Starting afresh

And I have moved...finally. I had been having problems with blogdrive for a long time now. While it was one of the better designed and more promising blogging sites at the time blogging in India was just about starting to gain popularity (I am talking about a good 7-8 years aago), blogdrive lost its way subsequently. With the larger players consolidating in the form of wordpress and blogger, the others were either forced to shut shop or, as in blogdrive's case, have a pathetic excuse for a blogging site. The servers kept going down and the blog page refused to open once too often. Finally I got the better of inertia (more pronounced because there was no single click and transfer option available and I had to painstakingly copy-paste each individual entry and more importantly, each individual comment from one place to the other) and decided to move on.

The moving exercise, as in any movement, took a lot of time and a lot of cajoling the dear old me to stay true to the conviction of the continued utility of this blog. There were so many moments in the middle when I almost junked it, what with knowing that I have not been regular with writing and not being too sure if I would be, even in the future. Sanity prevailed on all such occasions and I kept toiling at it...and interestingly, the more I worked at it, the more passionate (and not tired) I became about carrying the thing through to completion. While doing the copy-paste stuff, I was more than once or twice, caught in the tales of those days, the posts and the comments that told a story of their own. It was such a different world...the blog had, for the first time in my life, made me socially active...so much so that almost an entire batch of about 120 people (not to mention the seniors and then the juniors) actually regularly read my blog and many commented on it too with, what I can now pronounce, an alarming frequency.

The comments on each of the blog entries that invited them reminded me of so many people...so many that were close to me but now appear to be lost somewhere in the distance (Mayank, Prashant Kumar, Ravi...) so many that were just there for the fun but are now out of the radar (Yash, Vikhyat...), and very very few that were there and are still very much around. Of course, life and work and the associated stuff have taken their toll and distances were but, to be expected. But then, wasn't blogging supposed to be a solution to this? Wasn't a blog supposed to have been my way of telling the world what I am up to and wasn't it supposed to have been the world's way of telling me that it cared about what was happening in my life?

So why did it not happen the way it was supposed to? Yes, I stopped writing and consequently, people stopped coming back for updates and then, even when I wrote, there was no one to read it since they were already tired coming in and going back empty handed...they had already given up on me.

So, with the new blog (and the upcoming new year), I hope to revive this space and make Mode C at least an image of what it once was for me...a big part of my social life, a place where I could be myself and be liked for it, a place where I had my friends and foes, my fans and critics...may raison d'etre.

I begin here with a call out to all of you. If you do chance upon this place, do come back for more and do engage with me...I shall try my best not to disappoint you this time around.

This day, that year!

At a friend's wedding last month, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that most of the closest friends of the groom in attendance were actually class/hostel mates of his from senior secondary school. The fact that the school in question was my own school, the famous (notorious?) Delhi Public School, RK Puram, only added to the nostalgia that swept over me with this realization. To imagine other school class/hostel mates being so close to each other after so many years and at the same time, there being so much distance between my own friends from that era and me, it was a saddening thought.

And then I met this hostel mate of mine, who I was reasonably close to, at the airport this weekend. Both of us were coming back from weddings of people both of us knew, just that I went to one and he to the other. Seeing him there brought back so many memories, what with the recent remembrance that other wedding had initiated. I was, however, shocked at myself, especially with the lame enthusiasm that I greeted him with. Instead of meeting like long lost buddies, we met like strangers, some bit of it may be attributable to the insanely early hours of the day at which we met.

I was also chatting on the internet a couple of days before this weekend meeting with another hostel mate of mine and he seemed pretty disillusioned as well. Keeping in touch is so easy yet so difficult. Life moves on and so do circles of friends but both of us agreed that it is up to an individual to pick and choose who or what they want to retain out of the different phases of life. Retention of friends for good is so much a personal trait rather than being explained by any amount of providence or even the age old excuse of lack of time.

Having felt and said all this, I just thought of putting my thoughts together and go back in time some 12-13 years back (how time flies!!!) and write about the people who mattered probably the most in that period and what I have left of those associations now. So here goes, this one dedicated to DPS RKP, my alma mater and all things/people related to it:

Arnav Hazarika Som, extremely popular with girls, the rock-listening, guitar-playing variety...compete antithesis of what I was at that point in time. And yet we became close, close enough to share a bed (two single beds joined together, don't get any ideas!) in a room of nine people (yes, we had nine people in one room!). I learnt a lot from Arnav (or Ronnie as was his nick name) and I looked up to him, wanting to be like him some day. It was only much later when I met him during my MBA summers stint in Kolkata that I could see myself as coming anywhere close to it.

I met him last at the Delhi airport just a few days ago and though I always knew that he was in Mumbai, I could never really initiate any contact. He is now in the private equity arm of a Times Group company and from what I could gather, doing well for himself.

Shivanu Kohli, the quintessential serious and shy guy who would work really hard and not party at all. He was actually a contrasting personality, outwardly silent and yet innately loud and extremely vocal. From a reasonably large town in Haryana, he had the famous Jat temper but displayed it very rarely. Butt of our jokes for the way he looked, he never complained, at least not initially. As we became more comfortable with each other's company, he did use to flare up at times but as I said, it was once in a blue moon. Very serious about IIT entrance preparations, he was the one who gave me the news of my selection and was rather short when I hinted that probably he did not read my rank correctly, especially when he had the misfortune of not being selected at all.

I met him last at the MBA entrance group discussion for SP Jain Institute which was about 5 years back. I later came to know that he had taken up a job at Coke post his MBA from SP Jain but I have no clue where he currently is.

Dipanjan Das, the suave, boarding school old-timer, with lean, chocolate boyish looks, the perfect gentleman that girls would love to take to their parents, someone who could naturally converse in a language and of matters that were still alien to me. Dipanjan was almost always soft spoken and the last of participants in any kind of revelry that we may end up in. He almost seemed to look at us in amusement as we started to rejoice the hostel life and freedom associated with it, having already been there and done that. Teased no end for his alleged flings with the fairer sex, he could be the perfect display of grace and yet the right amount of silent anger that is capable of putting others to shame and silence.

Last I knew (through social networking sites), he had completed his MBA and was with GE. I have not really interacted with him even once after school and I am not sure if I will get to, in the near future.

Snehesh Mitra, the closest of all my friends in school, he was the boisterous Bengali having stayed his life in Bhagalpur in Bihar. Loud and vivacious, handsome and good looking, and yet a little elephant footed when it came to girls, very impulsive and emotional, not too keen on working so hard as to spoil whatever fun there was to be had, Snehesh was very likeable, at least to me. We literally hanged out together, separated only for the classes in the morning (we were in different sections). I could be very comfortable in Snehesh's company and I guess he did not mind mine either.

I would have met him last about a year after school when he was in Delhi preparing for IIT entrance exams and I was there for some administrative work at the CBSE office. I know (again from social networking sites) that he is married and working for a start-up in Bangalore. Even though I have his email id and probably even his contact number, I haven't really been able to re-initiate anything.

