Blind Faith

Disclaimer: This post isn’t about religion or religious conflicts and it has not been written under any intentions of hurting the religious sentiments of anyone.

TIRUPATI: The reluctance of the management of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to readily disclose the gold and other precious items in its possession is reinforcing the theory that the irregularities detected at the hands of chief priest Venkatramana Dikshitulu of Sri Kodanda Ramaswamy temple last week is just the tip of the iceberg and that a mega scam may be staring at the richest temple in the country.(Complete article)

I feel extremely frustrated, agitated and embittered.

Every now and then, such temples make it to the news for all the wrong reasons. However, it doesn’t affect the blind faith people have in such institutions. People still throng in millions to offer their prayers in the temples giving donations amounting to crores or rupees.

Tirupati temple on a daily average gets about Rs. 2 crores through donations. It has jewelry worth 56,000 crore.

Do the people who continue to faithfully visit the temples ever give a thought to what the temples did with such tremendous amount of money.

No, they don’t.

Corruption is not only limited to the temple trust, it breeds and flourishes in all other forms too.

Hate the slow moving queues?

Pay a few thousand bucks and get direct access to the temple.

The politics and corruption involved in giving the contracts for running temple amenities like canteens and guesthouses is immense.

Even when they hear news about the rampant corruption in the temple trusts, it doesn’t bother them a bit, they comfortable forget it only to give more hefty donations in their following visit to the temple.

The religious organizations hold society within a tight framework of rits and rituals. Nobody dares to go against the tenets of religion. In home, we must be guided by religion and in daily life by religious practices. Even if you hate it, you must do so by copy-book maxims on religious morality.

Let me ask a very basic question: Why do we go to the temples?

In times of adversity, we go to the temples to pray for good things.

In times of prosperity, we go to thank the god for his benevolence.

Sometimes we go to the temples as remorse or to seek forgiveness for our mistakes and crimes.

Sometimes we go the temples for peace of mind.

So basically, we go to the temples to pray for ourselves and our loved ones. Nothing unnatural about it, after all we are all self motivated, right?

Praying doesn’t change the scheme of things, it just gives us an emotional support , solace to our souls that god is looking after us and a hope that things will soon change for good. So why is there a need to go to the temples to offer prayers?

Does the god recept our prayers better in temples?

Does the god do greater favors if we visit the temples?

Certainly not.

Some might say that temples give us peace of mind. Being in the company of god, gives us a feeling of being spiritually connected with him.

Right, very right.

But then how do you expect to find peace of mind in a place crowded by thousands of people.

How can one spiritually connect to god, when he can’t even stand and pray there for a few seconds?

( I have myself experienced this at the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, after waiting for hours in the queue, you just get a passing darshan of the deity and I’m pretty sure that the condition is no different in other such big temples.)

Whenever we make visit to any temple, we dutifully put some money in the donation boxes. (Has anyone ever seen a temple without a donation box? Be it a shoddy little temple under some tree or a huge, magnificent temple, they all have a donation box.) Some even give jewelry , gold and silver ware or coins.

Thanking god for his kindness and compassion is a rightful thing to do. But why does one have to do it through money or gold? In this materialistic and money driven world, we even measure god’s bounty in terms of money and hence thank him though money.

If at all, we need to thank god, thank him through love. Love your fellow beings, share your happiness by helping a needy person. In our pursuit of higher, bigger and faster we seldom give a thought to the plight of millions of people who are less fortunate than we are. Instead of donating money to a temple, give the same amount to an organization that helps the underprivileged people. A visit to a temple like tirupati etc or a pilgrimage costs a minimum 5-6 thousands for a family. That same amount if put to some good use can make a huge change is someone’s life.

If this proposition of contributing to a social cause isn’t entirely digestible to some, or if you’re too lazy to find and join such an organization, the least you can do is give money to the beggars sitting outside the temples. Now some narcissist will point that, sometimes these beggars earn a lot more. Still, it makes more sense giving money to a beggar than to a temple, which already has crores of rupees. Or buy flowers from the old ladies and children, it will help earn their daily living.

Have faith , but not blind faith.

PS : Just because I condemn giving donations to temples doesn’t mean that I’m an atheist. I do believe that religion, belief in God form a integral part of who we truly are.

