Friendship
Here is one of the best articles on frienship i came across...its about the various roles a friend plays:
A friend plays eight vital roles, they are:
1.
Builders : Those who motivate you to achieve more
2.
Champions: Those loyalists who stand up for you
3.
Collaborators: Those with similar intersts
4.
Companion: Those classic friends whom you call first with your news
5.
Connectors: Those who introduce to others
6.
Energisers: Those who give you a boost when you are down
7.
Mind Openers: Those who expand your horizons
8.
Navigators: Those who you go to for advice
I hope your friends possess these qualities..
Happy new year.
A travelogue - Ranchi, Kolkata and Chennai ( A long one)
Hi everyone again,
This blog is on my trip to Ranchi, Kolkata and Chennai....hope you like it.
The main purpose of this journey was to go to our (me and my family) Guru's Ashram in Ranchi.
JOURNEY TO KOLKATA
December 23rd, 8:55 P.M
The first leg of the journey began, with our train, Nilgiris express leaving for Chennai. My family and me was really excited that this dream trip was finally materializing! We hardly could wait for the next day.
We reached Chennai early next morning and directly booked a room at a nearby hotel (called "PICNIC HOTEL") and refreshed ourselves. Since our flight to Kolkata was scheduled for departure only at 4:30 pm, I had to kill a lot of time till then. While the rest of my family was already getting into the mood for meditation, I could hardly wait for the take-off (Thats because it had been 13 years since I last flew... i had forgotten how it actually felt to travel in a plane). I slept for a lot of time and after getting up, did the last bits of messaging I could do before I got charged at Kolkata.
Finally, after having our lunch at a nearby restaurant, we left for the airport. Though we were early, the feeling of waiting for 2 hours vanished from my mind as soon as i caught the sight of a plane taking off! Whou, i was damn thrilled, especially when I saw a Jumbo 747 cargo carrier land on the runway....it felt like the best thing I've ever seen.
In some time, we learnt that our flight had been delayed by an hour or so. This felt like a death-shock to us, as we had to catch a connecting train on the same night from Kolkata to Ranchi. Thats when i nicknamed Air-Deccan to "Air-Dhakkan", you can never trust the scheduled timings with this airline! Since, we could do nothing but hope for the best, my Dad started praying, while I was getting tense. So I decided to explore the airport. The airport felt like paradise, equipped with all the latest stuff to keep the passengers entertained while waiting for the plane.
My dad's prayers worked! The incoming flight had landed earlier than the estimated delay. Wasting no time, we queued up for the flight and in no time were inside the plane. I was most thrilled on getting inside the plane, I felt like a small kid totally having an ice-cream for the first time! The moment the plane took-off, I could feel a lot of adrenaline in me....whou, the Geforces...thats when u get a faint idea how a formula one racer feels on the driver seat!
The flight journey was really nice....the air-hostess made it nicer! :)
Incidently, where my Dad and me were seated was where the emergency exit was placed. Though we carefully listened to the instructions regarding operating the emergency exit, we were confident that we wouldn't need to use it. The sight from air was splendid, we could see the coastline of India as we flew over the Bay of Bengal.
ARRIVAL AT KOLKATA
After two hours of flight, we arrived at Kolkata at 7:30 pm, a place much cooler than Chennai (only from the weather point of view!). We were a bit nervous, because we thought that the railway station was around 50 kilometres from the airport, and getting there in time in Kolkata traffic would be difficult. We hired a taxi. Initially I thought that the bad roads were just a part of a city, but then, later I learnt that i was wrong! The whole city looked like a "Mega-Slum". Every road looked like a dirty street worthless of having a name.
If you're a citizen of Coimbatore, you'd be scared to death the way the drivers drive around the town....everything feels like a near-miss! One notable thing in Kolkata "Roads" was that the drivers hardly use their headlights. Though initially I looked totally crazy, it started to make much sense later. The driver told us that no one found the need to use the headlights...the streetlights were doing their job well! Talk about energy conservation!
Atlast, we were at the railway station, 1 hour earlier. Thanks to Adbul Kalam's visit that we ended up landing at Kolkata on a Christmas eve sunday, when the roads were totally deserted. Later we realized that we were under a misconception that the railway station was 50 kms from the airport, while it was only 25!
THE LAST LEG OF THE JOURNEY
At the railway station, we were royally looted by a porter who demanded 150 bucks for carrying our luggage to the platform. Though me and my dad resisted the porters "help", my mom was reluctant that the porter carried the luggage. So we bargained with the porter and he finally agreed for 80 rupees. Even this was a big mistake. The platform was hardly 75 metres away and 80 rupees was way too much for just 4 puny baggages! I suggest that its better to carry your own luggage than ask a porter to do the job...they'll take you for a ride if they learn that you're an outsider!
After a brief dinner at the railway station, we boarded the train. Thanks to mom that we booked an A.C coach (It was actually cooler outside the coach and what we really wanted was some warmth!). We learnt from our fellow passengers that the weather at Ranchi was really cold, around 8 degrees or so in the morning and a max temperature of 15 degrees...that is COLD! So, well prepapared with sweaters, we slept peacefully after a day that felt like the "world's most amazing race"! Just before sleeping, we thought how everything turned out in our favour right from the morning. After thanking the Almighty, we finally took a nap.