Sumit Kumar Jain, another Bhagalpuriah, but as different from Snehesh as chalk is from cheese. Very confident and assertive, except from some sort of complex that he seemed to have on account of his height, Sumit was one smart cookie. The perfect all rounder, he could score in academics, speak and act passionately, look good and charm girls, the works. I did not really kick it off with Sumit but we were still very cordial with each other and when it came to having fun at the expense of others, neither of us were found wanting. Always willing to rock the party, Sumit could be relied upon for the lighter moments but may perhaps not have been as much of a partner when things went wrong for me.

Last I spoke to him was through a social netwroking site when I pinged him out of the blue and got an encouraging reply in return. Nothing happened after that and the last I know, he graduated from IIM Calcutta and was working with HSBC, first in Mumbai, and then somewhere in the Middle East.

Mudit Bhargava, the guy who impressed my uncle the first day he came to drop me off at the hostel, very organized, diligent, and a shining role model for those in our age group...the sort of person who comes across as well read, a thinker who can act without delays, someone who knew how to manage time between whiling it away and utilizing it wisely. Mudit was another person I used to look up to and even be in awe of. Hailing from the snow covered hills of Simla, he fluctuated from being extremely warm to even cold at times. I never really was able to figure him out completely because he seemed to display only as much as he wanted to, as much as he wanted you to see and know.

I chatted with him on the internet a few days back and got to know that he is married now, and after working for about four years in India, is currently completing his PhD from the USA.

Shameek Sharma, the Surd, the epitome that defined the phrase "happy-go-lucky" to me for a long time, he was one of those who probably changed more in the course of those two years at school than anyone else, even me. The day he came in, he was accompanied by parents and a whole lot of books. While the rest of us were just looking at the place and making things sink in, he seemed to have already got a head start that even the seasoned Dipanjan seemed to be surprised at. Dismissed initially as a book worm, Shameek came back strongly to become one of the craziest people I have been around.

I have been witness to his status updates on facebook but am completely clueless about his whereabouts nevertheless. Again someone I haven't met after school, his contact details can be found out without much difficulty but I haven't really done anything about it.

Ajit Bhaiya, closest in terms of background to me, he came from a small town in Bihar, born to middle class parents, soft spoken to a fault and even stammering at times, with a physique that had nothing to write home about...Ajit or Bhaiya, as we used to call him was always playing the downtrodden. Ajit was brilliant, almost a genius when he did come to apply his mind, which unfortunately did not happen too frequently. He was amazing at physics and my savior a number of times when I had frustratingly little clue about what was happening in the middle of all those levers and pulleys. Being close to Snehesh was the common link between us and even though we were never really very close to each other, we did spend a lot of time together at school.

I came to know from Mudit while chatting with him the other day about the tough times he has had ever since he left school and the fact that he is currently back in his home town, doing tuitions in Physics, the subject he liked the most. I had last chatted with him on the internet some 5-6 years back and have had no personal contact with him ever since.

Kaushik Kishore, part of the room 9 and a half (we were the nine 9's, of course) was from Patna and to put it kindly, pretty raw, significantly less raw as compared to me but raw, nevertheless. An ardent procrastinator, Kaushik was one of those who you would like almost instantaneously. Prone to agreeing to whatever someone said, he was hardly the types who would get into an argument. Laid back and relaxed, the only thing that ruffled his feathers was the specter of studies, about which he seemed to be pretty fussed.

I found him on one of the social networking sites a few weeks back and pinged him to get a moderately welcoming mail in reply. I did not really follow up and am still as clueless about his whereabouts as I was before the communication that I started.

Shivam Bansal, another 9 and a half, son of a businessman, used to the luxuries of life but not spoilt at all, not exposed to the tenets of the modern world of rock "and all", Shivam, popularly called Bansi, hailed from the temple town of Varanasi where his father had a going business. I remember Shivam as keeping pretty much to himself but having the most cordial of relations with almost everyone. He was not one to bring the roof down with his own antics but was definitely not a spoil sport when in the middle of things that shook the world.

I have absolutely no clue of where he is after graduating from IIT Delhi. Not to be found on any social networking site either, he has literally vanished from the earth ever since I last met him at school.

There were so may others that keep coming to mind as I write all this and it is so difficult to write about all of them for want of space and time. There were, of course, my room-mates from the second year, the brilliant and accommodating Saurabh Siddharth, and the extremely cheerful and nice guy, Animesh Agwarwal. There were others I used to spend reasonable time with...the mousily-active Shyam Agarwal, the genius, singing-songs-in-the-reverse Keshav Kunal, the soft-spoken giant Ashwani, the brash and super intelligent Abhisheks (mota and patla), the eternal fighter Sandeep Jaiswal, the good looking to-be-doc Ishtiyaque Hussain, the dapper joker Sachin Talwar, the heart-of-gold-image-carrying Nikhil Singla, the crazy genius Manish Jalan, the seniors and the juniors...the list appears to be endless.

And then there were the girls, very few of them I actually came to know first hand...the long haired shy singer Aparna Sharma, the fiery though diminutive Deepanvita Upadhyay, the bold and beautiful Mayuri Khanna, the short and sweet Supriya Goswami, the hot and happening Shruti Nayan (not from our batch but who cared!).

The list and the memories can just go on and on but this will have to do for today's quota of nostalgia. I just hope that despite the changing nature of life, I can get back to those glorious days, if only in my memories of people associated with them. Better still, won't it be great to be sitting together with some of them in some familiar cafe, sipping a cup of coffee and refreshing our collective memories?

What's on your mind?

It has been a long time since I last wrote and this happened despite my resolution (not a new year one but generally) of being more regular. Anyway, that is what always tends to happen if you really set your mind to something contrary. Come to think of it, that can not be right especially if you think about what Basu, a budding hypnotist has to say. Basu is a classmate from BHU and a good friend who I recently met at the wedding of Ankur, another classmate and good friend from BHU (and also my room mate for the only year at BHU when we had to share rooms).

Now, this wedding was in a place called Chatarpur, which inspite of what people may think, is not in Delhi (that is Chatarpur hills, by the way), but in Madhya Pradesh. The place is a district, a decent town by any standards and yet surprisingly does not even have a railway station. This is explained by the fact that the town apparently does not fall in the middle of any major route, somewhat like a dead end maybe. Anyway, I am digressing. Coming back to the point, a trip to Chatarpur in the middle of the week (the wedding was on Thursday) seemed entirely unlikely till Basu and Animesh (yeah, I know you have guessed it already...another classmate and good friend from BHU) started making plans to go there.

Go there we did, but Animesh could not make it and it fell to Basu and me to enliven the proceedings at Ankur's baraat, which was running the risk of being a non-starter but for his brother and the two of us, of course. We danced the night away and warmed the cockles of our hearts enough by feasting on some good food and good faces. Having done that, it was time to go to Khajuraho the next day to give more definition to the Madhya Pradesh trip, unique and unlikely to be repeated soon that it was.

Khajuraho was exciting (not just erotic, read again) and not only because the ruins were the way they were but more because standing in the midst of it all, you could not help imagining yourself in the era bygone when the same area that seemed deserted except for the typical tourists, was the center of civilization as people knew it. The temples, their roofs, entry pathways and the entire aura of the place simply transported you in the middle of all the action, the priests chanting mantras, the flower sellers offering you flowers to devote at Gods' feet, the artisans presenting their craft at the temples' steps...it was all so fantastic.

