C for Campus

“Life is like an ice cream, taste it before it melts” read an sms from a friend, which made me animated to think of the ingredients that had gone into its making. Intrigue, mystery and then I realized that I am enjoying the most delicious flavor of it – my campus life. Its lifetime might be just 4 years but these years are one for a lifetime. Yes, it is one of those short and sweet experiences, the images of which shall remain enshrined for ever.

Adjust, Babble, Celebrate are its essential ABC’s. Because here it is not just about studying and the menacing numbers( marks and grades). Here we go beyond the boundaries of books. Its about preparing ourselves for the real life scenarios. In fact, a dress rehearsal for the future events. And it is here that we tend to open up to more vibrant thoughts.

My lovely Batchmates

Here are some of the very typical campus stuffs- mysterious, cacophonous yet so beautiful. These moments are just priceless.
·  The hustle and bustle of the first year with the fear of     coming in the seniors’ ragging radar
·    Bums filled birthday nights; first time in our lives, we  regret that a particular day happens to be our birthday. And the treat just adds to the agony 
·    Its campus and how can it be without girls. Yes, one sided affairs, day dreams, mere crushes, couples, crushed up relations are some of the best selling campus gossips
·      Soaring mobile charges, call boosters, message boosters, night calls and prank  calls; everything makes it a smooth sailing for the mobile operators
·  the devilish pranksters showcasing their talents in a bizarre manner; done in good humour normally and fun until the devil just gets on top of the prankster
·   mad rush for the bathrooms in the bustling hours of morning are the perfect postcard pictures of a hostel
·   the ‘power-cut’ howls in the order of many decibels during the nights is an exhilarating scene
·  submission deadlines, surprise quizzes and next day presentations all play a pivotal role in ensuring that we go amok; and the atmosphere during the exam season is nothing short of frenzy
·      the central idea of a campus life is socializing and how better have we mastered that art; facebook,twitter,hi5,google+ have all left an imprint of their own
·  the fun-filled picnic or excursion or study tour or industrial visit or whatever you call it, are never short of excitements. It eventually becomes the trip of a lifetime
·    glancing the fashion magazines frequently for the latest trends; the glitz and glamour are the ones to watch out, be it the freaky Tees, dazzling kurthis, low-waist jeans and the list goes on. The more freaky you turn out, more masti follows, so too the girls

The Tale of a Campus Classroom

Macho!!!!!

These are just a sample of what a campus life is. There are few more enchanting, aesthetic, alluring and imposing moments which are very hard to describe. These are the moments which have to be lived and felt. I know I will be missing something  precious after passing out; it is too big a miss but for moment, I want to live every moment of it………..

Dedicated to my batchmates and buddies………………………….

India:Twenty Eleven: Part one

They say the ‘sun never sets’ in the rainbow nation of South Africa and after having crossed the half way mark of 2011 and after having witnessed so many high profile events, we can say with utmost substantiation that the ‘sun never sets’ in India too. Be it Mahendra Singh dhoni’s gigantic strike that sailed over, to eventually seal the fate of Sri Lankans in the world cup final or be it the Tihar jail which houses the poshest in the country or be it the meteoric rise to fame of a septuagenarian who has literally taken the government for a ride, we have all been treated to action-packed mornings and gossipy evenings.

It wasn’t always like this, wasn’t it. India wasn’t always this country of frenetic activity. There were times when even the Kiwis thronged here for Peace, for stillness. But none can argue the fact that certain things are subject to change; they falter in the test of time. And so India has also moved on or rather been forced to.

The other day, I read a column by ‘Barkha Dutt’ where she mentions ‘Alice in Blunderland’ as India’s current story. Thoughts in spades struck me. India in the last six months has been more or less like a T20 cricket match; no space for a breather. There was non-stop action. Powerplay(er)s in the form of 2G-spectrum heroes, free(bie)hits of politicians, scams resembled the sixes and there were cheer leaders too in the form of Yogic Gurus. The match-referee(Sonia G) and umpire(MMS)  had no say in it. Yes, India sorely missed a  ringmaster in its circus. It missed a leader, a comrade, a guiding light and more importantly a Lok(h)’s Pal. But still India has moved on. As they say whatever happens, the show in the circus must go on.

So, UPA didn’t have the best of its times as the scams after scams were exposed and the guilty were sent behind the bars. The integrity of our netas were questioned and the corrupt were smelling trouble. Ironically, even the opposition failed to capitalize on this as the BJP had Yeddyurappa as its reply to the Kalmadis and the Rajas. And India was very much in doldrums. This was enough for the Gandhian, a real patriot- Anna Hazare to emerge as a superhero for millions in shortest possible time history has seen. He was old but bulk of his fan club were teenagers and campuses. And could you believe the fact that he outscored Katrina Kaif in the number of Google Images search made on him for almost a week!!! Oh, it happens. And it won’t be a surprise if he features in Time’s Most Influential people next year. There was more to come. Baba Ramdev…. Digvijaya Singh……

Let us move on. Politics sucks big time everywhere…

Six months!!! Do you expect nature to remain mum? Absolutely no. The nature had its influence on the people and in what splendid manner-the monsoons. The monsoons came in as a relief. In India, it is normally associated with rejuvenation of life and joy. It just mesmerized everyone. It brought with it magic, moments of madness, romance, longing and more importantly life. When we talk of monsoons, how can we forget the ‘God’s Own Country’ ??? Tourists from across the world flocked to Kerala and south-western part of the country to get a clear picture of monsoons- images of the scenic beaches, of the coconut palms swaying , of dark clouds, of the countryside, of the backwaters. I’m pretty sure that they would have gone back with all these postcard images saying,” Wow!! That was life”. 

            So, does the sun ever set in this country?????

a day for daddy

June 19^th is an important date in the calendar as it turned out this year too not only for me but for all the ‘daddy-lovers’ in the world.  This special day for the special person strikes a joyous chord among  everyone irrespective of their ages. As we witnessed on June 19^th , newspapers carried special columns covering  segmented  experiences and Twitter too resembled ‘Aladdin’s cave’. Yet, my toiling hard to get an answer to ‘why only this day’ did not reap any fruits.

                I’ve always amazed at the roles taken up moms and dads in the upbringing of their kids. Well, fathers are not known to be emotional and sentimental but at times do expect mass catharsis.  While mom clears the web of confusion regarding what is good and what is bad from our minds, their counterparts have a specific role to play. They don’t teach you what is good or what is bad but they teach you how to make your life beautiful by being yourselves. Dads are not just fathers, not just dour machines but  are mentors, role models, heroes, icons and what not. They add special flavours  to our lives and give that extra element of freedom to be ourselves, to express ourselves. They back us up in crucial times by being assertive.

                As I ink this piece mentioning volumes about these wonderful creations of god, how can I forget about my dad who is my prime source of inspiration to write it.  Motion of every nerve in my body has his influence. One of the early lessons vouchsafed to me was Austerity. This was long before Ranbir Kapoor ‘s “Keep it simple silly” rocked the advertising world. Yes,” Never complicate stuffs, stay abrasive to unwanted luxuries” is his motto. He is my lighthouse that keeps my life ship away from rocks. He is the Oasis in my desert. He is my odd-sixer  in a Rahul Dravid scripted test innings. He is my superhero. Yes, he is.

And Whenever my dad starts a telephone conversation with “do u remember me”, all I do is giggle at first and then silently whisper,” Oh, c’mon dad! my very own existence reminds me of you.” Both of us then step into our own illusive world of laughter.

“Love you Daddy and let us hope against hope that we exchange our roles in our next births so that you will have the taste of your own medicine”