Last week was a hectic one for me. Returning from Mumbai from my cousin's marriage, I had to complete all the formalities of exiting from the company in a span of five days - right from giving my resignation to getting my relieving letter. It wasn't too much of trouble because I had the support of my manager and my lead who were nice enough to help me complete the formalities smoothly.
I was able to complete all the formalities in time by Friday and the best part was the exit interview I had in which I again spoke out all the things which I had been saying all year round. It just feels nice to have things off your chest once in a while.
I really liked the part where my team officially gifted mt a watch and my project team (i.e only Raju and Abhinand) gifted me a parker pen set. It was really nice and I really felt very good. Apart from the time I was busy completing the formalities, most of my time in the week was spent chatting with office friends. Even on the final day, we had a sort of photo session for memories sake. I have really made some very good friends in my one year in office.
After I left office for the final time, I had a sort of a hollow feeling.I knew I was leaving for something that would take me to a better place in the future. It was not the 'I am officially berozgaar>' or 'Suck ya office guys' kinds of feeling. Maybe it was because I had really enjoyed my life in my company. Every place has some positives and some negatives. I feel that you should take the negatives in your stride constantly trying whatever you can to improve them but not become too whiny. You've always got to enjoy the positives you get and that I eel is the key to a happy life.
Now as I sit at my home doing literally nothing except meeting a couple of college friends one day, I feel that I need to have something to do because even a week of having nothing to do is very boring. I am sure the IIM-Bangalore people would never let me have that feeling for the next two years but I am really sure that its going to be one hell of a journey that I will enjoy to the fullest.
I would write a couple of things on some issues next as there is nothing else going on in my life. The next personal post would be after I get to IIM. Till then enjoy my views on IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUES NEXT.
Cheers!!!!!!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Fuel Price Hike - A different perspective
For the last week, the fuel price hike has been a keenly debated issue. There have been reports of the Oil Companies incurring daily losses to the tune of Rs.600 crores and that if they were not aided soon, they would become bankrupt in some months as they would have no cash to buy petroleum.
I agree that the duties and the taxes imposed on petroleum products are too high at about 52%(including excise and sales tax) but it is not that the rates in India are the highest in the world. Places like Turkey and Norway sell petrol at about Rs112/liter.
According to me a vehicle is a luxury and not a necessity. So, if a person is able to afford a vehicle, that person should be ready to bear the expenses to run his vehicle i.e. the fuel costs. So, I feel there should be no subsidy in fuel prices for the private vehicle owners.
But for that to take place, the government needs to strengthen the public transport system and provide the country with world class facilities. People who are willing to let go of their personal vehicles for public transport should feel the worth for it just like in the case of Delhi metro. The fuel subsidies should only lie for the public transport vehicles and the commercial goods carrying vehicles(because the goods transfer affects the prices of all the commodities and indirectly the inflation).
This would help the country on many levels. First, the traffic on the clogged roads of the cities in India would go down. The public transport system which is in shambles in most cities would be strengthened. Things like car-pooling and use of public transport which has been advised by the traffic police for generations would pick-up. The private vehicles operating as taxis would need to get an official taxi number plate to be able to run viably. The reduced number of vehicles on the road and the much improved public transport system would also help in curbing pollution and also help the global warming situation.
Another aspect is the subsidies on cooking gas. Most of the poor people do not use LPG cooking gas. They rely more on kerosene. So, here too I feel that there should be no subsidy in the LPG prices and the kerosene prices need to remain subsidized so that the economically backward sections of people are not affected.
I feel that the demanding in a cut in sales tax and excise duties would not be a very fruitful experience for a country like India where the government revenues depend a lot on the fuel sales. If India has to keep up the fast growth it has achieved over the past decade, it requires all the revenues for the various projects so that the growth can be sustained. Therefore, I am not in favor of such moves.
I know that most of the people especially those from the middle class to which I belong too would not agree with my view. They would again think that it is the middle class which has to suffer again. But I still stand by my views because I feel that it is the cream which is taking all the benefits of the subsidies and not the people who really require it.
I agree that the duties and the taxes imposed on petroleum products are too high at about 52%(including excise and sales tax) but it is not that the rates in India are the highest in the world. Places like Turkey and Norway sell petrol at about Rs112/liter.
