Monday, September 27, 2004

the race continues

im back frm the XL-IIMC sports meet.we lost miserably,but this disloyal student doesnt care.i was there to have fun, n fun i had.with my sporting skills being not exactly good,its implicit that i was there as a so called "cheerleader".but i wasnt dancing around in a miniskirt every time IIM-C scored a point.the bus trip was real fun with sum 3-4 guys includin me getting real raucous to the extent that there was a genuine threat by some distressed people to throw us out.thank god,for basic human kindness.

neways,lifez bak on the race track now n it looks like there is a lack of pit stops this term.the drams practice runs fr an average of 3 hrs daily after college hours n this can only get longer.i also got grades fr 2 subjects of term-1,theyr like A min and B.speaking in understandable terms,its like an average show but the good thing is that ive dun reasonablly well in the end terms.but the mid term sins a catch up to drive down the overall grade.gotta study hard this term round.

Monday, September 20, 2004

a brand new term

i suggest u never watch a movie from 2-4 in the morning.besides the unearthly hours associated,it makes u sleep till 12.30 in the afternoon n miss the FIRST class of a brand new term.thats wat happenned to me.the movie was great -"life is beautiful".if u havent watched that one,uve missed something.absolutely moving tale of a loving man n his family who r taken to a concentration camp during the world war.neways,the movie was superb but its after effects were me missing the first "cost accounting" class.

n thus the term 2 started.weve got 7 subjects this time.i plan to study regularly.i intended to do the same thing 8 times during my 8 sememsters of engineering.lets not talk abt the implementation part.n yea,we r goin to XLRI during this weekend for the annual IIM C-XLRI sports meet.its like an ind-pak match for us.most of the guys,including me are going there as the "cheering" contingent.u know the way 22 year old males who are drunk "cheer",rite?

another of those rankings came out.its outlook this time,we r ranked second here.although that sparked some celebration here,i am still of the same opinion that these dont matter.infact,i pointed out to some guys here,wen we were fourth in the BW poll,they trashed the ranking concept,but are endorsing it when we are placed second!!

the summers will start on 21st nov n i gotta work up some serious stuff abt them.we also got a dramatics play slated for mid november.the auditions for that happenned on saturday nite till 2.30 am.being a drams club member, i came back to my room after that n watched "chupke chupke"(the AB-Dharmendra comedy) till abt 5 in the morning.that just reminds me to warn u again,dont ever watch a flick at such wierd hours.makes u miss the first class the next day.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

waiting for tommorrow

so the last day of my first term at IIM Calcutta is about to arrive some 50 minutes from now.got a subject called "environment and development" exam tommorrow.basically,we had to choose an elective outta 3 and i gleefully opted for this subject after assurances from the seniors about it being too comfortable and absolutely useless.i recall hearing things about stuff like sanitation in sikkim,sulabh toilets,garbage in the rivers and dung cakes in its classes.gives u an idea about the "value-add" i had during this course.newways,the bubble bursts tomm at 12.30 n ill be launching on a movie spree this weekend.before the fun starts again from monday in the form of term 2.

the exams went off satisfactorily this time around and i think my hours at the library may save me the pain of avoiding people just after the results are declared.

i think i should study now.back to the dung cakes.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

enter the library

they r here again.the exams.the end terms start frm 13th n will end on 17th.after my below average performance in the midterms,i gotta save my ass now.been studying okish.

another thing im tryin out is studying at the library.the library here is the biggest in ASIA.or something like that.im not sure,though.thats amazing to hear with so many countries n libraries that must be in asia.but it doesnt look so huge when u see it frm the outside,though the no books in there is awesome.spend some time in there n u see all kinda characters.

the classical scholars with their thick glasses who look up from the book to glare at the guy whoz been disturbingly tapping his pen on the table.they fervently underline useless things and smile knowingly on getting a funda clear.they get to the library as soon as the limited human capabilities allow them to and generally its the security guard who has to ask them to leave when the library shuts down at 1 in the night.

the guys who r there in the hope that just being at the library b4 the exams wud improve their marks.they get up frequently to drink water,look around to see if any girls r around,or just smoke a ciggy on the library's rooftop.n they leave when its snack time at the hostel mess.they can have a real good time if they manage to find another of the same category.

then the guys who r trying too hard prevent falling asleep.they want to get the darned stuff in the book but they r feelin to sleepy to make ne sense of it.but the very thought of sleeping in this temple of learning called the library leaves them agonizingly suspended in this half-awake-half-sleeping state .

n there are some who are actually sleeping open mouthed with their heads on the books.passing ppl giggle at them and the library staff wakes them up to cut short the fun.

now,its not that ive only been observing others while being there,ive also put in some studying hours.hope my visits to the library help my scores.

stoppin here,gotta make a cash flow statement.hmmm.

Thursday, September 02, 2004

hey god,i dont want too much

its been like this all the way through.

just work hard for another x no of days/months/years and then ur life will be a lot better,I AM TOLD.work ard during 10th boards,ull get a stream of ur choice, n life is better.work hard during 12th boards, n ull get into a good college n ur life will be better still.work hard fr CAt,bcos if u manage to get into an IIM ,ur life will be gloriously better than ever.

this is what i was told,or rather i imagined them to be true.

but today when i am lounging here in my hostel room at IIM Calcutta,away from my parents,my home,the place which bears memories of my childhood,i pause to wonder-
is my life better,or is it just my CAREER which is better?

i admit that i suspect my career is on the right track n ill be able to feed my children two meals a day n send them to a decent english medium school.but my life is much more.more than just career.

maybe im not ambitious.i dont know if this is a normal thing but i am happier eating dal-chawal sitting on the floor at my home rather than having lunch at the Taj with Vice president of a multinational .i feel happier sitting on the kitchen floor chatting with mum rather than brainstorming at some plush air conditioned office.i prefer watching cricket with my dad rather than watching powerpoint presentations at a corporate meeting.
i know that i need money.everybody does.but its just an instrument to get what you want,to make ur family happy being one of them.n if u sacrifice these ultimate sources of happiness for money,well,then,i dont get the idea.its like having a pen but not having the time to write a poem.i see old couples living alone,supporting each other's frail lives while their successful children are attending meetings at the silicon valley.it is said that the best ne parent can wish for is the child's success,but i dont accept that this old mother who spent her life caring for this child,and is now left to live her life hoping that the child will remember to call her from his apartment in california,doesnt feel the hurt.

so i just hope that i am not so "successful",that i dont care for the little but real joys of life.i dont want a big car or a mansion or a job which pays me like crazy but makes me crazy with all the workload.

yea,i can do without a great CAREER , but give me a great LIFE god.