Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!

Every phenomenon is contiguous and hence it has to end. The very idea of contiguity leading to continuity keeps this world sane, full of hope. I’m reminded of the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” in which the lead protagonist says “hope is a good thing...maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”

When you come to a residential college campus, you don’t realise how experiences will transform your life by shaping it bit by bit and changing it nibble by nibble. More so, in case of a campus that boasts itself as the biggest and oldest of the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs).

You do not need to worry, as I’m not going to pass on my nostalgia so soon. I have almost 2 months of stay at IIT KGP, left with me and I would try to make you all cry when I publish my last blog-post as an IIT student. Be prepared!

The agenda of discussion in this post is fear. What is fear? How do you define it? What is the psychology of fear? What is the physiology of fear? How to cross the barrier of fear?
Fear comes from unawareness and ignorance. In most cases, fear is the first form of self-defense mechanism a person exhibits. We generally don’t understand this, but if we stop the fear emotions from coming to the fore, it gives us phenomenal strength to handle apparently extraordinary tasks with much ease and poise.

The realization I gained in the past month is that we can win against any kind of fear, we just need to keep on pushing us to do the task which we fear doing. In my case it is primarily darkness. Hence, I started lonely early morning-late night walks around the institute (can be read as 2.2). Remarkably, I was able to take lonely walks without a sense of fear, I started enjoying the friendly but mysterious sights of Owls; I started stalking them.
I decided to give the final test, as I’d won over the fear of darkness. According to Vatty Da, there is a lane which leads us to National Service Scheme (NSS) office, from the National Cadets Corps (NCC) office. He asked me to go there, as he considered the place as one of the few inside institute which can frighten a person like me, even if I have decided to be strong and brave.



The very next day, I took the call and ventured out on the presumably scariest lonely walk of my life. I was quite normal and nonchalant just 1 foot away from the passage. As I stepped in the purview of the lane, I started shivering. However, there were many more things to worry about that day. I was pre-occupied with lots of ideas and mental conflicts; this fuelled my will power and neglected all the pats on my back, apparent whispers, weird voices and eeriness of that place. This was not the end of it.
As I was returning back, I would have been hardly 10 meters from the lane when there was a distinct screeching voice which tried too hard to divert my attention towards itself. My will power and presence of mind was at its peak and I didn’t pay much attention to that voice which was trying to convey the message “I’m at severe pain, help me!” even if I was not able to hear it properly and the source wasn’t generating any understandable language. Needless to say, it wasn’t a sane idea to go that place for validation of my interpretation. I just went ahead, while the voice kept on following me as if I’m not moving. When I reached near Vikramshila building complex, all the dogs inside the complex immediately started barking at something behind me and after that the voice was no more heard of. I showed tremendous guts and presence of mind to accomplish this achievement of successfully completing the lonely walk to NSS office gate and return back normal.

In the hindsight, there was something very eerie, spooky and scary about that lane which I cannot explain neither you can describe even if you do muster up courage to go there alone. Whenever, I talk about it or think about it I start shivering the same way as I was shivering while walking along that old, almost abandoned lane. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!

Disclaimer : Try this adventurous lonely walk to NSS office, at your own risk and will power. My advice is that you must not go there between 1 AM to 6 AM

#TwitterFBwish- Jugaad for a wish

Atheist Alert: You are advised not to read this any further and simply close the tab. Thanks!

In India and abroad, chiefly eastern countries we have a unique custom. We have an innovative and creative Jugaad to bribe and/or please our numerous Gods and Goddesses.
In this age of disruptive innovation, viral marketing, etc. etc. we have something called “mannat” in India (not to be confused with Shahrukh's home). We make a wish and tie something like coconut inside red cloth to an old tree or similar holy object in the temple area. Sometimes just tying a knot of red cloth does no less good. The wish is kept confidential. Finally, when it does get fulfilled you have to come back and undo the tying process and thank God/Goddess.



In this auspicious occasion of Diwali, I also want at least one wish to get granted. I cannot travel to such mannat-place, though. I have come up with another Jugaad. I’ve wished for something and planned to keep it confidential. I have posted something in a discreet way like tying a coconut wrapped inside a red piece of cloth.



I would again post about my wish if it is fulfilled and let the world know what my wish was. In this way I would thank Facebook and God. Even you can fulfill your wish like this. Just post on Facebook or tweet something related to your mannat and you can use the hashtag: #TwitterFBwish. When your wish is fulfilled just let the world know about it. Simple, ain’t it?
Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year (Vikrami Samvat 2067). May Goddess Laxmi shower immense wealth on you.

