For the past one month or so, print media has been crying foul about how poorly the preparation for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010, scheduled to be held in New Delhi in about 8 weeks from now, has been. Considering the situation as of today, where the management is reeling under criticism for financial mismanagement and general under-preparedness, only the involvement of the average Delhiite would dispel all gloom and negativity around the CWG.
The sense of pride that the ordinary citizen would usher in about hosting such a sporting spectacle would in my book ensure that the Delhi legacy would be positive, that the infrastructure created would be well harnessed and the CWG would be a success story. Right now, the ordinary citizen is not even least interested in the games. They see it as a case of misplaced priority, an exercise in opulence and a blatant attempt in nurturing a fragile sense of national pride. This attitude has to change significantly. We can make up for all glitches on the part of the officials with sheer passion for this sporting spectacle.
Among our athletes, barring a few stars, most of them require the CWG as a launching pad for their livelihoods. They have prepared for this under adverse conditions and strived day in and day out to stand up for the country. This is their only crack at stardom and it is our moral responsibility to provide it to them. A handful of corrupt individuals cannot be allowed to blight a national mission like the CWG, which is significant enough to shape opinions about India across the global sporting fraternity. God forbid, if the CWG fails, the sordid tale of Indian sport would need an epitaph. No other sporting events of such magnitude may be handed over to India anymore.
Hence it is imperative for ordinary citizens like us to stand up, get involved passionately in the games, buy tickets which are affordable and cheer for our athletes. If we can create a resonance in other Indian cities also about the CWG, it would be worth the effort. We, proud Indians, should try our best shot to protect the Shera.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Boarding Schools can be very rewarding for your child…..
In today’s world of frequent shifting of careers, job hopping and transfers, children’s education has become quite an issue to deal with. Practically speaking, it is very difficult for the child to get adjusted to a new city/environment/school every 2-3 years, and even more so for the parent who has to seek admission for their children in whichever city they end up serving.
In such a situation, Boarding Schools provide a very viable alternative to worrying parents, more often than not. They provide stability to the child growing up, provides independence to him as he is away from home, inculcates a sense of discipline, helps him make friends for a lifetime and also they relieve you from the worry of mistimed hackles of getting an admission done for your kid. The children, in many cases, enjoy their growing up a lot more in Boarding Schools. They are provided laptops where they can download movies, get skype and have regular chats with parents. Parents can also visit their child at regular intervals. At the end of the day, they become self sufficient, which is very important.
However, the downside to all this is, children may get detached from their families if they are away for too long in a faraway place. Another common dilemma that parents face is that at what age they should send their child to a Boarding School, if they do decide to do so. I guess, in today’s world, one would typically do so when the child is about 9-11 years old, when the child is mentally developed enough to look out for himself, to understand why their parents are taking such a drastic step and also to have a prescience that this would build his personality to a great extent.
Boarding Schools, or in fact hostel life also, can be tough for people who find difficult to blend in with students from different cultural backgrounds. I have seen many people in my hostel in IIT who used to isolate themselves from the crowd and get themselves locked up in their rooms. Such behaviour can induce unwanted risks also, such as a mob of students beating up one poor guy, which is not uncommon either in Boarding Schools. In such cases, parents should never ignore the child if he is wants to come back home.
As does all things in life, sending your child to a Boarding School also has its share of pitfalls, but if the child is gutsy enough, to ride through the difficult times then he can come out of that in flying colours. It is a tough decision to make, but then, life is not a bed of roses either!
In such a situation, Boarding Schools provide a very viable alternative to worrying parents, more often than not. They provide stability to the child growing up, provides independence to him as he is away from home, inculcates a sense of discipline, helps him make friends for a lifetime and also they relieve you from the worry of mistimed hackles of getting an admission done for your kid. The children, in many cases, enjoy their growing up a lot more in Boarding Schools. They are provided laptops where they can download movies, get skype and have regular chats with parents. Parents can also visit their child at regular intervals. At the end of the day, they become self sufficient, which is very important.
However, the downside to all this is, children may get detached from their families if they are away for too long in a faraway place. Another common dilemma that parents face is that at what age they should send their child to a Boarding School, if they do decide to do so. I guess, in today’s world, one would typically do so when the child is about 9-11 years old, when the child is mentally developed enough to look out for himself, to understand why their parents are taking such a drastic step and also to have a prescience that this would build his personality to a great extent.