For you, a thousand times over

4 hours
16 minutes
5 sets
77 games
50 aces

At the end of the longest match in the history of Grand Slam finals Roger Federer emerged not just as the winner, but also as the greatest player of all times. He surpassed Pete Sampras's record total of 14 grand slam titles – with the American in attendance to view his record finally go. He also reclaimed the No. 1 ranking he had surrendered last August to Nadal.

Earlier this year he defeated Robin Söderling to win the French Open – the grand slam title that had eluded him for more than 5 years. With this win, Roger moved into the exalted company of the men to have won all the Grand Slam titles.

Roger Federer has overcome the greatest obstacle in his way – History. History that filled him with last lap nerves has finally been conquered. Now that Federer has got rid of the weight of history, we may see him freed from the fear that he would fall short of his goal. He will now be able to play with total freedom, total confidence, and total certainty in his new role as the unquestioned champion of all champions. Moreover, with age on his side, he’s going to cover many more milestones in this astounding journey of his.

Federer has earned this. He has paid for his every triumph in the pain and suffering caused by a huge ambition — to be the best ever — and an implacable opponent over the years in Rafael Nadal. When Nadal beat him in the final of the Australian Open, Federer looked a broken man. Many critics wrote him off after his loss to Nadal and his subsequent losing of No.1 Title. His dreams were broken, but he was not heartbroken. One year from then and he has regained all that he had lost with his undaunted spirit. He has regained his aura of invincibility. This is not the first time resilient Federer has risen from the ashes. Shortly before his 21st birthday his mentor and coach Peter Carter died in a road accident. Federer was utterly distraught. At first, the quality of his tennis plunged even further, and yet he gradually emerged from his grief with a new resolve, his wondrous shot-making now complemented by a sense of purpose and, that most difficult of skills to acquire for sportsmen of an easy-going disposition, a killer instinct. Eleven months after Carter's death, he won his first Grand Slam event, Wimbledon, the most prestigious title of them all. And afterwards wept copiously, assailed by contrasting emotions of elation and sadness.

It has been a hard and bitter road at this championship alone. He has stuttered and faltered, played some truly ugly points, made some hideous unforced errors and played at times in a way that made his millions of supporters despair. But again and again, he found something more. That, every bit as much as his wonderful racket skill, is what Federer does best. He can raise his game and then raise it again. He has more raises than anyone else in history.
He has this quite extraordinary consistency, a testament to mental and physical strength, and above all, testament to the fact that tennis enthralls him. He is never bored by its triumphs nor is cowed down by its inevitable reverses.

What's remarkable is not just the degree and duration of his dominance, but the artistry with which it was achieved, and the grace and humanity that accompanied it.

Federer’s game is a thing of wonder and beauty, Magic and art. At his best moments Federer seems to be looking beyond victory to create a masterpiece. He has this elegant playing style coupled with brutal power and what we have is total tennis. Federer's versatility was epitomised by Jimmy Connors' statement: "In an era of specialists — you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist... or you're Roger Federer".
In the words of a popular sports columnist: If a mad scientist created a composite of the finest tennis players, it would perform like Federer: he has the extraordinary speed, agility and focus of Borg, the brilliant improvisational skills of John McEnroe, the overwhelming power of Sampras. But he also, almost dispiritingly for his opponents, has the friendly personality of, let's say, John Lloyd. When you cannot find a chink of vulnerability in your opponent on the tennis court, you can sometimes find some personal animus to light your fire. That tactic doesn't work with Federer.

Andy Roddick, when asked about what he respected most about Roger said "He's probably the most talented person ever to carry a racket around.The shots that he can come up with ... the way he's kind of become a totally complete player. But I think off the court, it [the respect] is huge. There have been a lot of good champions, but he's just classy. He is never high and mighty in the locker room or anything like that. He treats people with respect. Even if it's the locker room attendants or the people serving food, he is 'please' and 'thank you'. I think that's why he's so well-liked on tour. There's not a whole lot of animosity towards him, even though he has been that successful."

Taking Charles Dickens’s words into account: “He isn't a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the one who makes every man feel great”.

Federer certainly belongs to the second category.

A very Happy Birthday to my favourite sportsman and my idol.


PS: Title is from one of my favorite books "The Kite Runner". It may seem a little out of context over here, it's just there because i wanted to dedicate the line to him.

