The upsTrEAM
Deepa "The Designer" Mohan
Right from the T-shirts to the banners to even the stage backdrop and the certificates, she was behind it all. After all, the NIFT training had to come good some day ;-). Deepa was amongst the quiet ones in the sTrEAM, but at the same time quietly effective. Not one to spare too many words...not even when she was angry (if ever), she used to listen us all out and in her subdued voice, berate someone (most often Vikhyat) for some mischief or the other. The fructification of the "reddy" idea, and of course the sTrEAM BACKWATERS t-shirts will always be memorable for the rest of us. With her soon-to-be hubby, Prashant visiting the insti during Backwaters, the event would certainly have been doubly joyous for her.
At a personal level, I had very little interaction with her right upto backwaters. It was only during the last few days that I actually got to speak to her and I must say that I found in her, a close resemblance to my project seniors at Infy, especially Gomathi and Ramya...she is just the same...from Chennai, the elder sister-esque attitude towards most of us, and of course a lot of fun to be with (most of the times, the fun would be at her expense).
Deepak "The Party" Chowdhry
This one belongs to the 'stud' group. Arguably one of the best dancers in the insti, having achieved quite a lot including a PPO from Asian Paints, and having really worked hard at the hospitality of Backwaters 2004, DC (as we know him) was the experience sharing guy this time. With names, addresses of the hostels, guest houses and numerous tips and tricks up his sleeve to get things done, he was a welcome participant at the Backwaters meetings (that is, whenever he could find time to come :-)).
On the personal front, once again I must say that I have not really formed a friendship with DC though I am sure that if I see him five years hence, I will say Hi to him (and hope that the vice-versa would also be true). In fact, for some reasons or the other, even before I came into Backwaters, I had expected him to be the person in charge and had actually looked up to him in the initial few days. However, with his interest waning (for whatever reasons), I was a bit skeptical about his involvement and the Backwaters in totality, as well.
Harman "The Mess" Sachdeva
Another one of the silent types (at least in relation to Backwaters), Harman wanted to do quite a lot for the fest but could not contribute as much because of his own reasons. He did take care of the proceedings from the Mess and in his own way, came up with substantial help by putting up signs, posters all over the place. Not really a party to the fun that we had in the sTrEAM, he played his part well as far the work was concerned.
Personally, I thought that I had decent relations with him till that (un)fortunate night when in Gaurav's room, he gave me a blasting about practices being followed in the Backwaters committee. With that being sorted out soon however, things have been back to normal right till the present moment. In fact, he did use to approach me for finding out ways in which he could contribute to Backwaters without really making himself conspicuous.
Gaurav "The Planner" Gollerkeri
Most easily the brain behind Backwaters 2004, Gaurav had all good intentions to steer Backwaters 2005 to a decent, if not great fortune. That he was doomed right in the beginning was apparent in his mails that smelt of his frustration for our inaction despite being garbed in the best and the most neutral of words. He did most of the co-ordination in the initial stages and was actually responsible for providing the building block for the junior committee to get and gel together. Though he missed the fest because he had to go to Delhi for the University Challenge Finals, he was there at the backstage throughout the planning and most of the execution.
My interaction with him dates back to the good old BT Acumen debate when we went to Bangalore as a team (he went for the quiz and I for the debate). As per my perceptions, I found him a hard worker, sort of revolutionary in thoughts but not as much in action, and overall a "nice guy". Inspite of the ISB debate being another frontier of interaction with GG (as most of us call him), I never really got close to him as I am sure not many would have. Either he is not that kind of a guy who believes in frivolous associations or perhaps I did not understand him.
Nireeksha "The Exclusive T-shirt" Reddy
She will probably be remembered the most for two things: the registration, first and second, the exclusive t-shirts of the sTrEAM BACKWATERS. She was the one who kept putting up this question in almost every other meeting...after everything else was discussed and under the table, of course. She took up registrations during the fest and really took it up once and for all. With her own support staff in Divya, Tity and later Rahul Gandhi, she did the toiler's as well as the delegator's jobs equally well.
As far as I am concerned, I did have a few misgivings for most part of pre-event happenings in relation to her. She may not have meant it but the impression that I used to get in the meetings when I heard her talk was that either the seniors were not interested in Backwaters at all or even if they were interested, they were not really interested in letting us be interested in the fest. The meetings that we 'came to know' of, the "Is there anything else you guys want to talk about?" questions, did put me off but not for long...for I did realize, though much later, how much Nireeksha was both committed about Backwaters as well as accommodating with respect to the six of us.