Next morning, precisely at 6 am, we reached Ranchi. Only after getting out of the train did we realise how true our fellow passengers were regarding the weather. It was freezing cold! The Ashram being very close to the railway station, we hired two cycle rikshaws. The rikshaw driver looked like a frail old man, pedaling with all his might uphill in bitter cold! In 5 minutes we were within the premises of the ashram.
Days at the Ashram
Christmas Day
Though it was really cold at Ranchi, we could feel the warmth of our Guru in the Ashram. We were greeted by one of the Sevaks, Mr. Panda and were given a room with four 4-poster beds equipped with mosquito nets. Not wasting much time, we refreshed ourselves and got ready for the morning session of meditation. I couldn't really meditate as I was feeling sleepy after the night travel. After the meditation session, delicious breakfast awaited us. We went to the central kitchen and what we had over there, felt like food from the Heavens itself! The food, though very simplistic, had a divine taste....we could feel that it had been made with a lot of love. We relished each and every bit of it in total silence, after which we headed for our room and took bath.
Since Jesus Christ is considered as one of the Gurus, we celebrated Christmas in a very grand manner. There were bhajans, Pushpaanjali and swamijis all around. The whole atmosphere was so spiritually charged that it was hard for our minds to waver around! After this session, we were roaming around the Ashram. Everything here looked really beautiful, there were blossoms all around....an attribute to the spiritual vibrations that prevailed there. We enjoyed every little moment in the Ashram. Even in the smallest things, we could see the miracle of God.
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The Christmas Celebrations
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The Ashram
The Ashram looked just like the way one would picture it to be after reading jataka tales or the like. It was so full of trees, that it was hard to find a place without shade (but we were in search on sunlight at the moment....it was really cold!).
The trees not only bore flowers, but also delicious fruits. A famous Lichi tree in the Ashram under which the Guru preached the lessons, was a sight of attraction, there was something special about it. There were a lot more things in the Ashram worth a mention like the Japanese ponds, bamboo trees, the vegetable gardens, etc. One must go there to find out how it really feels.
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Dad and Sis near the Goshala
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We were taken care of like an infant that had to be attended time to time. It was not only because of the environment that the whole atmosphere was spiritually charged, but also due to the presence of great swamijis. We were lucky to get close to one Swami Pavitrananda. Just being in his presence made us really happy.
So, just like that, the four days at Ranchi came to an end in no time.....good times don't last long. We felt really bad, that we had to leave the Ashram, the Divine company, the Delicous food....
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The lichi tree
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Anyways, everything has to come to an end!
My mom, Me, Dad and Swami Pavitrananda
On the fourth night, ie on the 28th, we boarded the train to Kolkata.
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A blossom at Ranchi(left) and Smriti Mandir (right)
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Mom, Guiga ( a brazilian devotee), me, Dad (left) and The Cabbage garden (right)
The Day at Kolkata
We arrived early in the morning at Kolkata and headed directly for the Ashram. The Ashram is situated at Dakshineshwar on the banks of river Ganga. The Ashram contrary to the rest of the city felt like heaven. There was a wonderful pond which housed a lot of eels, again great blossoms, etc.
Having arrived late, we missed the Meditation session, and directly had our breakfast. Soon after breakfast, we refreshed ourselves, and left for some places at Serampore in Kolkata which were of great significance to our Guru.
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The pond at Kolkata with the eels
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We came back to the Ashram, had our lunch left for one of my father's old friend's place at Kolkata. Again, during the whole journey, I could see only a Trashcan of a Kolkata. The "roads" were highly congested, with trams adding to the traffic jams. The buses looked like they have never been upgraded since India's Independance! I pitied the condition in which people were living in this place.
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The view of the ganges from the Kolakata Ashram
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We finally arrived in the business area of Kolkata, where my dad's friend was staying. After a brief rendezvous, we headed for the Airport. On the way, we had our dinner at Haldiram's. Though we were getting late, I sneaked a few Rosso Gulas, Sondesh. Only on the way to Airport, i could see some really nice sights. This was "New Town Kolkata" which was built especially for IT buildings. Only when I feasted my eyes on these buildings, I realized why people still leave here!
Again at the airport, we found that the flight was delayed by four hours! Thanks to Air-Dhakkan! The plane took off at 11:35 pm and we were in Chennai at 1:20 am.
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The Dhyana Mandir at Kolkata Ashram
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The Ancient buses at Kolkata (left) and Our family with my father's friend at his office
The Grand Finale- Coming full circle from Spiritual to Material
After arrival at Chennai, we directly headed to my cousin's place...where we are welcome any time. We reached there at 2:30 am, and despite the hour, we were greeted with so much warmth by my Aunt and Uncle, we instantly felt we're home! We slept immediately without wasting much time.
In the morning, we had a lot of fun at my cousin's. Incidentally, it was my cousin's grandfather's 80th birthday....so we were in for some serious celebrations!
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Mom and sis at Hotel Green Park
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We went to a Hotel Green Park at Chennai. The ambience at the hotel made us feel like we were in a different kind of a heaven! There was celebration in the air. One notable thing about my aunt (named Radha) is that she's a really trendy kind of a person, but at the same time a really loving person at heart. She won the first prize for best dance, at the same hotel on the new year eve. Being with her, one would forget all their worries! (talk about similarities between the spiritual and material people!)