Man & The Moon

A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.

- Lao Tzu

The journey of humankind, which began, from standing on his own feet crossed a remarkable milestone when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar Sea Of Tranquility on this day, 40 years ago. Buzz Aldrin followed him, while Michael Collins was circling the moon in the command module. The words of Neil Armstrong were beamed to 600 million people – a fifth of the world's population at the time who tracked the event on TV and radio. Americans were jubilant at this huge technological accomplishment, which marked their win over their bitter counterparts Soviet Union in the space race- a culmination of the Cold War.

The Moon, which has long been the source of inspiration for many a poets, artists and lovers was finally conquered by man. It spurred many new dreams – walking in the moonlight was a passé now people started dreaming of walking on moon. Apollo 11 mission became the harbinger of many technological innovations; it inspired and continues to inspire all those working in the field of space research. The success of Apollo -11 was crucial in deciding the fate of other space programmes.

The three moon astronauts will go down in history as the greatest astronauts of all time. School kids will have chapters in their science textbook describing this historic event. Each year we will celebrate the anniversary of the success of Apllo-11 Mission. NASA will release some video footages, images, or organize some events. Science clubs all over the world will hold special events to enlighten the kids about the space odyssey. Newspapers will publish yet another interview of the three astronauts. Some upcoming writer will write another biography of the astronauts. Buzz Aldrin may publish another memoir. We all will recall our experience when we first saw the pictures on man landing on moon.

Won’t we?

Why not, we will most certainly.

How about this: the three of them grew bore of this planet and decided to take a walk on the moon for a change. That explains why every inch of the newspaper articles is devoted to extolling the three of them.

Sadly, that’s not the actual state of things. (Trust me, I earnestly wish I could buy that over-the-top and outright ridiculous theory.)

How many of us know about Max Faget, the NASA chief engineer who didn’t deter his work in spite of his ailing health? About Charlie Mars who helped build the lunar Lander or Eleanor Foracker who stitched the space suit?

A mammoth project like Apollo was completed successfully only because of the lakhs of people who work determinedly and devotedly to complete it. From the space scientists who did extensive research and worked it out to the tiniest of detail , the engineers who designed the space shuttle & the heat shield, aerospace technicians, flight directors , camera designers, software experts, suits designers and testers, photo developers, ground operators, engineers and navigators to the workers, welders who actually built the space shuttle – the transformation from a mere idea on the paper to reality was possible only through the incessant efforts of countless number of people. However, the contribution of all these people gets pushed in the background and the three astronauts become the face of the Apollo -11 Mission. They are hailed as heroes but not a passing mention is made about the people who worked behind the scenes to assure the success of Apollo-11.

It’s a lot similar to the case of Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan merely ordered the construction of a mausoleum for his dead wife;the magnificent monument we see today was the culmination of painstaking efforts of hundreds of architects, laborers and artists. However, talk about Taj Mahal and we would hear more about Shah Jahan, Mumtaz;their love story & anything and everything remotely related to their love story but not a word about the men who actually built it. I pray that such a fate does not befall the unsung heroes of Apollo-11 mission.

I am not trying to undermine the achievements of the three astronauts – whatever they did is equally laudable.It takes enormous knowledge, experience, expertise, courage and determination to accomplish a task of such high caliber. However, let us not allow the contributions of all others go into oblivion. The next time we celebrate the anniversary of Apollo-11 mission, let us also remember all these great people.

This article is a tribute to the 4,00,000 men team whose dedication, ingenuity and perseverance helped man take the first step on that great gray rock in the sky. In memory of the greatest team ever……..

The Awakening

People, I observe

Events, I perceive

Unforgettable experiences

Meandering thoughts

Conflicting emotions

True feelings

Unrestrained expressions

Silhouettes’ of halcyon times

Lasting impressions

Soaring hopes

Innocent dreams

Indelible memories

Laughing tears

Crying smiles

Reverberations of past

Images of the present

Reflections of the future

An amalgamation of all these and more

The Awakening.

Click on the link to read the article.

