with one's own self, a panacea, giving yourself wonderful company,conversing with the utter silence around, this seems to be it..!The next moment, you start missing something, ur luved ones, ur friends, ur family.. melancholy, forlorn, desolation seems to be filling your heart and black bile gushes out in full flow..u wanna go, go back... period...the soothing calmness, satisfying, replenishing,contemplating thoughts, ruminating silence...period...aloofness, gloominess, isolation, eking out every second period...reinvigorating, self realizing period..coveting companionship, estrangement, an awareness of excessive loneliness...

Its not me pronouncing solitude as a boon or a curse, it's just putting me the way it actually is...the way our alter-ego battles it out with us..both unwilling to accept defeat..

As also the lines from Daffodils state:

I wander'd lonely as a cloud....

---

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

-William Wordsworth

P.S: If you found this piece utterly grave and philosophical, blame it on the recent books I have gone through and of course my recent experiences...:P

Signing Off-
Nirvaan

World Cup and Beyond...!!

2010-07-16T06:31:00.000+05:30

Long time...yes..yet again..writer's block u see;):P...Well now that I m back...

The most decent pic I couldmamage
(had to crop this one too:P)

let me take u thru the last 1 mnth of my lif...Its been, fifa on tv, fifa on lappy, fifa on facbuk...n a bit of fifa on field too..(ended up with a sore thumb:()..Its been fifa everywhere...Personally this is the 1st worldcup I have followed so keenly and ofcourse felt like sharing my views too..1st of all i thickened my soccer encyclopedia..which previously consisted of a very few names and facts(most famous being the infamous head butt by Zidane to some Italian)...Wait..why are we getting into the details of the WC..Dont we all know every minute detail abt the cup..Dont we all know how Rooney 'rooined' the English show,or mayb how messi messed up in the knockout(s),how Ronaldo started as a dude and ended as a dad(sincere apologies to all fans)and ofcourse how the La Rojas Waka Wakaed their way thru the Dutch!!Sure we do...let's move beyond..During the world cup I have been going through umpteen articles...and some that really fascinated me might hav found a place in this post..Before anything else the "now familiar angry-hornet-buzzzz" vuvuzelas stole the show...Not just the commoners even the players couldn't hav enuf of it..the Swiss team actually practiced with these "buzzing bees" in the background!!Speaking of Worldcup...how can we forget Paul..The Octopus..

his eerily prescient vision of the matches to come..his clairvoyance...and ofcourse the birth of many more astrologers.."Harry"the croc, Mani, a desi parakeet in Singapore and Nand Cow...but alas his Indian counterparts were unable to get it the right result....ending up making a complete popat of themselves...seems we hav another reason why India could never qualify..:P(except for once wen we dint hav shoes..!!)Just for the heck of it...imagine how it would have been had Paul been in India..We would have resorted to him to foretell the outcome of an IPL match..maybe some movies,or figuring out the stock market..There sure would be many a jobs waiting for this creature in this otherwise jobless nation...!With this New-Age Bollywood cinema I can easily see a movie with him as protagonist and the bad-man forcing him to predict what he wants in return of his Budhi Ma and girlfriend's freedom..

A blockbuster in the making!!
After all this,the highlights of this World Cup..the biggest star..the so-called "girlfriend of World Cup 'Larissa Riquelme'"hit the headlines with her claim to bare it all,if Paraguay qualified for the final 4...(who would ever be able to forget her balancing act;))Although the Paraguayan boys dint liv upto her expectations...she certainly did, upto her fans', promising to do 'the naked act' as "a present to all of the players"!!..Ofcourse Maradona too promised something of this sort..but "Is anyone interested????"

p.s:This post was more coz it was long overdue, and more so...a friend of mine popped up this question..."Why aren't u blogging...??"

Signing Off

Nirvaan

The trip that wasn't...