After some great partying and mouth-watering dinner, we thanked our hosts and left for good ole coimbatore!
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My familia with Radha Athai
At dawn, we were back to our own place! And again, it was a new year eve. Since I had already had my part of fun, I didn't feel like going out for parties...though I met my classmates at an ice-cream parlour.
This new year, though distinct from the others, was the most memorable one in my life. Even after coming home, we are so spiritually charged, it feels like we've carried the Ranchi ashram with us!
Kalam's Presence in CIT....Do you think it would have had any effect in our college??
Preparations for Pres. Kalam's visit"Semester exams are postponed da" said one of my friends to me. I didn't really trust this guy, and said "Nice try, but you'll have to try harder to scare me"
"I'm not kidding, I'm serious, Kalam is visiting our college!"
"Really? When is he coming?"
"On the 18th, so exams are postponed!"
I didn't know how to react....on one hand, i was really excited that the president is going to visit our college and on the other hand, i was shocked as our tickets were already booked (one of the most memorable trips in my life...about which you will find in the next blog).
Well, I eventually turned out to be a blessing in disguise later. The exams were ending on the 22nd (for Mechanical students) so we rescheduled our departure to the 24th.
During the exams, one notable thing anyone would have seen in our college was, our college getting a much deserved face lift after a long duration....my guess is that this was the first time, they were repainting and relaying the roads in our college after its opening back in 1956, talk about golden jublee celebrations! Well, thats not it, The champion of most of the Indian students, The President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was going to be present in the celebrations....and later during the night there was a bigger surprise for those who longed for entertainment.
Arrival of the PresidentCome 18th of December,
I was not really excited when i woke up in the morning...it felt like just another day. I went to the college around 2 pm as the roads were going to be blocked to make sure, Kalam had a safe journey within the city. I was just languishing around in the college till we were allowed inside the makeshift tent. To my surprise, the temporary setup was pretty impressive with a lot of screens to aid everyone to have a closer look at whatever was going on, on the stage. The whole college was decorated with a lot of flashy lights to enhance its beauty (beauty of our college otherwise is almost zero, except for the trees) and was an eye candy to everyone (noone had seen our college like that before, we were rather familiar with a college that looked like a giant trashcan with a lot of weeds!)
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NOTHINGThe Makeshift Stadium(right) and The projection screen(left)Being a first year student, it wasn't really nice to sit in the last rows, with the stage around 150 metres away from us. We could see our seniors having fun in front of us, while we were supposed to muffle our enthusiasm.
After an hour's waiting, we could see Kalam's chopper landing at the airport, after which we had to do another hour's waiting, while he attended some other function elsewhere at R.S. Puram.
Finally, the hour of arrival!
A Boring speech by the hosts
I could see a lot of excitement in everyone's faces, probably 3 hours of waiting was worth it. As soon as Kalam arrived, the national anthem was played. As usual you cannot expect the Chief guest to speak right away, the chairman and his brother started boasting that our college was built in accordance with the standards of Massachusettes Institute of technology! This was one joke, that made me laugh the whole night! CIT is nowhere in comparison with MIT (which is the best in the world for Engineering sciences), nevertheless, i should appreciate the guts that these two people had to say such a piece of crappy information right in front of the President!
An Enlightening speech on Deaf Ears
Kalam finally got his chance to speak (we were finally awakened from our slumber when we heard that The president was going to speak next). As usual, his speech was great. He started off with his trademark "Vanakkam". His speech was simply inspirational, and everyone nodded to whatever request he made to us. Little did Kalam know, that most of the students of CIT have a wind tunnel in their heads! What goes through one year, comes out through the other....simple! An attribute this fact is:
Kalam asked us to repeat a seven point affirmation...something like an oath...of which one of the points was on cleanliness, keeping the country clean.
In no time after Kalam's departure, everyone moved towards the food stall. All that one could see was a crazy crowd that looked like a mob revolting against something. There was total disorderliness and plates were just thrown here and there. Everyone was fighting for food and in the process, there was a huge dust cloud which affected a lot of people, one of the victims being me....I had to inhale a lot of dust! Talk about "Keeping the country clean!"
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Litter all over the place!!
Well, what can I say. Its only upto us to take whatever good one gives....(I'm happy i'm one of those who can do that!)
The surprise concert
After Kalam's short visit, we took our seats getting ready for the next event. After some boring songs by an orchestra, there was a surprise! Hariharan had come suddenly into the picture. Everyone had totally lost it now! There were whistles, cheers, claps all over the place. I too was excited.
This time, there was no stopping us. We sat in the front. My yearmates looked as though they were drunk...partying mood was really into them. As I didn't feel like dancing, i sneaked front, which was reserved for VIPs....later in the night, i got to sit on chairs with cushions.
Hariharan's renditions were good in their own point of view. Since I am aversed to "Dappanguthu" songs, I really didn't enjoy myself as i expected to. There were a few songs like Yaadein and Tu He Re which grabbed my attention. For most other songs, i had to plug my ears with my handkerchief. It was really nice to see everyone dance, especially the first years who had totally forgotten that they had an exam the day after! After a marathon of a concert, it finally ended at 1:30 in the morning...talk about concert timings!