Boarding Schools, or in fact hostel life also, can be tough for people who find difficult to blend in with students from different cultural backgrounds. I have seen many people in my hostel in IIT who used to isolate themselves from the crowd and get themselves locked up in their rooms. Such behaviour can induce unwanted risks also, such as a mob of students beating up one poor guy, which is not uncommon either in Boarding Schools. In such cases, parents should never ignore the child if he is wants to come back home.
As does all things in life, sending your child to a Boarding School also has its share of pitfalls, but if the child is gutsy enough, to ride through the difficult times then he can come out of that in flying colours. It is a tough decision to make, but then, life is not a bed of roses either!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Getting jovial with austere people requires skill……….
When you are surrounded by stolid personalities, who do not express themselves enough, who hardly put up a smile, but at the same time are nice at heart, it is difficult to stick to your natural jovial and ebullient moods. You know that they are nice human beings after all, but unfortunately have not been bestowed with as much expressions and elocution as you have been. You cannot walk away from them, because compunction stops you. In a nutshell, you are caught between the proverbial “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”.
Interestingly, another unique characteristic among these people is that once they start feeling comfortable in front of you, they start speaking and joking very spontaneously. However, the challenge is to make them open up by your friendly nature, by your openness and candour. When I face such kind of people in my life, I always try to be very free with them. I crack jokes, sometimes even about myself, so that they can shed this hesitation and come out of their shell expressing themselves. If you can give them a feeling of assurance, through your way of talking and gestures, that you don’t feel bad even at the weirdest of jokes, you can really transform even the most expressionless minds, albeit for a couple of hours at least. In the process you also get a friend/well wisher.
Initially I used to find it very difficult to talk to such kind of people. I used to get very agitated and irritated when people were lukewarm to my expressive style of speaking. With age, and maturity however I learnt that some people, even though they are very kind at heart, cannot express their feelings properly. So you have to dig their minds up for them. To be honest, I have really enjoyed doing it. From whatever I have seen of life, there is no such human being who does not like a jovial time and who does not like jokes at all. It is only that they may not take it the way you do. In that case, you have to use your oratory skills, which you have been blessed with, to understand their psyche quickly and make them express themselves in front of you.
My father was very expressive but my mom is very introvert. Both shared a very happy married life however. Similarly I am very talkative, but Kuhu is on the quieter side, although it must be said that she also possesses a very good sense of humour. There are times when she just keeps quiet for a long time over the phone, and I have to figure out words to break the deadlock. There are also times however, when we just keep on cracking jokes, keep on laughing perpetually at each others comments. If you can make a quiet guy speak up and enjoy your company, there is nothing else that is more satisfying.
At the end of it all, I feel that people having the skills to talk, laugh and to provide others with a comfort zone, should continue doing so. Who knows, you might be making the day for so many people around you, making them smile, lightening up their moods and shedding their grief. In fact, if I can make people smile, I take it as an opportunity bestowed upon me by God. Hope I can continue doing it in the years to come.
Interestingly, another unique characteristic among these people is that once they start feeling comfortable in front of you, they start speaking and joking very spontaneously. However, the challenge is to make them open up by your friendly nature, by your openness and candour. When I face such kind of people in my life, I always try to be very free with them. I crack jokes, sometimes even about myself, so that they can shed this hesitation and come out of their shell expressing themselves. If you can give them a feeling of assurance, through your way of talking and gestures, that you don’t feel bad even at the weirdest of jokes, you can really transform even the most expressionless minds, albeit for a couple of hours at least. In the process you also get a friend/well wisher.
Initially I used to find it very difficult to talk to such kind of people. I used to get very agitated and irritated when people were lukewarm to my expressive style of speaking. With age, and maturity however I learnt that some people, even though they are very kind at heart, cannot express their feelings properly. So you have to dig their minds up for them. To be honest, I have really enjoyed doing it. From whatever I have seen of life, there is no such human being who does not like a jovial time and who does not like jokes at all. It is only that they may not take it the way you do. In that case, you have to use your oratory skills, which you have been blessed with, to understand their psyche quickly and make them express themselves in front of you.
My father was very expressive but my mom is very introvert. Both shared a very happy married life however. Similarly I am very talkative, but Kuhu is on the quieter side, although it must be said that she also possesses a very good sense of humour. There are times when she just keeps quiet for a long time over the phone, and I have to figure out words to break the deadlock. There are also times however, when we just keep on cracking jokes, keep on laughing perpetually at each others comments. If you can make a quiet guy speak up and enjoy your company, there is nothing else that is more satisfying.