2010-03-30T18:47:00.000+05:30

First of all the heading should be read like this "The trip that wasn't.....(supposed to be....)
"Well its 4:00 am in the morning,everyone's hungry...time for some poha..but where do we get the bikes from??...somehow after a lot of struggle we managed 3 bikes..(Alas, one bike dint start..dunno y!!!), So we were left with 2...now 7 people in 2 vehicles...who cares...!!lets go...4+3....Allright, we reach station at abt 4:45 in the morning...(of course after a customary photo session at the petrol pump..)having poha,tea,coffee...suddenly comes up a idea by the kid(pardon me Goku....:P) among the lot..."Let's go to Agra"...naively and very affirmatilvely agreed upon by everyone....(I bet no one said that seriously...).There were some concerns though
1)The first question...Money...Thanks to me i apparently agreed to sponsor the trip...(mind u all..APPARENTLY!!..I want the money back...:P)
2)Clothes:Actually this was even important than money 4 some....(What say D***A???).But somehow evry1 agreed to go abt in their lowers and "chaddas"....except one..!
3)Bikes:we'll park them in the parking
4)Oops:we completely forgot classes...do hell with it..just one..(there was one more..but we hardly attend that one..:P)
5)There were some other concerns too..Some people were worried about what if there is an urgent need to perform the morning chores...:Pbut those issues were taken care of..
Again thanks to Goku,n for that matter me too..we straight away went to the ticket counter and got us 7 tickets....and called up the ones in hostel to come over asap...
So in just about 5 minutes,we materialsed a plan, which had for so long,always been confined to just a plan..No swine flu fevers, no last minute refusals, no nothings...Yes,we were finally going...and what a way...!!!completely out of the blue...but that's what actually made it memorable and adventurous...
Back to the anecdote..once we were bak with the tickets...a look of bewilderment was visible on everyone's faces....and everybody was trying to hide that...(even dat was visible..bad work guys..:P)Nevertheless...we boarded the train,we somehow,managed to stand through that 2 hrs period...and once we got down,it was a wonderful feeling, was gettin a kind of kick,just by thinking of the idea of coming to Agra..All excited, we went staright to THE TAJ MAHAl,the beautiful Taj Mahal....Yes It was indeed beautiful...and so were the visitors...What we actually deduced was...(Taj to photo me bhi dekh lenge..but ye nahi....:P)Once the photo shoots in Taj was over we went over to the Fort, but every one was totally exhausted by then,firstly we had all pulled out an all-nighter,then the two hour ride in train,and ofcourse the scorching heat added fuel to the fire...Nevertheless, we had lunch and the excitation level again went to its peak..We were now heading towards the end of this spontaneous trip...(i agree it was short,but at the same time "awesome"..)Coming back was was the worst part of the entire journey...We could hardly find an inch to keep our foot,forget the sitting part(or even standing comfortably...)Even amidst that rush,the eunuchs and the "beediwala" and the "chanawala"and all sorts of these people managed to make their way through...I wonder how!!!!
So In the end what really mattered was..we pulled out a wonderful spontaneous,adventurous and memorable trip...and now if I go 4 the roadies auditions..I wud at least have something to say:P(I know this sounds cheesy..but yes I always wondered what wud I answer:P)!!
Now, this is Nirvaan signing off, hoping for another such pleasant trip and hoping the ones who dint come up this time(We missed u..), would surely be a part of the next...
Signing Off
Nirvaan

Tashan mein....

2010-03-19T23:27:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to special guys...i m sure they've understood just by reading the title, so no use writing their names.Yes a pretty long time....4 months and 19 days...but bt ds post cud nt hav cm up netim suner
'coz eventually i have got a platform where i can speak my heart out,without thinking about any bloody tom, dick or harry...entirely mine...Yes, we as a team have done it and done it with style!!(dunno how many more times m goin to repeat it..:P)Aurora 2010 is successful...not jst by the deeds of the 2 coordinators..oops 4(and of course our very dear faculty coordinator)but coz of this entire group of people involved in making it a success...I dont think i need to name each one of them coz the list would be just too long....
Now,this post for me is to share my experiences,put forth my mistakes,and for proposing the all important vote of thanks...(which i guess has been done pretty well)..Now moving on to the 1st 2 points...Firstly coordinating a fest of such stature is never a job of jst 2 persons,and its not as simple as it initially seems...There's a hell lot of a difference between jotting down the plans on paper and actually putting it to practice...What we had to do for taking it to a level,we had initially thought of is actually not possible to be written down in so small a place..Our expectations from people involved with us proved to be miniscule in comparison to the efforts and dedication actually put in by them....Once again Thank you!(This goes 4 all:lovely juniors,ever supporting seniors,my beloved batch mates and of course those even dearer;) )Not everything was as smooth as it seemed on the 3 days of the fest...We had our share of glitches and hiccups,moments when we thought lets just finish it off...but ultimately when Krishna took the stage,that was the moment,the golden moment, and i could see those 3 months in front of my eyes in a flash...Everything had paid off...Every risk was worth taking,every penny was well spent,basically everything had fallen into the right place...So,for now signing off coz minors r on the card and i m not jst gettin enuf of this Aurora stuff,but now its high time and i betr start goin or this hangover is going to cost me dearly...(as pointed out by someone very dear...)However, these 3 months of my life can never be replaced,i made some relations and realized the importance of some others..which will always remain etched in my mind heart and soul...Once again Thank You All..!!
Signing Off
Nirvaan

The Story of My Marriage...

