Time To Act

Wise thinks, wiser acts.

This is what a friend told me few months ago and now the time has really come to act. After passing through another phase of prolonged procrastination and realizing that I have again been wasting my time by literally doing nothing I feel an immediate need to work. I sometimes fear that this laziness which has always been my dominant characteristic is intruding all spheres of my life. I fear that if I don't work now, I would actually lose the desire to work at all. Thus, I would now curb my natural instincts and would do things that I have been hitherto avoiding out of indolence. The real push came today morning when I got a call from my thesis supervisor asking me about how much progress have I made in writing thesis. I have asked him for two more days to finish writing the problem statement and the algorithm. Once I am done with that, I would then proceed to literature survey to provide the context and importance of my work. And this time for a change, there won't be any procrastination. This is a promise that I have made to myself.

Employed

Past 15 days were relentless and hectic. With all the preparations and apprehensions for the placements, it was really very tiring. But finally, I am employed. Its such a great relief to be able to again sleep late in the morning, to be able to again spend time gossiping, to be able to again go all the way to the hall 8 canteen for the dinners and to be able to give time to blog.

I would be joining ZS Associate. Its an American consultancy firm which focuses on sales and marketing and has a very big clientele in the biotech and pharmaceutical sector. The operations in India though are at a nascent stage. And with that, it is almost an end of my association with Computer Science. Almost because I still have a thesis to defend.

I am happy that I would not end up in a cubicle writing codes. But some part of me still feels that after having spent last 4-5 years of life in this field, I should have given a try to the core. Atleast once. In fact, to start with, I prepared only for the core companies. I had ZS in my mind but never thought that I would actually end up working for it. Since it was open to all the departments and all the programs, the chances looked sleek to me. But surprisingly and happily, I cleared the test, GD and three rounds of interviews with ease. And once I was done, I knew that I had a realistic chance of getting selected.

Placement time is a crazy time. People sometimes end up in companies where they didn't want to go. And in this regards, I consider myself lucky. The job is good, salary is good and the experience would come very handy if I ever apply for the MBA in the future.

I would be joining in Gurgaon at the end of coming June. After the results were announced, we had an informal meeting with the company officials and we were told to complete all our coursework on time. So that means that I would really have to gear up my thesis work next semester. I still haven't started doing anything right now. Right now, I am taking a break. I am sleeping, watching movies and desperately looking for some good books to read. It would take me at least 2-3 days more to again get going.

Rangoli

This is the Rangoli that we (Alok, Amit, me and Jiten) made for this year's competition. The theme given to us was : "Whether religion leads to superstitions" .

There is this illiterate man in a rural area who is worshipping a milestone considering it a Shivling. For him, it is a way to show his devotion to the almighty. For an onlooker, the very idea of person worshipping as inanimate an object like a stone (that too a milestone) is nothing more than a superstition.

This was the second year that we were making a Rangoli and the idea of actually participating in an event rather than just being a spectator was so satisfying.

And this is the Rangoli that we made last year. The theme then was "Fight till the last breath".

In this rangoli, there is this man in a sea holding the sail of his boat with his hand after the rope breaks down. It is very windy and the waves are wild and high but he is desperate to fight till the last breath.

Kavi Sammelan and Creative writing competition

Today was the second day of Antaragni. I had a nice time today. In the afternoon, I participated in a creative writing competition with my friend AC. And then in the evening, I went to Kavi Sammelan with my friends. Kavi Sammelan as always was amazing. This year there was much greater variety in the event. Besides the regular Hasya Ras poets, we had a 'Shrangar Ras' poet and a 'Vir Ras' poet. Lots of laughter and lots of clapping and lots of 'Wah Wah'. Every one should go and watch a Kavi Sammelan at least once. None of the laughter shows can provide you the atmosphere which is created there. You even laugh at the jokes which are common.