At the end of it all, I feel that people having the skills to talk, laugh and to provide others with a comfort zone, should continue doing so. Who knows, you might be making the day for so many people around you, making them smile, lightening up their moods and shedding their grief. In fact, if I can make people smile, I take it as an opportunity bestowed upon me by God. Hope I can continue doing it in the years to come.
Music has always been a great companion….
My love for music started when I was 3 years old. In our home, we used to play Tagore songs, Lata Mangeshkar classics, Sunil Gangopadhyay’s guitar and Manna De’s melodies among others, in our good old HMV gramophone. Besides that, we also had a Philips cassette player, where all these numbers were replayed. Due to an upbringing in such a pristine environment of traditional Indian music, I never had an opportunity or will to develop a penchant for Western Music.
In times of stress, joy, relief and sorrow, one of the major relievers for me has been Indian music. I cannot list down the songs that I like most because they are just too many in number. I have always been amazed by the pathos, romance and poignancy of Tagore songs, the sensual stimulus that it creates, and its heart-touching lyrics, which can transcend you into a different zone altogether. Over the years, there have been some truly outstanding Hindi movie songs as well by Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh. My favorite has always been Kishore, although Hemant babu’s brand of music and voice in the movie Khamoshi was just phenomenal. Songs like “Tum Pukar Lo” and “Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi” can arouse even the most stolid of minds. Among Bengali non-Tagore songs, my favorite has always been Manna De, although Shyamal Mitra and Manabendra Mukhopadhyay were also outstanding artistes in their own right. With lights switched off in your bedroom, and mellifluous voices of these great and gifted individuals filling up the melody spaces, you just forget all grief and temporarily get shifted into a different planet.
Over the last decade or so, there have also been some truly great Bollywood numbers. Sonu Nigam has just set a new level for himself and for the music industry. Alka Yagnik also had a tremendous voice and Shreya Ghosal has the potential to be the next Lata Mangeshkar. The ease, with which Shreya sang a tough song like “Mere Dholna” in the movie "Bhulbhulaiya" along with M.G Sreekumar, was truly awe-inspiring. It was special to say the least and I would certainly rate it as one of the best songs ever sung in Hindi films. Such high quality artistes force me to stop, listen to and relax at this soothing brand of music. I have also been deeply moved by Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s flute and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s santoor. Both of them had performed twice at IIT Delhi, and both had a mystic charm about their instrumentals.
I sometimes wonder what kind of nerd I would have turned myself into if I had not loved music as much as I do. I would never have been so free-minded, expressive and romantic (my fiancée says so) otherwise. I would always be indebted to my parents for having helped me to develop the ability to appreciate good quality Indian music. Music has always been a great companion alongside and has acted as a huge boost and inspiration for me under all situations, especially when I am down and out. Thank you, Indian Music.
In times of stress, joy, relief and sorrow, one of the major relievers for me has been Indian music. I cannot list down the songs that I like most because they are just too many in number. I have always been amazed by the pathos, romance and poignancy of Tagore songs, the sensual stimulus that it creates, and its heart-touching lyrics, which can transcend you into a different zone altogether. Over the years, there have been some truly outstanding Hindi movie songs as well by Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh. My favorite has always been Kishore, although Hemant babu’s brand of music and voice in the movie Khamoshi was just phenomenal. Songs like “Tum Pukar Lo” and “Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi” can arouse even the most stolid of minds. Among Bengali non-Tagore songs, my favorite has always been Manna De, although Shyamal Mitra and Manabendra Mukhopadhyay were also outstanding artistes in their own right. With lights switched off in your bedroom, and mellifluous voices of these great and gifted individuals filling up the melody spaces, you just forget all grief and temporarily get shifted into a different planet.
Over the last decade or so, there have also been some truly great Bollywood numbers. Sonu Nigam has just set a new level for himself and for the music industry. Alka Yagnik also had a tremendous voice and Shreya Ghosal has the potential to be the next Lata Mangeshkar. The ease, with which Shreya sang a tough song like “Mere Dholna” in the movie "Bhulbhulaiya" along with M.G Sreekumar, was truly awe-inspiring. It was special to say the least and I would certainly rate it as one of the best songs ever sung in Hindi films. Such high quality artistes force me to stop, listen to and relax at this soothing brand of music. I have also been deeply moved by Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s flute and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s santoor. Both of them had performed twice at IIT Delhi, and both had a mystic charm about their instrumentals.