PS: Pic taken during the train journey from Goa to Jaipur. Date: 5th Jan 2009 Time: 06.12 am

CAT goes online

With the introduction of online conducting of CAT from this year onwards, the admission procedure to the B-Schools is set to undergo a sea change. The reason cited for this new test procedure is the exponential increase in the number of students appearing for CAT. Last year 2.3 lakhs students appeared for the CAT and this year the number is expected to increase with a projection of 3 lakh plus. It’s being said that the IIMs were contemplating an online CAT since 2007 and they have finally decided to implement it now.

The newspapers have painted a rosy picture of an online CAT saying that it’s apt for the internet age, CAT will be more transparent, and there will be reduced time in evaluation and admission process not to mention the fact that CAT will be equivalent to US exams like GMAT and GRE in terms of the test pattern. (I still do not understand this undue emphasis on CAT adopting an online test pattern like GMAT and GRE.)

But the bigger picture has a different story to tell. A leading testing and assessment services firm makes a presentation to the meeting of IIM directors and they decide to go for the online CAT. It will no doubt earn the private service provider huge amounts of profits. But what about the lakhs of students who take this test? Why don’t the students have any say in deciding the test pattern? The IIMs issue a statement 6-7 months prior to the test notifying the students of the change and that’s the end of responsibility for them - No detailed explanation of the test procedure, no sample test papers. Many issues including the ones mentioned below are left unaddressed. There’s no clear indication as to how the IIMs are going to tackle the following problems.


1.The process of conducting the exam including processing the results and reporting scores is said to be going to be outsourced to a private service.

The implementation of such large scale computerization had earlier failed in case of Xavier’s Admission Test (XAT). In the light of such an event, the efficiency of such private test providers is questionable. Another issue of concern is whether the same amount of stringent security measures will be maintained in conductance of online 2009. Considering the great number of engineers taking the CAT, there’s always the danger of someone hacking into the online software.


2.Another important change is that the exam will be conducted in staggered batches within a window period of 10 days.

The statement issued by the IIMs in this regard is very equivocal. There’s no clear mention of whether each centre will be allocated a particular day for the test or if the students can take the test as per their convenience within the window period.


3.Also instead of the current single exam paper, the online test will have several different papers with the same difficulty level.

It’s almost next to impossible to set more than one paper and maintain exactly the same difficulty level. Even if all the papers contain the same weightage for each section, there’s no way they can ensure the same difficulty level. Some little changes are bound to creep in. How are the IIMs going to tackle this issue? Will the IIMs turn a blind eye to the differences in paper and adopt absolute marking for all the papers? Or will they consider relative marking?


4.Blank sheets for rough work.

In case of the old pencil & paper test, we could easily do all the calculations on the blank space on the question paper. In case of online test, there will be no option of writing or underlining key information on screen. We will either have to calculate mentally or look up to the screen to note down the figures for calculations.


5.Reading comprehension & Data Interpretation

In the old test method, we could read the questions first before reading the passage and easily surf through all the passages and decide which one to attempt first. There will be no scope for such a provision in the online test. We have all been accustomed to underlining key words, marking the important lines, possible answers to the questions. But there has been no mention of whether there will be any facility through which we can underline key words on the screen.

This will be a major problem in Data Interpretation, which usually involves study of huge amount of data in the form of tables and charts. In case of old method, one could easily do the calculations besides the table – this way it was easier to compare the results and involved less chances of error. Now with the online test, we will have to look up to the screen often, increasing the probability of missing out on some information or reading incorrect data. This will also substantially increase the time one would have to spend on each question.


6.CAT preparation

The adoption of the online test method was declared in April that is just 7 months before the actual exam. This leaves the students with very little time for preparing for the online tests. With just 5-6 months at hand, it is high time to switch to computer-based preparation and practice. The mock tests conducted by the training centers are still in the old format. IMS and TIME – the leading institutes in CAT coaching have still not introduced any online mock tests. We being the first batch of students answering an online test have no prior experience. The IIMs have not issued nay sample online test paper. The whole situation is that of bewilderment and anxiety.

And let’s not forget that India’s a developing country. There are still lots of students who have limited or no access to computers. Such students have very little experience using a computer. They would certainly be not very comfortable answering an online test.


7.Fee Hike

If the huge increase in the fees for PG programmes was not enough the fees for the test are also going to be increased by about 40-50%. Although this is not a major issue with many of the candidates, it’s still going to affect the poor and middle class students. There’s also fear of other institutes following the CAT trend and increasing their test fees too. In that the case the students will have to shell out more than 10000 to just appear for the various entrance exams.