Creative writing event was one of the best of its kind that I have seen. There were 5 questions. One was to write a meaningful and coherent paragraph in which the first word of each new sentence has 1 letter, second has 2, third has 3 and so on. Then there was the usual question of writing a story given first few line. Both these questions were attempted by AC. Then there was a question about writing a short poem with 17 syllables. In Japan, these kind of poems are called 'Haiku'. This was attempted by me and AC together. But owing to our incapbility to identify number of syllables in a word (sometimes, I can), I doubt what we have written.

Then there were 2 questions that I attempted. The first one was writing the dialogues of a comic strip. And second one was writing a limerick. Limerick is a 5 line long poem with a rhyming scheme of 'AABBA'. And while writing it we had to use word 'bow' with as different meanings are possible. The limerick that I wrote was this.

Bow to the bow that caressed the string.
Thoughts of joy the masters bring.
An arrow left the bow and struck the hearts.
As groom in the bow-tie departs.
But the maestro continues to sing.

This was all I could conjure up. The meanings of the 'bow' that I have used here are:
1. Bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head.
2. A slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands which is used in playing certain stringed instruments.
3. A weapon for shooting arrows.
4. A knot with two loops and loose ends.

At the end it was really fun participating in the event. Those were 2 hours well spent. I am looking forward for the Nukkad, Rangoli, India Inspired (a panel discussion) and the professional night. I would write about these events in days to come.

Antaragni '09

Today was the inaugral day of our much awaited cultural festival, Antaragni. Everyone in the campus waits for it the year long. It is that time of the year when we get to see (for most of us, its just seeing) some good girls in the campus. The otherwise dark and silent SAC is all decorated and abuzzed with all different activities. One could see students all around the campus. The best thing that I like about these 4 days is the uninhibited atmosphere. There are all those dramatic teams practicing after having found a place for themselves. Then there are all those dance groups and instrumentalists. Then there are those fashion schools which book the first place of concrete they see for their rehearsals. There is so much energy around that its hard to contain oneself within the confinements of the hostel.

The only attraction today was the opening night. It was a night devoted to the fusion music. There was this band called Advaita which is from Delhi. I liked their initial compositions which were instrumentals but got bored with their vocals. More over I was more than eager for the next performance which was of Sitar Funk. It is one of the country's best fusion band lead by Niladri Kumar. And boy, they rocked big time. It was superb. Awesome. I did head banging to a Sitar composition which may look strange to you. But watch Niladri's video on You Tube and you would understand everything. The music was really electrifying with all the drums and tabla and the jugal bandis.

Antaragni is looking good this time. I am missing some of my wingmates. Not many of those left in the wing are much interested in the festival. Arunangshu and I have registered for some English Literary events. I hope that they are able to fill in the void that I am feeling this time.

Being a teaching assistant

Things have changed so much in the fifth year. Today is the last day of the first mid semester exams. We just have 1 course to do (besides thesis) in this semester. And that also has just 1 mid sem exam which is scheduled in mid September. So there were no exams for me this time. And hence there is no post mid sem fun. But this doesn't imply that I was left free this time. Since, I am a teaching assistant of a course, I'd to do invigilation during the exam. And I also had to check the exam copies of the students.

It was a nice experience to be on the other side of the examination process for a change. But when you have to check 170 odd copies, then it becomes a pain. The question which I had to check involved writing a pseudo code for an algorithm and doing its complexity analysis. So I'd to read the pseudo codes. And the more incorrect the solution is, more difficult it becomes to check. Because then you have to make sure that there is no way this solution could actually work. And you also have to point out why the solution is not working. And you also have to go through the complexity analysis of a faulty code. Now I know why teachers like good students. Its because their papers are easiest to check.

But its a good learning experience to check copies. You start realizing what kind of answers should be provided. You realize what should be written and how should it be written. I was also reminising while checking the papers. I think that I might have given some real tough time to my examiners.

To anyone reading this post, there is a request that please be considerate to your examiners. Improve your writing, write clearly leaving spaces and if you don't know the answer atleast don't write things which are given in the question. It does more harm than good. Believe me.

