A Lesson learnt...

Don’t we always tend to find mistakes, complain about petty things that hardly matter and try to project how miserable and unfair life is?
Well, I find myself doing that at times. But I believe I have learnt a very important lesson in life. The incident may not seem substantial but, to me, it sure was a revelation.
Only the other day, I was dining with my friends at a pretty decent place, 5-star food I would say. But I couldn’t refrain myself from complaining about the oily food and routine menu of the place. I had a hefty discussion on the issue and was pretty disappointed with the dining arrangements. I came back to my room with glimpses of the chat still lodged in my mind.
As I stood in the balcony gazing at the city and enjoying the warm dusky breeze, I witnessed a rather sorrow sight. The backdoor neighbourhood inhabits a group of daily wage workers and labours. I can safely presume that the children in this neighbourhood cannot afford schooling. There were these bunch of kids, 8-10 years old, who were fighting for a share in the lunch, which was nothing but plain rice and dal mixed in a large dish with a lot of water, apparently. The kid who had the bowl had a look of satiation to the core. He seemed to enjoy every bit of the mouthful he swigged as did the other kids. The sight left me awe-struck.
I began to wonder how insignificant that chat was. I had the privilege of such fine dining and yet all I cared was about the irregularities of the place and all that remained with me after was the disappointment. Was it really worth it? I believe not!
Some may argue that it is about what we deserve after all our efforts we put in, what we are entitled for and what we can demand. True, maybe, but would we not be much happier if we don’t spat over such little things? Wouldn’t we be much better off not complaining rather try to find a way around?
It is always easier to find good in what we have if we look at those less privileged souls who haven’t been blessed with all that we possess right now. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for better but the exertion of the endeavour shouldn’t overleap the enjoyment in all the little things that are worth cherishing. Those kids might not have all the tang in that dish but they were satisfied and happy and that is what matters.
This post has a very simple yet significant message. One may say that it is a stale philosophical stuff. But, that was an afternoon I would not want to ever forget. Perhaps, this would work as a log for me if not anything more.
Do give it a thought. If you have, it is time to start working on it. Well, I have!
Stop complaining and start living only to see the beauty in all the things with and around us.

Cheers,
Piyush.

What defines us!

Life is a journey. At every step there are crossroads and then there are dilemmas to find the right or just answer to the questions that face us. It is often said that these decisions decide what we are and what we become as we travel this arduous yet ravishing consortium of paths/challenges called life. Great minds have defined people by the meaning of their life which is the result of all the decisions we take over time and the more justified or ethical these decisions appear to be, the more meaningful the journey is said to be. To be concise, it is believed that our actions define our lives which define us.
To me, it would only be surmising to define oneself on the above said terms. I don’t, completely, approve of the idea that actions define someone. I understand that it is in the innate nature of human beings to always challenge the established societal norms and treat any well-understood idea as facile. Human instinct is always uncouth, unethical and evil and given a chance to unleash this force with no obligations what-so-ever, we would not have to restrict ourselves the way we do. As we mature, we realize that the world does not behave on first instincts and we slowly understand that eventually one has to put on this cloak of hypocrisy called ‘moral or ethical living’. No matter what we think, the outer demeanour should be justified in every sense of the word and over time we get so used to this idea of noble thinking that we actually start believing that we are moral or ethical sapiens.
Let’s take a simple scenario. Say a man X has a friend Y who is shot and will die if not taken to a hospital immediately. Also if X stays it is more than likely that he also will be shot and be dead in no time as he is a witness and a potential threat to the perpetrators. My first instinct would tell me to run away from there and leave the dying man on his own. Doing this would sound very unmoral and may be people will call me coward. However, running away from there only shows that I value my life and am not ready to so easily let it go for anyone. I am sure you have started judging me already but for once throw away and look beyond your hood of so-called morality.
More so, PMS or adultery does not sound that bad to me at first thought( I am only enjoying my life in either cases and taking a sidewalk from the normal. A little pondering folks!) but this euphemised hypocrisy has so badly taken over me that just the idea of these concepts sounding right to me seems sinful. At every step in our day-to-day life we idealize and promote this hypocrisy.
Perhaps if everyone starts to act on their instincts the world would become more chaotic and unsafe place to dwell but I am not looking at the big picture here. I just want to somehow rationalize some of my unpleasant thoughts which make me feel low. Lately I have been getting this feeling that humans are designed to be this way. It is only how well we train ourselves to overcome these coarse thoughts.
In a nutshell, my actions don’t define me as a person rather they only show how well I understand my role as a social being. It is only ironic that society tends to place higher regards for these hypocrite men who call themselves ethical and just.
Do a moral check on yourselves and see if I am wrong. Let your wildest thoughts take shape and tell me they are unfathomable. If you still think your instincts are pristinely moral then, perhaps, you are sunken so deep in this mire that you have actually forgotten the taste of fresh air!
Cheers,
Piyush.

