Conquering the dark
7 years ago
To think of it now, it's not like I remember the first day we met in crystal clear HD pictures. But I do vaguely remember the excitement with which I caught my first glimpse of you and I think I also detected a not-so-evident smile on your face on spotting one more possible victim who would most probably succumb to your charms. I queued up along with your numerous suitors, dancing to your tunes and bowing to your whims. In due time, I did not have any other purpose in life but to keep you happy. I realised that I was slowly , but definitely slipping down a path from where there was no escape.
It took me a long time to realise the devious tricks you were playing on my mind. But realise I did, I started deviating from the vows I had made to you. I pursued my other "interests" which made you jealous. And man did you throw tantrums that demanded attention! We worked towards building a relationship that moved like the sine curve, with both of us trying to understand each other and giving enough space for us to have an independent life. You never seemed truly happy after that though.
While I kept giving it my best shot, you were never the same again. You seemed to look forward to the courtship dance from your other suitors. I feared the day you would realise our folly for devoting your time on someone as ordinary as me. As the days moved on, I realised that the best way to prepare myself would be to distance myself from you, to be ready for the day when you eventually broke the news to me. I saw you flirting with others at various points of time, but I never bought it up for I was never sure I wanted to say goodbye. Despite the tumultous relationship we have had, I would forever remember all the wonderful moments we have spent together. The numerous days and nights when it used to be just the 2 of us over just a cup of coffee for hours altogether without realising how time flew in each others company, it seemed like it would never be the case again. I was prepared for the eventuality that loomed near us now.
And on March 31st 2011, we finally bid our long awaited goodbye. On that day, I was ready, to bid farewell, to start off on a different note and look forward to life with someone else. After a 20 year long relationship, we couldnt really break up on a bad note could we ? We broke-up with our tokens of love for each other, with the hope that both of us would find better people than each other to spend our time with.
Dear Education, Now I can gladly bid goodbye to you! After all these years across 6 institutions in 3 different locations, I am well and truly done with Institutionalized Education. Here's a toast to that, and to PGP2009's, f2005's and my schoolmates.
P.S:
Quite late with the timelines and the plan, but the idea for the formal "break-up" always in the pipeline.
P.P.S:
With this, I hope to be returning from a self imposed exile and hope to keep the blog alive. Apologies to any audience I had prior to this exile and hope my new "partner" work life as occupied as the "ex":) .
It took me a long time to realise the devious tricks you were playing on my mind. But realise I did, I started deviating from the vows I had made to you. I pursued my other "interests" which made you jealous. And man did you throw tantrums that demanded attention! We worked towards building a relationship that moved like the sine curve, with both of us trying to understand each other and giving enough space for us to have an independent life. You never seemed truly happy after that though.
While I kept giving it my best shot, you were never the same again. You seemed to look forward to the courtship dance from your other suitors. I feared the day you would realise our folly for devoting your time on someone as ordinary as me. As the days moved on, I realised that the best way to prepare myself would be to distance myself from you, to be ready for the day when you eventually broke the news to me. I saw you flirting with others at various points of time, but I never bought it up for I was never sure I wanted to say goodbye. Despite the tumultous relationship we have had, I would forever remember all the wonderful moments we have spent together. The numerous days and nights when it used to be just the 2 of us over just a cup of coffee for hours altogether without realising how time flew in each others company, it seemed like it would never be the case again. I was prepared for the eventuality that loomed near us now.
And on March 31st 2011, we finally bid our long awaited goodbye. On that day, I was ready, to bid farewell, to start off on a different note and look forward to life with someone else. After a 20 year long relationship, we couldnt really break up on a bad note could we ? We broke-up with our tokens of love for each other, with the hope that both of us would find better people than each other to spend our time with.
Dear Education, Now I can gladly bid goodbye to you! After all these years across 6 institutions in 3 different locations, I am well and truly done with Institutionalized Education. Here's a toast to that, and to PGP2009's, f2005's and my schoolmates.
P.S:
Quite late with the timelines and the plan, but the idea for the formal "break-up" always in the pipeline.
P.P.S:
With this, I hope to be returning from a self imposed exile and hope to keep the blog alive. Apologies to any audience I had prior to this exile and hope my new "partner" work life as occupied as the "ex":) .
