Ignorance is bliss

It was 10th of March, 2009. We were on our way from Gangtok to Lachung. It was late in the evening and the sun had already set in. The road was passing through the hills with rocks on one side and valley on other. There were six of us in that Tata Sumo and i was there at the back with all 4 seats to myself. Other 7 friends were in the other Sumo. Things outside could only be viewed with the help of the headlight. Otherwise the visibility was very poor. Normally when I am travelling through such a terrain, I am very apprehensive, the valley being the cause of my apprehension. What if the driver take a turn at very high speed and the car gets uncontrolled and we all fall down? Why is the driver using only one hand to steer the car? Why is he talking on his cellphone? But at that time, there was no such trepidation just because I could not see anything outside from my back seat. All I could see was the road and some plantations on its border. The fact that we were travelling through a valley was there in my mind but it didn't surface as if I was subconsciously trying to ignore it. When we were returning back, it was afternoon and I could see the deep valley which I could not that evening. All my apprehensions surrounded me again.

Ignorance can really be bliss especially when one doesn't have control over the situation. I observe the same thing after the exams also. I am one among those who really hate discussion after the exams. I mean, once you have given the paper there isn't much that you can do. So why to spoil the fun by knowing your mistakes. In any case, one gets to know about it sooner or later when the answer sheets are shown.

I don't say that I always prefer to remain ignorant. Sometimes, some things may go out of control if suitable actions are not taken at suitable time. But sometimes, I do like to defer or delay things, face them only when it becomes inevitable to avoid them. And till that time comes, I prefer to be ignorant.

Sometimes, ignorance is a veil which corners you from the sufferings of the world outside. With so much of grief in the world - wailing of a child on a street, helplessness of an elderly beggar, powerlessness of a patient in a hospital, sorrow of an indebted farmer, pain of a mutilated person- the fact that we manage a good night sleep is possible only because we prefer to remain ignorant to these worldly things which prevail in abundance. At some point of time one must have seen people shivering on roads on countless winter nights, one must have seen people who are in want of treatment but cant afford it, people who are so much consumed in their present that they cant afford to contemplate their future, people who vanish the very next moment you see them. In these times when one feels completely helpless, ignorance is everything that you have to maintain peace of your mind.

A Day In Train

I came back today from a trip to Sikkim with my wingmates (sadly the last trip with them). Needless to say, holiday with 12 of your best friends is always rocking and the ending was to some extent depressing. I just didn't want to go back to the old routine after a week of great fun . And more than that, the thought that this would possibly be the last trip with some of my best friends was dispiriting. Our return journey was by Mahananda Express and was almost 24 hours long. I really have a great liking for the train journeys. Sitting by the window, watching vast fields, wind hitting the face, hair flying in all direction, electricity wires racing along with the train - dipping slowly and rising suddenly when a pole comes, constant rumbling sound of the train, conversations between total strangers. Poori, aloo ki sabji and achaar taste better than usual. Although this time, I didn't have the luxury of eating that. We passed through West Bengal, Bihar and UP. Three of India's most populated and most poor state. Travelling through them in a sleeper class coach is an adventure in itself. At every station, retaining the seat becomes a game. Most of my train journeys have been during night and hence the sight of vast agricultural fields was a little unusual for me. In fact, never before I have seen fields so vast, stretching everywhere your eyes can see. Some of them were green, some brown and some golden. One could also see small muddy ponds created by the rainfall. Children playing in them, animals resting in them, women washing clothes, all in the same pond. In the morning time, you could also see people defecating beside the railway track. You could see huts made up of sand with the roofs made up of hay. You could see India which is far away from cacophony of the vehicles, far away from the pukka roads, far away from the cellphones and ipods. You could see India where drinking water, sanitation and electricity remains a distant dream and about which you realize only when you are passing through them and about which you forget as soon you reach the next station which is when you are again consumed in the game. The night went well as I managed to have a good sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I could see someone sleeping in between the berths, a commonplace thing for Indian railways. Its really surprising to see how train accommodate people and how people accommodate in the train. Few hours later, we were back at the Kanpur station, back to the urban rush, back to the stinky smell, back to the old routine.