The City that never sleeps!

Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, is a saying so very true and I came to realize that during my tour around this magnificent metropolis a few days back.Even before the break of dawn to the last toll of midnight bell, the place is so alive all the time. Be it any hour of the day, the roads are buzzing with traffic; malls and other hangout spots are swarming with people, one too many. There are times when I begin to think that the city is actually breeding people!
Mumbai also flaunts of having one of the largest and the most well-managed local train facilities in the world. The locals provide a very easy means of commutation that covers the entire wide expanse of 608 sq.kms. at a very affordable price. It exempts you of all the traffic jams, the pollution and the heat albeit the rush of the local trains itself is very energy-sapping.
Mumbai is also a city of vivid contrasts. While it is known to be the home of Bachchans, Khans and Kapoors on one hand and Ambanis and Bajajs on the other, it is also the proud home of one of the largest slums in the world. There are the famous and there are also the notorious. You got it right! While there are celebrities and big business magnets, there is also the underworld industry which keeps the city abuzz through its kidnappings, extortions, threats and the like.
A horde of all the head offices of leading brands across the world, the Share Bazaar and a multitude of upcoming new ventures also makes this city the business capital of India. The city has its fair share of tourist attractions as well like the JuhuChaupati, the Marine Drive, the Gateway of India, the Taj and the Oberoi, the Siddhivinayak temple, Haji Ali, Hanging Gardens,the list is quite magnanimous! One very new dish on the menu was the Ambani house and believe me when I say that it is turning out to be one of the biggest tourist attractions of the city.
On this trip of ‘Mumbai Darshan’ I went a few days back, I got a chance to see all these places but in reality it was not these places that excited me. We were in Bandra and the tour guide was showing us the bunglows and flats of various filmstars and celebrities. I got to see ‘Pratiksha’, ‘Mannat’, ‘Rajan’ and many others. Hope you know what they are! This was exciting to me because I realized that filmstars are also people like us who live in houses made of bricks and stones, who eat the food we eat and go to work like any one of us. Earlier, I considered filmstars as people who are terribly difficult to get associated with or be friends with and one can only see them in movies or award shows! I don’t know why but somehow seeing their residences from so close made me feel that I can also be one of them some day …. A little naïve but I couldn’t help it!
I believe this post is something very different from any of my earlier posts in the way it is written and the subject it deals with. At some point it came out as a boring essay while at some it stated things very obvious. But I am writing after a long time, needed something simple to break the ice. This post is also, in a way, very satisfying! This is because I have always brooded over people who keep talking about their place of residence which to me doesn’t matter so much. Now when I can brag about the place I live, it is in someway pleasing to me, wat say!
All said and done, Mumbai is amazing and no city can compare with it in anyway. You wanna differ with me, be my guest. One can only enjoy what the place has to offer once one has been here so please give your mind and heart a little rest till then…..no hard feeling huh!
Cheers,
Piyush.

Thats all folks !!

It is 11 in the morning and I am slowly inching closer to my home. Yes, I am on Dehradun Express, lonesome on the upper birth, with a pounding pain in my heart and teardrops in my eyes, eaten nothing since yesterday and struggling my life out to pass this heat and reach home soon. The ambience could not have been more pathetic but I believe it synchronizes well with my state of mind and is ideal for writing this post.