Mission Escape
After the concert, obviously it was too late for me to go home by bus. Anticipating that this would happen, I was prepared to stay overnight at the hostel. Only when everything got over, did i realize that day-scholars were not allowed to stay at the hostel! Oh my God, what to do? Well, being my daring self, I took the chance of sneaking into the hostel without the watchman noticing me. This was the first part of the mission....and it was easy as the night watchman hardly knew anyone in the hostel.
Hariharan's concert though boring for me, was a blessing in disguise. Because of the late night concert, the attendance in the hostel was not taken on that night. I slept in Bino's room. He's one of my close friends back at CIT. He gave me his bed to sleep and another guy gave me his sweater (it was really cold and was hard to sleep without a blanket).
Next morning, i woke up pretty early just because of sheer nervousness. I was aware of what would happen if the watchman found out that I had stayed overnight...probably I'd be sued for life! I woke up Bino, and he orchestrated my exit. Every minute felt like an hour while planning the escape. It felt like movies wherein, the thieves escape the police by God's grace!
Bino- The guy who helped me escape
I followed whatever this guy told me to do, and finally I was out of the hostel! Haaaaaaaaa....a sigh of relief! I left the college and succesfully reached home.
That brings an end to a memorable night!
One Semester down....Seven more to go....
Yea, you heard me right...one semester down!
As everyone may ask (especially the ones still in school and the oldies), "Semester exams are really important....why aren't you studying?", I guess they seriously need to change their views on this topic. Semester exams was just a cakewalk...i guess i can get a decent grade even without studying!
As for the standards of the paper at CIT, I would rate it 6/10.....questions were pretty easy and didn't need much of a thinking...anyway, this is one of the worst topics to talk about....just a warmup blog after a break! :)
One thing i'm worried about is my second language in my second sem....i don't know if i'll be able to pick german, thanks to my IIT trip (my internals are down!) and a special thanks to one of the worst English "teachers" I've ever seen!
My next post will be much better! Talking about my college is the easiest thing to do...cuz bullshitting is easy! :)
Back to Blogging!
Hey guys,
I'm sorry for not posting anything in my blog....it was rusty for a very loooooooong time...I guess from this new year, you can expect more frequent posts from me.
It is not because I didn't have anything to write that my blog was not updated, but due to lack of time....(nowadays i spend way too much time on orkut!).
There have been a lot of events that have taken place of late which need a mention, like My semester exams, Kalam's and Hariharan's Visit to our college, my trip to Ranchi and Calcutta and lots of other events....probably I'll write about them in the following posts.
Initial days at College
4th August 2k6
After going through the usual counselling crap and a hectic day at CIT on the 3rd(admission day and Orientation crap, which was about 3 hours of bullshit) the long awaited day was finally here!
This time, no big enthusiasm in waking up...rather get up lazily cuz i knew that college starts only around 8:30 and it was way late compared to my school timings (7 am to 1:40 pm). Avinash and I were ready to go to college after a looooong walk the previous day( discussing what would be in store for us).
My dad dropped us both at lakshmi Mills at around 7:45 A.M, we thought what a great day, we would be in time, no scoldings etc etc. But things were not to happen in this wonderland like way. The busses kept on coming but it was crowded (beyond the brim) and it was really hard to even keep a foot on the lowermost step. So we kept on waiting for the "Next bus" to come.....but then we learnt that the case is the same with any bus, be it a '2' or a '13'.
So we got in the following bus with whatever little energy we had, and by the time we reached college, we were drenched in sweat (what a waste of time in ironing my clothes). We reached CIT bus stop at 8:30 sharp.
I hurried to my room, and got in without any problems. But on the other hand, Avinash had to endure scoldings right in the first hour from his Civil Engg teacher on the grounds that he was late by 3 minutes!!!
I heaved my bag on the side of my chair and learnt that it was Computer Engg class. She asked us what we aspired to become and why we had chosen this field. There were students who were answering" i want to get placed in a reputed company". And do u know what reply the teacher gave?? She said, "This is not a good ambition....you should have higher aims. Rethink a better ambition and tell me on monday"!! Now thats what i called a really "Concerned Teacher".
Next hour, we had Electrical circuits. Now, this was one hell of a period. This lady didnt even introduce herself, nor bothered about getting our intros. She started off directly into the subject, and i must say, this lady's got an attitude problem. She says " Thats all that i know, if you know more, you can teach me". But, now I am getting used to this kinda life...so have to ignore and move forward!
Next was Chemistry. This guy (an old man) is pretty much a veteran in his subject. Though his voice is sleep inducing, there's a lot of stuff in the notes that he gives and the explanation that he gave. Some seniors say, "Gopu sir dhane, prachanaie illa". He is really reputed for his notes...really simplified text.
After the third hour, the chem guy just walked out. We were waiting for the next teacher, but no one came. So, we too walked out of the class and went to look at the guide map. I was wandering like a nomad...didnt know what to do...and to top it all, i didnt know anyone around me.