According to me a vehicle is a luxury and not a necessity. So, if a person is able to afford a vehicle, that person should be ready to bear the expenses to run his vehicle i.e. the fuel costs. So, I feel there should be no subsidy in fuel prices for the private vehicle owners.
But for that to take place, the government needs to strengthen the public transport system and provide the country with world class facilities. People who are willing to let go of their personal vehicles for public transport should feel the worth for it just like in the case of Delhi metro. The fuel subsidies should only lie for the public transport vehicles and the commercial goods carrying vehicles(because the goods transfer affects the prices of all the commodities and indirectly the inflation).
This would help the country on many levels. First, the traffic on the clogged roads of the cities in India would go down. The public transport system which is in shambles in most cities would be strengthened. Things like car-pooling and use of public transport which has been advised by the traffic police for generations would pick-up. The private vehicles operating as taxis would need to get an official taxi number plate to be able to run viably. The reduced number of vehicles on the road and the much improved public transport system would also help in curbing pollution and also help the global warming situation.
Another aspect is the subsidies on cooking gas. Most of the poor people do not use LPG cooking gas. They rely more on kerosene. So, here too I feel that there should be no subsidy in the LPG prices and the kerosene prices need to remain subsidized so that the economically backward sections of people are not affected.
I feel that the demanding in a cut in sales tax and excise duties would not be a very fruitful experience for a country like India where the government revenues depend a lot on the fuel sales. If India has to keep up the fast growth it has achieved over the past decade, it requires all the revenues for the various projects so that the growth can be sustained. Therefore, I am not in favor of such moves.
I know that most of the people especially those from the middle class to which I belong too would not agree with my view. They would again think that it is the middle class which has to suffer again. But I still stand by my views because I feel that it is the cream which is taking all the benefits of the subsidies and not the people who really require it.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Gosh!! Is it one year already
It was a nice evening. It had just stopped raining. There was a cool breeze blowing across and I could just see the sun about to set at the horizon. I was in a very contemplating mood as I was thinking about the question my friend Paras posted on our group's googlegroup about how the past one year in the jobs has been and my first reaction to that post was "Shit, is that already that long".
Most of the replies others posted could be summarised as 'Life Sucks' and 'I hate my job'. All the people wrote that they miss college and they miss friends but I guess that was college and everybody needs to realize that job is a completely different piece of cake. This is the harsh reality of this world. You have to suck it up and move on.
Actually, even for me, life has not been like I had imagined it to be. But again, I never had a clear vision of how it should have been. The only thing I had in mind was that I wanted to something I really enjoyed but is there any 'job' in this world I would enjoy doing. Is there such a job for me? Probably Not.
I've spent the majority of last year staring for long hours at the computer screen. There's not much to write about when you are in a software company. Working for long hours when there is a project deadline and having no work at all during the other times is a very common thing. When it becomes too frustrating, the only way to vent out your anger is criticizing the software industry and how its is turning humans into robots or the HR policies of the company over the multiple coffee sessions(I guess in a public sector firm that would convert to criticizing the government and the laid-back attitude of the public sector).
I speak for myself when I say that I am a very lazy person inherently and any kind of job would be a hardship for me. Whatever amount of time I would work would be for money to secure my present and future (any maybe my future family). I just don't believe in a work that I would enjoy. But I know that I would have to constantly give my best if I want to be really successful and that is what I would aim to do in my career.
What I believe is that job would always be a part of my life. So, if I want to enjoy my life, I would have to keep all me my near and dear ones close to me as they are really the people who make your lives worth living. So, friends, keep the bonds of your friendship strong as this is what you would really cherish in the long run.
Most of the replies others posted could be summarised as 'Life Sucks' and 'I hate my job'. All the people wrote that they miss college and they miss friends but I guess that was college and everybody needs to realize that job is a completely different piece of cake. This is the harsh reality of this world. You have to suck it up and move on.
Actually, even for me, life has not been like I had imagined it to be. But again, I never had a clear vision of how it should have been. The only thing I had in mind was that I wanted to something I really enjoyed but is there any 'job' in this world I would enjoy doing. Is there such a job for me? Probably Not.