I sometimes wonder what kind of nerd I would have turned myself into if I had not loved music as much as I do. I would never have been so free-minded, expressive and romantic (my fiancée says so) otherwise. I would always be indebted to my parents for having helped me to develop the ability to appreciate good quality Indian music. Music has always been a great companion alongside and has acted as a huge boost and inspiration for me under all situations, especially when I am down and out. Thank you, Indian Music.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Listen first, then speak…..
When somebody speaks, most people never listen. This is the root of all misunderstanding during most confabulations around us. I have always found this repugnant habit of interrupting people, when they are expressing viewpoints, very intimidating and annoying. In our corporate culture, the higher you move in responsibility, lesser you speak and more you listen and take decisions. The same thing applies in our everyday life also.
Our own Lok Sabha, where a pandemonium exists every day, is a very good example of the chaos that gets created due to too many voices being raised at the same time. It showcases our country in poor colour, which is beyond the understanding of our venerated leaders. Respected, educated leaders of our country, who are otherwise so suave on television, just lose their sense of courtesy, protocol and ethics, and start shouting simultaneously in front of a live television camera. Nobody lends an ear to the other. Everybody tries to stamp his or her authority on a discussion. That is why, rarely would you see constructive steps being taken quickly after a Parliament session on any burning issue.
During recruitment processes in various multinationals or even IIM admissions, Group Discussions (GDs) are conducted. Here, the misconception among candidates is they are being judged on how well they speak. However, in reality, the judges gauge that how well the candidates listen, how well they respect other’s opinions and eventually how well they help to build a consensus among a group of people who have different viewpoints. These qualities are of immense significance in the corporate environment.
In our personal life also, if some of our close ones are facing any problem, or they are disconsolate or depressed for some reason, the best solution is to allow them to speak and vent their grief/anger; you should not feel bad even if they shout at you. If you are trying to solve their problem, you should always keep quiet and listen first to whatever they have to say, and then give your solutions or opinions.
Good listening skills are just so important every second in our life. I have seen some excellent listeners, and I really wish that there were many more people around, who would first listen and then speak. However the problem is that these days, there are just too many experts who love to gloat around, and express opinions without caring a hoot for what the guy in front has to say. They say, that “This is the only way to build an impression.” When I hear that, I give a wry smile and walk away.
Our own Lok Sabha, where a pandemonium exists every day, is a very good example of the chaos that gets created due to too many voices being raised at the same time. It showcases our country in poor colour, which is beyond the understanding of our venerated leaders. Respected, educated leaders of our country, who are otherwise so suave on television, just lose their sense of courtesy, protocol and ethics, and start shouting simultaneously in front of a live television camera. Nobody lends an ear to the other. Everybody tries to stamp his or her authority on a discussion. That is why, rarely would you see constructive steps being taken quickly after a Parliament session on any burning issue.
During recruitment processes in various multinationals or even IIM admissions, Group Discussions (GDs) are conducted. Here, the misconception among candidates is they are being judged on how well they speak. However, in reality, the judges gauge that how well the candidates listen, how well they respect other’s opinions and eventually how well they help to build a consensus among a group of people who have different viewpoints. These qualities are of immense significance in the corporate environment.
In our personal life also, if some of our close ones are facing any problem, or they are disconsolate or depressed for some reason, the best solution is to allow them to speak and vent their grief/anger; you should not feel bad even if they shout at you. If you are trying to solve their problem, you should always keep quiet and listen first to whatever they have to say, and then give your solutions or opinions.
Good listening skills are just so important every second in our life. I have seen some excellent listeners, and I really wish that there were many more people around, who would first listen and then speak. However the problem is that these days, there are just too many experts who love to gloat around, and express opinions without caring a hoot for what the guy in front has to say. They say, that “This is the only way to build an impression.” When I hear that, I give a wry smile and walk away.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Praising people is not easy…..
Appreciating achievements or little deeds of others can sometimes get very pricky for us. In today’s world, people (even close relatives, apart from parents) are extremely envious of each other. They cannot tolerate success earned by others, especially if the other guy is supposedly as good as he/she is.
There would be many people like you and me who would spare no words in praising a genius like Sachin Tendulkar, because we know that we can never be as good as he is. However, if one of our neighbors plays even for the state side, we get jealous, and start spreading detestable rumours to malign his reputation. We feel that in spite of staying in the same locality as we have, and enjoying the same facilities as we have, how dare he play cricket well, and we can’t even hold a cricket bat.