Rahul "The Food Stall" Gandhi
Apart from managing MotherJane and being absent for most part of the pre-event happenings, Rahul Gandhi did not have any real time to spare for Backwaters. With studies not being his priority either, he was out of town for most of the one month that was to make or break Backwaters. Not really the one to make his presence felt at the sTrEAM meetings, he was a minor player as far as Backwaters was concerned this year. His core speciality of getting rock groups to tour IIMK and give a handful of people a taste of the rock medicine did not help either, with him not being available for confirmation till the last minute. He did make his presence felt, however, by single-handedly causing the sky-rocketing of the sales of the food stall at Backwaters.
Apart from the rock show at the IT Seminar, I did not really have much interaction with Rahul though I have had the chance to hear a lot about him from a lot of people. Admittedly, he is capable of a lot which he proved during the well conducted rock show at the IT Seminar, but to make him work would have always been a very tough nut to crack.
The downsTrEAM
Malini "The Team Kits" Pande
Always ready with a free laugh and doubly free flowing with her words, Malini had one of those brighten-the-dull-proceedings effect on the sTrEAM. On the work distribution front, she took up the backend work on Team Registrations and though she was not really in the limelight for long, she put up a great show as far as ensuring the lack of any pitfalls was concerned. She came out as one of those who take up their assigned responsibilities with a pinch of salt and a lot of enthu which is what she finally did, and which is what made it possible for her to smile through the work.
One of the first regular visitors to my blog (got to know that from a few referring webpages being the mail in her inbox, that I had sent to the batch and which had my blog's link), we never really hit it off till quite recently and I am still not sure of her. What I did realize after this Backwaters was that though she is a bit too high on the light side and perhaps not suited to the hot and cold moods of mine that my friends have to bear, at the same time, she is one of those who I can chill in front of, without thinking much about what the other person would be thinking of...a cool girl who knows what she is talking about but does not let the other person think too much about the reasons for which she has been talking thus.
Nitai "The good-for-nothing" Utkarsh
Considering the late stage that I came into Backwaters and the absolute lack of energy that two years of work experience has drilled inside me, I was always destined to be this no-gooder who can talk a lot but do little. The worst part was that after having isloated myself from the proceedings initially, I tried my hand in almost everything soon after and came a cropper, as can be expected. Whether it be called seeking attention (as some of my critical friends call it) or typical Gemini violent mood swings (which my close friends know of), I did all that I should not have done and very little of what I should have. The most important reason probably was that I did not know where to draw the line between working for the event and working the event (perhaps the working can also be read as living).
Qaynat "The Play" Sharma
The producer (and not the director, please remember...and remember too that she can not be under estimated) of the now-so-famous play, Qaynat did her part in style. Even in her zombie state past 11 in the night, she managed to catch hold of the responsibility assigned to her and not only succeeded in getting on the nerves of all involved (by pestering them into being present for the play practice, for learning their lines and what not), but also made a spectacle of a play in association with JC, Pakow, Neeta, and all others. She was also one of the creative inputs of the team and with Deepa leading the way and Vikhyat and Reddy learning the tricks fast, she could also be counted upon for the a-ha effect inducing work.
Honestly speaking, I had this prejudice against her from the very start of the first term about her being a nakchadi...probably because I have seen most of the girls, who have even the barest minimum of decent looks and even the barest minimum number of guys following them, get their airs up (Qaynat has quite a bit of both, I believe). That she not only turned out to be different but that I can also manage to speak to her and tease her as a friend (even on the lines of Richa, Sweta, et al) now, speaks volumes of what prejudices hold you against. The only thing that she still lacks is maybe that 293 gms (as Ashwarya says) of grey colored matter :-)...jokes apart, a fun person to be with who is also a tad sentimental, has those mood swings, and conks off after 11 PM.
Sandeep "The Stalls" Reddy
With his wavy locks almost about to make the record books and his fiery temper likely to end up in the sets for any Hollywood potboiler, Sandeep Reddy (or just Reddy, as we call him...the new name Laali (Laal=Red) suits too, I think) was one of those rare balances of planning and doing during Backwaters 2005. Not one to raise his voice but also someone who would almost always be heard, he made sure that the committee members stood up for the responsibility that the voters' mandate had put upon them. The deadly toiling away irrespective of what way the others contributed...with an amazing conviction showed us all the way till the very end as he took up the stalls work during the fest, getting the stage erected and making sure that he gets to shake a leg on it, as well.