I've spent the majority of last year staring for long hours at the computer screen. There's not much to write about when you are in a software company. Working for long hours when there is a project deadline and having no work at all during the other times is a very common thing. When it becomes too frustrating, the only way to vent out your anger is criticizing the software industry and how its is turning humans into robots or the HR policies of the company over the multiple coffee sessions(I guess in a public sector firm that would convert to criticizing the government and the laid-back attitude of the public sector).
I speak for myself when I say that I am a very lazy person inherently and any kind of job would be a hardship for me. Whatever amount of time I would work would be for money to secure my present and future (any maybe my future family). I just don't believe in a work that I would enjoy. But I know that I would have to constantly give my best if I want to be really successful and that is what I would aim to do in my career.
What I believe is that job would always be a part of my life. So, if I want to enjoy my life, I would have to keep all me my near and dear ones close to me as they are really the people who make your lives worth living. So, friends, keep the bonds of your friendship strong as this is what you would really cherish in the long run.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Caste Cloud over India
All over the news channels, there have been only three bits of news for the past one week - The IPL (for obvious reasons), the Aarushi murder case (don't know how a murder case can be made so sensational in a country where hundreds of people are killed daily) and the Gujjar Crisis. The third one was according to me the most important one.
Even if you read just a tad bit, its difficult not to run into articles about the caste equations and the reservation policies in the country. Just my luck or maybe some unintentional blog searches, I just happened to hit a number of blogs with some people's views on this issue.
The Supreme court judgment on the OBC quotas in the educational institutes raised a very valid and important question. It said that in the past 60 years of reservations, the number of castes in the reserved category has increased manifold. So, does that mean India is getting more backward. I think someone should ask this question to the government which claims that under its rule, India is progressing. If this is the definition of progress, then the country is better off being backward.
And I realized one thing, that this issue is affecting everyone, no one is ready to step up to have an open and intellectual discussion on the issue. I just a read sarcastic joke in some random blog:
A Question paper in an Exam
For General Category : Answer All Questions
For OBC : Answer any 3 questions
For SC : Read the questions
For ST : Thank You for coming
Others joke around by saying that there should be 100% reservation.
The important thing is not whether these jokes are good or bad, the issue is whether anyone is ready to do anything to improve the situation.
The situation is turning so bad that the Gujjar community just for the sake of reservation is ready to hold the country to ransom by blocking roads and railway lines hence cutting off the supplies to an area.
The youth of this country is trying to fight back through forums like the Youth for Equality. Any person ,even the most staunch supporter of reservations, if coming with an open mind would have difficulty in answering the questions posed by them.
You might have guessed by now that I am totally anti-reservation and pro-merit. The point I would like to raise is that ultimately all the people need to compete in the world, the problem facing an engineer or a doctor would not solve itself easily just because that person is from a deprived sections of the society so to say.
The reservation policy that was brought about by the great visionary Dr.Ambedkar had intended to dissolve the caste barriers in the country, rather it has widened the cracks in the society. Dr. Ambedkar would have been deeply saddened if he saw that the step he had proposed to break the barriers in the society has divided it further.
The government is just cover its failure of providing basic education to the people by providing sops in the form of reservations. It always shys away from the question of primary and secondary education system in the country. Enough people in the deprived classes of the country are not even able to complete their basic schooling. The important thing is not to alleviate just a handful of people in the backward communities, its about uplifting entire communities. That can only be done if the lower levels of education are strengthened rather than breeding mediocrity in higher education.
If the situation doesn't improve, then the agitations of the present Gujjar agitation kind would become a common scene across India.
Now, I am totally for the upliftment of society and the backward classes but I am not in favor of the method being adopted to do the same. The injustice caused to some classes a hundred years ago should not be the reason of them getting an unfair advantage now.
I have a lot of friends from different sections of the society. And I guess all of them know that this is not against anyone in particular. I never saw who is from which section before befriending them. This is the thinking of the progressive new generation of India and I think this is what should be encouraged rather than trying to divide the new generation.
Its the moral responsibility (if the politicians understand this word) of the leaders of this country try and remove the barriers in society rather than deepening them. This can only be done by awareness and education which the government has put on a back-burner for a long long time. I sincerely hope that a miracle takes place and the country truly and inclusively progresses.