Maybe I am being redundant, but I am so overwhelmed by this feeling that it deserves some space in my blog just to show that special place my friends hold in my heart. I have already written a post about how subdued I felt that this wonderful BITSIAN life was coming to an end. But this is something different. This is the realization of all those ideas and thoughts which I thought would come rushing to me when the D-day arrives.

And so it arrived. The cabs were bang on time and it actually annoyed me (I did the best in my efforts to delay the start, remember!). It meant that the time for the final good-bye was actually nearing. It was more sad for me because I was the one who had to go back all alone. I really felt jealous of all my friends for the first time just imagining the amount of fun they would be having together while I had to wait for 6 hours on some stupid railway station, accompany my 11-year old cousin home, face the torture of this scorching summer in a sleeper compartment and then reach home the next day at 3 in the morning. It was like I was losing the will to live anymore and I swear it was that bad.

I believe I have never been more sad in my entire life. Those last moments are flashing right in front of my eyes as I write this post and the vision has become all blurred (you know why!)….With the train about to leave,last hugs and goodbyes took place and I was the only one not on that train and waving my friends off from the platform. Every inch the train moved it felt like a knife was being stabbed right through my heart deeper and deeper every time. I was weeping at heart and didn’t even have the courage to face my friends in the very last moments (probably if I would have not done so, I would so have crashed of a cardiac arrest, then and there). It felt like my entire life was collapsing right in front of my eyes and I was helplessly watching it go away and believe me it was not at all poetic.

I knew that my four years of graduation, after this moment, would only be history and this made me even sadder. No more counters(!), no more dhabas, no more sharmas, no more ganga, no more medc…no more friends to hang out with....to me no more life. I can just hope that you guys are fine and not feeling so pathetic and out of life like me. Whatever people say this life is never coming back and I just hope all of us stay and bond the way we used to, for eternity.

To all those special friends,

Nothing in this world can fill this void. I am sorry if I ever hurt anyone of you, you know it was never my intention. Love you all.

Piyush.

Love or L.O.V.E

Love (a feeling that makes life more lovable) or L.O.V.E. (Lake of Sorrows, Ocean of Tears, Valley of Death and End of Life), which way would you prefer taking it! I would partly confide with the latter definition (a little out of proportions may be). Don’t go berserk already; I’ll prove to you why.
One of the best definitions of ideal love (picked up from a movie and is fictional in its own way) I have ever come across would be:
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part; because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, and it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. “
There are two kinds of people in this world. There are those who don’t actually know what love is and those who know what it is and yet take the chance of tasting it. Either way, you end up getting hurt. So, question yourself as to where you belong and then brace yourself to get hit on the face, the way it pleases you!
Lets talk about the first kind. Ironically, the more sensible the above definition sounds to be, the more difficult (or impossible) it is to find such true love. More often, it withers away as a ‘temporary madness’. It is the decision making part that is the hardest. The earthquake or the initial frenzy phase which people confuse with love is no more than an attraction; it is the satisfaction one gets in knowing that there is someone out there you can share your feelings with. It is the pride and joy you feel in changing your relationship status to ‘Committed’ (on sites like Facebook and Orkut) and swashing about your new found love in your social circles. I believe it is the idea of having something new in one’s life that excites people more than anything else. The tag of ‘lovers’ to such cases is totally gross and you would only end up in sorrows and tears.
Now lets see how the people who, by definition, have found their love of life suffer.
Love, as it is said, has no boundaries and this is the problem. As friends you respect these boundaries; you treat some things off-limits, but in love you become devoid of this personal space.
I have seen how things change over a period of time. Things about your partner which once excited you to the core (like their independence, attitude or personality) now seem to be very annoying, reason being you have taken too much of it now. Questions which were never raised earlier require a firm justification as the relationship grows old. The idea of taking your partner for granted (I can provide more examples from a male perspective here) raises all sorts of doubts and misunderstandings. Compromises start to hurt your ego more than ever. While you were ready to spend hours waiting just to catch a glimpse of him/her initially, the very thought of having to wait seems to irritate you now. ‘In love’ you were ready to fight with the world to have him/her but once this ‘being in love’ phase(by the earlier definition) burns away you only fight with him/her, even over issues that are, apparently, very trivial. Jaane kyun…..what, at the end, comes your way is only loads of pains and sorrows which you could have very well done without.
PS: This is a purely personal opinion and no offense is intended to anyone. Would love to be proved wrong! As for me, I have taken the easy way out. Please don't judge me :)
Cheers,
Piyush.