During lunch, i met my friends and got feedback of their experience so far, and also got to make new friends. After lunch, we had our Sectional classes, wherein the students of various branches are grouped together into a single section. We had maths, and this teacher unlike the others, resorted to just talking to us and leave us free for the first day. Now, the speciality of the sectional classes is that, there are GIRLS. In my mechanical dept, there are none.....anyway, no hard feelings(cuz it was my decision to choose this branch).
Now, this class was in no way filled with Dunces unlike the Mechanical Department. There are students who are very bubbly in answering , while others are dark horses. I made quite a lot of friends right on the first day.
Next was games. Now, this was the first time we ever had to write about physical fitness during games period!
Alright, 2 days hols and back to college. This time there was some enthu, cuz i didnt want to repeat what had happend on friday, and the other reason was looking forward to my new friends.
That day i had physics, which turned out to be a disaster, but i started liking it as the classes kept going. We also had Engg Drawing...was pretty interesting on the first day, but it turned out to be a headache. But i guess i have to start liking it. On the next day, we had English. Now, this is by far one of the worst subjects for us. Its a nightmare for a lot of students....the lady gives assignments whenever she finds an opportunity.
Days were a drag initially. I looked forward to workshop, and what do i get?A guy with a comical face and a horrible voice. As the workshop was about to end, we were notified about the opening of the various clubs in our college and that we had an innaugration programme. I gladly attended the meeting. It was pretty impressive. I had almost instantly made my mind to join various clubs.
Two weeks up....and wow, no ragging yet(Poor me, i didnt know that one day i will get ragged). Now, i was really sick of wearing formals and stuff like that. I prefered to be an outlaw for a change, by wearing a T-Shirt. Nothing happened on the day i wore it. So i thought, maybe noone bothered about it. I wore it for a second day and i get caught by the seniors and they asked me to come to the Lounge at 5. After gathering a good amount of courage, I went to the Lounge at the prescribed time. To my surprise, i found NOONE there. I was realy excited and i ran to the bus-stop.
I started to learn to speak some proper Tamil for a change. Maybe thats the only one change in me so far at the college.
Well, thats all thats worth talking about my initial days at college!
The Feast that made others envy us..
AK with a wicked smile....well aware that we're going to show this photo to the other guys and make them feel why they were born, if they were not enjoying what we were!
No comments, My face tells how delicious the food is...
Arjun and Me showing off the milkshakes we drank!
Just proof for the warden that we Had our lunch!!!
More Pics
The Girl's Hostel which distracts the boys during their studies!! ;)
Taken on the eve of Thrissur Puram....
From left: Arjun (called AK), Gautham, Me, Sameer, Arjun.....this was an automatic photo!
The trio of Hostel wardens. From left: Gopal Ettan(Subordinate), BhaskarEttan(supreme guy there, identify him from his belly), Unni...the sub-subordinate guy
Me, The Gulf Case--Githin Winsent (what spellings!!), and AK
Pics at the Hostel
This is Amruth overjoyed at the sight of seeing Chicken being served at the hostel. Other guy the picture is chandra prasad
From Top Left: Prince-the body-builder, Arjun ( My pal), Me, Sameer, Rinil, Amruth.
Second Row: Arjun Ravindran, Chandra Prasad.
Holy scriptures written on the door in our room.
Enlightment in his butt!
Fun @ the Hostel
Now,
Where do I begin.....Right from Day one its been fun and more fun!
Me and Arjun had the maximum amount of fun....by breaking rules....doing all sorts of stuff we're not supposed to do in the hostel!!
Initially, we were all very afraid of the hostel warden....he seemed to be a Nightmare spying on us every now and then.....but later the story changed.
The ritual prayer at the evening everyday was usually and "outing time" for me and my pal AK . Ajun had to go to the other hostel everyday to heat his kashayam (there were no kitchen facilites in our hostel) for his back ache. So on these grounds we bunked prayers and while coming...used to pay a visit to the bakery dude.....buy lots of goodies for ourselevs and our friends who were deprived of "Good Food"!
In Thrissur, there's a place called City Center....something like a Ultra Miniature model of Spencer plaza....but still it looks great. Some of my friends from Bahrain used to go there daily while bunking classes. One of the guys (Githin) was checking out a Shopkeeper (around the same age as his...a Female). All that we had to do was give them some money, and they would buy us lots of stuff to eat (Mouthwatering Veg burgers...Chicken rolls for my friends...which i eventually tried and liked).
Other than the eating stuff....we were amused by something else too!
I hadn't in my life before seen people craving to look at girls! (Thats what happens to the guys there who are totally isolated from the girls for around a year....i'm talking about the repeaters). But this disease eventually spread even to my juniors...and that was the reason for my fight the other day! The thing was that, our hostel was the only one of its kind there...surrounded on all sides by girls hostel. The guys after their evening snacks used to rush to some rooms from which the view was good....and try and communicate with them! You should be there to see that such things do happen!
But i was even more surprised to note that the same was the case with the girls....they too were really craving to speak to boys....I used to wonder how they learnt to speak to boys via sign language....they are rather masters in the language!
The people who became succesful in finding girl-friends were no doubt the adept Bahrain guys often referred to as "Gulf Case" by our teachers.
