Surprise..!!

Good to see that after more than 2 years, my blog still exists... I wish I could devote time to update it on a regular basis, but for the time-crunch. Nevertheless, will try to update as and when I get time...

Finally.......!!!

Finally...out of the grind I get!!
Yes...the Engineering grind...4 charming years(m proud to say..ONLY(!) 4)...
More on that coming soon...
Enjoy!!! ;-)

Reality B(i)ytes!!!

"So turant apne mobile uthaiye and vote for....."
This has perhaps, in the recent times, been the most spoken sentence on Indian television.Hosts (and Hostesses!!! (wink) ) of all genres have hammered the TV audiences to the extent that they have no other choice left but to involuntarily send an SMS or two!!!
As far as I can remember, it all started with a singing talent hunt that was carried out nationwide by a famous music channel(yup...you guessed it right!) and since then....the concept of 'reality shows' has gripped the nation like anything.It has even gone further to uproot the much established 'saas-bahu' operas that thronged the daily prime-time of nearly every private channel in the ratrace for hyping their TRPs.
Needless to say,'Indian Idol' was the icing on the cake.The format of the show (though it was firangi) had hit the sweet-spot of the young and old. The fate of Abhijit Sawant,the first ever Indian Idol,was an epitome of the typical "rags-to-riches" story.The glamour that such shows promised the youngsters had them drooling, even to the extent of running away from their homes to participate in what they thought was an 'ideal platform' for their dreams.
Since the inception of 'Indian Idol', reality shows have flooded the television, each one offering more than its counterparts. The hunt has been for various wierd, but exciting purposes. Some of them hunted for the 'best celebrity dance couple' ,while others for the 'best celebrity singer' (eeek...now that was a FLOP SHOW!!!Just a filler though.)
Much has been talked about whether such talent hunts really fit the bill. The truth is that 'raw' struggle, that was previously restricted to 'begging for chances', was now replaced by a more sophisticated and 'packaged' one. Though the understanding of the essence of 'struggle' would be on the lesser side, nonetheless, it's a struggle in it's own way. And more so because the fate of these participants is unnecessarily left in the hands of the 'junta'. Though the selection has been spot-on till now in every case,once the 'junta' comes to know of its 'powers', results won't be that good, I guess!! :-)
Struggle or not, talent always proves its mettle once it gets a platform. Such shows no doubt prove to be the launching pads for many a hopeful, but delegating the decision-making process to the people can prove to be costly.Till that time, get used to the contestants begging for Votes day in and day out!!!
NJOI :-)

Phewwww.....!!!!!

The ordeal is finally over!! My exams are a 'recent past' now (and I won't like to comment on how 'great' this 'recent past' has been!!!!) Nonetheless, it's that time of the year that I like the most - winters coupled with loads of free time!!
Now I will try to update this place as frequently as I can.Hope you enjoy reading the stuff over here.
Auf Wiedersehen!!!

The SMSes I liked.

Most of you must have read them somewhere but for those who haven't read them, here are a few SMSes I liked. I liked them in the sense that they immediately sparked off in me an unexplained feeling of how life is so fragile for some people.
Even though I myself haven't been in the situations described in these SMSes (till date.....and fingers crossed!!!;-)), they have touched me somewhere deep down.

Dil ke dard ko koi bedard kya jaane,
Pyar ki rasmon ko zamaana kya jaane,
Hoti hai taklif kitni kabr mein,
Woh upar se phool rakhnewaale kya jaane.


Kisi dhadakte dil ke peeche koi baat hoti hai,
Kisi udaas chehre ke peeche koi yaad rahti hai,
Aapko pata hi nahi hota ki aapki har khushi ke peeche hamari fariyaad hoti hai


Hum lafzon se kuch bhi izhaar nahi karte,
Iska matlab ye nahi ki hum tujhe pyaar nahi karte,
Chahte hai hum tujhe aaj bhi par,
Teri soch main apna waqt bekaar nahi karte.
Tamasha na ban jaaye kahi mohabbat hamari,
Isiliye apne dard ko aashkaar nahi karte,
Jo kuch mila hai usi mein khush hai hum,
Tere liye khuda se takrar nahi karte.
Par kuch to baat hai teri fitrat mein zaalim,
Warna tujhe chahane ki khata baar baar nahi karte.