2009-11-01T20:02:00.000+05:30

Boy loves girl, Girl loves boy. Their families are against their marriage, Ultimately, love overcomes all hindrances, they get married. Sounds like a cliché Bolly plot? Not quite, although practically the only catch being, they bring home the bacon without eloping or being estranged to their families. Right from page 1,rather from preface,well actually from the page before preface(i don't know what u call dat..!!) its riveting. He magnanimously dedicates this book to his in-laws(probably the 1st ever..!)Even his disclaimer reads.'You only make digs at people you care for’. With this, he subtly takes the liberty to make mirthful jokes of everything ‘Tamil’. It actually has glimpses of 'Five Point Someone', thrown here and there..prof's daughter..scandal in IIT,..Girlfriend's Dad's nightwear(In this case 'lungi':P)..missed previous convocation etc. Although Bhagat requests this book be treated as fiction he admits this is inspired by his own experiences.
The story moves at a brisk pace.The main protagonist's (Ananya and Krish) entire IIM career is done in about 36 pages. Needless to say it involves sex, sleepovers, studies and a self-satisfied solitary existence. The story then oscillates between Delhi and Chennai, so expect a lot of local jargon from these two states. Of course like all his rest of the novels this too has a happy ending (he could have tried something better here though..).
Amidst all this there is a healthy dose of colloquial humor. For instance: Krish, on visiting Ananya’s house for the first time, asks for Ananya and describes her father’s look “As if I asked him where he kept his porn collection.” In another scene, after making out and being asked by Ananya about future he writes "It is amazing how vulnerability in a relation shifts from boy to girl after having sex". He rightly states "In India, you don’t marry the guy (or girl for that matter), you have to marry the family. In fact, Krish does get 4 gold rings made to propose girl’s entire family!" Sounds cheesy ? Besides this he also puts light on some truths of life ,through his own witticism. As in the beginning when a prof humiliates Ananya, Krish consoles her by saying "Wont you hate an eleven year old if he earns more than you?"
Many people don't quite have a high opinion of this book, saying he has been exaggerating, he's being predictable in all his writings, he doesnt go into the nitty gritties of writing styles, rhymes and aliterations etc.Hell..who cares as long it can keep u engrossed. His words are simple, and his characters very much identifiable and they talk, just like the way, you or I speak. he has this wonderful 'out-of-the-bed' kind of writing style, which helps him connect to the readers instantaneously. Moreover he never claims to be a gramatically correct or writing a life changing novel.So, whats the big fuss about?
Well, Critically speaking(just because some bad points needs to be written too, I am doing this) I feel its written keeping a movie script in mind, and not a novel(not that this takes away his credentials..!!). His routine love making descriptions are like "Here comes the item number of the book"..And yes I can certainly see that the sequel to '3 idiots' is already set up(Not to mention his one liners can surely draw a huge lot of 'seetis' from 1st row )
To sum it all up, its a merger of the Alpha TV with the Sun Tv, a book worth spending 95 bucks. and I would personally suggest you to grab a copy and read it at one go. But then, thats just me...

Signing off
Nirvaan

The year that is...so far

2009-09-27T02:26:00.000+05:30

As always..its been yonks i've explored this dimension of my self, blame it on..mmmm..well this time 'Sorry blame it on me..'(I luv this song;))This has been a very consequential year by far...Some highlights are 'The rise of a leader in the likes of Rahul Gandhi who single handedly led the UPA govt into a formidable position, The Commercialization of the Brand Called Cricket and Cricketers..How about a 'Sachin Pepsi Tendulkar' or say a 'Swapnil Nano Asnodkar' in the form of IPL..oops IPL2'.No wonder toddlers wud sun b taught 1,2,3,4,5,DLF Maximum,7..:O. Around the same time The Zoo Zoo effect caught the nerves of the Indian audience.If Hutch made Pug the ‘national’ dog, Zoo Zoo’s became the new youth icon - one that was truly missed after IPL’s grand finale. The undercover SouthAfrican svelte belly dancers compelled the viewers not to fiddle with their remote controls even during commercial breaks..Not long after was the disappointing Budget 2009,leaving the general public lamenting.After all it was the first budget post recession and too much was expected out of it(We hate Pranab Mukherjee..X-().However there was also a somewhat consoling Railway Budget(at least for Bengal)..God Bless Mamata...!!