Khajuraho done, we moved on to Delhi where Basu was hospitality personified as I stayed with him for a couple of days and we sat around discussing stuff, watching movies, and generally having a good time. It was in the middle of this good time that we decided to take on an earlier discussion that we had somewhere in Madhya Pradesh on the efficacy of hypnotism as a form of therapy. Having tried a trained hypnotherapist and discovered that she was busy and not aavailable before I left Delhi, Basu decided to take matters in his hand.

It was, he said and I tend to agree, the suggestability of ideas that hypnotism is all about. An idea, once implanted in the subconscious tends to bring the person around to accepting the idea in its entirety. So, coming back to what I started with, if you really set your mind to something (especially the subconscious part of your mind), there is no way that will not happen. So a situation where what happens is contrary to what you have thought will happen, there is something really screwed up about you and your mind :-)

By the way, the experiment of hypnotism that Basu did with me was pretty successful.

Dilli meri jaan

The capital of India is never prettier but in the months of November-February, the time when winter reigns, the time when fog and mist cover the sun, the time when chilly winds tend to bite your skin off, the time when small bonfires have people gathered around them making small conversation, the time when pyaaz ki pakaudi aur chai takes a new meaning. Add to it the world class and unusually empty roads if you are out in the freezing night, and you have got an unbeatable combo.

Ever since I did my schooling from Delhi, the city has been close to my heart even though I managed to come back to it only 8 years later for my first post-MBA job. Some good friends made over the time I was there add to the charm that the city possesses for me. Every time I get to visit Delhi (in the not too long duration of eight months that I have been away from the city), it is yet another episode, yet another addendum to the love affair.

The visit this time was to participate in the wedding celebrations of Kushagra, one of those ex-colleagues whose friendship was and is a cherished one. Married on the 11th in Jamshedpur, Kushagra and Anugya had kept a reception for friends and family on the 14th in Delhi. Although Kushagra had informed us of the event about a month ago, there was no clear or recent information on when and where was the event supposed to take place. Obviously not expecting an invitation card, it was still a little awkward to land up at some place on a whim only to realize that the event had actually been planned for some very close family and we were, after all, uninvited.

As we (Nishith, Himadri and myself) had almost decided to give the reception a miss and I had cursed my luck enough, though clearly half heartedly for landing in Delhi without any purpose, we suddenly got SMS messages from Kushagra which was, true to his character, barely 4 hours in advance. The tone of the message was awesome to boot suggesting as though there may have been some ambiguity on our front as far as our attendance at the event was concerned.

To cut a long story short, we did attend the reception and it was absolutely spot on, with the newly weds looking terrific in their synchronized ensembles. Anugya was looking particularly graceful and Kushagra was the image of a good boy, what with uncharacteristically well kept hair, to quote an instance.

I was accompanied to the Delhi trip this time by Priya as apart from the reception, there were some other family engagements in the city as well, which also went off pretty nicely although not without a good dose of situational humor associated with the same. The only regret I had was that the two day trip seemed too small to meet all friends, go to all places I wanted to visit and most importantly, have all the street food that I wanted to have.

As I took the metro to reach New Delhi station to catch the train back (yeah, I took the train both ways, air travel is way too expensive nowadays), I could but only marvel at the growth that this city has had over the last few years. Looking at the reservation charts to check where they had allotted my RAC seat, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself upgraded to the 2nd tier. Happy ending, what!

The Settlement exercise

In one of the most trivial and pointless exercises, some half a dozen of MBA grads from IIM Kozhikode's Class of 2006 came to the conclusion that a whopping 58% of the batch is now married and an equally staggering 8% has had one or more kids. The exercise was carried out in the serene environment provided by Ravi's lovely home and occasion was one of the big ones for Ravi and Deepti, the lovely couple's second wedding anniversary.

Yesterday being a holiday on account of Eid, I had spent the entire day lazing around and watching movies and flopping on the bed and watching some more movies and flopping some more on the bed. As I was about to see the long, weary day to an uneventful end, I received a call from Ravi to come to his house ASAP. Not given any reasons for this call and given such a short notice, I would have imagined something ominous but for the tone of Ravi's voice.

As I reached Ravi's place, I could hear the cheerful sounds from his flat and Priya (in Mumbai to resign from her job, as she put it) waving from the balcony. Already having sensed some kind of gathering of batch mates, the only surprise was the occasion. All the usual suspects were there and then some. The evening started out like all others, a little awkwardly at first with people asking each other about their jobs and work and similar stuff. Soon enough, the mood grew into a more relaxed one as the drinks came out and amidst the cheery toasts, the junta started getting nostalgic and got into talking about the campus. The same old jokes and the same old events got discussed yet again but like every other time, did not fail to bring smiles to each one of our faces.

It was in the middle of this nostalgic session that the discussion veered towards marriage and kids (some of the gathering being a little more than active on the matrimonial landscape definitely helped). Name after name was exclaimed upon as it was either proclaimed as having already tied the nuptial knot or gone a step further. Within hardly any time, all this led to the batch list coming out of Rohit's laptop and all of us going literally name by name. Some of the names had already started sounding unfamiliar and that is a shame really, considering that it has only been two and a half years since we passed out of campus.

For all the names that we collectively had a clue on, we updated their status as Married, Married with kids, or Engaged. People who did not fall in any of these categories were listed as Looking :-). While some people (especially Rohit who will probably mail the analysis to the batch, just for fun) were careful about putting people in categories where they did not have any clue on the actual turn of events, some others (including me) believed in the old adage of "Guilty till proven otherwise".

I am sure that the end result of the exercise set many people thinking, some thinking on why it hasn't happened with them yet, some thanking/blaming their stars for being blessed/cursed, while there were others who took the high point and thought dispassionately about it all. Whatever be the case, the "Settlement Exercise" had everyone enthralled till it was time for dinner and subsequent cake cutting and celebrations.

Cheers to Ravi and Deepti (not sure if I have spelt it right, two e's or an i?)!
Guys, wish you a very happy anniversary once again!

A quickie for a change!

Now this one has been real quick. Considering the gaps between posts for the last five-six odd ones, it must be surprising for whoever still passes by this place to find yet another post. But here it is, yet another episode in my not-too-interesting-but-still-eventful life.

Apart from work, things have been very dynamic in the past few weeks. My flatmate Niranjan has decided to move out to Bombay and join Adventity, leaving me behind with a 3 bedroom flat, and a monthly expense of Rs. 10200, which shall no longer be shared by two as it used to be. Things, however, started coming back to the black from the red when I decided to put up some advertisements (one of them on this blog) looking for a flatmate.

I got three replies to the advertisement, one of them from my batch mate Vineet. A couple of other people also came to see the flat in addition to Vineet but I got the impression that none of them were too impressed with the location of my flat. I did want to go for Vineet, of course, because even though I do not know him well, he is still a batch mate and I have seen him off and on for two years and have at least some idea of what to expect.