End of an era....a new journey awaits

As the day comes near, it is becoming even more difficult to absorb this feeling. An overwhelming sadness, an agonizing pain amidst the sweet memories of this wonderful life that is fast approaching its culmination is what describes my present state of mind. Yes, I speak of the end of graduation life or should I say my BITSIAN life.

It feels like only yesterday I got down from the Haryana roadways bus only to find out that the BITS campus has an entrance no grandeur in appearance than a dilapidating school building in some remote corner of the country. My mind is fresh with the memories of the initial registration process, those ill-zoomed clicks which happen to appear on our ID cards for the next four years, that long walk around the campus with parents and the speech by the vice-chancellor welcoming us to the campus.

For the past four years, I have always dreamt of the destination - having an engineering degree from a reputed college and passing out with a decent job in hand - but now as the destination has made its way clear of the clouds of fear and chance, it feels like the journey was far more memorable and enjoyable. Even as I write this post, there is this submerging feeling of nostalgia, this yearn to have the chance to relive these four years over and over again.

The gen lacha sessions, interactions(euphemised ragging) with juniors and seniors, late night ANC and Cnot sessions, PD trips, early morn Nootan hangouts, OASIS and BOSM thrills, LAN gaming, chill-outs at Ganga stores, QT cricket and volleyball, Assoc nights, Music nights, movie and cricket match screenings in Audi, various sports tournaments, OASIS and APOGEE Inaugs and what not. There have also been moments of stress and concern-the first hour tutorials and tests, the pressure of the Comprees, the night-outs before exams, just missing out on a grade in a course, applying for make-ups with fake reasons, CDCs, last hour assignment and report submissions, for that matter anything related to academics!

What is even more stressful and concerning is just imagining that once I step out of this campus there is a very hostile and brutal world waiting to plunge me in. A world full of competition and corruption where at every step there is a quest to prove oneself better than the others in the race. There would be no friends who you can speak to without giving a thought to the aftermath of the dialogue. Today when I have a problem I have friends who, I know, would do anything just to make me feel better,who would celebrate my happiness and share my sorrows putting all their issues aside. The fight for grades never compromises the values of friendship. Maybe I am being cynical but I would not want to learn the lesson a harder way.

Without a doubt, one of the most priced possessions I would be taking back with me are my friends (although after a couple of weeks the phone would most likely be the only way to keep in touch). It’s been a true privilege to have known you guys and to have been with you guys. I can proudly say that BITS would not have been this beautiful and graduation life this memorable but for my friends.

It feels like the end of an era, the climax to a rather romantic and relishable journey that all of us embarked on four years ago.

Three Cheers to this wonderful time :)

Blogger unblocked....

Its been quite sometime since my last post courtesy the campus. For reasons unknown, the site had been blocked by the IPC, BITS Pilani. There were many floating ideas I wanted to post on but they have all left the voids of my mind and as of now I have to really think again on what would be my next post.

I apologize to all my followers to keep them waiting (being really optimistic that people actually follow me whereby i mean people actually read my posts!). The next post would be really intriguing to everyone and I promise you that.

Keep following and keep leaving your comments and ideas. The wait is finally over....

Cheers,
Piyush.

Who is to be blamed?