Another Dimension of Fun: IN CLASS
Now, this is obvious....making fun of the teachers.....but we'd gone beyond that level...
I put my drawing skills to use...drawing the cartoon sketches of teachers while they are teaching and we are in no mood to listen!
On the second last day...I played another prank on Sameer(This dude is damn intelligent....he used to always beat me in the tests conducted daily)
We were given our OMR's and the question papers. I had heard that students who write others name in the omr's are scrutinized by the institution. Well, I gave it a go! Before the exam, i got Sameers Roll no. and during the exam i wrote the name as Sameer
$%^ (Censored word...not the "S" word or anything very bad)...and i decorated the OMR with all sorts of designs i could. Obviously i was afraid to come the next day....anyway it was the day when i was supposed to leave.....The results were not givenon that day ....but then...i got news that the results were finally given on the day after i had left....and gues what...my prank worked! There on the mark list....there were two Sameers.....one with marks around 300 on 420...and the other Sameer with a -16!!!!!!
Now comes the real freak out! THE LAST DAY:
Arjun and me planned to bunk that day. While the others went to the institution, we headed for Hotel Saffron...and launched an all-out attack on the food there! We took some photos there and we retured the hostel at around 1 pm...which is just after the lunch time. When we returned, the hostel warden asked us if we had food....I showed him the photos, and he blurted out with laughter and complained of me not bringing anything for him.
We went to our rooms and learnt that no food had been served that day......some problem had occured in the kitchen of the Hostel (D Block)...and when our friends returned totally fagged out at around5, and when they came to know what we ate, they were totally furious....should have a look at their faces.....Damn Funny! :D
Before leaving, I had a look at City center...a place to visit if u go to thrissur....had some more fun...and guess what....the guys whom i never saw in the class....i met them there!
And last but not least, We witnessed a really glorious speactacle of the Thirssur Puram Fireworks which was visible at the night....i felt that thrissur is bidding me farewell!
Then next morning was my train....Everyone wished me good luck...i was really happy for i was going home...but felt really sad for the fact that i would miss my friends....
By the end of the course...I had kinda become the hostel warden's pet....I was the only tamil guy around there...and by the time i left...had learnt sufficient malayalam. I took photos with the warden....and lets not forget the group photos that i took with my friends!
Great memories cherised 4 ever.......Though i didnt go for holidays anywhere....this trip to thrissur, felt like i had gone for vacations.
Last part of humour.....
Lots of people thought i had gone to chennai, having a gala time with my cousin....When i revealed what had actualy happened, they were all surprised and at the same time angry...for not telling the truth.
When i returned home....it felt like eons had gone since i touched my comp.....when i switched it on...i couldnt believe that i actually couldnt handle the mouse!
Days at Thrissur
The days at thrissur breezed away really fast....a lot of quirks within us were brought out. Me and Sameer became really good friends. There were new additions to my friends back at the hsotel.....some of the studious guys while others some freaks from bahrain, really filthy rich guys, who had come just to pass time and make some girlfriends!
Right on the second day, I was asked to shift again, to another nearby room, which was empty....only me in my room. Well, now this was great, this room had all the silence it needed for one to study! It took me no time to personalise my room, i cleaned it and made it suitable for me to study. The room overlooked a big bungalow, and the building would glow blazing red in the evening during sunsets. The sunset at this particular place is one of the most picturesque sights here....sort of eases of the tension of the day.
Now, how could i be not disturbing my fellow mates??? I'd been irritating my friends quite a lot talking about studies at the wrong time...Well, one thing for sure, We had a lot of fun in the upcoming days. Some of my mates, who'd been really bugged with my presence in their room, wrote an equation:
Distance from mukunda inversely proportional to the marks obtained in the exams!!!!!!!!!!
Eventually we became really great friends.....
Some days, when we did overnight studies, we used to do all sorts of nonsense. We could actually see each other sleep walking....i did one of the funniest things there....and its a memory i am sure, my friends will never forget.
The classes were going fine....we had 2 replacement teachers for physics...one guy called Diaz ( we nicknamed him Die Ass) . This guy was really playing it a fool. Neither did he teach us, nor let us answer, He just kept on going as if he were practising his physics. None of us understood what crap he was teaching due to 2 reasons:
1. The topic was Hydrostatics ( A nightmare of a topic)
2. He was an idiot
But bad days wouldnt go long. We had another repalcement for physics...a guy called TOBY. Now, if at all have scored any good marks in physics in any entrance exam, its just because of him. It was not only the way he taught, but also his inspiration imparting aspect. If i have to talk about the way he taught, i could go on for ever...though i could summarize, He's the best physics teacher i have ever seen in my life!
In maths, we had another addition, a guy called P.C. George, who was a nightmare for most of the students. He taught really well, but then, he used to pin point individuals and ask questions....Even the person who knows the answer would forget it the moment he looks at this guy.
Our days were dotted by us returning home now and then for writing exams such as IIT, AIEEE etc. We were given extra question papers for IIT and stuff...but the bottom line is....Unless u start preparing right from the beginning( ie, from 10th), there is no way you can get into IIT.