Drink for Mallya

I would request all the drinkers and even the teetotalers to have atleast one drink for India's liquor barron Vijay Mallya. After all he did what the what the governtment couldn't do. In a much talked about auction in New York, he paid $1.8 million to purchase some of Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings. Its really appaling to see so much drama created for the belongings of a man who himself led a life of austerity. The reserved price for them was between $20,000-$30,000 but owing to the hype created in the media, the final price was $1.8 million. The items belonged to some James Otis, a Californian who is follower of Gandhian philosophy. Despite of him willing to pull out of the auctioning and the Indian government registering their reservations, the auctioning firm went ahead. Despite of Indian government going all the way to get Gandhi's personal items removed from the auctioning, they were finally put under the hammer. We could not stop a firm from getting the belongings of the father of our nation auctioned. Its really disgusting to see how much leverage India, the country of 1 billion people has in US.

One blog a day

Two days to go to the exams. The situation remains the same. In fact, I have now decided to write a blog every day(what a great time indeed to frame and implement new rules). I had always liked to write regularly and the only way I think I could achieve this is to make it a rule. And I think that even this much would count as a blog(so much for my rule).

Time to sign off. Bye. And if you happen to read it before 7th Feb, do wish me good luck for my exams. 

Exams are back

Exams are back. Just 4 days from now. And like all other exams that I have given during my stay at IITK, I am least prepared for this one also. And I am still not feeling any tension. Advanced Graph algorithms, Probability & Statistics  and Computational Geometry can try all the weapons in their arsenal but I know that none of them can make me study. In fact, every time exams come, I acquire some new habits. And as soon as the exam would end, these things would no longer remain my habits. Every evening, I am playing squash. I am reading articles and news more often than usual. And I am also reading English August. And the book is so cool that I really dont feel as if I am wasting my time by not studying. And the best part is that it happens every time. I am sure that most of the books I have read have been read before the exams, most of the serials and movies I have watched have been watched before the exams.

Well its just the second midsems. As I always say, endsems are still there to make up the things.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi...