6 weeks and a set of mid-terms down , I have finished more than half-a-term in this place now. The words most often heard inside these walls are " This too shall pass" . Many of our classrooms are interesting for those special "examples" through which "concepts" are taught.
A few excerpts from our classes so far :
(I fail to relate what concepts most of them relate to, for they mostly went somewhere over my head)
Managerial Economics - Prof. Ranganathan. V
"Mere inefficiency cannot get you fired in the public sector"
"It is always wise to opt for education ahead of sports, for here, a lot of mediocres are tolerated"
"It's all over. It's like marriage" (On Sunk Costs)
Financial Accounting - Prof.Padmini Srinivasan
"All accountants know the cost of everything and the the value of nothing"
"If one of your legs is on ice and the other on fire, on an average you are fine".
"In India, we do not know which way to follow - the U.S way or the U.K way" ( On Accounting Standards, but I guess it can be generalised to everything).
Manish Sabharwal , Founder Teamlease (Guest Lecture)
"Why bother digging with shovels, when you can do so with spoons? " (On NREGA)
"Secret to success is being at the right place at the right time. You never know what the right time is so you hang out at the right place all the time" (Quoting Calvin)
"You dont have to be Cleopatra, you have to be less ugly than your competitors"
"Strategy is the art of creating an unfair advantage"
"We did not write the 11th plan, but the 11th version of the first plan" (On working with the Planning Commission)
"Know your customer or Kick your customer" (On Banking Infrastructure in place)
"Most of my competitors are either criminals or politicians, often both"
"The notion of a taxpayer paid social security is science fiction"
"MBA is the most intellectual wine tasting session that lasts longest"
"Post mortems have a certainity over prescriptions"
"You married a pregnant bride , you can't take credit for what happened" (His dad's comment on his company's success".
"You have to kiss many frogs, before you find your price/princess"
To end it, something which acts as a comforting factor for me most of the time, heard in Prof. Rishikesha.T.Krishnan 's class :
"In the long run , we are all dead" (Quoting Keynes)
An ode , 4 years of engineering , 3.5 years of village life , 0.5 years of "work-experience" , 8 semesters of "Education". A lot of memories, a series of amazing incidents , unforgettable times.In a format that is special to BITS. Here is how I remember 4 years in Pilani.A collage of almost everything I have been through.
0 % Attendance. You are a smart ! Retailer in 3rd year. Being "parliamentary". Lounge Piranha at 3.30 am.96 hours - Oasis and not desert for once. Galeez . Cheese Pizzas at Sky. Pappuji. PPW,MNB,Blue Moon,Chimpuji.Saint and Flatley - ELAS as a phoenix.Galeez.Magic of Wholesale and Retail.T20 finals in Audi.Heena at BOSM. Catfight at BOSM Girls BasketBall. OD's gift to Sponz. DOPY's truly "amazing" snaps, more so on delivery. Running from chowkis. "Are you a superstar ? " - Satpathi D.K. Roadies Audition - Devrishi shines, in Bear's room. Sitcom marathons. "Xchng Plsss" . Trivia, DC ++ . Dude/BOB/Kadalai/CRC Iyer. Chitappa's Night outs. "Interaction Sessions". OHT,OQ,BOB, AVQ. First Blood. Wordstock. Treasure hunt "decoys" and "Ahaa" moments."You are David".APK as Nathuram Godse.Nightout in C Lawns - Psyche grinning and "happy" throughout. Arsenal Vs Man U in CR , in high spirits. "How long can a 50 gm toothpaste tube last for 9 people ? " - Galeez has answers . Adirad saving me on Birthday(s). One comp for 8 eight Illads in first year - Janki, the man ! Kevalramani's EG classes .Challenges to VVS Pavan, the COSTAN ( or whatever it is rightly spelt as). Go "Fill Arbit Name here" Go ! DumbCharades in FD3 , the night before Workshop compre."Who Moved my Quiz" - India