Even if you read just a tad bit, its difficult not to run into articles about the caste equations and the reservation policies in the country. Just my luck or maybe some unintentional blog searches, I just happened to hit a number of blogs with some people's views on this issue.
The Supreme court judgment on the OBC quotas in the educational institutes raised a very valid and important question. It said that in the past 60 years of reservations, the number of castes in the reserved category has increased manifold. So, does that mean India is getting more backward. I think someone should ask this question to the government which claims that under its rule, India is progressing. If this is the definition of progress, then the country is better off being backward.
And I realized one thing, that this issue is affecting everyone, no one is ready to step up to have an open and intellectual discussion on the issue. I just a read sarcastic joke in some random blog:
A Question paper in an Exam
For General Category : Answer All Questions
For OBC : Answer any 3 questions
For SC : Read the questions
For ST : Thank You for coming
Others joke around by saying that there should be 100% reservation.
The important thing is not whether these jokes are good or bad, the issue is whether anyone is ready to do anything to improve the situation.
The situation is turning so bad that the Gujjar community just for the sake of reservation is ready to hold the country to ransom by blocking roads and railway lines hence cutting off the supplies to an area.
The youth of this country is trying to fight back through forums like the Youth for Equality. Any person ,even the most staunch supporter of reservations, if coming with an open mind would have difficulty in answering the questions posed by them.
You might have guessed by now that I am totally anti-reservation and pro-merit. The point I would like to raise is that ultimately all the people need to compete in the world, the problem facing an engineer or a doctor would not solve itself easily just because that person is from a deprived sections of the society so to say.
The reservation policy that was brought about by the great visionary Dr.Ambedkar had intended to dissolve the caste barriers in the country, rather it has widened the cracks in the society. Dr. Ambedkar would have been deeply saddened if he saw that the step he had proposed to break the barriers in the society has divided it further.
The government is just cover its failure of providing basic education to the people by providing sops in the form of reservations. It always shys away from the question of primary and secondary education system in the country. Enough people in the deprived classes of the country are not even able to complete their basic schooling. The important thing is not to alleviate just a handful of people in the backward communities, its about uplifting entire communities. That can only be done if the lower levels of education are strengthened rather than breeding mediocrity in higher education.
If the situation doesn't improve, then the agitations of the present Gujjar agitation kind would become a common scene across India.
Now, I am totally for the upliftment of society and the backward classes but I am not in favor of the method being adopted to do the same. The injustice caused to some classes a hundred years ago should not be the reason of them getting an unfair advantage now.
I have a lot of friends from different sections of the society. And I guess all of them know that this is not against anyone in particular. I never saw who is from which section before befriending them. This is the thinking of the progressive new generation of India and I think this is what should be encouraged rather than trying to divide the new generation.
Its the moral responsibility (if the politicians understand this word) of the leaders of this country try and remove the barriers in society rather than deepening them. This can only be done by awareness and education which the government has put on a back-burner for a long long time. I sincerely hope that a miracle takes place and the country truly and inclusively progresses.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Rudderless Life
As I prepare to enter another phase in my life, sometimes I look back and see at what I have done till now. Did I ever have a direction where I wanted to go or did I just do what the others around me were doing.
Going for IIT-JEE was one such thing I had done as all of my friends were doing the same. There is always a lack of knowledge for the students as to their career choices when they are in school. The situation isn't too much better in colleges either. At least here in India, people generally tend to follow the crowd rather than make informed and well thought out decisions.
Even I was the same, having no idea what I wanted to do, I also followed the crowd and prepared for IIT. Though I didn't crack the exam, I performed well enough to get into IT-BHU. When I was in college I always felt that even though I had achieved something, I still didn't know whether that was what I wanted to become.
Then came another bit of information, that it doesn't matter what you studied in your graduation, everyone (at least the majority) goes into the software field. It was also a popular choice because it saved you from the rigors of the field job and also supposedly paid you well. So, a software job it was for me too(but I really feel that if you don't want to pursue higher studies, then getting into software field for a non-CS engineer is a BIG mistake).
Even though my decisions were always dependent on what the others were doing, but I always wanted to do the things better than everyone else around me.
