Holidays!

The term has finally come to an end. So many little things make these one of the most eventful three-months of my life. And here are some of the highlights - some funny, some profound (ahem) and some outright embarrassing (not just for me).

Caution: There is boring gory detail

Dedication: Shalini Jhall (who wanted it so)

Inspiration: Ishira's post about her life at IIMB (not the graphic one) :-)

Realization: Apparently I've put on weight!

Introspection: It was a great term!

Procrastination: is not the only thief of time (facebook is a strong contender)

1. The "quick" dinner - This is totally embarrassing. Because (I can't imagine how or why I did that) I chose to spend my Friday night doing MPPO project instead of going to B-Flat with some friends. I first said no and thought about how I was missing such a great opportunity. So I said yes and got really jittery about 'all the work'. So I said no again but was devastated. So my EB roomies said we should go out for a quick dinner to Potluck, right opposite the campus gate. So when we entered, I felt an indescribable (for propriety's sake) odor take me by surprise. Don't know why we didn't just leave - we went to the corner-most table and started arguing over who should take the corner-most seat. The couple nearby said that it was not a great table since there was a rat there just a moment ago. The next moment we were back on the beautiful street and a visibly shaken Deepthi was saying, "A rat BIT me once!". We went to Status (also opposite the campus) and ordered veg. manchurian. Shalini, the vegetarian, took the first bite and it turned out to be chicken manchurian. So we took an auto to Adigas (which is also very close to the campus). We requested the waiter for extra 'gun powder' (kaaram podi) which Nutan promptly inhaled. She could effectively not eat anything later. And I don't blame her for ordering banana split in the last minute and declaring, "I don't like banana so much".

2. Unmaad - Pure fun. Was on stage during the Shankar-Esaan-Loy show. Loved painting L^2 (picture). I still have some paint-stained resumes which I was showing around to seniors (one of whom fell asleep while talking to me) for suggestions till 3 am that day :-) Ah, we had put so much fight for the summer placements. Which takes us to the next big event..

3. Summers - The run-up to which made me fall hopelessly in love with all the PGP2s! Everyone had all the time for resume tips, mock interviews and all the inspirational, motivational pep talk :-) I wouldn't call them the best days of my life, what with having to wake up at six everyday for five days in a row. But the follow-up was just awesome! It started with an amazing L^2 party and ended with an entire week of joblessness. And Sailu was with me during the placements. Which brings us to the next point..

4. Sailu - She was with me during the placements and I thought I was going to be so torn between being with her and being at the reception. But she made life so easy for me by blissfully sleeping in my room all day - I would like to believe so, at least. She claims she couldn't sleep but she took forever to open the door when I knocked so I'm happy. And to say that the long girl-talk we had outside the insti library into the wee hours life-changing would be nothing short of an understatement (courtesy Harikumar, MPPO presentation)

5. Snow - I was going to crash one afternoon when Vivek called from Pittsburgh and shouted, "Jyo! It's snowing!"

"Wow Vivek, that's awesome!"

"I know!"

"Ya.. Cool.."

"Umm.."

"So.."

"I don't have anything else to say"

"Me neither"

"Okay then, bye Jyo"

"Bye Vivek"

That just made my day!

6. Group hug - I knocked Deepthi/Shalini's room and Deepthi opened. She looked straight into my eyes. And hugged me. And didn't let go. For a long time. And just when I thought it was getting weird, Nutan came. And looked aghast. "What's going on!?" Deepthi gave her her trademark rabbit smile. And Nutan came closer. And hugged us both from behind. That was the most beautiful group-hug ever. And it was for absolutely no reason.

Looking forward to two weeks of complete joblessness!

PS: I'm making myself a gift for my birthday and it's going to be a surprise for you!

zzzzZZZZ

PROLOGUE

"I am not going to sleep in today's class."

"You don't sound like that", said Ishira.

I knew my voice gave too much away. I had woken up just a few minutes back. I cleared my throat and said, "But I am NOT going to sleep in today's class. I am going to put CP; I read the case and came."

Still the same voice. I took my water bottle and sipped a little water. "You'll see, I will not sleep today", I whispered just before the class started. I told myself Marketing is my favorite course. And looked at the professor.

Yikes!

I saw Ishira glaring at me, before turning away and raising her hand to put her CP, lest the TA catch her talking to me. But why was there Yikes? Took me a while to rewind and realize she had punched me in the shoulder. In waking moments, everything happens in slow-motion and reverse-direction. Resentment spread into every inch of my body and threatened to squirt venom through each nerve ending. I realized (very slowly) that violence was not the way out. But I was not clever enough not to look at the professor again.

CHAPTER O (because this is not a chapter)

I was voted the zzz.. Globe of section B (meaning the smartest person in the section because he/she doesn't waste time sleeping in the room or listening in the class). In my defense, I happen to be sitting at the centroid of the class; whenever I wake up, I see so many people sleeping. Poor smart people, I get all the credit.

CHAPTER O (because this is also not a chapter)

".. is called Comparative Advantage. Because Ricardo can be compared to a green plumaged bird flying over the blue seas... Yikes!"