8.The global financial recession

The global economic slump has hit several industries very badly. Many of the major companies have sledged many of their employees and a great number of them are on the bench. With the economy in recession, there are hardly any jobs and negligible appraisals. The general notion is that the MBA sector has been relatively less affected by recession. So the obvious choice for these people is to go in for a MBA. This according to them is the best time to spend 2 years in a B-School, gain knowledge and upgrade their skills. After 2 years, hopefully when the economy is revived, they can take advantage of the scenario. These guys have got work experience and they would undoubtedly have an edge over freshers like us.


Change is inevitable. But it’s crucial that the change should be introduced with little or no inconvenience. It’s the responsibility of the IIMs to ensure that the transformation is brought about without hampering the interests of the students. The ideal solution would be to have a test pattern that combines the advantages of both – the online as well as the paper-and-pencil pattern.

Aashavaadi :)

Found these lines on the net.

My best friend is the 'hope bird'. For I have seen in the winters of my life when all other birds fly away in search of summer sky, the 'hope' bird stays and sings the sweet.

I watched "The Shawshank Redemption" last week. The following lines still linger on my mind :

Hope is a good thing, probably the best of things and no good thing ever dies.

They have replaced these lines from "Forrest Gump" which were my favourite a few days back:

Oh! God Make me a bird

So that I can fly

far far away....

Its amazing how movies can bring a complete tranformation in someone's thoghts, views, opinions.

The Exam Ordeal

Thursday 21st May 2009

11.00 PM

I’m woken up by the distinct vibration of my cell.

I fish around for my cell.

Find it under the pillow.

The bright screen Saying DP.

Me thinking (in half awake, half asleep state): What on Earth is DP? Why had I set a reminder for DP?

After numerous recall attempts it finally dawns upon me that DP was a recursive acronym.

DP- DIPCM Papers

DIPCM – Digital Interfacing and PC Maintenance

PC- Personal Computer

I had set the reminder so that I would remember to get the question papers from library that morning, but the fool I am, I set it at 11 PM instead of 11 AM.

Note to self: You’ve got to be fastidious while setting reminders henceforth.

11.15 PM

Went back to sleep.

12.00 AM

My ears again register that distinct vibrating sound of my cell.

I again search for my cell.

This time I find it on top of the book besides my pillow.

(Yeah! The teddy is replaced by books during exam times in the hope that some of that incomprehensible stuff from the books percolates into my head.

Remember that law of Osmosis – When two bodies are kept in contact separated by a semi permeable membrane, the ions (or whatever) move from the region of high concentration to that of low concentration. No prizes for guessing the region of low concentration in my case.

Or in case god took pity on me (the chances of which are as rare as those of

KKR winning IPL

Narendra Karthikeyan winning in any F1 season

( I wish I could add Roger Fedrer losing his No. 1 Ranking - After that impressive win on clay last week, I pray that he soon gets back his invincible position. All the best Roger for Ronald Garros.)

SRK getting an Oscar

BJP coming to power

Junior B delivering a hit movie

Note to self: You’ve struck oil, stop drilling! You must really get rid of this habit.

Where was I?

Hmm…..

Okay, so in case the god decided to help me I wanted to spare him the trouble of finding my coursebooks)

Coming back to the main point- the cell

The little screen was delightfully glowing and announcing the birthday of my schoolmate.

Note to self: Check the time before setting birthday reminders on cell. The sony Ericsson cells by default schedule the reminders to 12 AM.

Now that I had woken up, I decided to wish her.

Thus began my quest for finding a birthday message.

I’m halfway through the inbox, but no success.

I wish I could apply all those searching and sorting algorithms I had studied in C++ last year.

Note to self: If I ever work as a computer engineer (which is highly improbable given that I have already started preparing for CAT) first thing to design is software for cell phones that would allow searching the inbox with given keywords.

I finally found one birthday message.

I sent it after doing a few modifications.

It occurred to me that I could have composed the message myself and not taken all this trouble- too late I guess.

Note to self: Save time by self composing the messages next time onwards.

12.17 AM

Went back to sleep.

1.55 AM

Me in my dream world.