It takes a lot of guts and courage to go out and praise people who are just like you and me. Everybody cannot do it easily. They feel insecure, they feel that “many people would anyway be praising him/her, so what is the point in my praising him/her”. They feel that “If I go and praise him/her, I would become even more inferior to him/her than ever before” and so on, and so forth. To me this is a sign of genuine weakness. People, who are mentally strong, never hold themselves back in praising others for the smallest reasons possible. In fact they enjoy doing so. Statements like “You are a very good speaker/writer/singer”; “There would be no one who would be so supportive to me as you have been”; “You have excellent sense of style”; “You are extremely jovial and humble”;“You are very polite and understanding”; “You are a very versatile individual with varied talents” etc. are very insignificant to many, but it does act as a huge source of encouragement to others, and also in no way make you inferior. It only highlights the fact that you are a very sound-minded individual who is willing to accept the success of others without any hitch.
So, even if you think that you are very good at something, but people do not praise you enough, do not prevent yourself from praising others. The holy books say that all of us are creations of God, and if you have the courage to praise others for the good qualities they possess or some good thing that they have done, you would be praising God. So unleash yourself from this bond of jealousy and insecurity and praise at least one person a day. Also remember, that life is like a wavy ocean where you would definitely get back what you give.
There would be many people like you and me who would spare no words in praising a genius like Sachin Tendulkar, because we know that we can never be as good as he is. However, if one of our neighbors plays even for the state side, we get jealous, and start spreading detestable rumours to malign his reputation. We feel that in spite of staying in the same locality as we have, and enjoying the same facilities as we have, how dare he play cricket well, and we can’t even hold a cricket bat.
It takes a lot of guts and courage to go out and praise people who are just like you and me. Everybody cannot do it easily. They feel insecure, they feel that “many people would anyway be praising him/her, so what is the point in my praising him/her”. They feel that “If I go and praise him/her, I would become even more inferior to him/her than ever before” and so on, and so forth. To me this is a sign of genuine weakness. People, who are mentally strong, never hold themselves back in praising others for the smallest reasons possible. In fact they enjoy doing so. Statements like “You are a very good speaker/writer/singer”; “There would be no one who would be so supportive to me as you have been”; “You have excellent sense of style”; “You are extremely jovial and humble”;“You are very polite and understanding”; “You are a very versatile individual with varied talents” etc. are very insignificant to many, but it does act as a huge source of encouragement to others, and also in no way make you inferior. It only highlights the fact that you are a very sound-minded individual who is willing to accept the success of others without any hitch.
So, even if you think that you are very good at something, but people do not praise you enough, do not prevent yourself from praising others. The holy books say that all of us are creations of God, and if you have the courage to praise others for the good qualities they possess or some good thing that they have done, you would be praising God. So unleash yourself from this bond of jealousy and insecurity and praise at least one person a day. Also remember, that life is like a wavy ocean where you would definitely get back what you give.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My last few days at IIT Delhi……
As I had waxed eloquent in one of my earlier posts about how eventful my first day at IIT Delhi was, so was my last couple of weeks or so. The final thesis presentation for my MTech dissertation was over and it was time to start packing my bags. I was about to complete the two most eventful, enjoyable, confidence-developing and self-exploring years of my life.
The real fun during this time was the parties we got involved thereafter. One evening our juniors decided to give us a “Grand Farewell Party”. About 50 boys and girls (2 batches combined) went out at 6.30 in the evening to have a bash. We deliberately chose a restaurant nearby so that we could walk, and have loads of fun on the way, and we did. The consternation on the faces of people passing by was very apparent. They were not used to seeing that big a gang of young mavericks thronging the streets of Delhi. There were some girls who were exhorting the rest of us to take it a little easy but, that day there was no stopping us. We played dumb-charades, had a sumptuous meal and walked back to the campus again. From 10.30 pm we started sharing all our experiences with juniors, including crushes, secret affairs, tough profs, tricks of bringing good grades and of course IIT life. Some girls blushed. It was an evening truly well spent.
A couple of days later, the director of IIT Delhi threw a gala dinner party for all outgoing students. In the hot May evening, I had the audacity to wear a suit. Some of my friends opined that I was trying to have my last shot at impressing the opposite sex, I had no comments however! Nidhi, who was one of the more presentable girls in our class, wore a saree, and she was looking really hot. I could not say so at her face however, but she smiled gauging my thoughts I guess.