Shifted to new hall of residence

This 'Hall of residence' term very much belongs to IITK. Our hostels are called by this name. The reason for this naming was told to us 4 years back during our orientation. I don't remember it clearly but the underlying reason was that it gives to its residents, a sense of belonging. Though I am sure that any hosteller would have as much attachment to his hostel as we have. But I really like the intentions. It sounds better. It feels better. Hall of residence.

So today we shifted from hall 1 to hall 9 and the whole day was consumed in this activity. Right from packing all the stuffs to transferring it to hall 9 in a cycle rikshaw to arranging things again in a new place. This hall is quite far from the academic area. A cycle has become a necessity now.

I used to own a cycle. It was 7-8 years old. I purchased it in class 8th or 9th and brought it with me when I came here. But my first hall (hall 2) and then hall 1 were so close to the academic area that I never felt the necessity of using it. And when I shifted to hall 1, I didn't even bring it with me. I abandoned it just like that.

I still remember the excitement with which I bought it. I had cycled from the shop to my home in the afternoon. It was 7-8 km. But my association with it ended just because I didn't care to bring it over a distance of 200m. Quite ironic. Actually even now I didn't go to see it. I think that by now it must have been confiscated and auctioned.

I really liked hall 1, the oldest hostel of IITK. It is about 45-50 years old. It is the residence of the 4th yearites. It is dreaded by the 1st yearites but revered by the rest. I still remember the initial days when our seniors used to threat us to take us to hall 1. At that time, it looked to us like a great bastion resided by the all mighty 4th yearites and from which escape was next to impossible.

There was so much of glory attached to it. All those years we caved to go to hall 1. We had to wait for 3 long years. But the wait was worth it. Probably that is what makes it Hall 1.
The dual degree program really sucks. I had liked to graduate from the hall 1 itself. Its nice to retire in your highs.

But hall 9 isn't that bad. Its quite new so there are not many trees around, something of which we are very used to. But all the grass makes up for it to some extent. And since it is a bit far from the main area, its quite airy. The sky also looks much clear.

It would take me some time to get adjusted in this new place. I don't like changes. At least not initially. But then I get used to them. And then I start liking them and then I don't want some other changes and the cycle goes on. This time I just hope that this change brings me some good luck and good sense. I need both of them desperately.

And finally it rained..

For a change, it was not a hot wave of wind that woke me up in the morning. It was a cool moist breeze. And few minutes later, it was raining. The much needed respite finally came. For the past few days, this was the main topic of conversation, whether in mess or with friends. There were heavy drops for few minutes and then there was a light drizzle. But it was sufficient enough to bring down the temperature. For most part of the day afterwards, it was cloudy and humid and I was feeling more comfortable outdoors than indoors.

Rest of the day was same. Though in the afternoon, I was a bit worried that all this period in idleness could destroy the remaining grey cells of my brain. So I started solving some puzzles from techinterview for the placements. And it really felt nice to exercise the mind after that long time. I have always felt that the reason I loved preparing for JEE was that it was challenging and one really had to strain his mind to reach at the solutions. All those questions of mechanics, probability, integrals were like puzzles. There was no one principle to solve all the questions. One really had to work out. And this is one thing that I hate about IIT education. Many a times, you don't even have to understand things to reach at the solution. You have a formula and you even have a calculator. And sometimes, you can't even find relation in theory and practice. I really feel that in the past 4 years, my mind has rusted.

It seems that team India is back to its old ways. The eight wicket defeat was really embarrasing. Though it could have been worst had Dhoni and RP not forged that ninth wicket partnership. Except for Dinesh Karthik, all other top order batsmen fell playing some loose shots. Jadeja again never looked good enough for the highest level. Though I still think that it would be too early to make any judgments and that he should be given few more chances. But the best part of the Indian innings was the way Dhoni batted. He was not looking fit for a T20 match, but in the ODI, his style of batting is really looking handy. It was really nice to see mails from his supporters on Cricinfo.

And after a brief haitus due to 'A passage to India', I have again started reading. This time, I am reading 'Lucky Jim'. The novel is pretty light and comic and is also listed in the Time magazine's list of 100 best novels from 1923-2005('A passage to India' was listed too but I really found that book quite boring). I am hoping to finish it in the next few days.