At the time of placements I was lucky enough to have four job offers. Now I had to choose. Since I knew that the top two choices for me were paying me about the same, I decided to go for a job that would make me stand out i.e go for a company that recruits 3-4 people rather than 30. So, I finally joined Fair Isaac.
Again, since most of the people around me wanted to go for an MBA in the near future, so even I tried for the same. I had decided that if I were to do an MBA, it would only be from IIM-ABC or FMS (I always had a fascination for FMS being from Delhi). This may have been because I knew that I can achieve it or because I wanted to prove that I could compete with the best.
Personally I believe, most of the people from my college don't have the confidence to wait for a couple of years as all of them have felt the failure of just missing out on the IITs and are maybe satisfied with something below the best. That is one thing everyone should try to overcome - being satisfied with what you achieve. According to me, its all about confidence and self-belief. Everyone in IT-BHU has a good aptitude to crack the exam and everyone has the capability to achieve the best.
If just doing an MBA was my aim, then I could have got through a top-10 ranked B-School last year only, because i had a decent percentile. But this time, I did not want to compromise. So, I planned to wait for two years. But due to parental pressure, I gave the CAT exam, and luckily I cracked it with an amazingly high 99.98%le and got calls from all IIMs and converted all the calls except Ahemdabad.
Although, I don't know whether i would make all the right choices while I would be there in IIMB, but one thing is for sure, I would never regret any decision I have ever made in my life. Making mistakes is a part of life and you need to learn from them rather than ruing your decisions all your life.
I still don't know what I want to do in life. I am still as rudderless as i was before, but I know one thing for sure, I would certainly enjoy the journey as I have up to now.
Going for IIT-JEE was one such thing I had done as all of my friends were doing the same. There is always a lack of knowledge for the students as to their career choices when they are in school. The situation isn't too much better in colleges either. At least here in India, people generally tend to follow the crowd rather than make informed and well thought out decisions.
Even I was the same, having no idea what I wanted to do, I also followed the crowd and prepared for IIT. Though I didn't crack the exam, I performed well enough to get into IT-BHU. When I was in college I always felt that even though I had achieved something, I still didn't know whether that was what I wanted to become.
Then came another bit of information, that it doesn't matter what you studied in your graduation, everyone (at least the majority) goes into the software field. It was also a popular choice because it saved you from the rigors of the field job and also supposedly paid you well. So, a software job it was for me too(but I really feel that if you don't want to pursue higher studies, then getting into software field for a non-CS engineer is a BIG mistake).
Even though my decisions were always dependent on what the others were doing, but I always wanted to do the things better than everyone else around me.
At the time of placements I was lucky enough to have four job offers. Now I had to choose. Since I knew that the top two choices for me were paying me about the same, I decided to go for a job that would make me stand out i.e go for a company that recruits 3-4 people rather than 30. So, I finally joined Fair Isaac.
Again, since most of the people around me wanted to go for an MBA in the near future, so even I tried for the same. I had decided that if I were to do an MBA, it would only be from IIM-ABC or FMS (I always had a fascination for FMS being from Delhi). This may have been because I knew that I can achieve it or because I wanted to prove that I could compete with the best.
Personally I believe, most of the people from my college don't have the confidence to wait for a couple of years as all of them have felt the failure of just missing out on the IITs and are maybe satisfied with something below the best. That is one thing everyone should try to overcome - being satisfied with what you achieve. According to me, its all about confidence and self-belief. Everyone in IT-BHU has a good aptitude to crack the exam and everyone has the capability to achieve the best.
If just doing an MBA was my aim, then I could have got through a top-10 ranked B-School last year only, because i had a decent percentile. But this time, I did not want to compromise. So, I planned to wait for two years. But due to parental pressure, I gave the CAT exam, and luckily I cracked it with an amazingly high 99.98%le and got calls from all IIMs and converted all the calls except Ahemdabad.
Although, I don't know whether i would make all the right choices while I would be there in IIMB, but one thing is for sure, I would never regret any decision I have ever made in my life. Making mistakes is a part of life and you need to learn from them rather than ruing your decisions all your life.
I still don't know what I want to do in life. I am still as rudderless as i was before, but I know one thing for sure, I would certainly enjoy the journey as I have up to now.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Is this the Silicon Valley of India
Since the days when Infosys and Wipro became brand names, there is only one thing we have been hearing - Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India. But is is really so?