(image : http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuj1191/3520965493/in/photostream/)

Facebook Flirting

As Orkut Büyükkökten cries over the gradually decreasing popularity of Orkut, the smart users betraying Orkut and desperate attempts by Orkut of emulating facebook, online flirting moves on to facebook.

“Orkut is History…here is the link to my new facebook profile”.

I still remember the day when I started using Orkut and as I created my profile the first thing which I did was search all my crushes on Orkut, but I guess they were enjoying their life. (The more interesting your life becomes, the less time you spend on internet... and vice versa).
It just took two weeks of online activity to realize that beautiful, cute, sweet and hot girls do exist outside TV and Movies and they are real too! And may be accessible ;)

The hunt began…2007 2008 2009 and it is 2010 and the result, I’m still single, next step I have created facebook profile. I have a crush on Google but I’m betraying her as she didn’t get me a single girlfriend.
So far even facebook seems to have no solutions to my problems. I guess the problem is within me. Just have a look at the conversation below:



The girl uses a facebook application to find her next kisser. After getting the result she exclaims that the guy doesn’t even know how to kiss!
The guy having mini-orgasms starts flirting; the friends are having fun over this. The girl asks the boy to learn kissing!

God! Why it doesn’t happen to me? Why? Why?

If this was not enough, now facebook walls are flooded with photos of pretty girls and constant wooing by despos like me who “like” their photo and give inane comments like “sweet pic”, “nice pic”, “looking awesome”…

This time of the year it is more difficult for us-the IIT KGP fellas with Spring fest and Kshitij giving us various types of complexes. It is very difficult to even come out of your room as the campus is full of hot and pretty chicks who are of course not approachable.
This situation is nicely summed up by

“…Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink…”

Taken from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and also pointed out by Shrey Goyal.

The lesson which I learnt from last two spring seasons is that the best thing to do in fest season is to sleep in your room and be away from that urge to approach a girl and fail in the process. Gosh! We hate failures…the IITians!
Perhaps, this is the only field we are losers.

The level of frustration can be gauged by a simple example; this is the institute which was involved with DPS R K Puram in that infamous MMS Scandal.

Now that Café Coffee Day has finally started its outlet at KGP, the jealousy will decrease as the pairs will get some space which would be avoided by poor singles who are neither blessed with fortune nor girls.

However, this adds to the things which I would miss in my college days, the list is:

1. No Girlfriend.
2. Not went for any date, I’m talking about a real date and not this.
3. Never went to café Coffee day with any girl.

"To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing" ; we live in a constant hope with full enthusiasm waiting for that single girl who will stop us from watching 300 movies a year, 10 seasons of friends 10 times and even more, looking “for girls” in facebook and writing blog posts like these!

Yes, I have read the book!

When this controversy started though I was able to empathize Chetan Bhagat but I decided not to write any post related to this on my blog but after this...(see the video below)



I made up my mind that my favourite author and my college senior deserves a mention of this in my blog. The question is not whether the movie is 30%, 50% or 100% copied from the book but it is about moral responsibility of the eulogizer of Gandhigiri. I agree that an artist can't epitomise his creation but this is an extreme case.

What is the point Chetan Bhagat is trying to make?(see the video below)



The bottomline is that this is a typical example in which the writer is not being given appropriate credits. However, the first battle is won by the writer concerned here due to his cult following and media contacts. It could have happened to a less known author and very likely his voice would have been suppressed.

The controversial part of the contract:[view image below]


Courtesy: http://www.vinodchopra.com/agreement.pdf


Read what one of the Aamir khan fans has to say on this, which he posted as a comment in his blog:

"2104. vinayb79
Posted on Jan,02,2010 at 11:48 AM

My simple point is why did the makers get into the contract with
Mr. Bhagat if they 'loosely' wanted to base the movie on the
book or if they only wanted to use '3 to 5 % ' from the book...Do
script writers need 3 to 5 % ? what about the rest 95 0r 97 %?
For that 3 to 5 % the movie makers needed to get into a contract
with the novelist , for what? probably for PUBLICTY because the
book was already FAMOUS?

Could that 3 to 5 % similarities not be avoided and a Original
movie then would have come to the fore...then there would nt have
been a need to making a contract then in the first place...and
once you base movie from a novel, the originality is lost in the
sense of the story whether it is 3 or 5 or 7 or 70 or 50
%...secondly it surely is much more than 3 to 5 %....."


What is my take on this?
I don't want to speak politically correct; the team "3 Idiots" has failed to acknowledge the fact that no matter how successful his film becomes he has to give credit to the person who originally created the characters much before Abhijat Joshi or Rajkumar Hirani thought about Phansuk Wangdu, Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad and Virus.