Not much of a personal interaction in the past here, as well...Reddy and I have been on good acquaintance terms before Backwaters and there was always the customary hello that passed between us whenever we met (typical of guys studying in the same batch in the same school). After Backwaters, though I can not really say that Reddy is one of my closest chums but all the same, I have come to understand that he is a person who goes deeper than many of us, carries a lot of things in his heart and mind without letting much show, but at the same time, he is capable of making people around him very comfortable, in deed...a serious guy with a mature outlook on life and a fun interpretation of it.
Saurabh "The CWRDM" Goswami
Right from being nervous about things being done at the last moment to eating away words when he was frustrated but never really letting it out loud, Saurabh has been a colleague's delight in the sTrEAM. Starting off from the sponsorships, as we all did, he was really particular about the CWRDM hostel and was almost about to get rooms booked there when we realized that we might not need them at all. Absent (while on duty, of course) for most of the first day and thus missing out on all the wonderful snaps that we took, Saurabh was another of those sane voices that do not have to be shouted to be heard. The grass root worker himself, he had a lot to offer to the sTrEAM in terms of his commitment to work really hard without expecting much appreciation, forget returns.
With too many Bengalis already having cluttered my friend list, there was every possibility that Saurabh would have ended up in the same list, as well. But with more than a dozen Bengalis in the batch, I hardly knew him before the Backwaters work really kicked off. Earlier as in the case of Qaynat, I had formed this impression about him being a cock-sure guy from some freaky background who has his way with words and who believes in style rather than substance. After Backwaters, I would perhaps count him as one of those with whom I can share a bad news (perhaps not a personal news...not yet)...a counselor who is a little too confused to follow his own counsel.
Vikhyat "The Financier" Srivastava
Easily the most important driving force behind Backwaters 2005, Vikhyat was there right from the beginning till the very end (whenever and if it is ever going to be). When all others had given up on the festival and almost moved out of the involvement in the event, it was Vikhyat who kept trying to keep the team together and more importantly, committed to the fest. Apart from Reddy, perhaps he was the only other person from the junior committee who really had a vision for this year's Backwaters. With promises of getting Yana Gupta and foreign participants for the fest, he did follow his convictions to the tee and actually went ahead with communications in the regard. During and after Backwaters, he has taken up the Fin Manager's role and performed it to perfection (the GE Consumer Finance summers must have certainly helped!).
Perhaps the only member of sTrEAM BACKWATERS I knew (and knew quite well, I think) before the event started, Vikhyat has been two doors next to me for about seven months now. Apart from the freshers' syndrome (taking every little thing too seriously) and the erstwhile spirited displays, there are hardly any other problems (aren't these enough???) with this guy. I have had quite a few fights with him on quite a few issues and non-issues, too but somehow we have always made up for it later. I am not sure but all this nonk-jhok must have created some friction that might remain for a long time to come but as for now, we are chums (or that is what I believe)...one of those guys who does not mind speaking his mind out loud but only when he can't get the message across earlier, by subtle hints or otherwise.
All things said and done, a great team that I had the fortune to be a part of and I am saying this not just for the sake of it but because it is a fact and that I really think that a team, with not even a single instance of even remotely major ego clashes over one whole month of frantic, frenzied activities spanning all hours of the day and night, must be appreciated.
With the elections over (Qaynat, why did you have to stand for the PlaceCom elections, they did you in...) and Prashant 'Pakow' Kaushik being the addition to the sTrEAM BACKWATERS above, and quite a few others expected to join in once our juniors arrive on campus, things are getting hot for Backwaters 2006. Given the team we have, this show is going to be the SHOW OF THE CENTURY.
As for Backwaters 2005, there have been so many whose efforts went unappreciated. I committed a farce when I first sent them mails saying (though it was said in jest...truly!) that though we can't promise t-shirts, we will try our best. I continued the farce when I made a Thanks list but waited for just too long to send it to enable someone else to send a generic thanks message to both the batches.
I don't really know how many of you would see this but if at all you are readin this, I just want to say Thank You and that had it not been for you guys (and for all others that I have missed, thereby committing my third farce), Backwaters 2005 would not have been possible.