I did a sanity check on my sanity. The Ishira glare was boring into me. I easily resisted the urge to punch her back. I turned to Karan and woke him up. And tried taking notes.

CHAPTER O (this is a lesson)

Today's class was special. We practiced Supply Chain Management even while the professor tried teaching it to us. Karan would tap on my chair. I open my eyes and see him looking at Ishira. I punch Ishira in her shoulder. This is called Bullwhip effect. Sometimes, Ishira would wake me up instead. This is Pull (opposite of the usual Push). We sometimes look at other people sleeping and laugh. This is Kaizen.

I apologize for the jargon. Couldn't reign in my enthusiasm after having learnt the practical aspects of the course so well.

CHAPTER O (well, you know...)

It's amazing the kinds of things men can get used to (courtesy Arundhati Roy). I opened my eyes and saw BP laughing at me. I smiled back at him and looked around. I was surprised at the absence of the resentment. I woke Ishira up to keep her from snoring. Meanwhile, the professor woke somebody else. The somebody else was lucky that day for a change.

EPILOGUE

The battle rages within me, day in and day out - to sleep or not to sleep. And of course, when to sleep. Until I find the strength in me to make that decision, I need to find it in me to accept it when people wish me Good night before a class and Good morning after.

For those not in sec B, Ishira sits to my right, Karan to my left and BP sits (and sleeps) across the class. Thank you Ishira and Karan, for trying to keep me up in classes :-)

I Can Never Leave

When I left the insti for the 'last' time after finally finishing my thesis and leaving the mundane technicalities of settling the hostel and other dues to my unfortunate friends, I felt nothing. It was like going home for vacation. I made sure I met everyone before leaving. And yet, it never did hit me that I was indeed leaving for good.

A couple of months later, I was back. On the way to the campus, I noted that the hoardings were teaming with the enigmatic DOCOMO signs and the flyover on the Cenotaph Road was close to completion. How fast places change, I thought, wondering how difficult it must be for NRIs to come to terms with change when they're home. The entrance to the campus had a huge board welcoming us to the 46^th Convocation of IIT Madras. Everything else was just the same; and this was more difficult to digest than the differences. I realized that I was an outsider in the place I called home for four years. And the place was just the same without me.

But as I met my friends and profs, and the day wore on, I realized that those four years of my life had taught me so many things and got me so close to some people that I couldn’t ask for more. And though my room was somebody else’s, or I was a guest in the mess, or I couldn’t use the DCF anymore, this place still was home. The long (and oh-so-walkable!) road to the main gate, the colourful GC, the bustling bus stop, the gentle rustling of the unnumbered trees, the gleaming eyes of the black buck, the chirping of the sleepless birds, all seemed to welcome me with arms wide open. It was not easy to leave this time, and I knew at once that I’ll never stop belonging here. This is home, forever.

I left with a vague sense of relief and excitement. This trip seemed to clearly mark a new beginning in my life; I was at the threshold of a whole new phase – a different place, a different culture, new faces and new challenges, and more lessons; but with the bolster of my alma mater behind me.

Oh Baby! (Part I)

Kids are scary. Robin Scherbatsky was the only enlightened one among a bunch of ignorants carried away by cute smiles and tiny socks. This weekend trip visiting my infant cousins made me see kids for what they are.

I boarded the flight having nice thoughts about the weekend. I was excited. A two-year-old and her mother were sitting next to me. As soon as she saw me, she shouted in her shrill voice "Haa Pee-Kee". She says, "Hi Pinki", her mother explained. Wow, so sweet. The plane took off when she was playing with the seat belt. And that was when it all started. It started at a bearable pitch but after a few seconds, I nearly jumped off my seat for her every wail. And she kept it going with such inspiring tenacity that, had I been deaf, my heart would have melted. She wanted the windows opened. Really? I don't mean to brag but if I have grown out of such featherheadedness, it wasn't learning or even evolution, it's a divine miracle. And the cynics need not worry about the threat of AI; such learning can never be simulated. For god's sake, it's not a car! She puked into the air-sickness bag and spilled water on her seat to spice things up a little more. After a long one hour, everything stopped. It was as abrupt as the touch down. I needed to run out of the airport to let some fresh cool air help the ringing in my ears. I never felt more liberated, more so thinking about the girl's mother

Of course, my cousins too warrant a page each in my blog but I'm going easy on them. One, they are my cousins. Two, they are so complicated. But here's some advice for you. Don't ever try to lift a baby too high up - it tries to climb higher and finally puts its foot right on your face and you'll be so lost and confused you'll nearly drop it (nearly, let's be clear on that). Don't plan on going to a movie with an infant's mother. It knows everything and will never let her go. Murphy's law applies here too! Don't say some kid is cute, the others will stop treating you well. And finally, get rid of that stupid misconception that kids are oh-so-sweet and totally desirable.

This is what they do - they wreak havoc in your life in myriad ways and leave you no choice but to bear them with love. Even the thought of revenge is blasphemy! No wonder a baby is god's way of saying the world should go on.