Dreaming about an adventure trip in Kumaon valley

(Wondering why of all places on earth I was dreaming of Kumaon valley, read this)

Me, that lady and an old retired military Lieutenant

Are in search of a cave which houses a temple which has the sacred golden feather.

Thanks to my over zealous reading of adventure novels in childhood-

The dream had us facing many obstacles like

freezing cold temperatures

rocky mountains

rivers with no bridges

wild animals

and yeah

there were villains too :P

A group of greedy local businessmen who wanted to sell off that feather to foreign dealers.

And the patriotic three of us trying to save our national Treasure :P

Scene:

Me, the lady and military uncle sitting on ground.

The map of the region spread in front of us.

Military uncle explaining us our next strategy.

The lady suggesting some corrections.

Me admiring the beauty of the woods.

Suddenly I hear my brother asking me to wake up.

I woke up startled.

My first thought was that I had overslept.

I desperately searched for my cell.

I heave a huge sigh of relief when I see the time

Its only 1.55 AM.

Apparently my brother couldn’t sleep because of the tension.

So he woke up before the alarm rang.

Me thinking: Look at him! How devoted and dedicated he is towards studies.

& Look at you! You’re dreaming of adventure trips!!!!

2.05 AM

Me studying in my room

Brother in his.

3.00 AM

I’m still studying *Applause*

(It’s quite an accomplishment for me – usually I doze off on the table within 15 mins)

My brother (Rohit) comes with some difficulty in a physics problem.

After struggling to study Registers and Flip Flops, physics was the last thing I could ask for.

I’m frustrated.

I feign a smile to hide it.

The problem ain’t easy.

It takes me good 15 minutes in solving that problem.

And another 15 minutes in explaining the solution to him.

He gives me satisfied smug look.

He goes back.

I’m relieved.

He comes back within 2 minutes with all his books.

I look at him with a question mark.

He says: Saving Electricity.

Me thinking (as aloud as possible): What the hell do you think you are doing when you use the TV and comp at the same time, when you leave the refrigerator door open?

He asks a few more difficulties.

My precious 1 hour is wasted.

He feels offended when I tell him that I’m not gonna solve any more of his difficulties.

I don’t care.

I had an exam too.

4.15 AM

Me still studying. * Louder applause*

All of a sudden it starts thundering

And lightening.

And then comes the first shower of the season.

I’m totally ecstatic.

Tiny droplets of water falling on my hands through the window.

That intoxicating swell emanating from the mud .

Cool breeze caressing my face.

You’re getting the drift, don’t you?

But electricity dept. decided to play a spoiler.

They cut the power supply.

The whole of the city is immersed in darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - -- - -

Rohit: Go get the emergency light, didi.

Me: Why should I? Remember, I had got the emergency light when there was power failure 3 days back before our first paper?

Rohit: Oh yeah! I do remember.

But you know what; I also remember getting the emergency light when there was a power failure last semester before my engineering drawing paper.

Me (boiling with rage): Oh yeah! Then you might possibly remember that I’m 2 years elder to you.

I had got the emergency light when you were a year old.

(Me rejoicing thinking that he can’t beat this one)

Rohit: My dearest didi! There were no emergency lights then. They came in the market a few years back.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - -- - -

Poor me! I had lost the argument.

I reluctantly get off my chair.

And set out to en’lighten’ myself.

After stumbling across a million things on my way, I finally managed to reach kitchen and after fiddling around in the dark, I find the emergency light on the shelf.

We both resume studying.

4.45 AM

Power is restored back.

5.00 AM

My dad wakes up.

Rohit asks him to make coffee for us.

Now my dad has no experience in making black coffee.

What he serves us turns out to be the sweetest thing I ever had in my life.

We both gulp down that syrupy coffee.

The caffeine in coffee is supposed to help us keep awake.

But I guess the extra sugar my dad had put overpowered the effect of caffeine and I started feeling sleepy.

I decide to take a short nap.

I set the alarm.

I go to sleep, hoping to continue my adventure trip.

No longer had I slept, there was power failure again.

All my dreams were shattered.

(Sounds clichéd, but who cares, I wanted to dramatize the whole incident)

I decide to study.

I see that Rohit has taken the emergency light to his room.

I requested him to come in my room, he refuses.

I’m left with the only option- good old candles.

(Me trying to give some solace to myself) Not bad – I love candlelight.