For starters, Bangalore does provide a huge number of employment opportunities to people. Such is the boom in the software sector. And Bangalore lies at the heart of that boom. Although I am not too sure of the figures but my guess would be that a major share of the software revenue in India comes from Bangalore.
The all-year round pleasant weather of Bangalore has also been a factor which has helped to attract a huge number of multinational software firms to set up their bases here.
But that is where the good news ends. There are a HUGE number of problems crippling the city.
Ever since the software industry has grown in the city, there has been a complete lack of vision by the city developers/government to upgrade the infrastructure that would be required by the city to cope up with the pressure of its astronomical growth. This is where the planners in the NCR and Maharashtra have done their bit or have been lucky enough by having Gurgaon/Noida and Navi Mumbai at their disposals respectively so that the city infrastructure isn't crippled any further.
This era coinciding with the politically most unstable period in Karnataka hasn't helped the cause of the city either. There has been no political will in developing Bangalore as it just contributed less than 10% of the seats o the state legislature.
The present situation of roads in the city is very bad right from the quality of roads to its capacity to handle the amount of traffic. At peak hours it can take any person up to an hour to cover just a couple of kilometers. Even the public transport system is in shambles with very few number of buses coupled with auto-rickshaws being the only modes of transport available. And here too over-charging of passengers and refusing to go to a particular location has become rampant. Even the construction of the metro rail has come of more as an afterthought.
Bangalore was a city where power-cuts were unheard of but nowadays a number of areas face regular power cuts. The demand for power in the city has grown exponentially but the supply has remained constant and if anything is not done soon enough, Bangalore would soon face a huge power-crunch.
Now, everyone must be thinking I am bashing the city too much. But there's a long way to go if Bangalore is really to become Silicon Valley.
The infrastructure needs to be improved. A number of satellite towns need to be developed so that any further growth which takes place does not put any additional pressure on the already overused resources of the city. The companies must be given incentives to setup at the outskirts/suburbs.
The public transport system which is in shambles needs to be overhauled. People must be given alternatives to travel in their private vehicles.
Although saying all this seems to be too simplistic, but tough situations needs measures to be taken and I sincerely hope that the next government does take those measures so that Bangalore becomes a truly World-class city.
For starters, Bangalore does provide a huge number of employment opportunities to people. Such is the boom in the software sector. And Bangalore lies at the heart of that boom. Although I am not too sure of the figures but my guess would be that a major share of the software revenue in India comes from Bangalore.
The all-year round pleasant weather of Bangalore has also been a factor which has helped to attract a huge number of multinational software firms to set up their bases here.
But that is where the good news ends. There are a HUGE number of problems crippling the city.
Ever since the software industry has grown in the city, there has been a complete lack of vision by the city developers/government to upgrade the infrastructure that would be required by the city to cope up with the pressure of its astronomical growth. This is where the planners in the NCR and Maharashtra have done their bit or have been lucky enough by having Gurgaon/Noida and Navi Mumbai at their disposals respectively so that the city infrastructure isn't crippled any further.
This era coinciding with the politically most unstable period in Karnataka hasn't helped the cause of the city either. There has been no political will in developing Bangalore as it just contributed less than 10% of the seats o the state legislature.
The present situation of roads in the city is very bad right from the quality of roads to its capacity to handle the amount of traffic. At peak hours it can take any person up to an hour to cover just a couple of kilometers. Even the public transport system is in shambles with very few number of buses coupled with auto-rickshaws being the only modes of transport available. And here too over-charging of passengers and refusing to go to a particular location has become rampant. Even the construction of the metro rail has come of more as an afterthought.
Bangalore was a city where power-cuts were unheard of but nowadays a number of areas face regular power cuts. The demand for power in the city has grown exponentially but the supply has remained constant and if anything is not done soon enough, Bangalore would soon face a huge power-crunch.
Now, everyone must be thinking I am bashing the city too much. But there's a long way to go if Bangalore is really to become Silicon Valley.
The infrastructure needs to be improved. A number of satellite towns need to be developed so that any further growth which takes place does not put any additional pressure on the already overused resources of the city. The companies must be given incentives to setup at the outskirts/suburbs.