A day before we were about to depart, we decided to throw a party to our juniors, as part of our “Job Treat Celebrations”. Similar to the Farewell party, we walked our way to another restaurant, and on our way back had ice-creams at Baskin Robbins at 11 pm. The lawns of IIT Delhi were craving for a protracted “masti” session. That day the demand was for a musical extravaganza; I took the lead. Kishore Kumar came alive 20 years after his death , romance was overflowing on a perfect full moon day on the fully manicured IIT lawns through mellifluous voices. Nobody wanted to stop – audiences and performers alike. There were about 20 songs that were sung, 3 dance numbers, and a couple of “shayaris” elocouted. When we left towards our hostels, laughter was shielding tears in 100 eyes. It was a special evening – one of the best that I have spent in my life.
In the interim all our other activities like No-dues submissions and Hard Bound Project Copy submissions had been done. Some of us including myself, also had to draft a technical paper for publication for the MTech thesis that we had worked on.
Finally the day came when we had to board the respective trains to our hometowns. It was the 03rd of June 2007. Three of my friends left in the afternoon and I went to see them off at the station. I left the campus at 3.30 pm. Sealdah Rajdhani Express was scheduled for departure at 4.35 pm from New Delhi Railway Station. When I left my parents two years back I did not flinch one bit. Howver, when the auto took me out of the IIT campus for the last time, I could not assuage the child within me, who was sobbing. The poignancy of the whole situation was heart-breaking. I knew that my parents would be waiting to receive me after two long years but I also knew that I would never enter IIT Delhi as a student again.
The real fun during this time was the parties we got involved thereafter. One evening our juniors decided to give us a “Grand Farewell Party”. About 50 boys and girls (2 batches combined) went out at 6.30 in the evening to have a bash. We deliberately chose a restaurant nearby so that we could walk, and have loads of fun on the way, and we did. The consternation on the faces of people passing by was very apparent. They were not used to seeing that big a gang of young mavericks thronging the streets of Delhi. There were some girls who were exhorting the rest of us to take it a little easy but, that day there was no stopping us. We played dumb-charades, had a sumptuous meal and walked back to the campus again. From 10.30 pm we started sharing all our experiences with juniors, including crushes, secret affairs, tough profs, tricks of bringing good grades and of course IIT life. Some girls blushed. It was an evening truly well spent.
A couple of days later, the director of IIT Delhi threw a gala dinner party for all outgoing students. In the hot May evening, I had the audacity to wear a suit. Some of my friends opined that I was trying to have my last shot at impressing the opposite sex, I had no comments however! Nidhi, who was one of the more presentable girls in our class, wore a saree, and she was looking really hot. I could not say so at her face however, but she smiled gauging my thoughts I guess.
A day before we were about to depart, we decided to throw a party to our juniors, as part of our “Job Treat Celebrations”. Similar to the Farewell party, we walked our way to another restaurant, and on our way back had ice-creams at Baskin Robbins at 11 pm. The lawns of IIT Delhi were craving for a protracted “masti” session. That day the demand was for a musical extravaganza; I took the lead. Kishore Kumar came alive 20 years after his death , romance was overflowing on a perfect full moon day on the fully manicured IIT lawns through mellifluous voices. Nobody wanted to stop – audiences and performers alike. There were about 20 songs that were sung, 3 dance numbers, and a couple of “shayaris” elocouted. When we left towards our hostels, laughter was shielding tears in 100 eyes. It was a special evening – one of the best that I have spent in my life.
In the interim all our other activities like No-dues submissions and Hard Bound Project Copy submissions had been done. Some of us including myself, also had to draft a technical paper for publication for the MTech thesis that we had worked on.
Finally the day came when we had to board the respective trains to our hometowns. It was the 03rd of June 2007. Three of my friends left in the afternoon and I went to see them off at the station. I left the campus at 3.30 pm. Sealdah Rajdhani Express was scheduled for departure at 4.35 pm from New Delhi Railway Station. When I left my parents two years back I did not flinch one bit. Howver, when the auto took me out of the IIT campus for the last time, I could not assuage the child within me, who was sobbing. The poignancy of the whole situation was heart-breaking. I knew that my parents would be waiting to receive me after two long years but I also knew that I would never enter IIT Delhi as a student again.
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