Quiz 2007. "Niiii!" - Shilpa. The best guitarist BITS has ever seen - You Know Who . Kaiser, the camper - Chitappa's CS avtar . EPC stapling sessions. Intros starting with "Myself XYZ".Suicide Notes in SMS language , courtesy OEP.OHT QM asking for a "peg" before the quiz.CL matches in Pilani Lodge.Sharma's Dinner. Revamped ANC , still "Sweat Maggi". Haran Rajkumar ! Aravind's fight for supremacy over the SWD Website - Instances : Nilam "Sweet" Babu,"AFHQ" . SUBASHREE@NAGALAKSHMI R. Specially for Illads, SAC Lunches. Psenti-sem without a wing. JB and Chitappa going at it. Chitappa neads black charts! Special entrant in Lights Booth. Bear beating up Ashwin.The secret Swimming Pool break-in.Joseph's never ending analysis of PS.Kiddo in demand.Chari and his secrets. Kaushik's love for robotics. Aswin's love for the truth. CuppyCake! CP 1, CP 2 "Evaluated Labs". Vivek's "Mech by choice" . Himesh! King Mama/Ravishing Ravi/King Diamond ! APK going "cuckoo" . Ramya looking lost all the time.Kairali Grubs and Dhotis.Beg/Borrow/Steal for Batch Snaps. "Happy Days" at Batch snaps.Vivek's walk-in pics. Super Special KC in the mimes.Psyche, Vasanth,Kutts and me at Mithali."Have you read Fountainhead" .The two wonderful TA's. Mech "reaching steady state takes infinite time" Labs. Upto 300 % error accepted.School Kids in Roctaves.Gossip Girl . Operation Deltaforce( Did I get the name right ? ) . "Love is in the air" 3-1 , also the article and after-effects.Wing Formation Politics. "Dont you just simply love Wodehouse" - Psyche in 3-1 . Psyche's special nuances . Impartial Chittu and Pres Treat.Mama's Sports Quiz - D13's sledging. Informals and ELAS tie-ups. KOTA karthik and his CraCing abilities. Anand Iyer - "Give Gossip".FL@SH-"Orgasmic" over TB's on DC++."I ate Zebra" says the Bear. List of missing items APK is responsible for. APK and his hidden stash of Pringles and Chocolates. Vladtepes being a madman.Mighty Joe young. Cheeku and the Saint fighting over hidden secrets from school. Kaushik throwing mudballs."You cannot eat Hide n Seek during Audi Ragging" . The EC brigade and their bags. Dhall hugging trees. Seinfeld- The key, starring Gangster ! No tracks for Pilani - save us from the dacoits.Bunty's, Chirawa and Punjabi Dhabas,Unforgettable "Good times".
For everything else , there is mastercard, this is simply Priceless.
To all my batchmates, wishing you a great future and the hope that we keep bumping into each other at every turn in our lives. Comments with more such lists would be really great, for that is the only place where I can add things that I have missed out.
P.S:
No Offences meant, extremely sorry if anyone feels hurt.
I have been finding it very difficult to introduce myself nowadays. It takes a lot of explaining to convey the fact that I am a Mechanical Engineering student from BITS-Pilani, who is interning with an IT firm, Oracle in Hyderabad and does not belong to the city. When asked about where my roots lie, I have an even longer answer. It has been more than a month since I left Pilani - lock, stock and barrel. Naturally, the next question that props up is about my return to Pilani for the convocation. Now , I have a new answer to give - BITS Pilani does not have a convocation system. Even though none of us who are studying there really seem to mind, we accept it as one more of our "unique and flexible" traditions , it seems to be surprising news to everyone else .
If these are the standard questions , other more specific questions depends on the person at the other end.Bumping into seniors from the college could result in questions about the changing culture in Pilani as a result of BITSAT, SAC or about the departments and clubs of which they were a part of. People from the corporate world unaware about the Practise School program in Pilani want to know how the system works and diverse questions revolving around the same.