Rashmi bansal has a valid point here

"Ultimately, Simon Beaufoy won an Oscar for 'best adapted screenplay. And he did not forget to thank Vikas, even in his acceptance speech... "

(Slumdog Millionaire is an adaptation of the novel "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup.)

I think this matter will die within few weeks but the man who will gain maximum out of this is ironically Chetan Bhagat.

If you chronologically follow the proceedings you might think this to be some PR stunt. The film gets publicity, chetan bhagat gets his name mentioned in newspaper and news Channels, the looser is no one!

I do not know the truth and don't want to talk more about this but if you are interested watch this Star News coverage and if you strongly feel that Chetan has moral as well as legal advantage if the controversy goes to court, know what IP practitioners have to say on this

All is well!

PS: Happy new year 2010 to you, may this year bring loads of pleasant surprises for you :)

0 to Zero

You are strolling down the path along with your crush and there’s a cone of cornetto in your hand. You and her are sharing all the platonic thoughts and she leans on your shoulders and says , “I love you”. Suddenly there is a background instrumental of , “Tum se Hi” at full volume.



Hey Wait! Does this happen in real life?
NO
So, that was a dream but it had its share of reality, the background score of “Tum Se Hi” was my alarm-tone which woke me up for preparation of my last exam.
Oh Shit! I had woken up exactly 3 hours before the exam and had to complete the whole syllabus and I got the feeling it could very well be the first exam in which I might fail. There is the thing with this alarm, it was continuously being snoozed but I was in my dreams and the moment she proposed me, it had to wake me! Why?
Okay, I prepared for the exam, not so cool subject, “Underground Metal Mining” but what were you expecting to read when you chose mining engineering 2 and half years ago but actually I didn’t choose it, it chose me!
So with the almost no preparations and sweet images of the last dream I walked to my bicycle and coursed my way to the examination hall.
5 minutes into exam and I knew I only know 5 marks out of 100. I had no other option than to answer that in 20 marks format. Questions came and science fiction was written not once, not twice but 5 times, as there were 5 questions. One of those exams, in which I knew nothing but wrote everything.
By the way, if you are wondering about the title of this post let me explain you, 0 and zero have the same value in mathematics but they take different values of bits of memory in the computer hard-disk and similarly, I knew nothing but attempted everything which was just of no worth and out of context. Got it?
I know, I know… but you have to be mature enough to read my blog: P

The bottom line is my end semester exams are over... Yippee!

Oye...hooyeee Lappy thik ho gaya...shayad!

It has been like time when the last "Halley's Comet" was seen with its extra-trail when I posted last, so first let me apologize for my absence.

But, I really can understand the "pain in the NECK (I'd have used the three letter word but I leave it to my professor to use such words... yes he did say *all iit profs are some "beeped words"* in front of the whole class and he also read the latest Chetan bhagat's book.)"... of people who are disgusted to see their facebook, orkut, twitter,
g-talk and all the n number of social networking sites page cluttered with my updates... like

1. Read my blog

2. Blog updated

3. Blog updated after 10 years

4. I'm committed... read more at my blog... and their disgust they find I was lying, yes I'm single and ready to mingle(for a girl, of course)


"Aaacha, main baat pe aaate hain"

"My laptop, my lappy... arrey wahin jo mera friend hai... was not well , kharab ho gaya tha"


I don't know what went wrong with it but I was getting nightmares of my separation with it and thoughts about its funeral and reporters asking me

"kaisa lag reha hai ab aapko, aaapke lappy ke death ke baad"

I'd have screamed in the camera... "kaisa lagega? I'm frusst... ulti frusst... don't have a girlfriend, no lappy, what will I do in KGP? and would show the middle wala finger and push the cameraman to buy another laptop".



Ok, no more exaggerations, my laptop's graphic card had/has some problems. The service center guy took it for 20 days was unable to find any fault and was going to change the "motherboard" and though it costs like bomb I gave green signal but that guy was really some *beeped word*.

Eventually, I fought with him and brought my laptop and thought of screwing(experimenting with) my laptop.

1. switched on the laptop

2. Plugged the charger

3. Had dinner

4. Had a 2 hour long bhaat-session with a guy *Chaos* and talked about relationships, zodiac signs,theists and atheists (yes we do talk these things)... conclusion: Chaos is completely having a chaotic mind, he believes lovers are stupid, romantic movies are absurd and is an atheist.