Moving on to some International NewsMakers..The Death Of MJ(Is it a he..?Is it a She..?No..its Michael Jackson:P) and the rise of Swine Flu clearly steals the show in terms of Popularity..:P.The mysterious death of MJ triggered an outpouring of grief around the world, creating surges of Internet traffic and causing sales of his music to soar,even the likes of Obama and Manmohan Singh(I doubt he had even heard his name before..:S) couldnt help offering their condolences .On an even sadder note the H1N1 virus really spread like wildfire,affecting almost all the nations across the globe.A more personal setback was that our trip to Agra was called off.(I hate you filthy,stinky pigs)After national and International highlights moving on to some local news..The construction of Jinsi nala Pul is finally complete(frankly speaking I never expected it to run atleast until my postgraduation or shud i say Integrated Post graduation:P) and our very own DDmall is meliorating day by day(the ladies in there 2;))Oh how could i forget the Mafia Mania which has about 25 million active accounts on facebook itself leave aside, myspace and yahoo..Very few could escape this mafia mania in our college too with 'help Don X with this job' and 'Help Don Y to gain these articles' becoming a regular on facebook walls(u dont bliv it..jst chk ur wall i bet u wud;)).There are no more cases i find worth a mention here,and so its a gud bye 4 now...
Signing Off-Nirvaan

note:this blog is penned as i was afraid my grey cells wud get damaged in these 4 days of unending, draggy, and most importantly irksome hols,and yes here i wud lik to thank ma frnd,who actually exhorted me into this lucubration called blogging:)

Choice...A Consequence of Conscience....

2009-07-16T19:09:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time.... n i owe this delay to my training period.However,its better late than never.Surviving dog days of the summer in the pink city ,a week in 'the Scotland of the East was definitely refreshing..Now that i am bit of a slacker...its bak 2 blogging...During puerility we were told a numerous things..mannerisms, etiquette, discipline all forms the backbone of our life and we took them to be the pedagogues of a blissful life.
How to talk, how to behave..how to sit, how to eat..what to eat..everything."beta dont do this..beta dont do that.."and we assumed whatever we are told is correct, believing them blindfolded ..Now that i have gained conscience and matured quite a lot ,thankfully i find most, rather all of them(of course we cant do away with the exceptions) to be very true...The 'for' part being done with, lets talk about the elisions..First of all the eating habits..we were (m sure most of us were)told by our elders that fruits, green vegetables are good for health, but according to us these are the things of the past ,and we the so called Gen X B-) feed and grow on colddrinks, chips and pastries.. Things which were not talked about at home, ie we learnt from magazines or newspapers or our beloved friends is automatically believed to be a taboo(although we all practise them). The adolescent talks that we find very exciting are not to be discussed in family..we have grown up with these morals flowing in our veins.If we keenly observe...its a universal rule-anything that excites us and is not told by our elders is verboten..(I wonder why the greatest of scientists and psychologists never figured it out..:P)Right from the day of our birth the mantra of "Early to Bed, Early to rise..makes a man healthy wealthy and wise"has been crammed into our minds.And most of us did follow it until a certain age..however once we grow up and gain conscience dre r very few left to preach dis mantra(forgive me if m being a bit specific..but dis is wat i see around me)As we grow our, choices change..the same denims that we once kept for occasional wears bought on our birthdays by our parents ,now seem out of fashion, au contraire are not worth wearing even at home.Now we can do away with anything but branded clothes..This is very consequence of our maturity.We all know that smoking and drinking is injurious to health and have grown up hating people who exercise these acts..but now many of us have ourselves started them completely aware of how fatal it can be..Whom can we blame it on other than our own conscience..To sum up its not a moral speech or lecture i m delivering its just a thought i had a few days ago and wanted 2 share.
Before signing off i want to thank all dose people who have praised my posts. Hope u will like this one too.:)
Signing off-Nirvaan

Standing Tall...