Friends have something more personal to ask , Do I miss Pilani ? At present, I am a newcomer to city life and enjoying its benefits,I am not missing the Village. Maybe as time goes on and as the Wise Camel says, I will miss the place. The more important question I ask myself is :What do I really miss - the place or the people ? Sky Lawns, the never-heard-beyond-second-row-plays by EDC ,the SEQC sessions, the "aaha" moment on stage of a quiz finals , BuZZBuzz,BUzz during JAM , interesting truth revealing "sessions" and of course the wildfire spreading along the grapevine are just some of the things I will definitely miss. I would have never enjoyed the place without the people , it is they who I miss . On a visit back to campus , I was happy to see more familiar faces , pleasantries to exchange and jokes to crack. Though at the point of time I was yet to step into work, I am in one of those glass walled buildings today . I have just started to realise how much has really changed and what the future really holds.
As preparations for my Personal Interview move ahead , I am faced with more questions from others and within myself . For Many of these I have well prepared answers to convince the person sitting oppposite me, but to others which really stump me I just give a puzzled look.I hope that on D-Day (Feb 23rd) there does not come a Question for which I do not have an answer . As always, anyone who believes they have the favour of Lady Luck and do not really need are requested to guide her to me.
P.S:
I did not see the Titanic Clash between His Royal Highness Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and I am happy that I did not have to see the champion break down in despair. I hope that back in the lush green courts of his backyard, Wimbledon, he deservedly matches Pistol Pete's record of Grand Slam titles.
I was pleasantly surprised to be questioned by a few friends as to why there has been no updates on my blog of late. So, I apologize to readers for staying off the internet for quiet a while.
An update on where I stand today - I have left the village of Pilani, hopefully for the good. I have obtained an internship opportunity at Oracle , Hyderabad , which was supposed to start about a week back, but hasn't yet, I am hoping the latest versions of truth (Satyam) and the market scenario/recession is not going to affect my 6 month long internship here. I have received GD/PI calls from IIM B and RGIIM S after CAT 2008. At the moment , I am trying to utilize my joblessness to prepare something constructive for the interviews, obtain recommendation letters and finish my Statement of Purpose.I warn friends in advance that many of you are bound to receive mails from me for suggestions/assistance on any of the above, again apologies up front.Also, my congratulations to all my friends/batchmates/seniors who have received GD/PI calls .
As for a post on a more serious note and issues I am still thinking and shall hopefully come up with something, sooner rather than later . The year 2009 has begun well and I hope it goes on and becomes even better for everyone I know.
The following post was written as a "Psenti article" for The Fine Print, the newsletter published on BITS Pilani campus by the English Press Club, ,my last one as a member of the club.
The ceremonies have begun, indications have been given that it is the time for me to leave. I am at the wrong end of treats, eager to take snaps and making sure that I collect any pending debts for there is not going to be the dreaded journey through those badly laid roads for one more time. Over the last few months, I have had the belief that I have overstayed my “welcome” on campus. I no longer find familiar faces when I step out, get to know about the happenings on campus as soon as I used to or even find company for the long trip to sky from my hostel. With absolutely nothing to keep me occupied, one thing I have wondered about all the time is whether I will be accepted anywhere outside Pilani. I doubt that the habits and nature that I have grown used to over the past 3 years are considered regular and normal in the social setup outside these walls. Despite this, I do not feel sad, nostalgic or “psenti” about this place. I do not have any regrets or “things to do” before I leave. I do not know whether these were really the best days of my life, for I believe that I have a lot more to see. I do not know whether I would laugh over incidents on campus many years down the line. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that every moment I spent on campus will be etched in my memories, but it would not be a lie if I say that there are many moments and a large number of smiling faces which I will cherish as a memory of my time in Pilani. I have also realized that there is a distinct possibility that I might not be seeing many of these faces again and I hope that I encounter the same faces sometime in the near future outside of this environment . We all knew the day we stepped in that we had to leave, the 4 years on campus was expected to be just a preparation for more “exciting” things we expect out of life. I would prefer to walk out happily, thinking about all the time I spent here and the people I have got to know, than grieving over the fact that I am leaving and I might not be missed by anyone at all.
Last week seemed to be a huge relief from the schedule of doing absolutely nothing everyday over this semester. My "psenti" Oasis, the first of many things which I will be witnessing for the last time on campus as a student. Sadly, this one turned out to be a dud compared to the previous ones I have seen.