Thats it for today. Bye.

Solitude is vicissitude

Finally, all of them left. I had wish that the moment could somehow be delayed. I just wanted the things to remain the way they are for as long as possible. It was really depressing to see off Kush and Shanu in the morning. I think today I get to know how Mummy feels every time I come back to hostel from home.

A void has come in the life. And this solitude is biting me. All I see while walking through the wing is closed rooms. I had thought that once all of them were gone, I'll start with my studies. But I really didn't feel like studying today. The wing doesn't look the same as earlier. I am missing those frequent knocks at the door, that evening phatta, those annoying gtalk buzzes, those PJs, that spending time in other's room. I am really missing my friends. I spent my noon reading the novel and playing scrabble with Saucy on facebook. In the evening five of us went for that evening stroll. And after that it was just me, Saucy and Vatshy at my room. I got the glimpse of what the life is going to be in the fifth year. I think it will take me a day or two to get accustomed to this new environment. Its really the time to move on.

Years of joy

After four years, the dream finally ended and the eyes opened. Yes, it was a dream. There were no worries, no obligations, no duties. Just some simple and plain fun. Pranks played, jokes made, people teased. There were some wake up calls every now and then. But the sleep was too pleasant to get disturbed by these small interruptions. But the dream had to end. We knew it since the beginning. But we never realized it till the end. Not till the first of us went away. A glass broke and the pieces were scattered. And then suddenly there was emptiness. The sanctuary had been disturbed. The restlessness set in. New abode had to be found.

Some relationships are like a canvas painting. One new hand of paint and the old identity is lost. Some others are like a writing on a sand at a sea shore. With each wave, the words diminish and after some time they are forgotten. But some others are like monuments. They remain intact. You cherish its beauty. You remember it every now and then. What we build over these four years was a monument. A memorabilia for the lifetime.

Over the years, things were learned, perspectives were developed. And all this while, there was an assurance that there is someone by your side. They might not always be with you. But you can feel their presence. Its soothes you, comforts you to know that there are people who matter to you and to whom you matter, people who would bail you out in the most difficult of your times.

There were times good and bad. There were parties and there were altercations. But then, that is what life is all about. And that is what we learned. We came as boys and are now leaving as men ready to face the world ahead. And at this time of separation, the hearts are heavy. But we are determined to stay in touch. The reunions are discussed and planned. But not every plan could be materialized. People do get busy in their own life. This could well be the last time we were seeing some of them. The years of joy have finally come to an end.

Kush Sharma aka Bad** aka Transporter

His characteristics are so dominant that they have become his aliases. Kush is a package of unexpected things. On meeting him, one cannot get any idea of the person who is behind that innocent and smiling face(with a french beard). He is great cycler(can carry 2-3 people on his cycle for which he has earned the nickname Transporter), a great programmer and a great gamer(here we are 'just' talking about the computer games). He is someone who does everything in excess. When he reads, he reads like a maniac. When he watches movie, then there is nothing in his world except movies. When he sleeps, he sleeps like a dead man. His bathing and cleaning habits can disgust you. These along with his eating habits can make you wonder how this guy manages to remain in a condition he is in. As I have already said, he is a package of unexpected things. One day out of nowhere, he writes a poem. Another day, he suddenly starts chatting with some girl. And some another day, he even takes a bath. He is a great writer, a very imaginative person who comes out with some excellent one-liners from time to time. He is very friendly and helpful person. But the part that I really admire about him is that even before coming to IITK, he knew what he wanted to do. And he did whatever he could to achieve it. He could also be ranked as the most talented singer of our wing after me. Do watch out for our duets in the future :).