The twist in the tale came when Aditya got his visa refused and decided to (or was forced to) stay in India for at least another two months. The question now was whether I wanted to be good to my word to Vineet or was inclined towards staying with Aditya, whom I have come to know pretty well over the last two years. A difficult choice, in deed (also considering that Aditya's stay in India was going to be only temporary), but in the end something that presented a simple enough solution. The three of us have decided to move in together to some place in South Delhi that Vineet has taken the onus of finding for us. The only things that concern me are the size of the flat (since South Delhi is anyway so expensive and since I do want a big enough flat to accommodate guests) and the avilability of facilities like parking, and uninterrupted water, power, and internet. Probably asking for too much but still hoping to get most of it.

So much about the boring story of my life at home. At work, things are much more in the flux, with dynamically changing (always increasing :-( ) targets and new people to meet every day. The markets keep moving up and it is very interesting to note how the investors are still as scared to invest at these market levels as they were at the bottom levels of nearly 9000. It just goes on to show that any extreme is very uncomfortable for players in a field where one small mistake may cost lakhs of rupees. Despite the psychologically interesting and observable fact that I just mentioned, it does pose serious problems for investment advisors like me whose targets depend on being able to convince people to plough in the moolah and keep ploughing it in, come whatever may.

On a fine Delhi morning

It has been ages since I worte my last real post on Mode C and the blog, I though, was as good as dead. But then again, as Pavan says he keeps hoping for, the suppressed finds utterance yet again and here I am, typing away on this keyboard of mine. It is a great morning in Delhi with just the right amount of chill, just the right amount of visibility or the lack of it, just the right amount of traffic and of course just the right kind of songs playing on the car radio.

The car radio mention, of course, was an announcement for all those who are not too dumb to realize that I have got a car now...nothing flashy as of now, just a simple, non-expensive, fuel efficient, with a good resale value Maruti Alto (the one with the Let's Go ads on TV and radio, if you are one of those who remember them and not the real thing).

Amongst other things, I am not married yet and despite the good intentions of all those who have been asking me about the probable time period for reversal of my marital status' amplitude's magnitude, anything less than 3 years does not do justice to the charts.

I still come to office everyday, work reasonably hard but unfortunately, have been hard pressed to show any results so far. With the batch of 2006 at Kotak Wealth now kicking in with their numbers, I am still short on results, despite the efforts being there. Stretched targets (missed by miles last month and increased even more this month) are not helping either. But then, that is a lot of crib and will pass with time, as it has always done.

Life, otherwise, is cruising along just fine and even though personal life is not too happening (as usual :-)). A good circle of friends helps, of course. With Nishith (from IIML), Himadri (from IIMC and ICICI), Kushagra (from IIMC), JC (from Fore and a lot of places), Nasir (from Cardiff and StanChart), and Manpreet (from IMI and Indiabulls), time has no reasons not to fly when we want it to. It is just that I keep losing touch with my past so quickly that I get scared at times. It was Loyola, DPS, and IT earlier, but Infosys and IIMK have been added to the list so fast that it is simply frightening. It is not that I do not make friends at these places or that I am identified as a recluse when I am at the campuses mentioned above but once I am out, I am out, literally.

I don't know if it is the same for everyone and if everyone is able to keep in touch with just a couple of friends each from the different place that one has been associated with in the past, but it has been so in my case. So much so, in fact, that I am seriously thinking about the root cause of it all, not that I am bothered to do anything about it but am just curious.

Water water everywhere and quite a lot to drink

Hi!
Oh, hello!
Are you from here?
Well no, not exactly. What about you?
I am from the US. We are here for a short visit to some folks.
Oh ok...I am from a nearby place, doing my MBA there.
Cool! Is this ride too scary?
Oh no, not at all. It is just that when it gets to the top and stops, hanging you upside down in mid air, there might be, you know, just a bit of a problem.

Oooh, it is going to be fun, all right!

This is not too bad.
umm...humm..yeaah?
Hellooo (waving to a bunch of people on the other slide)
Hee Hee (wondering why those people look familiar)
Wow, hey are they stopping?
Are they? Wow!

The Space Gun at Veega Land was worth all the rides I have ever had in any other amusement park anywhere else and wonderfully, that was not all that there was to it. What was it all about, you say...well, it was nothing much, not more than a group of 17 people, one dts mini bus, one driver and cleaner who presumed anything coming from us to be understood only through signs (even though the person speaking might be a Mallu), one movie and the beginning of another, 10 bottles of beer, raiding of a Pizza Hut outlet, DVDs, excellent breakfast and some heart warming hospitality, water, water and more water.

Starting off with a plan to go sight-seeing in the hills of Wayanad and changed later to a trip to this amusement park in Cochin (it helped that one of the trip planners was from Cochin), this one turned out to be one of the most well-spent tours over the last year or so that I have been here at IIMK. We started off at 4 in the morning and by the time we were through with catching some sleep and the movie "The fast and the furious", we were almost about to reach Cochin.

An excellent breakfast of idli, wada, halwa, chole, and excellent tea at Sandeep Gopal's house was mixed with Bunty's excellent rapport with Sandeep's mother (given her soft spot for Bengal). We reached Veega Land by 11 and honestly speaking, there was nothing happening till then to give any indication of what was about to come.

We started off with dashing cars and all my visits to Appu Ghar and Essel World came back in a flash as each of the group wowed to dash the other cars off the floor. As if dashing the cars around was not enough, we went on to spinning cars and after that came the much discussed by now Space Gun in which I had the fright of my lifetime. I couldn't even place the people waving to me till the last time when I was hanging upside down. It was only then that I realized that they were part of my group and here was this girl from the US, waving to them as if there was no tomorrow while I was hanging tight to my buckle.

The rollercoaster and horror cave were interesting, too (the one boob skeleton witch was particularly hilarious and so was the message in Malayalam telling us that the power had gone off...pray how did they plan to scare non Mallus?) but the best part of the day was still to come and how it did come!

The water rides opened with a bang. After the usual slide, we saw something different and went right ahead to try it. It was a rapid river flowing through five channels with ropes that you had to hang on to if you want your life belt to drag you down the rapid. Oh, what fun! Getting toppled over and toppling people over had never been this interesting.

The Water Rugby (we plan to patent this game and offer it to the Olympic Committee) was up next and the wave pool made sure that we had more than our heart full. As the weaker team (with Sam and Ravi being in the other team) scored 10-6 over the more heavy weight team, it was just the right omen for the waves to come calling. Having been in Chennai for two years, waves were not new to me but being able to go to the source of the waves, knowing fully well that I won't drown was another experience altogether.

Some more rapids and water slides and we were as exhausted as anything and what better to relax us than piercing streams of water. This platform had jets from all sides trying to go right through you while the bucket at the top kept toppling every few moments, pouring sheets of water on those below.

The pizza was something I had been looking forward to for quite some time and so were the DVDs (although I was unfortunate in not being able to get more of Amitabh collections). Some shopping later, we were ready to go into deep slumber, aided for some by the beer bottles and for others by the humming audio of The Bourne Identity which ended even before it started.


 

It's ok but why?

I wanted to go, too...I so badly did! (okay, you wanted to go, so what...did you tell anybody about it?)

Why didn't I go then? (they never even asked me)

They might have thought that if I were interested, I would contact them (why not, I love being the unwanted guest)

But...perhaps they did not have enough space (but didn't someone say they had space for one more person?)

They might not have found me online or on messenger (they had my phone number, na?)