It is rather surprising how priorities have changed today. Go through the newspaper or one bulletin of news on any television channel and one can find shocking evidences to this revelation. Only recently as one of my friends on Facebook commented on the issue of Sania-Shoaib marriage making the front page news while an important news of Sino-India relationship having to calmly subside on the sixth, it was really something to think about. Newspapers, today, are filled with news of heinous crimes – murder, extortion, rape, kidnapping and so on. One can also find a lot of celebrity news - their new relationships, breakups, candid cam photos and stuff. There is no scarcity of news highlighting blatant remarks of sycophantic yes-men who love to be in the limelight.
But who is to be blamed? Is it the media or the readers/viewers at fault? Is the media more concerned about the frivolous and less important issues or are we giving them the chance to behave the way they do?
I believe the media is nothing more than a sheen picture of our priorities and thoughts. As viewers and readers we are the ones who should be questioned. A news of some celebrity appeals to us more than something as important as a nuclear agreement or policies of the state. People ask questions about the idea of having newspaper pages filled with the news of murders and suicides or trivial stuff but don’t we enjoy a charade of ‘Sansani’ (a TV show on Aaj Tak that covers all sorts of crimes committed all over the country, claims to be a crime patrol for the aam aadmi) or talk about the grandeur of TV9 (a news channel which has exemplified the concept of trivialization of the media) news? Perhaps a rhetoric of mockery, we still give these media people the idea that such shows are celebrated and popular among the audiences. ‘The Hindu’ has lesser readership than ‘The Times of India’ because its content is more serious and it does not entertain sections like ‘Hot Klix’ and ‘Celebrity news’.
The people who run the media know that some new findings about Shoiab and Ayesha would interest a larger mass than something like ‘India’s stance towards the US-Pak nuclear deal’. We don’t generally talk about how India should have handled ‘The Summit on Climate Change, but ‘Should Aishwarya Rai marry Abhishek Bachchan?’, why not, bring it on! There is a plethora of such examples. We sensationalize the stuff they show and give them the reason to act this way where intruding the privacy of an individual or sending wrong messages to get the people talking and spatting is nothing immoral or irresponsible to them.
Maybe a few of us are actually interested in the more-important issues going on in the world today, but TRPs don’t only cover these people, you see! It is not only ‘this’ lot that follows the TV or surfs through the morning newspapers, a rickshawwala or a grocery vendor also likes to keep himself aware (perhaps not on the same issues!). And with the competition growing exponentially every day, I find no fault with media persons trying to up their TRPs or readership ratings, means matter not. Media is a business today and profits drive businesses after all!
Don’t you think so?
Cheers,
Piyush.

Got me thinking....

I recently came across an interesting article which said that atheism is a higher form of living-the first step on the path to freedom from the silken bonds of maya. The author says that God-worship is no more than a deification of our ego, a euphemism to self-worship. There is also this supporting statistic by a French sociologist which says that in countries where the tradition of God-worship is most entrenched (like India or Roman Catholic Italy), the incidence of bribery in everyday life is also proportionately high. This is because, the authors supports, when people take pleasure in bribing the eternal for their personal motives, they also don’t find fault in slipping in a few currency notes to get their work done.
Now, this got me thinking. That is because I am a theist to the core. And when such an idea comes up it really shakes up the very foundations of my belief. I believe I have a fair justification to my perception of the ideology, the concept of God worship.
It is true that when I pray I ask for certain things from the almighty like peace of mind and heart, to make me a better person and an apology for my mistakes. It is certainly not right to pray for some material things as a good grade or a better job etc. (and I am being fairly true to myself here). These are also unquestionably personal. But then who prays for world peace or a cure for AIDS or for a solution to global warming and climate change! People may part views with me on this but in the privacy of their innermost desires, I know, the prayers are invariably personal.
However, when I chant verses or light diyas and candles, it is not only for some favors or gains. It goes to show that I completely and absolutely surrender myself to the creator, the God and comply with the fact that there is some higher power that makes all the things happen, things which are even outside the scope of science, or logic and reason. This does not make God some bribable Babu and the very thought of comparing Him with some bureaucrat (as the author of the article mentions) is gross. Sometimes, just sitting in the serene solace of the almighty makes all the pains and fears go away. How do you justify this?
The author says ‘Why make it God’s job to get you what you want?’ To me this is a false argument to being an atheist. Prayers, to me, are nothing but taking blessings from some elderly person just as one takes blessings from parents before an important endeavour or asking for help to achieve some immaterial things like solace at heart or peace of mind. God-worship is also a reason which keeps you away from any wrong deeds.
I believe a prayer which includes material things - passing an exam, getting a good job or finding the girl/boy of your life – is not the right way of showing devotion to god. If thus is the case then that author is right in saying that we are trying to force our supremacy on other fellowmen, reinforcing and entrenching the sense of self and trying to bribe God for things which are in our total control and will.
Be a theist at heart and a rationalist person at mind. Let’s not give people a chance to question our ideologies (As for the earlier statistic, I believe it is just a coincidence). Personally, I don’t care a whether a person believes in God or not, it is purely a personal choice but when someone questions my ideologies I surely will voice my opinion.
Cheers,
Piyush.