5. Came back in my room

6. Emptied the water bottle (arrey wahi mirinda wala jo last time piya tha) into my stomach.

7. switched off my laptop

8. switched on my laptop


EUREKA! YAY! It's finally done

"Lappy theek ho gaya"

And, now I need to catch up on movies, TV series : BIG BANG THEORY, HIMYM ... movies promos of three idiots and yes some good videos(pure bhakti videos :P)

Ahh, I also have a test tomorrow but ..........you get the drift?..... I'm not going to read and still pass (yes by cheating of course)


DISCLAIMER: The first unedited, uncensored, typed on blogger and not ms-word, blog post.

Barack Obama shares his Birthday with me!

I’m not 21 years old but...
...................................
........... (You better complete it!).





These are few screenshots of Google search suggestions. I know it’s lame but it is successful in tickling my dormant sense of humour.
So I turned 21 on 4th August, 2009. It’s not a milestone, I know it!

Few things noteworthy about my birthday:

1. I share my birthday with Barack Obama, Kishore kumar, Arbaaz Khan ... follow this Wikipedia page to learn more.

2. I realised that I’m really lucky. I escaped the birthday bumps rather the “GPL” as they say it in KGP for the 3rd consecutive time; I must be among the very few KGPians who has never been “GPL”ed. If you happen to be my friend here at IIT, please don’t give me GPL for the rest of my stay here at IIT.

3. A very special person became the first one to wish me on my birthday, she set an alarm so as to wake up at 12:00 AM and wish me. How sweet!!! Know about her from here

Birthday anecdote:

It was my birthday; 21st to be exact. I went to the temple for praying that at least I get a girlfriend this year. Just look at my condition, I’ve wasted my 21 most important years without any girlfriend.
"God! Are you listening to me?
Are you there?
I’ll assume that you are listening to me. Why this place called “KGP” devoid of “hot girls”? Don’t you think that we also have controlled our hormonal urges to bury ourselves under books for more than 2-3 years as to get into this place? I really need some pretty faces to be motivated for the rest of my IIT life. I need a hot chick now. Yes, I’m pretty much angry with you."

Just as I opened my eyes after saying these lines, I saw a beautiful girl standing beside me. Her eyes were closed; I thanked God for fulfilling my wish so soon. I began to wonder whether she is from IIT or not. I tried to fake her by closing my eyes again and after 30 seconds when I opened my eyes again, there was nobody beside me. I turned around and saw her going out of the temple. I followed her. Finally, I came in front of her and...

Me: I’m Ashish.

(Suddenly a guy appears from nowhere, and kisses the girl on her head and shatters my heart.)

Hot chick: hmm...What?

Me: No nothing... sorry I thought you were someone else.

I hate you God, you fooled me again.

Lesson learnt: All hot girls have boyfriends... how unfortunate....

I'm back... What the F!

Huh...so finally I end my break with this post. I know you must be thinking:
“What is the use of such formality; “What the F, Dude!”?”
NO, you got it wrong this is not the only reason for this title of this post but there are more “What the F!”s...



I was not in the blogosphere, that doesn’t mean I was in Pluto-yes, the excluded member of the planets of solar system. I was very much watching the events going on around me and in this world. This only aggravated my cynicism.
However, the first question would be, “what I did in these 2½ months”?
As you all know that I am an engineering student, so I should have done some internship, training or project but I didn’t chose any of them or the other way around...whatever it doesn’t make any difference to me.
As expected of a procrastinator like me I spent my summer holidays watching TV, reading novels, novellas, self-help books and finally I also spent a lot of time chatting with friends, grandmother and few “Knowledge- for-free” experts.
I have also developed a “goatee” for looking similar to MTV VJ-Jose Covaco and getting a more masculine face in respect as I’m straight and my blog too. However, some people are happy being the other way around...yes I’m talking about that bunch of people who celebrated after Delhi High Court finally decriminalized homosexual relations; court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. I am not against gays and lesbians and I neither deny the arguments laid by religious gurus.
“Section-377 issue” is not the only big news which made my eyes and ears wide open. The recent Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Mayawati developments are like writing on the wall to the future of politics in India; it’s getting dirtier and dirtier. Talking about politics and how can I forget the resurrection of Congress Party in India. I don’t like to mention here that I’m a BJP supporter or in favour of congress-led government but I really like the present scenario of Lok sabha as the ruling party is self-reliant for majority and the opposition is also strong unlike previous assemblies.
I’m a diehard cricket freak but every Indian has his/her personal opinion so I won’t like to use another jugglery of cliché things.
So was this piece of my work something worth an expression of “What the F!”
Anyways, have you forgotten my other novel blog, "The 3 Nerds"?

I have finally... yes finally updated it after almost 2 months. Read it from here
Now, this is seriously , “What the F!” or something else?