Oh come on, the plan was made in such a jiffy...do you expect them to wait for eternity and call the entire batch up to ask them if they wanted to go? (hmm...that sounds reasonable. After all, I take so much time to get ready that they would have had to spend another day waiting for me to get up and going)

They might have thought that I will be busy with classes (yeah, considering the whole second year has no classes, that is a realistic probability)

They might have thought that I will be busy with Konnect or Backwaters (oh yes, I can not live without Konnect or Backwaters, they are my sweethearts you know!)

They might have forgotten that I exist (ah well...ummm...but they, of all people?)

They might have remembered what I am capable of, when unleashed (if it's that, which I think/hope/pray/wish it is not, well...I have nothing more to say about it)

There might be a substantial reason for it that I can not think of and anyway, why the hell did I expect anything from anyone? (I know but I feel so hurt...but then, this, too shall pass :-))

And yeah, I just remembered...didn't I say myself that I did not want to go to any more trips? (yes I did :-(( )

The drums are rolling..a la..a la...a la la la

Congratulations are in order (in no particular order...ain't I funny :-)) to:

Yash Sehgal, for becoming a certified derivatives and commodities trader

Vishak Hemchand and Rahul Nallari, for keeping Ernst & Young buzzing all summers and grabbing a PPO (pre-placement offer) each

Rajan Venugopal and Nimish Menon, for doing the same at GE Money

R Vishwanathan, ditto for Wipro

Jaspreet Chandok, who did the same at ICICI OneSource

Kunal Bharadwaj, for the PPO at Godrej and Boyce

Rohit Bansal, for bagging the second best summer project award at Godrej

Kiran Rama, Manish Shukla, and Prashant Kowshik, for receiving a PPI (pre-placement interview) each from Patni

Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, for being brave, bullish, and agressive enough to increase the batch strength to 180 (from 120)

The Class of 2006 at IIMK, for the success stories yet to come and for making their mark wherever they went this summer

The Class of 2007 at IIMK, for having decided to spend the next two years of their lives at God's own campus.

Sandipan and poor-ole-me, for having managed to scrape through the summers :-))

Eternal Adieu...I hope not

Farewell, my dear friends! since we now can ne'er meet;
If our songs have been languid, they surely are few:
Let us hope that the present at least will be sweet--
The present--which seals our eternal Adieu.
                                          (Farewell to the Muse, Lord Byron)




It is time for you to go, time for the end of a story and beginning of another. Your nerves dance and tingle not just at the thought of leaving behind this place and its memories but perhaps even more at thinking of what the future holds in store for you. Life moves on and so do people like you but wherever you go, you carry with yourselves and leave behind you some impressions which the sands of time shall take a long time to wipe away. The batch of 2005, fare thee well !

It was only a couple of days earlier that we were practicing for the group song and I was all enthused about putting up a great show for the farewell. Despite changes in my personal plans, I did not want the team to get affected...tried to talk them into going ahead with the song and dance by saying that I may not join the party and then turning up late...kiddish plans, I know but they worked probably...

And what an awesome performance it turned out to be...not technically of course, but it did set the mood for rest of the night. With the unending prelude music and people off the stage singing the song aloud even before that..and of course the initial commentary of "Papa Kehte Hain" adapted by Vikhyat, there could not have been a better beginning. And they took it places...lines forgotten but compensated for by sheer enthusiasm, people joining in the song in the middle (from both batches), the karaoke and the vocals playing hide and seek and yet everybody laughing along...infectious stuff, truly.

Chiranjeev and Sandipan were up next with their excellent rendition of "Puraani Jeans". Though the reverb was a little too high and the guitar volume a bit subdued, but who bothered. With the people already in the party mode, there was quite a bit of singing and clapping along as the duo went through the song and Sandipan handled the highs and lows of the melody with ease.

Vikhyat attempted something different as he came on the stage for the second time with a piece of paper in hand and feet firmly planted behind the podium. The stuff (whatever it was...I still do not have any clue) might have been good but he should have moved around and done something more phsically involving. The effort was good (I must convince him to do it some other time), though... :-)

The songs over, it was time for some dance now and the talent of Sandeep Gopal was up for display. I had been pestering him for a performance for long and he had promised me one, even if he had to do a solo one. He almost seemed to be living up to his promise as the dance routine started with a solo performance of Sandeep on some Mallu (I thought it was...not sure) song...quite free flowing and with some unconventional stage dance steps. To add a bit of convention, the next song had Kunal joining Sandeep for an English number where they did some of the more common steps. The variety was not over yet as Vikhyat came along (yet again) wearing a chunni and the three dancers did some fluid steps on a cool Euphoria song that must have entertained one and all.

After a few initial hiccups, Pawan did a great job with rendering "Ae nazneen suno na" and done without any instruments or music, it was doubly great. The best part of it was the ease and informal nature of the entire thing. With performances not mattering in the least and the spirit having caught on like wild fire, it was a free for all as the people (Rajat, Karan, Ankit, Rohit...and the rest) went up the stage a number of times, belting out numbers, talking stuff (some senti too) and above all, having fun.

In fact, the entire evening was a reinforcement of the fact that unrehearsed, unplanned things come out the best as far as the satisfaction quotient of the junta goes. Whatever we did do as part of culturals for the farewell could not have been done better, especially not if we had planned the entire thing and gone by any fixed ideas.

Soon it was all over. With the presentation in the beginning (the flash invitation that was prepared by Pranay and JC and sent out earlier to both the batches) making people nostalgic with some cool snaps set to some excellent music, the culturals made sure that the feeling did not die out, at least not for the night. The few speeches in between were decent, too...with Prof. Uday Damodaran addressing us for one of those last times, it was great to hear him talk about how he wishes his students to be non-MBAs and how he likes confused people as his students (he even named some of them from both the batches). XLRI is certainly going to be lucky to have him there.

The photo sessions were the theme for the next hour as a decent dinner (for a change, TAJ did well) was accompanied by a lot of hugging, forming of huddles and quite a bit of fun and laughter filling the hall. The dance started next and went on and on...with the bar in full service too, there was no reason for any one to stop...and they didn't stop till the wee hours of the morning...Kunal's multiple announcements of "This is the last song" would have helped, too :-)...finally, the last few of them had to be dragged on board the last bus.

And...umm...yeah...I drank after ages (almost six years if you discount the engineering college farewell) yesterday.

Aaj naachenge saari raat...

It has all been happening in style...the string of parties at the hostels, each one with their own modus operandi, each one with their unique value to the outgoing batch of PGP at IIMK. Yes, it is time for them to go, the batch of 2005 at IIMK is ready to leave the campus after two enriching years of education (???), interactions, experiences and learnings (with an extra emphasis on the 'e'). For us juniors, it is time to throw them parties, parties that they are probably going to remember for a long time to come, that they are going to use to click snaps that will be the wallpaper of their machines for quite some days (months?).

Last night was the turn of the G hostel juniors to arrange for the party. With quite a substantial sum collected for the party (probably the biggest of all hostels), the food and drinks flowed without restraint and so did the masti. With the core of the BCA and the Dude group, both centered in the hostel, as also that of the emerging Gandh group, there was a lot of excitement built up before the party...what with status messages ruling the roost and people calling each others' parties names with gay abandon. There were plans to have the Big Fight too...between the BCA and the Dude group...conducted by the Gandh group...novel ideas, really.