2009-05-27T02:41:00.000+05:30

Although i might be late to vociferate ma perspective on the outcome of the "BIG BATTLE"(biggest in terms of expenditures incurred)but i am not altogether amenable to this lag, my Ngo is completely responsible for it(without any discretion of views:P)Still ,hoping the fever has not completely died down(as even the cabinet is not yet set up ), this is my and solely my view on the Elections-2009.
Priyanka Gandhi said it first.Her brother's gr8 skill was his willingness to "sacrifice the now for the future". Not just was he never given enough credit for this, he was often "berated" by a fickle media. Looking back ,her words now seem eerily prescient. When Rahul Gandhi 1st pushed for travelling solo in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh and when he refused to accept the piddly little offer of mere 3 seats form Mr. Lalu Yadav, there were enough sniggers some from within the Congress itself. I remember, Mr Lalu quipping on a TV show"Is rahulji planning an election for 2014 or 2009?" But that's irony-Rahul Gandhi probably was planning a long-term overhaul for 2014 or even further ahead, and made no apologies for it. In other words lets think of what would have happened if the Congress' seats had not soared up in UP.The media that is gushing today would have swung to the other extreme and editorialized on supposed political "naivette". Every sentence uttered during electioneering wud hav been stomping all over the story.
It's now conventional wisdom to pitch him as the big winner of this election. But I think,the real reason that he is a victor is not so much the fact that Rahul GAndhi's courageous risk won the Congress ,the Hindi Heartland its the fact that had his party lost he would hav still believd in the need 2 pursue a lonelier, but braver political path. There are very politicians who can stand up to the public scrutiny of a decision that doesn't yield immediate results.It's my guess that the 39 year old Gandhi is probably one of those few.And that's what makes him a winner. Its the willingness to divorce politics from the popularity stakes that makes Rahul Gandhi so unusual.Ofcourse there's a difference between following your heart and mind and being entirely indifferent to public opniion, It is sometimes a thin line that separates courage from hubris. And many politicians have lost their balance in this tough trapeze walk. That's why I think, despite all the clamouring for Rahul Gandhi to be part of the new council of ministers, his instinct to stay out is probably much wiser. Not just because the party organisation needs strengthening and rejuvenation, but also because its the more grounded way to climb to the top.Its a path designed to sidestep the hurdles that ingratiating sycophany within the party can crop up. And that will be what Rahul gandhi wil b most closely watched for in the months and years to come.Will he manage to live up to his word of delivering democracy within his own party?
Finally, while so many deconstruct Rahul Gandhi in terms of his father and his grandmother(his own sister said he combined the best of both politically),I think he may have another unexpected example to emulate - his mother, Sonia Gandhi, the shy,reluctant politician, permanently silenced her critics since the day she declared she had no interest in being Prime Minister.Five years later, she holds not just the party;but also the alliance together.Everytime there is a crisis-a recalcitrant partner, a dissenting old leader; a sulky party colleague - it is she who is called in to apply the balm. Those who dismissed her as a novice from abroad had to swallow their words and accept that old fashioned stuff like hand power and sheer goodwill still have a huge space in INdian Politics. Its the same goodwill and simple integrity that most people associate with the Prime Minister. And its that mix of decency and humility that we will look for in the man destined to lead the Congress into its new future.

Signing off..Nirvaan

Home away from Home...

2009-04-14T04:44:00.001+05:30

As promised m back pretty soon.... but this is just because i dint have to do anything other than Ctrl+C & Ctrtl+V in this post...:P
As for the knowledge of those concerned i wrote this article for La-Vista, but it was not good enough to be published in the magazine of that dandy stature:(
However, abiding by my statements in ma previous blog(*) I have decided to post this article here
So, it goes like this:

Hostel Life-Home away from home.