IIT exam was another experience....We were gathered at PSG Tech at 7:30 Am. The exams were conducted from 8-10 (Physics), 12-2 (Maths), 4-6 (Chemistry). After i wrote my physics, i was wondering if a miracle can happen....me getting a seat in IIT....but then, as soon as i saw the Maths question paper, all my hopes vanished....then chem was again a breeze..
Now, this is how i felt the exam paper...but it was not to be....i got one of the most horrilbest marks in histrory...though i made it to the positive marks..
The whole day was sooo tiring, but then i couldnt go on yapping about the exam for atleast 2 days, talking about the standards of the paper and the quality of the paper itself!
Well, me returned to thrissur, and now i had newer roommates, this time Juniors who were preparing for exams right away...Lots of events took place...one memorable thing that happened was a fight between me and one of my roommates. The fight was for a chair....I claimed it mine as i was sitting there first, but then he snatched it from me (The guy was huge around 6 feet 1"), cuz he wanted to see the girls in the nearby hostel, which was quite visible from my room. What started as a fight of words ended up into real physical fight, ultimately i gave a blow in the wrong area and then...........silence.
However, after this freak incident, we became really good friends...we're still in touch nowadays.
First Day at Chaitanya Classes
24th March 2006, 5:00 A.M.
I woke up enthusiastically even without the need for an alarm (Which usually doesnt happen...Even if thunder strikes, i wont wake up at home). The story here is different...
I had a bath in cold water and got myself ready for the day. Since i had to move to the other hostel today morning, i packed all my stuff, and had my breakfast (typical kerala food....Puttu and Kadalai). After bidding goodbye to all my one-day roommates, i boarded the van in which food was going to the different Hostels in the Ambilikala Chain.
In five minutes time, I was at Keshavam, a pretty royal looking hostel! I noticed a Big Burly Guy on a table yapping something in Malayalam to another new admission. I was waiting outside with all my luggage..not knowing what to do. After quite a while, I kept my stuff temporarily in a room and went scouting about the place.....I was not farther than 1st floor i went that i had found Arjun.
Arjun is the guy who was my neighbour in Coimbatore. After his 10th, he left for calicut as his dad was transfered there. Seeing him after 2 years was just great. I couldnt talk to him at that moment, because he had just taken his bath, and was getting ready to have his breakfast and then leave for the Center and we were already getting late.
I accompanied them for breakfast (Though i didn't eat) and started talking to him about school and stuff....suddenly i heard a voice shouting at me "SAMSARIKYANDAA". I turned back and it was the burly warden. H e had just spoken something in Malayalam and i didnt understand....so i resumed my talk. As soon as i started talking again, he shouted the same thing again. Not knowing what it meant, I took it for "Shut up" and confessed to him that i didn't know malayalam. So the warden, explained to me that we were not supposed to talk while having breakfast.
After having breakfast, we went to the coaching center which was hardly 50 metres from this hostel. On the way Arjun introduced me to some of his friends namely Sameer (Who later became a really good friend of Mine), Two other arjuns, Amal, Prince and Adithya.
Enter Chaitanya Classes.....The whole place was so silent...its like a school with oversized class rooms....can seat around 110 students at a time! Well first day...I had to endure a lot of Malayalam. Me and my friends were alloted our class room (for the crash course). We were on room no. 4 and the place has total of 32 rooms! Whoa...thas like 3200 students under a single roof! Now...thats what i call studying atmosphere! Dont worry, the atmosphere doesnt last really long....cuz there were some brats from gulf who joined us later....ok now for the first classes....
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The morning bell went. There was a small Malayalam song...couldnt follow a word in the beginning....later as the days passed on .... i memorized it! Each classroom has got its own speaker...through which the manager of the place gives instructions to us....
Hour 1: Chemitry sir enters...he is a really old guy by the name of Paul PaniKulam. He's got experience written all over his face....the way he takes the classes is simply amazing....Even for chem haters like me...it seemed to be one of my most looked forward classes!
Hour 2: Chem 2nd year, different teacher., byt the name Ramachandran....started off with a bang...Nuclear Chemistry...again the teacher was an old guy, around 82...having an experience of teaching about 55 years!!! Obviously he was a veteran in his field!
Hour 3: Maths...the subject i was very weak in my 11th...and thats excatly what we were dealing with! This teacher however was not alllllll that a grandpa looking guy...again great teacher in his subject!
Lunch: All of us went back to our hostels...and had steaming hot food....which was virtually uneatable! Only i had a large plate...large enough to spread the food on the plate... Everyone used to wonder what the hell i was doing...but later they envied my as they couldnt have their food as fast as me....too bad they couldnt ape me!
Back to Classes:
12:45 we're back in the classroom....and OMR's were being distributed. I knew that tests would be conducted daily…but I seriously didn’t expect a test on the opening day….
All of us received copies of question papers and we were given info on the OMR…the Do’s and the Donts. It was Physics/Chem…..it was not as easy as school, cuz I was stumped right away…as there were questions from the 11th standard( I didn’t study 11th properly ). We received our marks and I got the marks as what I expected…175/430…….!@#$%
Now, the last two classes were Physics… My favourite subject! It was indeed a great experience again…learning from knowledgeable teachers. The last two hours went really fast…..and I was really supercharged, enthusiastic to go and study what had been taught on the first day!