What about the music...half an hour before the party was to start, Kashyap (the hostel rep and the party Kingpin) comes to me saying that I have to get the music arranged (what he meant was that I had to sacrifice my laptop and as I later came to know, my speakers and risk them against spirits, rain dances, washing machines, and what not :-)). As the party progressed and almost everyone started taking the DJing role up, I thought that I was ok and free but not for long. With the heads getting higher and lighter and the laptop virtually unattended, I had to don the garbs of the DJ (for the very first time in life).

Believe me, there is nothing else that is as irritating. With all sorts of people having all sorts of request and people getting senti over their songs not being played...even angry at my not having their favorite songs in my playlist, it was a tad difficult...but somehow I endured it all. The best part was when I was already sick of the music and the fundas that Neel and Aaditya were busy giving Mayank and Prashant in one corner of the hall,  but there were still a handful of dancers boogeying away with the music...what that translates into was that I could not leave till they had had their fill.

When we did finally wind up for the day at about 4:30 in the morning, it was still early by party standards for some and Madhok was all willing to dance some more but with no one for company, he saw the light and let me see the bed :-(.

All said and done and with all due cribbing about the DJing over, the party was good fun actually. I don't know how far the rest of the junior gang enjoyed it but with the enthusiastic snap sessions and the once-in-every-ten minutes hugging that was going on, I am sure that the seniors had a gala time (probably not as much due to the party as due to the occasion).

The highlight of course was Mayank stalking Richard like there was no tomorrow and insisting that he dance on 'Babuji zara dheere chalo" with a bottle of beer in his hand...do not know for certain but just got a feeling that Mayank had some ideas about what was to follow once Richard started the dancing (which he never really did, of course, apart from shaking a leg here and there) :-) 

sTrEAM BACKWATERS

There are so many things that one takes for granted in life and yet there are so many otheres that we do not wish to believe in despite the apparent authenticity of the same. In the initial stages, Backwaters for me was such an absolute farce that I had no hopes of long term associations or any other such freebie that one would normally associate with any sustained group effort of such proportions. Fortunately, I am now able to say that not only have I proved myself wrong over and over again, I have actually started forming a kind of strong (or what Reddy likes to call 'senti') bond with each one...ok, perhaps not each one, but the majority at least :-)... of sTrEAM BACKWATERS.

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

The day after tomorrow

It has been a short term and as all of us here at IIMK from the batch of 2006 were expecting, it came to an end just too soon. As for me, the end came at an opportune moment. Like every year, this time too, all my relatives were gathering in Buxar to take part in the annual Harikirtan on the 27th of December to remember my Great Grand Father who passed away on the same date many years ago. 27th of December falling right in the plum center of my leave, there could not have been a better duration for the term break.

The journey home was long (with a capital L). I had decided to accompany Aditya to Bombay and thereon till Allahabad, thinking that he will turn out to be a comrade in solitude. But alas! it was not to be as Aditya decided to dedicate some more of his time to his 'dedication'.

The journey to Bombay was fun. With about a dozen classmates for company, it could hardly have been anything else. The numerous games of cards where I tried to run Mayank out of luck in Flash...where I tried to team up with Aditya to turn up the black 2's and catch all the 10's against Mayank and Manish.

Another interesting incident that I missed because of sweet sleep was when everyone was playing Dumb Charades and Pranay was trying to act out the word Yaad and ultimately ended up with making the people guess it by trying to make it rhyme with some word really out of place and one that, of course, did not rhyme at all :-) (unfortunately, I do not remember the exact word)

I also got to know quite a lot about things that happened in Aditya's life and got a chance to brag about my own history for a bit...an interesting conversation and trip...but not so for the remainder of the journey. The start was good with a visit to Hiranandani with Aditya, Tarun, and Mitali and some really good Aloo Parathas to top it off. However, good things were not there to last as I realised, and that too once I was well settled in my seat on the Kurla Patna Express, that I had left my bed cover (and Aditya, his) in the train to Bombay.

Two shivering nights later, I was home with Nani, Mamas, and cousins...and a good stay it promises to be. Despite the trip, I and my entire self were fully warmed up once at home and with my dear ones.

The long weekend

The long weekend of Diwali and Eid is well over and the classes scheduled for this week seem to be bringing things to a head for probably the first or second time this term. This does not, in any way however, take away from the immensely eventful weekend that the past one has been. With three free days in a row owing to some sincere efforts by the Student Council yet again, the mood was upbeat with a lot of people packing their bags Thursday evening for places like Bangalore, Goa and Kovalam.

For the people left on campus, there were plans for Diwali celebrations. Even the night preceding Diwali was very interesting. Having gone to sleep after watching a movie or two at about 3:30 in the night, I kept having dreams of a very noisy and boisterous Holi for some reason. When I woke up in the morning, I saw that the entire hostel had water and more water everywhere and the sweeper was having a hard time figuring out the reason for this downpour inside the building. It was only later that I came to know of the water fight that had broken out in IIMK on Diwali eve. Spread across hostels, the splashing extravaganza saw some interesting highs like Gagan's hydrophobia, people being woken out of their sleeps and water being poured over them, reactions of some such people to such treatment in so-early hours of the morning.

That notwithstanding, people were all geared up for the Diwali celebrations with Puja planned at 7 in the evening. Before the Puja however, Veer-Zaara happened. I still go by my opinion that the movie will do well because of its being designed for the masses. Anyways, Diwali Puja was up next as we came back to the hostel (just in time, considering that the rains were following right behind). Lots of kurtas, saris, unspoken mantras of the priest, uninhibited and free flowing revelry in the midst of the Puja, some real hard work by the organizers, and the Swedes with their huge camera were some of the attractions of the Puja.

The dinner that followed had its own fruity flavor with two sweet dishes thrown in the Diwali bounty. I must say here that I really appreciated what Rajat did to regulate the food distribution. Such conduct is rarely seen and the only recent example that I can think of is what Priya did at the hotel in Munnar where like Rajat, she was busy carrying the puris and serving them to the rest of us.

The very first number called up in the Housie won me a prize (a shooting star) of 100 bucks but I more than made up for it by losing some 550 rupess in the late night (went on till 5 in the morning, actually) game of cards...so much for the ill-effects of gambling (and to think that at one point, I was winning around 400 bucks). The fireworks display made up for the teeny weeny little bit of home-sickness that had started creeping in and by the time the fireworks ended (though a little tragically, what with the injuries to Sandipan, Abhineet and Devroop), I was in a complete festive mood.

Saturday was pretty uneventful as I got up at about 1 in the afternoon. The only change from the typical lazy day routine was yet another movie, this one decided at the very last minute. Naach turned out to be disappointing and so did the India Pakistan cricket match that followed and resulted in yet another loss for India.

Sunday was spent lazing around and trying to read up on the case for Monday's Operations class. That I managed to do much more of the former as compared to the latter is obvious. I even managed to watch The Italian Job...had heard a lot about it...nice movie, but not as good as you would expect after the rave reviews...personally, I think that Ocean's Eleven or even Mission Impossible was much better...but then again, each one for his/her own.