Aman Bhatia aka Bhatia aka Gattu

To describe Bhatia in one line, I would say that he is the personification of Little Johnny with some more brain that he uses sometimes for his studies and most of the times for devising new pranks which he plays on innocent beings who are unaware of his diabolical intentions. You just dont mess with Bhatia because he will always come back at you. To elaborate more on Bhatia his body structure and technical prowess is comparable to Dexter, his wittiness and his spontaneity is comparable to Tenaliram, his agility is comparable to Powerpuff Girls, his tendency to avoid girls is comparable to that of Superman's to avoid Kryptonite and his love for incomprehensible rock music and Chinkis will probably surpass Tendulkar's love for cricket. He is one of the best programmer and is another of the rubic's cube freak of the wing. His ability to sleep in the class is unmatchable. He will stand beside you in your times of trouble and at other times he remains busy in creating troubles for you. He is a person with infinite capabilities. A person who will always succeed in whatever he aims at. I wish you a best of luck for your future.

Vatsheel Singh ji

Please notince the extra 'ji' that I have used. Because of his personality, it becomes binding for me to use it. Here is a person who is as adamant on his opinion as 'Rock of Gibraltar'(given his love for cricket, its befitting to use some quotes from Siddhu). Here is a person who never attends a Hall day, who never ate his Sunday lunch at hall 2 and instead used to go all the way to hall 7. Here is a person who is slow than the slowest bowler and whose flight is so tantalizing that you just cant resist to stay inside your crease while facing him. He is an encyclopedia of cricket and politics. His ability to remember statistics and events is unmatchable and so is his ability to mix these things in his day to day conversations and so is his ability to debate upon these topics. He is a person with very rigid believes but not so rigid immunity :). He is a unique character in himself, unique in his talks, unique in his walk and unique in the determination and persistence that he posseses. Best of luck to you for your future.

Shantanu Maheshwari aka Shanu

Imagine a person who bathe two times a day, who smells like rose, who attends classes daily, who can bore you to death, who hates cricket like no one else and believes that commendations Tendulaker receives are over-hyped, who is very limited in his description, who fundamentally opposes PJs and lesbian-ism, who is as shy as a mouse when it comes to talking to girls, who is juvenile when it comes to handling relationships, who is as irrational as a person can get, who is cynical in his views of the world, who is as pessimistic as Holden Caulfield, who is as white as Snowhite and who is as non-imaginative as hindi cricket commentators. Now imagine a person completely opposite to this person. That is Shantanu Maheshwari for you.

Saurabh Chaudhary aka Saucy aka RedSauce

All those people who study marketing should take him up as a case study. The nickname Saucy that was chosen by him only (unlike others whose nicknames are kept by their friends) and has since then become so popular that some other people have kept their nicknames on his line. He is a rubic's cube freak. In fact, he is the person responsible for destroying life of many at IIT Kanpur by introducing cubing here. He is a die hard beatle fan. Of late, he sometimes even reply to you through their lyrics. He is a bit introvert and doesnt like to mix with people other than his friend circle. While talking to him on the phone, sometime one even wonders whether there is someone on the other side of the line or not. Thats the kind of guy Saucy is. He is a philosopher, great photographer, a novice painter and a very good writer although he writes very seldomly. And one thing which is completely unique to him is his sleep(and also his alarm clock which is awfully loud and can wake up people who are 2-3 rooms far but just cant wake up Saucy). He is always helpful, sometimes cheerful and sometimes even moody. Always shy to talk to girls. He is a jewel of a person, a friend that everyone must have.

Afroz Mohiuddin aka Afro aka Chintu

The only reason I had not written his testimonial before this was because I thought that my writing will not be able to match his deeds. Afro, doston ka dost aur dushmanon ka bhi dost. Afro, the teacher's pet. Afro, saviour of god knows how many people of Dabba department. He is a friend that one must have( and if you dont have someone like him as a friend then never miss any class, do all your assignments on time and study well before the exams). His love story(ies) could be a great inspiration for thousands of IITians who think that they are the only one without a girl. This guy is capable of entertaining you with his antics and thats why he has been nicknamd Chintu. He is passionate about cricket and remains one of the very few person whom I have seen playing phatta in kurta pyjama. For Afro, the word impossible really means i-m-possible. There is nothing that he cant do. He can study some of the most boring subjects, read some of the most seemingly non-comprehensible papers. But there are few people who sometimes wish that people like should not exist(these are the people who have same thesis guide as his :)). In all, he is a friend on whom you can blindly trust and can bank in your hour of need.