The public transport system which is in shambles needs to be overhauled. People must be given alternatives to travel in their private vehicles.
Although saying all this seems to be too simplistic, but tough situations needs measures to be taken and I sincerely hope that the next government does take those measures so that Bangalore becomes a truly World-class city.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
College Memoirs Part II - The First Year
All the years you are in your school, only one thing is fed into your mind, that after school, going to IITs is what the brilliant people do. So, even I became a part of this rat race. I worked my ass off during the last two years of my school for that elusive dream of clearing the IIT-JEE.
My exams went well and I expected a 3-figure rank. IIT-Delhi, the institute of my dreams was looking more within reach now. But lightning struck on the day of the results. I was really disappointed to see a 4-figure rank and that too with three being the first digit. The only thing we ere taught at Vidyamandir was that you should take everything in your stride and never be tense in any situation. But that day I couldn't control my emotions and anyone could see the disappointment etched on my face.
I had never even contemplated joining any institute other than IIT-Delhi. But now I had to look for alternatives. And there stood my IT-BHU. I started gathering more information about IT-BHU because according to the trends of the preceding years , I had realized that I only had a realistic chance of making it here. What I heard about the institute was encouraging. People told me its the unofficial IIT and that the standards there are almost the same as IITs. Even at the councelling, one of the IIT-D professors told me to prefer IT-BHU over IITG. Although these claims of IT-BHU being academically equal to the IITs need much debating but I dare say that the things I learnt here, I could never have done in an IIT. IT-BHU made me a more complete person and this may have been the best decision of my life.
When I entered the institute for the first time it was a gloomy day giving the institute a far older look than it already is (and it is about 90 years old). The hostels and buildings resembling those spooky villas in horror stories. It looked more of a heritage site than a university where supposedly more than 15 thousand students stay and study.
Since the name IIT was so revered all around, I had expected state of the art technology and the infrastructure comparable to the best in the world. But alas, I was to be disappointed. When I got to my hostel, I had expected decent rooms as shown in the movies. But the rooms were tooooooooo small and the icing on the cake was that in the first year, two people had to share that room which I thought was small for even one person.
Next was the day of orientation and registration. The Swatantrata Bhavan where the orientation was held didn't disappoint me. Our registration was to be held in one of those ED(Drawing) rooms. I had expected modern classrooms but those rooms resembled the classrooms and courts shown in pre-independence era movies like Bhagat Singh. Even the classes were not very impressive either. It may also be due to the fact that after preparing for JEE each and every person expects to start learning Rocket Science on the first day itself.
But I had the will to let go of all such expectations and begin the journey in IT-BHU. Everything thereafter went uphill for me. The first year especially was a roller coaster ride.
Each and every one of us was so afraid of getting ragged that we went to bed at sharp 10 in the night and followed the famous dress code of Shirt and Trousers religiously for the first few weeks. All the students would go to class in huge groups resembling a the supporters of a political leader. Since all of us were afraid of getting ragged all of us used to assemble in one room (more than 10 in that dungeon) and do BC(hostelers would understand this term) i.e talk and have fun for long hours. This is the time when the foundation was laid for some amazing friendships.
Even though everyone tried to avoid getting ragged, all of us invariably ended up getting ragged. The ragging session ranged from seniors coming down from the first floor just to have some plain fun to the organized ragging when all the first year students go to the senior's hostel where everything from stripping to abusing goes. That feeling is particularly not a very good one but once that is over, you feel that you have broken all the shackles. People undergo a revolutionary change especially the shy introverts.
Then started out outdoor times. Then onwards this is what my daily routine was: getting up, attending classes(yaa we did in the first year), going to play volleyball(which became such an important part of my college life) and taking out our cycles and going out to explore the university campus at night. The campus was huge (it is the one of the largest in Asia), so it took us some while to get hold of the routes inside the university.
There were a lot of memories attached with our first year: the movies we used to watch at night in the common room, the hooting of other teams in all out inter-college events - be it sports or cultural, or the way everyone used to make ED sheets the whole night just a day before the submissions.
One thing we got to learn was that studying a lot did not lead to being the topper in class. So, most of us took exams more as a ritual rather than a means of survival. That was the really the reason we enjoyed the first year as much as we did.