Diwali night is also the ocassion when I get in touch with my family like I never do in the normal course. I make it a point to call all my relatives, cousins, friends on Diwali and despite a one day bill that normally goes beyond 500 (it even touched four figures once), it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to connect to the people who really matter in my life. It is not that I do not talk to them normally but Diwali is a special ocassion when people expect calls and greetings from their near and dear ones and a greeting at such times is received as being the most affectionate of all.

Of Extremes, Munnar trip, Genesis of Gandh and others...

As she used to say, I am capable of only two extremes...either being the life of the party or being as aloof from it as humanly possible. I never believed her then and in fact, it was one of the things we fought the most about. After the Munnar trip, however, I think that she was actually right. The trip started off really well for me, with songs and dance aplenty, making life difficult for light sleepers like Mustu and all the more exciting for people like me. Having already explored the mountains of Munnar on my bike trip, the only reason I agreed to go along this time was that I wanted to have some fun. With 25 people coming for the trip in a mini bus arranged for the trip by the Women in Charge, the trip was certainly going to be fun.

And fun it was, till I decided to take myself out of the fun. We were all having a great time, singing songs, playing Antakshari and Dumb Charades, cracking some really pathetic jokes, building and popularising liaisons :-)...I don't know exactly what happened but by the time we were done with our late lunch, I had been turned off by something...it may have been some thing some one said, it may have been the food (if it can be called that), it may have been the memories of Kodaikanal and her, it may have been the lack of sleep for the past three days in a row...whatever it was, from there on, it reduced my role in the trip to that of a spectator who watched, smiled, and even laughed but did not speak...a loser, as the people on the adjoining dinner table would have defined the term.

Despite what happened to my role in the proceedings, life continued to rock and roll for all others. The genesis of Gandh group was complete, with a full court sitting on the matter of the three caps (pink, white and blue) and the Bond. With a detailed analysis by the special correspondent and some candid confessions by the witnesses, all came out in the open as the audience cheered and jeered at the revelation of who was after whom, whether the red cap was accessible, if it was, then for whom...or was it the pink (another one) who was sought after by the Bond...many questions and even more answers...

The next  morning was a little better for me and as the day just broke, I was into another of my extremes (yet again), but this once, the extreme seemed to have been forced (by me???) and did not last for long. Before I knew, I was back in the Yes Sir, Yes Ma'am mood and it was thus that we eneterd into Calicut. The last couple of hours were well spent, with some more concept laying for the Gandh group, Reddy actually making an OB-style relationship map of all the liaisons that we were able to establish on the trip (by hook or by crook :-)), and the many photographs that we had as proofs of the real intentions (cruel???) of the femme fatales...

Myself apart, I found a few more people on the trip who were not really having a great time, or so it seemed. For some reason, the initiator and organizer of the trip, Pavithra was in one of her worse moods...though Karfa joined the party at times, he was a little away at times, too...or perhaps, I had been thinking a lot, especially since I was reduced to one of my reflective moods. Even the people whom I do not know well enough (haven't observed them enough) and who may normally belong to the quiet version (Kundan, Rahul, Qaynat...) were suspects when it came to finding like minded souls :-)

On the whole, it was a nice trip (I was in my full of life extreme for a majority of 21 out of the 40 hour trip) that made me realize that there is a lot that is possibly wrong with me, that there is more than a substance of truth when people describe me as idiosyncratic, that there are things about me that make me appear inaccessible and not-worth-it...that I waste a lot of my time thinking and cribbing about things that may or may not have any relation with reality...

9 days and 1250 kms in God's own country

Day 1: 125 kms from Kozhikode to Thrissur
Day 1: 65 kms from Thrissur to Athirappally
Day 2: 70 kms from Athirappally to Kochi
Day 3: 60 kms from Kochi to Aleppey
Day 5: 120 kms from Aleppey to Thekkady
Day 6: 110 kms from Thekkady to Munnar
Day 9: 300 kms from Munnar to Kozhikode

380 kms in no-man's land

1250 kms of bliss in God's own country

It has been a record 20 days since I last wrote in this place inspite of there having been so much to write about in all this time. A term ended at IIM Kozhikode, the end-term exams got over with their own share of highs and lows and most importantly, I am back from a road trip through the length and breadth of Kerala. It was always there somewhere in my mind...the idea of a road trip. I remember being impressed with stories of people who travelled across the country or even the world on their vehicles to promote world peace or some other such junk. Despite not feeling too strongly about the idea behind these trips (world peace, et al), I always used to like the concept of being free with your time and resources and going out in the open with no care in the world. In short, it will suffice to say that the idea of a road trip was not a novelty or impulse for me.

It was a little difficult, though, to find partners for such an exercise and individualist though I consider myself to be, even I can not go on such a long trip all alone. Coming to IIM Kozhikode solved this problem, too. Not only did I find just the ideal destination for my trip in Kerala's pristine beauty, but I also found like minded individuals who were ready for such adventures at the drop of a hat...or at least, that is what I thought initially. When it actually came to sacrificing the term break and the impending home visit for the sake of this adventure, though many applauded the idea, they preferred to stay away from the nerd who does not want to go home. So it turned out that on the day we left Kozhikode on our bikes, there were only three of us, Ravi, Sumit and yours truly (I personally would have loved another couple to make a good team) with two bikes and two back packs filled with clothes to last us for the next 9 days.



On the morning of September 24, as the three of us were having a typical Kerala breakfast at a road side dhaba in front of Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode, we were all thinking about the days ahead of us and wondering if it was a good idea, not going home and coming out on such a trip...the trip of our lifetime, as it later turned out to be. The breakfast of something whose name I can not recollect now (not that I had understood it even while I was eating the thing) over, we were ready for the first leg of the journey which was to be from Kozhikode to Thrissur. The highway beckoning our bikes and our promise of not going beyond 70 kmph holding us back, we made a good start, covering considerable distance in the first hour or so. However, the confort was not to continue any longer, as we found out pretty soon with the road turning into a nightmare and the dust and smoke charring our faces beyond recognition. With the backpacks exerting unbearable strain on our backs (how do the foreigners manage to carry them all day long and still smile???), we reached Thrissur half-dead and almost ready to turn back from the trip.

Thrissur, famous for its Vadakkunathan temple (read more about it on Priya's blog) and the Thrissur Pooram festivities with processions of elephants and what not, received three tired, dirty, and hungry backpackers at about 12:30 in the afternoon. Vadakkunathan Temple already closed for the day, we had to do with the external view and appreciation of the fact that the busiest part of a city could be built around one of the most serene places in the city. We called up Priya to find out if there are any other places in the city to visit. She replied in the negative and when asked about good eatouts for lunch, she suggested her home, Lucia Palace, and Elite in that order. Her place being a bit out of the schedule for us, and the Palace sounding particularly appealing, we decided to quench our hunger at the Lucia Palace. The place looked really good and the menu was reasonably priced, too but when the food came, how I wished I had the neck of Priya to wring at the time :-). The food was, in one word...pathetic.



So much for Thrissur, then...well, almost. We also purchased Sumit's Neo goggs and 5 meters of rope to tie Ravi's bag to his bike. The next stop was a place called Athirappally, located some 30 kms from a diversion in the Thrissur Kochi highway. Unlike the road from Kozhikode to Thrissur, the NH47 from Thrissur to Kochi was a biker's delight. I think that it hardly took us half an hour to cover about 35 kms on the highway before we took the diversion for Athirappally.