Aapke mehfil ka mausam suhana lage,
Ek pal chura loon agar bura na lage,
Aap hume milkar bhool jaoge,
Par aapko bhoolne mein shaayad zamaana lage.

NJOI!!

PLs - The Engineer's Nightmare!! Or is it?

PL- Synonymous with the world of engineering, these two letters remind engineering students of hell (at least me!!)Simply put, PLs are those two periods of the year where non-engineering people enjoy to the fullest while engineers-to-becompletely bull-slog!
Because of the semester patterns, the ritual of exams land up twice in a year...and engineers fall prey to this 'double trouble'!Never prepared for the entire 4 months available, engineers start the preps right in the PLs. Unfortunately, these are the same periods when festivities and celebrations of all shapes and sizes throng the calender. So in the summers, while everyoneis 'making hay while the sun shines', engineers literally 'burn the midnight oil'! The winters are no exception, with the early morning snuggle under the warm blanket enjoyed blissfully by non-engineers while engineers shiver it out in the early morning chill.....unforutnate!!!
Nevertheless, this is the same period when students learn how to lead a life that is not roses all the way.They understand the real worth of time and the importance of doing things in a systematic manner.Discipline is automatically imbibed inthem and the seeds of hard work are sowed here itself! Not to mention the priceless moments spent with close pals that always rev up the tired and outdone minds. The late night coffee, outings at odd hours and the junk food....all spice up the PL life in a way that perhaps nothing does it!!And after all this, when the results show up good, all that was done in the PL suddenly starts seeming so fruitful! Of coursethe results don't always speak good!For some who haven't really acquired the technique of studying in PLs, engineering life continues to be a nightmare!!!
PLs are an inseparable part of Engineering, I feel!!
NJOI!!! ;-)

Rain Rain Go Away...!!!!

Splash.....!!!!Yet another vehicle has passed me.....squirting whatever was left in that big pool of mud by the roadside. This is not the first time that this has happened. I have scorned at many a bus and truck drivers for doing this....but .....I think they all were deaf.......or probably....I didn't shout loud enough!!!!! ;-)
This year the rains have been ruthless....literally ruthless. They have surpassed all previous known and unknown records of downpours....they have thrown normal life out of gear.....they have been killing people ....and are continuing to do so...both mentally and eternally!
What has been the most surprising thing for me this season is that people that have been affected by the rains have for no obvious reasons started to voice their opinions against the government (this again is not a new thing to be said, but it has been at its peak this year!) C'Mon people....will you always rely on government's disaster management policy? (....uhh!what's that??? ;-)) Is there no such thing as your personal disaster management poicy? Did the rains warn the government that it would wreak havoc this year? Forget the rains...if ever you are hit by an earthquake.....don't tell me you are going to blame the govt. for that!!!! And then just out of political pressure, the govt. shells out large sums of money for relief mangement...needless to say that even a quarter of it doesn't reach the needy. And people...where does this money come from? From govt. servants of course. They are the ones who are fined each time such a calamity occurs.....sometimes (read as 'most of the times'!!!)unnecessarily!
Ok...enough of the govt. hail.A few things worth mentioning that they have not done at all.....the roads.....no preplanning goes into this department.It's only after the rains start and the roads get all roughed up that they start patching it up....only to rough it up again after a few (2 to 3!!!!!)days. They have been totally caught off guard in terms of health care as far as proper supply of medicines is concerned.....at least that's what the case was a few days ago. (That's it!! can't think of anything else right now ;-) )
People have had enough of rains this year.....dams are full.....even above danger levels at times. They simply want it to stop now.
It has affected life so much that I've heard schools all over Pune have been promoting the song "Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day". ;-) And they have banned songs like "Yere Yere Pavsa"!!!
True, Very True!!!!!!
E N J O Y ! ! !