Ashank Mittal aka Asky aka CoolAsky

There probably isn't anything left on the Campus which he had not tried. He has tried to learn singing, playing guitar. He joined the French and German class. He has also been a senator. At one point of time he was doing 7 courses. All these things tell a lot about this person. He is someone who believes in trying new things. Sometimes he try things just for the sake of trying. What more to say? He is an awful sportsman, a more awful dancer(and someone seriously need to explain that to him). He has deep interest in religion and history. People who went to Khajuraho trip with him are evidence to this fact. He is also the "Debate Master". But sometimes he can test your limits with his debate. He loves leisure walk at night time. He also care a lot about his motapa. Some people call him "Safedi ki Chamkahat". But as his ex-roomie, I know that this safedi is capable of attracting myriad of girls. But inspite of that, he remains the only "Khantal putra" who is single as of now :). The testimonial would be incomplete if I dont mention his penchant for TV serials. God knows how many serials he must have watched. In fact, all the serials that I have watched are the ones that I had seen him watching. In all, this guy is daring and straightforward. A friend that one must have.

Rajiv Choudhary aka Commando

He got this nickname during our NCC days for some reason which I dont remember. But his build, his accent, his coolness just justifies this nickname. He is one of the most coolest and carefree guys and just dont worry about anything - a Jat's way of thinking. He has changed a lot since the time we came here. He has become lot more aware and confident. In fact, he has started talking to girls too(this transition came after the internship in US). He is also a great cricket enthusiast. He is one of the fastest bowlers that I have faced. There are so many things which are unique to him. The way he speaks, the way he runs, the way he laughs. He is the most hardworking of the four CSE guys of our wing. I hope he remains the way he is. Wishing you a very good luck for your future.

Sumit Agarwal aka Ha***

I will start with a very funny thing about him. The login idea that he chose for himself during our orientation period was 'sumita'. He is the eldest among all our Bhais, not only in age but also in his behaviour. Here is a guy with whom one just cant resist to be friends with. Someone who thinks about everyone, who takes care of everyone, someone with very high belief in spirituality, someone who always ponders about the purpose and meaning of life. He is an excellent cricketer, probably the best in our wing. He is someone with immense power(I know this because I have been at the receiving end at some of our friendly fights). And the best thing that I like about him is that he really understands you. He knows what you are thinking and would try his best to make you comfortable. On surface, he has a very carefree attitude but I do believe that behind it, there is a person who thinks alot about all his actions. Of late, he has earned the reputation of being the most efficient bargainer of our wing - Bargain Sumit. To sum it up, he is a friend who one cant afford to lose, someone who will always be there in the hour of need.

Rajesh Kumar Sharma aka ... aka Champs

... has a story behind it which has its origin in our first year. Before coming here, he had read Champak. And he committed the unforgetful error of telling that to our seniors just to find out that a children book became his namesake. Here is a guy whose mere existence can make someone believe in the God. Frankly speaking, the first time when I saw him, I was really surprised or rather shocked. I didn't know god made people like him. His skin was really doing a good job of keeping his body intact. I saw a person who was as thin as a human being can ever be, his eyes buried deep inside his thick specs. And with time, I knew him better and better. I came to know about a person from a small kasba of Madhya Pradesh who is always so simple and so modest. A person without any vanity, a person who is mostly introvert but who very rarely do come out of his shell. Most of the times, you can find him playing some flash games on the internet, or watchig some TV serial or a movie or otherwise sleeping. He is someone who never goes to class and can probably find million reasons for not going but inspite of that you could find people coming to his room for studying. He is someone who never looks outside his plate while eating, someone who is allergic to bath, someone who can make you smile at most unexected times with some most unexpected comments, someone whom you can always trust, someone who is truly Champs.