I light the candle and keep it on my candle.

Strong winds start blowing.

Poor candle is engaged in a battle with the wind to keep its flame alive.

I remember Aishwarya singing that song from Devdas:

Ye diya! Na bujha hai, Na bujhega, meri chahat ka diya !

My poor candle has no filmy credentials.

So I decide to aid the candle.

I try some make-shift arrangement of newspapers.

It crumbles down within 2 mins.

I start thinking of other alternatives.

I hit upon an idea.

I get an empty, transparent jar and put it on the candle.

My heart fills with pride looking at that great innovation of mine.

It felt great, studying there sitting by the window in candlelight.

I prayed that the current didn’t come back soon.

Bingo! That very moment the current came back.

Whoa! Finally the communication path between me and god has been restored back.

But alas! Some supernatural force put a NOT gate in between.

God hears the opposite of what I pray.

Anyways, I start studying.

I had 2 more modules to finish.

8.15 AM

At the breakfast table:

(My mom always has this overwhelming desire to try her culinary skills during the exam time and so she makes new dishes everyday during exam period.)

Mom: Look! What I have made for you.

Me: Please Ma, I don’t want to try anything new today.

(My mom’s face which was beaming with excitement a few seconds back, turns sad. I cannot see her disheartened like that.)

Me: Okay, let’s see what you have made.

It turns out to be quite good.

I praise her and tell her that she’s the best mom in the world.

She has this twinkle in her eyes and a smile that makes me feel so wonderful.

8.30 AM

Me and dad are about to leave for college.

Like a dutiful child I take the blessings of god and my parents.

My mom reminds me of the things I have to take.

I realize that I have not taken the hall ticket.

The worst part is that I don’t even remember where I had kept it.

All three of us start searching for it.

We decide to follow the Divide and Conquer strategy.

I search my table.

Mom searches the table.

Dad is searching other places like newspaper stand and brother’s table.

My dad is endlessly commenting on how irresponsible I am, how careless I am, how I had misplaced a zillion things in the past.

Finally after an extensive search of the entire house I remember keeping the hall ticket in a book and leaving that book in my dad’s cabin. (My dad works in the same college I study)

I felt so happy- I bet even Columbus wouldn’t have been so elated on finding America.

Before leaving my mommy dearest gives me a bottle of fresh home made mango juice.

It’s an absolute bliss in the summers.

9.00 AM

Reached college.

Dashed to my dad’s cabin and found the hall ticket there.

Started revising.

11.00 AM

Done with revising the modules, only a few problems had to practiced.

1.05 PM

I get a migraine attack.

I had got one before the last paper too.

Screw the Alchemist.

(Remember that proverb, everything that happens once, can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.)

If something has to happen twice it got to happen once before – I guess this proverb is most probadly invented by Paulo Coelho himself.

My mom had attributed the reason for migraine attack to lack of eating, so this time she had made sure I ate lots.

Poor mommy! She thinks everything is related to food.

Thankfully I had the tablets this time.

(I didn’t even have the tablets last time and I had to answer my paper with that terrible headache – no wonder I screwed it.)

2.00 PM

The paper started. Till then the headache had subsided and it was just a mild pain.

4.50 PM

The paper is a bit lengthy. I am yet to solve two questions.

Both of 6 mark each.

I start with the easier one.

Half way through it and my memory fails me.

I just can’t remember the remaining answer.

Before I could start the next question, the bell rings.

Me trying my best to write every single letter I could.

The supervisor (Hate her) snatches the answer booklet from my hands.

5.00 PM

Phew! The paper is over.

Me feeling a bit sad for those two questions.

Wait

Not a bit – a hell lot sad.

The headache starts again.

I was still feeling happy somewhere that the paper got over.

5.15 PM

Came home.

Caught a movie on Star Movies.

Movie is : The Village

I had earlier Watched Sixth Sense and had liked it.

I had heard that this one was also a M. Night Shyamalan Movie.

Thought it would be good too.

Turns out crap.

8.30 PM

I’m supposed to be studying for next paper.

Somehow I’m not feeling like studying.

That explains why I have been writing this post for the past one hour.


PS: I had written this post on friday night, but the net wasn't working, so couldn't t post it.

PPS: The format of the post is inspired by this post.A bit of copyright infringement chalta hai :)