One would surely swell with pride while informing outsiders of his/her admission to IIITM. So should be the feeling when 1 lays claim to be an inhabitant of the hostel. To pen down ,a day in hostel precisely would be a herculean task, for each day in this hostel sees something or the other happening, I would try to make an attempt to putforth it in the best possible way. A typical hostler's day starts at midnight and ends in the wee hours of the morning.(under special circumstances ,in SH's.) Thanks to maniacs, who don’t abide by the actual meaning of the word 'hostler', the insomniacs don’t have to take the pain of putting on their alarm clocks, to reach in time for lectures, but Alas they are still late! Getting up 10 mins before class, queing up for loo and washbasins, skipping bath but not breakfast (the best meal of the day),sleeping in lectures forms an integral part of the day to day life. Once back from lectures you have the general 'BAKAR' session going on, where the topics range from one's exciting encounter to grave national issues. After a long ‘BAKAR’ session it’s time for gaming on LAN, a boon for all the hostlers, who cannot imagine a day without it. Our Institute boasts of campus wide networking, with the dreams of combination of the LAN networks of BH,GH and even AB being fulfilled, meaning that internet permeates the space we live in. But this calls for more problems, shortage of IP's, and messages like "Leave IP *.*.*.*." becoming a regular on Softros. One thing which displays the real passion is Gaming on LAN. During gaming hours (usually spanning for a major part of the day)you could hear abuses being thrown from 1 end of the corridor to the other, and beware, if you are a fresher, you dare not go in the vicinity of the ones having an off day on the map, you are bound to get his spleen vented upon yourself, or playing the role of a helpless messenger. For those who are not typically gamiacs you always have our very own PMC, dedicated specially to the love birds, waiting to greet you. None can replace the leisurely walks taken from AB to GH with your companion. And who could imagine life without 'parathas' from nearby 'dhabas' especially after an intense bakar or gaming session? Finally, how could your day end (or should I say morning start..?) without a dose of your favourite Television series, or movie which you specially downloaded for this part of the day. This is how we sum up a hostler's life. Apologies to girls if you did not subscribe to some of my views, but i can't help it, that’s how life is in the Boy's hostel.

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I hope most of u would be able to relate with it and concur with ma feelings, (at least some...if not the whole nine yards..:P)Here i would take the opportunity to let ma readers know that there wont be any further posting by me till May as the majors are on the cards and m totally blank... :[(]
Though, don't be disheartened as its a matter of just 15-20 days...Till then

Signing off...Nirvaan

(read: this is the only space where i can wear my heart on sleeve and go about writing whatever i wish to)

Blogging...hmmm...Interesting..;)

2009-04-10T01:54:00.000+05:30

Its been 2 days since I posted ma 1st blog....n lemme be honest, my uberexcitement over this new passion of mine is very much evident to those concerned...:P....Any new comment or follower puts me head over heels to say the least...This sounds a bit nitwit and although i was a bit skeptical about mentioning this in ma blog,i ultimately was able to cognize that its pretty normal and this is the only space where i can wear my heart on sleeve and go about writing whatever i wish to...;)
The comments received so far have been really exhorting,(although i had to literally go on wheedling most of my fainéant friends to go through it..:P) encouraging me to continue with blogging.A special mention of Mr./Ms. Anonymous... needs to be made here..ur comments were truly exhiliarating..:)....(although of late i've managed to find out who it is...:))
Anyways this blog was just out of the urge to write something, because everyone's asleep nd i hav nthin 2 do...But i promise to b back soon(If at all u 2 wud b back..:P) with some exciting stuff(hope u find dem the same ...).Till then...
Signing off... Nirvaan

p.s: I read in my 9th std, if u aren't sure of the gender of the concerned thing then u write it instead of he/she.

From cocoon to butterfly...

2009-04-07T12:59:00.000+05:30

Blogging-the best way to let the world know about you...isnt it?
Yes, it certainly is...Well since its my 1st hand at blogging,lemme start from where it all began..err..amin from where i gained my conscience. My farthest memory goes to my 2nd standard..,nothing noteworthy though, in my school life besides my parents..(my guiding stone) realising ma potential as a bright student, very much interested in science, which obviously helped me decide my career,,it had to be engineering(as i hated bio...although i topped my school in bio in ma 10th boards;).Till secondary school, life was a cake walk, no tension,and it all went very smoothly..
After that came the most trying phase of my life(until now)..the 2 yrs @ bansal classes,Kota.I realised where i stand in this competitive world and of course as we all know, truth is bitter, the realization too wasn't any bit sweeter:P.Putting in your 200 percent and not getting the desired result did hurt,and let me tell you,it did hurt terribly. These two years were the worst period of ma academic lif,i cudn't even cut the mustard in that razor sharp competitive environment, but ..the best period in terms of experience. I came Vis-à-vis with my real self henceforth. In this period i met many people and learned from each 1 of them. So although it was not at all fruitful in terms of wat i was supposed 2 do there,but it surely was a boon in disguise,as wherevr i m 2dy its bcoz of those 2 yrs in that city of engineers.Its not that I only got a clear perception about myself but i also learned certain virtues of life, the value of money...i understood that a penny saved is penny earned....Staying there alone was a test of integrity, one had to overcome his own evil self, to liv up to your parents' expectations...and overcome many such intricacies.
So, in short, the life there taught me many things and would remain as a integral part of building the character i am today.
Signing Off..Nirvaan