"Which movie to watch yaar?" .
"We are planning to see The Day the Earth Stood Still".
We then looked at the trailer of the movie. Another one of that hollywood Sci - Fi s. Wanting for something new, I suggested Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Yes, I confess, it was me who suggested the movie). The trailer looked nice. SRK with new look, a seedha-sadha worker of Punjab Power. Then suddenly appears the much recognized and common version of him. We read the plot, we read some reviws. One of the post had compared this movie with DDLJ(I really felt like killing that SOB while watching the movie). It looked all okay and hence we gambled to watch this movie.
Since, it was the first day, we decided to go a bit early so as to book the ticket(Now, that was Kush's advice; not my fault there). There were 4 of us. Me, Kush, Lava and Guruji. We reached there by 7:30 and the show was to begin at 9:45. We had two hours to pass. We decided to go to some shops first. Guruji had to purchase some deo for himself. We went to Big Bazaar. Lava, like usual days started chatting on the telephone. We three strolled for some time but ended up empty handed without buying anything. After sometime, all four of us were back in the entrance hall, without knowing what to do. We still had hour and a half to waste, but no avenues for that. We then sat on the stone benches, "innocently" watching the passerbyes. This is the time when I hate being in Kanpur most. The mall full of people but still looking barren. Now and then, we sometime got to see some silver linings in this dark cloud but it was mostly boring. After sometime, we decided to to ate some food. We went to the food court, made our orders and then sat. This was all we could do. The court was again barren. We sat, we ate, we strolled, we chatted and somehow time passed. The show was about to begin. We headed towards the theatre. And suddenly, we found more interesting crowd. Apparently, the movie ticket had turned out to be a filter. All I would like to say is that the average feminine beauty on this side was more than the other. We went inside the hall but little did we know what fate had in store for us that evening.
The movie started. Everything was going fine. SRK was not his usual self and Anushka was looking fabulous. Now what more could we have asked for. But then, like something inevitable the movie took the natural course that all SRK movies(especially in the recent years) are destined to take. SRK back with funky T-Shirts, horrible colours. As the time was passing, Guruji who was to my right was becoming more and more restless. Poor soul, I pity him. One of the most vehement critic of the hindi movies was there with us, watching SRK movie. At this point of time, the only consolation that we had wasa Anushka. I know I have said this earlier but I 'll again say, that she was looking so gorgeous. Then came a string of songs, as always inserted without necessity. And there were we, four of us, sitting side by side, looking at each other. There were times when we were laughing, sometime because of the movie and most of the time, at the movie. It was then that I realize, why India sees highest number of movies being released every year. Apparently, the essential plot of all the movies remains the same. Only work done is that of finding a suitable screenplay, a suitable setting and some picturesque locations. Even the dialogues remain the same. After some time, one can even predict the course of the movie. Full care is being taken so as not to stress the mind of the audience with some thrilling plots or a novel story. Sometimes in between the movie, SRK cried and the crowd was crying with him. But there we were, four of us, sitting side by side, looking at each other, laughing hysterically at the movie and not by the movie. Ankur was fully frustrated. The poor chap was sitting at the rightmost seat in the beginning. The seat to the right of him was empty and remained so for quite a long time. And he was highly optimistic(I will personally call it unrealistic) about having a feminine companion while watching supposedly romantic SRK movies. He eventually ended up having a group of guys sitting beside him. The frustration inside him was rising, sometimes venting out in form of some swear words for Kush(He thought that Kush was the one who suggested the movie and I was more than happy with him thinking that).
I was actually enjoying everything. Not always you have all your friends sitting together making fun of something. The dis-staisfaction was a glue which bound us together. But then came the moment which really pushed us to our limit. There was SRK fightig a sumo wrestler, wanting to impress his wife. Needless to say, who will win the fight when its between SRK and a sumo wrestler. Then was when I started thinking what better use could I have made with the money that I had spent at the movie. I was just wondering, how four intelligent, rational and level headed guys(Yeah, its my blog and I'll take full liberty in choosing suitable adjectives) could end up watching the SRK movie and that too on the first day. It was in fact the only SRK movie for which I had pad after Dil To Pagal Hai.
But then, somehow, after what I felt like an eternity, the movie ended(obviously with a happy ending). We were the first one to get out of theatre. We had to wait sometime for the auto but finally we were there inside our dear campus. Howsoever, I may complain or fret about the movie, I actually had a nice time with my friends.
Lesson that I learnt. 1) Dont watch SRK movies on day 1. (2) Dont watch SRK movies at all. Anushka is looking real good in the movie, but if you take my advice, its still not worth watching the complete movie.

My dilemmas

Are you satisfied with the way your academic life has been going ? Did you actually achieve your childhood dream? Are you happy with what you are? Would you want to continue doing that in the future?

Whenever I ask these questions to myself, the answer which I get is a big NO. Talking about my academic life, every constituent of it is now determined by its utility in the future. As of now, I am a person with no area of interest. I can study anything which I am made to. I have been trying to forcibly develop some area of interest but after every few days, I find myself pondering over the futility of all these things. I could attribute these thoughts to the frustration that I experience due to doing things which I think are not meant for me. There is huge incongruency between what I like and what I perceive is beneficial for me. Most of the courses that I opt for are those which I think could help me get a good job. A bad grade in a subject could be disturbing as it would lower my grade points and can affect my chances for a good job. My thinking as of now is restricted to getting a good pay package at the end of my stay here. But one thing that disturbs me is would I be happy doing something in my life which I cant do even for a semester. Is this actually what I want to achieve?

I also ask myself, that can I be hold solely responsible for the attitude that I have developed? But when I see other students encountering the same problems, the same dilemmas, I fell that there is something wrong with the system itself. The system of which you and I are part of. The system which gives priority to money over the interest. The system where quality is compromised for quantity. The system in which a student is spoonfed leaving little space for ingenuity and innovation. The system where a student has to accept things as they are. The system which has destroyed curiosity, our inherent characteristic. The system in which a person is directed to do things all through his life and then suddenly expected to take decisions, all of his own. The system which has provided so many employees but very little employers.

I am still unsure of how things would turn out for me. All I wish is a fast forwarding of my life to a position where all my dilemmas are resolved.