The amount of fun all of us had in the first year may only be rivaled by the final year. The friendships I formed then were the strongest I had ever formed in my life. The transformation of many people from being protected children at home to being independent young men was amazing. At least for me, the first year was the one which taught me the most and one which I would never forget my entire life. It made me a more complete person.
My exams went well and I expected a 3-figure rank. IIT-Delhi, the institute of my dreams was looking more within reach now. But lightning struck on the day of the results. I was really disappointed to see a 4-figure rank and that too with three being the first digit. The only thing we ere taught at Vidyamandir was that you should take everything in your stride and never be tense in any situation. But that day I couldn't control my emotions and anyone could see the disappointment etched on my face.
I had never even contemplated joining any institute other than IIT-Delhi. But now I had to look for alternatives. And there stood my IT-BHU. I started gathering more information about IT-BHU because according to the trends of the preceding years , I had realized that I only had a realistic chance of making it here. What I heard about the institute was encouraging. People told me its the unofficial IIT and that the standards there are almost the same as IITs. Even at the councelling, one of the IIT-D professors told me to prefer IT-BHU over IITG. Although these claims of IT-BHU being academically equal to the IITs need much debating but I dare say that the things I learnt here, I could never have done in an IIT. IT-BHU made me a more complete person and this may have been the best decision of my life.
When I entered the institute for the first time it was a gloomy day giving the institute a far older look than it already is (and it is about 90 years old). The hostels and buildings resembling those spooky villas in horror stories. It looked more of a heritage site than a university where supposedly more than 15 thousand students stay and study.
Since the name IIT was so revered all around, I had expected state of the art technology and the infrastructure comparable to the best in the world. But alas, I was to be disappointed. When I got to my hostel, I had expected decent rooms as shown in the movies. But the rooms were tooooooooo small and the icing on the cake was that in the first year, two people had to share that room which I thought was small for even one person.
Next was the day of orientation and registration. The Swatantrata Bhavan where the orientation was held didn't disappoint me. Our registration was to be held in one of those ED(Drawing) rooms. I had expected modern classrooms but those rooms resembled the classrooms and courts shown in pre-independence era movies like Bhagat Singh. Even the classes were not very impressive either. It may also be due to the fact that after preparing for JEE each and every person expects to start learning Rocket Science on the first day itself.
But I had the will to let go of all such expectations and begin the journey in IT-BHU. Everything thereafter went uphill for me. The first year especially was a roller coaster ride.
Each and every one of us was so afraid of getting ragged that we went to bed at sharp 10 in the night and followed the famous dress code of Shirt and Trousers religiously for the first few weeks. All the students would go to class in huge groups resembling a the supporters of a political leader. Since all of us were afraid of getting ragged all of us used to assemble in one room (more than 10 in that dungeon) and do BC(hostelers would understand this term) i.e talk and have fun for long hours. This is the time when the foundation was laid for some amazing friendships.
Even though everyone tried to avoid getting ragged, all of us invariably ended up getting ragged. The ragging session ranged from seniors coming down from the first floor just to have some plain fun to the organized ragging when all the first year students go to the senior's hostel where everything from stripping to abusing goes. That feeling is particularly not a very good one but once that is over, you feel that you have broken all the shackles. People undergo a revolutionary change especially the shy introverts.
Then started out outdoor times. Then onwards this is what my daily routine was: getting up, attending classes(yaa we did in the first year), going to play volleyball(which became such an important part of my college life) and taking out our cycles and going out to explore the university campus at night. The campus was huge (it is the one of the largest in Asia), so it took us some while to get hold of the routes inside the university.
There were a lot of memories attached with our first year: the movies we used to watch at night in the common room, the hooting of other teams in all out inter-college events - be it sports or cultural, or the way everyone used to make ED sheets the whole night just a day before the submissions.
One thing we got to learn was that studying a lot did not lead to being the topper in class. So, most of us took exams more as a ritual rather than a means of survival. That was the really the reason we enjoyed the first year as much as we did.
The amount of fun all of us had in the first year may only be rivaled by the final year. The friendships I formed then were the strongest I had ever formed in my life. The transformation of many people from being protected children at home to being independent young men was amazing. At least for me, the first year was the one which taught me the most and one which I would never forget my entire life. It made me a more complete person.
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