The trend seems to be pretty strong on making Oasis a professional music show rather than a cultural fest with most things centered around one or two "big guns" and their convenience . Despite the huge amounts that students end up paying for their visits 2 out of the last 3 have turned out to be painstaking, with last years performer lip-syncing and this years band refusing to end their performance for hours altogether .This despite the audience dwindling with every passing minute to get away from the "Euphoria" . Many of us believe that it is high time we stop spending our entire budget on performers who normally play to bigger crowds in the city. Lounge Piranha was simply something out of the ordinary, with their video projections, bass guitarist playing with his teeth and violin bow and everything they did was recieved with a lot of wild cheers from the crowd that remained. Almost everyone who stayed were of the opinion that it was the best performance they had seen in the Audi, which included a brilliant take on Euphoria's never ending performance .
The best parts for me though was a second place in the Oasis Quiz, setting and hosting that the AVQ(Audio Visual Quiz) and some 9 great rounds of JAM in the BLAB finals. Establising a logical connection between the sentences " We shall see sunrise soon . Norwegians are... " , rapid jamming , Jack and Jill meeting the Pope ,Schumacher brothers and many others in the story-forming round and of course trying our best to form poems with the rhyme sequence a a b b made the finals a lot of fun. As always the winner takes it all, this time Aravind did take it all - BLAB and OQ( Vivek and Rachit completing the team) , the big ones , Congrats to him. My attempt at story telling ended up with me narrating a story of how Nilesh Kulkarni should be shot and surprisingly did fetch my only winners trophy during the fest.
Despite the events and activity , it was a reminder of things to come and things that I was going to leave behind . The next time I might be spending 4 days or 96 hours filled with activity and lack of sleep would probably be on a project deadline in my office cubicle which I dont think will be anything close to "fun" . I have ended up at home almost every alternate week this semester and am not sure how much and what I will be missing when I finally leave. "Psenti-sem" without a wing and no company has not really turned out to be very interesting. Though one last I will definitely enjoy is the test and compre looming in front of me .
P.S:
A Snippet from the fest:
A says to B : " You are so freakishly competitive that it scares me " . Is it supposed to be a compliment ?
The above words were made extremely popular by Steve Jobs in his commencement address to the Stanford University students delivered on June 12 2005 , you may find the full text here . I had the opportunity of reading a book with the same title about the story of 25 entrepreneurs from IIM Ahmedabad and their now successful ventures (the book is yet to be released in the consumer market) .
The book portrays the most important essence of the speech - "Find something that you love to do". For me and I believe that many others of my age it is not exactly something easy. I am yet to figure out what I would enjoy doing with my life. A few ambitions that I have been carrying around for a long time with certain beliefs about how my life should be is all that I have. As things stand now, after 3 years of doing something which I am more or less sure I would not enjoy doing - Mechanical Engineering, I might be getting back to something that I used to like sometime back through the job offer in hand. The fact that it might be of great assistance in what I dream to be my next stop - the MBA dream only drives me further to take it up.
Something that I have realised is that a lot of things which we attach a lot of importance matters the least bit. Most things evolve best when you think, ponder and when you do so make no mistakes, always Think BIG. The most important lessons that I have learnt where at Lootstreet from the daily experiences and more importantly from Arun and Kaushik, my first "bosses" in the real sense of the word. A lot of things from there will stick with me for a long time. Without a doubt, I loved what I did in the 2 months there. Whether it will be the same case with my next job from July 2009, I am not sure , but then I guess that what is life for - to find what you "love" most.
To end with, one of my favourite quotes from Arun Balakrishnan "Sochne ke Liye tax nahi lagta hain , tho bada socho" ( I suck at Hindi ! ) translated it means "There are no taxes levied for your thoughts and dreams, always think big".
P.S:
To many of my friends who are giving their CAT , do read this , an account by Kaushik of all his IIM Interviews in a very interesting fashion, to say the least.
It was a wonderful summer which included a great experience at lootstreet, getting to meet Harsha Bhogle, the slightly more consequential fact being that I got thrashed by 2 cricket "pundoos" ( nerds to those unfamiliar ) from Anna University who are now my good friends, catching up with long lost friends who have suddenly become scousers ( Praveen ) and getting introduced to more interesting things , like the Hyderabadi Biriyani for one. I am back in Pilani and the usual laziness attached to college accounts for the lack of activity and the uncanny similarity to a Sloth as explained by Kutts last year at a similar stage.