At 5 sharp, we left for the hostels, had our evening refreshments. I played the role of Dhobi, washing the dresses of the previous day! By the time I am done, its time for evening prayers, again in Malayalam. After the prayers, we headed to our rooms….oh yea…I was finally allotted a room again with a few seniors….really very helpful people….The room was pretty Massive, with provision for 3 bunk-beds. I just started studying…and the bell rang….It was dinner time! The food was upto the expectations…..for the first day…(Eventually we started hating the food).
After dinner, we headed back to our rooms, and started studying from around 8:30 to around 1 AM. That’s the first time I have crossed the threshold 1 hour of continuous studying. Oh yea, there was a small breat at around 9:30 when we were served black coffee…to keep us awake throughout the night..(Later during my days here, it served as a drink that made me to sleep!!)
Thus, came to an end the first day at Thrissur…..a really memorable one, but the fun had just started…..I was yet to become better friends with my new friends!
My miraculous trip to Thrissur
" Hi da Arjun...Coming home after ur board exams...we can have loads of fun...there are a lot of developements in Parsn's and Coimbatore...What say??"
"No da..I am going to Thrissur"
"Dont Tell me u too are a religious fanatic going on a pilgrimage..!"
"No way. I am going for my Entrance coaching (AIEEE) to an Institute called P.C. Thomas-Chaitanya Classes"
"Have you got any feedback about it? I mean how is the coaching there?"
"As far as i know..its awesome...the results they produce...they are staggering"
"Ok..fine...Do you have their phone no.? I might come too"
"Yea here it is....."
"Thanks dude..will call you if something positive happens"
And thats how started my memorable trip to Thrissur for my "Entrance Coaching".
Soon after the phone call, I convinced my Mom and Dad that it would be very useful for my entrance exams...especially since i hadnt gone for any coaching earlier.
We had to pay 10k to the Institution. Since we couldnt go there immediately, Mom arranged for the cash through her friend who lives in Thrissur (God bless them).
So after packing up...i was ready for thrissur ...just a day after my board exams had got over. The whole trip was a bit "Secretive" cuz i hadnt told everyone about this....I had lied to quite a bit of people telling that i am going Chennai to have lots of fun with my cousin. Only a few knew where i really was going.
Next morning, we drove all the way to Thrissur on our car...which was occasionally marked by the usage of the A/C, cuz my dad is very fuel conscious! We reached Thrissur by around 11:30. We had our lunch at a local hotel, which wasnt all that great..but since we were really hungry, the food went down our throats. The heat at Thrissur is phenomenal. Even i who am aversed to using fans, couldnt take it. Instantly we were all soaked in sweat.
After calling up the guys in the hostel, we found out the way and reached there. To my chagrin, the location of the hostel wasnt all that welcoming, and apart from this, it was a bit too far from the coaching center on walk. But, since i was charged up with the feeling that i should study, it didnt bother me at all. This hostel was a part of a chain of hostels called "Ambilikala" and i was admited to the D block. To my surprise, my pal Arjun, was admitted to the other block called "Keshavam" which was nearer to Coaching center and was supposed to be a comfortable lodging. So i requested the hostel warden if there was any chance by which i could be admitted to the other hostel. They told me they would me inform me of any vacancies there.
After my brief stay in the hostel, we left for my mom's friend's place. They are one of the owners of Kalyan Jewellers. Their house was massive...probably they would have needed walkie-talkies to communicate within their house. They were really warm people. Their son, who is of my age, amused us with his piano skills.....he composes his own music. After a long chat, my parents dropped me at the hostel, and they went back to Coimbatore.
I settled in my room, which was a room for four. Though the room wasn't all that great, i was really impressed by my roommates. They were repeaters...they were really hard working...probably only they know the value of a year. I got introduced to them, but then i was really fagged out....so i spread my bed and slept immediately. I was a bit afraid what the warden will do if he found me sleeping right on the first day! Well, Since my classes were to start the next day, no one was bothered. I slept till around 7:30 when i was woken by the call for dinner. This time, the food was really delicious. After the dinner, i opened my books and started preparing for the next day, when suddenly a guy ( who was my warden) came along and said "Do you want to go to Keshavam today". Initially i didnt understand, then later i found out that he was talking about the other hostel. Since it was my first day, i wanted to be with my new friends....so i told him that i will go there tomorrow!
And so started my days at P.C. Thomas!!
Gone are good ole days :(
Hi Everyone....
Its been quite a long since i blogged!
Gone are the good old days at School........After 22nd March 2k6 (The last of the board exams...which i screwed up) Me, Mukundhan, Pravish and Gautham Ram went to The Residency after having no other option, we finally headed for the residency...An amazing Lunch..my first time there...I can go on and on describing the food..but whats the point...you just wont be able to feel it..
I took only around 175 bucks for the lunch..cuz we had initially planned to go to "Thats Why" which is another restaurant.. Gautham the ATM..as usual sponsered us with the rest of the 75 bucks..and it was just great..
After having our Royalty like Lunch...we headed to Gautham's home..had some amount of fun there...i picked up a few books which I eventually never read :(
I bid good bye to all my friends as we would'nt be able to meet for atleast about a month!
Thats because i was heading for Thrissur....you know for what?? For ENTRANCE COACHING!!!!!
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