Aaditya S
Roohafza, the BCA play
4L, the marketing game
Sponsorship
Abhijeet S
KonfuZION, the informals
Abhijit C
Brand Killing, the marketing paper
Sponsorship
Abhinav G
Sponsorship
Konsultant, the systems game
Aditya C
Online Games
4L, the marketing game
Amarpreet S
KonfuZION, the informals
Media Coverage
Movie Marathon
Amit D
Get RocKin!, the party
Amit M
Sponsorship
Mess coordination
Anirudh J
Konsultant, the systems game
Anshu P
Roohafza, the BCA play
Anudeep N
Opium, the operations game
Anuj M
Roohafza, the BCA play
Anupam KS
Opium, the operations game
Sponsorship
Anurag P
Online Games
4L, the marketing game
IT infrastructure
Archana V
Cultural Nite
Ashwarya S
Hospitality
Balpreet S
Media Coverage
Debojyoti G
Online Games
Deepak M
Hospitality
Paper presentations
Deepak N
Web Site Development
Devroop D
Publicity
Dhananjay M
Roohafza, the BCA play
Dheeraj B
Sponsorship
Divya I
Registration Desk
Cultural Nite
Gaurav V
Roohafza, the BCA play
Harish V
Online Games
Opium, the operations game
Harsh B
Pitbulls, the finance game
Hemant K
Online Games
Roohafza, the BCA play
Jasleen K
Paper presentations
Jaspreet C
Ten Little Indians, the play
Jena P
Tent & stalls
coordination
Kalyan A
Music Concert
Kanav RK
Auditorium Coordination
Ten Little Indians, the play
Hospitality
Karan B
Media Coverage
Karan S
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sponsorship
Kaushik S
Web Site Development
KNS Srinivas
Online Games
Roohafza, the BCA play
Kulasekhar P
Online Games
Kunal B
Brand Killing, the marketing paper
Lijo JM
Sponsorship
Tent & Stalls Coordination
Manish M
Roohafza, the BCA play
Mayank MA
Online Games
4L, the marketing game
Neel K
Roohafza, the BCA play
4L, the marketing game
Neeta S
Ten Little Indians, the play
T-shirts
Nikhil K
4L, the marketing game
Paper Presentations
Pavan V
4L, the marketing game
Paper Presentations
Pawan P
Sponsorship
Prajakt ND
Hospitality
Pralay KC
Paper Presentations
Puneet P
Ten Little Indians, the play
Rajat K
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sponsorship
Sangita N
Cultural Nite
Sathish VM
Sinking Dollar, the finance paper
Shweta N
Cultural Nite
Sreekanth V
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sundesh SS
Hospitality
Movie Marathon
Tushar C
Roohafza, the BCA play
Nilanjan K
Online Games
Video Coverage
Nitin M
Kautilya, the strategy game
Publicity
Pankhuri J
Roohafza, the BCA play
Music Concert
Pavithra BP
Ten Little Indians, the play
Sponsorship
Pranay HR
Flash Animation
Publicity
Prashant D
Roohafza, the BCA play
Prashant J
Web Site Development
Prashant JK
Online Games
Ten Little Indians, the play
KonfuZION, the informals
Music Concert
Sponsorships
Prashant K
Audio Coordination
Music Concert
Praveen T
Cultural Nite
Priya TS
Media Coverage
R Viswanathan
Konsultant, the systems game
Rahul R
Sinking Dollar, the finance paper
Rahul RA
Get RocKin!, the party
Raul S
Sponsorship
Ravi G
Online Games
Hospitality
Sponsorship
Tent & stalls coordination
Reuben A
Get RocKin!, the party
Richard D
Web Site Development
MBT Live Case Study
Rohit B
Events Coordination
Rohit G
Sponsorship
Publicity
Sandeep G
Cultural Nite
Sharika M
Auditorium Coordination
Sinking dollar, the finance paper
Shounak R
Ten Little Indians, the play
Kautilya, the strategy game
Siddharth RS
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sivaranjani
T-shirts
Srijenani S
T-shirts
Surabhi BP
Online Games
Sponsorship
Suryanarayanan
Ten Little Indians, the play
Swapna S
Ten Little Indians, the play
Tarun S
Web Site Development
Tity ML
Registration Desk
Vidhyut S
Ten Little Indians, the play
Kautilya, the strategy game
Vijay VR
Konsultant, the systems game
Integrated Outsourcing, the systems paper
Media Coverage
Vikram J
Kautilya, the strategy game
Vinay M
Mess coordination
Vipul P
Roohafza, the BCA play
Vishak JH
Web Site Development
Online Games
Saurabh S
Kautliya, the strategy game
Yash S
Cultural Nite
2 comments:
Damn!... this is BIG. frankly there is no better way to know people than thru the fest. and no photo, video or text can reproduce the fest excitement.
Goodday
Spot on, Chandoo ! :-)
A very good day to you, too.
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