Being a psenti-semite , the BITSian final year student has its own pros and cons. Slowly, you realise that the number of people who you actually know on campus has reduced all of a sudden. The big pro being the fact that you are now an engineer and supposed to be ready to step into the corporate world, showcase yourselves to everyone who has been invited to the campus and try to "sell" yourself. You realise that you have the "appropriate" skill set to apply to anyone who is ready to "compensate" well for the work that you might be doing for the next few years. I do match their requirements , I convince myself before applying to companies who strictly say knowledge of Data Structure, Operation Systems and Algorithms is a must in bold and have a proven track record of choosing only B.E(Hons) Computer Science. I have realised my folly and that my trust has been misplaced.
Without the slightest clue as to how campus interviews work , I have my own plans for the interview and how to impress the panel I am facing. I am just banking on the fact they stick to my script and not theirs !! So, am I searching for the "Right" offer or is the corporate searching for the "Right" person ? Do I want to take up a job which compensates me well or one that matches my expectations in terms of work ? Will I start applying madly to companies on the list if it comes down to that ? Would I rest at a good job or continue in my pursuits of the IIM MBA,that I dream of ? I have no answers to any of the above questions at the moment.
For now , I know what to expect and understand that I have to bide my time patiently till the "Right" people come in search of me.
Lest I forget, anyone who believes that they have excess luck with them and is not being put to good use, please ( pretty please I would add ) be gracious enough to pass it onto me. Thanks to you in advance.
The Internship at Lootstreet has been a wonderful learning place for me so far and in particular , I had an opportunity to visit IIM Ahmedabad last weekend. The trip was for the IIM Ahmedabad Entrepreneurs meet 2008. The meet intended to bring together all the entrepreneurs who had graduated from IIM A and hence try to pass on some valuable information to the current batch of students. The visitors list at the conference was a long one with many familiar ventures, but not-so-familiar founders - naukri.com,makemytrip.com,Subhiksha and Sintex to name a few.
The 2 day event was a good place for old friends to catch up, to network and get mentored by people who had done it all.There were a few panel discussions on start-ups, ecosystem etc and I managed to throw a question during one of them which was about the involvement of a VC with a start-up - 2 things about which I had minimal knowledge before May 19, 2008. It is not everyday that you get to be in a gathering where there are people(that too many in number) whose net personal worth runs in excess of Rs 500 crores and sit down and talk with them as well ! I believe that this visit has prepared me to interact people with experience in the corporate sector without any fear , which I hope gives me some additional advantage during my Placements and interviews that I will have to face over the next few months.
Through the course of my stay at Lootstreet, I have managed to gain a lot of knowledge about almost everything to do with a start-up, some bit on management,business development, interacted with a lot of people at different levels in their organisation and the best ways to get things done. The trip to IIM A was one more great experience that this internship has given me. To visit an institute where you aspire to be in the near future and meet a few of your "potential" seniors and interact with them is bound to be something that drives you further to make sure that your dreams come alive . At least for me, that has been one of the take-back's from the meet. As I stepped out of the campus on Sunday evening, I could only hope that this was not the last time that I walked out of those gates.
3 years of academics is finally nearing an end. The 2005 batch of single degree students of BITS Pilani have finished the curriculum to become engineers save a few electives and a 6 month long "industrial internship".
Personally, a lot has changed for me since the day I walked in through those gates. These 3 years of independent existence has lead to a marked difference in character,perspectives and habits , hopefully for the good. I have always maintained that staying in this village would make it impossible for most of us to live within the acceptable terms laid down by the society.We have our own set of rules, language and a very unique way of living. The transition once we step outside might appear non-existent to a few, but what we leave behind here are things which we are bound to recollect with smiles - definitely Pappuji, Skylawns, the PPW's and the lacchas under the statues are not things which can be relived outside this village.