Athirappally, a quaint little village located up the hills, turned out to be a difficult place to reach. With Kerala's Rain Gods (I seriously believe that they are of a different variety in Kerala, these rain gods) making merry, there were sheets of water in front of our eyes, making driving impossible. Fortunately, there was no dearth of sheds on the way and we made full use of them, stopping every couple of kilometers to get some respite from the downpour. It was during one of those stopovers that we coined the word Chetties (for Chaechies, as I believe they ought to be called).



Having planned to get to Kochi on the same day, our plans were abruptly spoilt by the rains and some beautiful scenery that freshly washed Athirappally presented for our eye sores. Last I had seen a waterfall this big was way back in 1994 when I went on a trip to Mussoorie with my parents. It was amazing to see water flow like milk, the glory of it all seemig beyond words. A night stay imminent now, we planned to make the most of it by having a bath the next morning in the amazingly clear running water of the falls.



The next day was an early one. Having been just spared from the coming onslaught of local bathers at the falls, we had our early bath and breakfast before starting for Kochi. Ravi was particualrly happy at the thought of having the lunch at Domino's and seeing a big city for the first time in about two and a half months. The road was pure bliss, and speeds of 90 to 95 kmph were reached with no effort (all our resolutions to go at less than 70 be damned :-))

Kochi, or Cochin as it was known earlier, is called the Queen of the Arabian Sea. With one of the biggest ports, handling a lot of trade, its so-called metropolitan nature, and its historical significance, the place has got a confused look. It seemed to be stuck between trying to be a modern city with Marine drives and MG Roads, and at the same time maintain its spirit with Fort Kochi, Jewish synagogues, and numerous museums. The famous Chinese fishing nets (why are they famous???) were there and so were the ferry boats running to and fro the Kochi city wharf. Sandeep Gopal turned up in his car in the evening to take us to a pub (on Ravi's special request). The pub, unfortunately was closed for renovation and there not being any others of the new relaxation fad in the city, it was time for us to turn in for the day. Lest I forget to mention, we knew more about Kochi in one day than Sandeep did in his lifetime at the place (yes Sandeep, I have broken the promise...so what :-))



We had initially kept two days for Kochi but the feelings about the place were not that happy-happy (another term coined during the trip) and I guess that even we were confused about whether we liked the place or not. The Yatri Niwas where we were staying, being available for only one day, made the decision simpler. Personally, I was just tired of the place and wanted to go somewhere closer to the nature, so to say. The next stop, anyway, was to be Aleppey, known for its unbelievably beautiful backwaters.

Aleppey, home to India's Venetian life style, was a revelation. The place introduced us to a lot of things, the least being the concept of home stays which is so reasonable if you are roaming around in Kerala. These home stays are rooms rented out on a daily basis by the local residents in their homes. These rooms are well-managed, neat and clean, and despite the owners being in the category of auto and taxi drivers and bus conductors (that is what we found out), the places are well-equipped and filled with all luxuries possible.

The backwaters cruise the next day was wonderfully relaxing. The serene backwaters and the Keralites, Chettas and Chetties going about their daily chores in the boats with an unusual nonchalance, made me wonder and think. Is it really worth spending so much time and effort to be able to lead a life that is so radically different from this one that we were seeing in the backwaters? Why do we want to have a bungalow in the biggest and most poplulated, dirty cities when a life like this is possible?

With a trip to the Krishna temple in search of Payasam turning futile (this place is supposed to be famous for the origin of Payasam), we were ready to leave Aleppey after two days of unforgettable fun and relaxation. Our hosts at the Gowri residence were wonderful and the hospitality excellent. There was a party in honor of some German guests, too...the music and especially, the enthusiasm of the Keralites was truly infectious and joyous.

Lots of people had suggested us to visit this little known place called Thekkady, home to the more well known Periyar Tiger Reserve. We decided to pass Kumarakom (since we had already had enough of backwaters by that time) and move on to Thekkady and try our luck at spotting some tigers.

Thekkady, notwithstanding the recommendations, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not only did it have the Periyar forest reserve and one of the largest artificial lakes that I have ever seen (nearly 16 square kilometers), it is a beautiful place in its own right. Another home stay and a good found, cheap room (only Rs.300 per day for a room that was worth a thousand in any hotel worth its name) later, we were ready to explore this small town that had all markings of a successful tourist destination, minus its hustle and bustle. We even tried our hand at a mela in the town.

The next day was spent in the adventure that all three of us will remember for a long time. The boat cruise through the lake the previous evening had awakened the desire to view some more animals from closer quarters and so it was that we started off on a jungle trek with a guide in tow. In fact, we were the ones in tow, with the guide making us run behind some elephants and showing us the elephants' dung for our efforts (we did manage to see the elephants, later). With the guide taking us off the regular trail for a more natural and strenuous walk in the woods, Ravi was left particularly tired and irritated.



We were now six days into the trip and it was soon going to be time for the final leg. This was going to be the now-famous hill station of Munnar, home to some of the largest tea and coffee plantations in the country. The place has the reputation of being an unspoilt hill station. More than the hill station, however, it was the way to Munnar which was the best part of the trip. Every couple of kilometers, we had to stop to admire one breathtaking image after another. After some time, we started skipping places that would have occupied pride of place in any photo album on any other day.

We spent nearly three days in Munnar, a major part of the first one spent just looking for a place to stay. Not as lucky as we were at the other places where we stayed, though we did find a reasonably priced room, the hosts were certainly not that accommodating. Regardless, the place and its beauty made us forget all such petty things as we spent the next day lazing around and taking walks around the sleepy little hill station. It was only on the last day of our Munnar stay that we actually got round to start visiting places in the vicinity. The tea plantations (with Tata Tea owning more than 90% of them), the top station of the now dysfunctional rope way to Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiri Tahrs of Raja Mala (found in only one other place in the world), biking to as close to the highest peak in South India as we could get (rest of it was restricted area), the echo point where we shouted our throats off, the Kundla dam where we had bhutta...were just some of the places that make Munnar one of the better tourist destinations of Kerala.



The way back from Munnar was long and despite starting at 6 in the morning, we were hoping to cover the 300 km long distance to Kozhikode only by the evening. Some good roads, and the last-day idea of tying both the bags to the bikes helped us cover the roads faster. In spite of a forced stop over of about one hour in a workshop/garage due to rains, we made it to Kozhikode by 3 in the afternoon. Other people of the batch are now back, too from the vacations and we are about to start with the second term here at IIMK. This reminds me, I still have to write about the last term and a summary of its experiences...tomorrow, perhaps. 

As for the next term, I am sure that with all the talk of some strict teachers promising to make life difficult, this term is going to be even more exciting compared to the previous one. There are a lot of contests coming up, including the ITC busoiness plan contest and the Loreal-eStart strategy contest. The summer and lateral placement season, the IIMK-IIMB sports meet, the Operations Seminar, the Horizons fest and so many other things are in the pipeline this term. I don't know about the others but at least I am rejuvenated (and tanned, as all my batchmates have been pointing out) from my trip and raring to go...