Despite the fact that I have one more year to go before I am a graduate and the certificate reaches my home , I know it is the end of most "routine" things for me . I am no longer under the pressure to wake up and rush off to tuts 4 days a week, live in the fear of surprise test or dread about averages and grade cutoff's after this semester. BITSians also have to bid their farewells sooner than most college-goers due to the complex process of the "Practise School" programme. The farewells might not be the regular tear-jerkers, for we do part ways, but only with the hope and belief that we will bump into each other at another turn of life in due course of time.
Cheers to the 2005 batch and to the prospect of having a great future filled with a lot of delightful surprises.
Personally, a lot has changed for me since the day I walked in through those gates. These 3 years of independent existence has lead to a marked difference in character,perspectives and habits , hopefully for the good. I have always maintained that staying in this village would make it impossible for most of us to live within the acceptable terms laid down by the society.We have our own set of rules, language and a very unique way of living. The transition once we step outside might appear non-existent to a few, but what we leave behind here are things which we are bound to recollect with smiles - definitely Pappuji, Skylawns, the PPW's and the lacchas under the statues are not things which can be relived outside this village.
Despite the fact that I have one more year to go before I am a graduate and the certificate reaches my home , I know it is the end of most "routine" things for me . I am no longer under the pressure to wake up and rush off to tuts 4 days a week, live in the fear of surprise test or dread about averages and grade cutoff's after this semester. BITSians also have to bid their farewells sooner than most college-goers due to the complex process of the "Practise School" programme. The farewells might not be the regular tear-jerkers, for we do part ways, but only with the hope and belief that we will bump into each other at another turn of life in due course of time.
Cheers to the 2005 batch and to the prospect of having a great future filled with a lot of delightful surprises.
It is not exactly as the title suggests , there is no prom night on the campus of BITS Pilani, but this is probably the closest people might ever to get to the American equivalent , which is for students passing out of high school. But in the "Indian" scheme of things it would even be a disaster to consider anything beyond a school-organised farewell, where most girls try their hand at the sari for the first time .
The event that I am talking would be the momentous occasion - Batch Snaps . This is the time of the year when all 3rd yearites on campus, spend a lot of time trying to look civilized, change their appearance to look good on those "to be preserved for life" snaps and go around begging for formal attire. Once people start pouring into "Skylawns" at the appointed time, it resembles a mela ground with the only things missing being a merry go round and the ferris wheel. A few crushes are revealed and the equivalent of asking anybody out for a dance would be to take a snap with them to always remember our crush during college. We do have our own set of enterprising people who prefer to turn up for this occasion in very "high spirits". Then there is the discrimination based on physical features - height order which determines where you stand in this very important snap . Once, that is done there has to be a detailed analysis to make sure that everybody is seen from every angle , so in all around 45 minutes in front of the lenses and under the mercy of Lord Surya. The show goes on till everybody has taken a snap with whomsoever they know on campus or till the charge in your battery run out ( of course ,now it is possible that you could now contract out your snaps to the Department of Photography on campus, who would ensure that these special moments are never forgotten due to the want of a camera ). Pappuji thrives on the treats that are being thrown around, though I do have no idea of how he keeps track of who has ordered what single handedly on such a hectic day.
The funda behind this idea is that like every other thing, BITS offers a unique experience of college life. This semester is the last 5 months that the entire batch of soon-to-be engineers will be on campus together with us taking shifts in doing an internship for one semester in our final year. The college authorities politely remind us through this process that we are nearing the end of our stay here and might not be around with many of our friends . In many cases this semester maybe the last time we even meet them before we diverge off to pursue our own future . So, yes indeed this is an occasion to celebrate, get ready for and enjoy a few hours before you get back into your room and realize in order to pass out, you still need to wait for another year and give the test the next day as well :).
P.S:
Dedications to all my batchmates and to the institute which has given me my current identity - 2005A4PS340.
Credits :
Vikram Chari insists that it be mentioned that he is enterprising person being referred to in the post.
About Me
- Navin
- Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Just another Exception. Goes without saying that it takes a lot of effort to discover the true me hidden between rule bound regularities. Just like the title suggests: What You See Is Not What You Get .
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Government Nouns: Electricity8 years ago
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Painting the past10 years ago
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Rafael Benitez Fact And Fiction16 years ago
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Whatever Things has a new home17 years ago
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