Up and Going again !

The comments on my last post made me go through it once again. I guess you guys were right. That was not me writing. A post such low on energy scale is definitely not me. But look at the positive side. The next time I feel low or out of life, I surely won’t miss out on reading the post and the comments over and over again. Probably it would serve as the morale booster or that extra bit of energy (the one I was talking about in my last post) in times of despair. Voila! I guess this is one way blogging helps :P

See, I can already feel myself up and going again!

But one thing is true; hardships or problems in one’s life should always be taken as a learning lesson. Else how can one really enjoy the good times. An ECG, I believe, is the true picture of life; there are ups and there are downs and when ur graph is a straight line, it means something is wrong, it means that you are not doing enough in your life to experience all the flavors of life, you are as good as a dead man.

Well, I guess that’s a lesson well learnt.

Cheers,
Piyush.

As good as it gets!

I am at that juncture of life now where one has to put on the thinking shoes. One tends to start retrospecting as to how better one could have dealt with it. There are lots of plans and then better plans and then even better ones to cope with the failures. Sometimes I get frustrated and at other times I see a dim ray of hope somewhere. You got it right, the final semester of graduation.
As I stepped into this semester I was very confident that within a couple of weeks or so I would be proudly holding an offer letter. Then after acquiring a few years of work experience, I would go for an MBA from some reputed institute. Being one among the top six students from my discipline this semester with a decent knack for finance as well, I actually had everything well thought out. But things always don’t go as planned.
First, there are not many companies for Chemical-ites coming on campus this semester, they say that the firms are saturated to brim with Chemical students and a few companies that have turned up are also not hiring people from my discipline. There is also a dearth of the so-called ‘Bus’ companies and the situation for finance companies seems to be going through a similar phase. So, there is not much to sit waiting for.
I have to come up with an alternative plan. First, would be to sit jobless at home preparing for CAT 2010. I had given a mock attempt at that last semester with nothing good coming from that either. Second, I can try off campus placements but these job-hunt sites are proving to be no good. I get over 10 mails daily from such sites but the jobs they offer have a few small problems (!)-some of them date to over an year back, some of them are receptionist jobs and a few good ones look for work ex.
I haven’t chalked out a third plan yet but now I feel like giving myself in to the mantra ‘Sometimes to deal with it is to do a deal with it!’ The deal here would be to just sit and wait and see what else life has in store for me (already you can see that mounting frustration)!
I know this isn’t the right way to go about dealing with stuff but I believe I have nothing better to do now. I need some motivation to bolster my morale. Probably, when I talk of giving in, someplace deep down in my heart, I am looking for that ray of hope, that tinge of energy to get me up and going again…
Cheers,
Piyush.

Days of the yore...

The school days are indeed the best days of one’s life. Not a single day passes when I don’t think of the yesteryears at school. There are many magical moments in one’s life like the years of graduation, the first job offer letter or one’s first salary. Yet, to me, the days at school will always be the most wonderful time spent.
I can vividly recollect those games periods, the class tests, the annual function, sports day and cluster meets, lunch hour games, morning assembly, the house activities, quarterly, half yearly and annual exams, the independence and republic day celebrations, sunday morning cricket in the school grounds or in some friend’s house, the library hours and the discussions, bullying around with people, all the double meanings and the cricket and WWE card games (one that came free with Big Babol!). Getting ready five minutes before the final bell and then racing our bicycles to reach just in time for the morning assembly, gorging the lunch as fast as possible to spare time for cricket or table tennis, coming home after a school fight with bruised knees and elbows and then covering up for friends, the joy of playing in the rain with the lurking fear of being scolded at home, fright of being thrown out of class for misbehavior or incomplete homework etc. are the things that really symbolize the school life (excuse me if I have missed out something!).
Some of these are very specific to my case but I am sure everyone has a story to tell. Just scribbling down the thoughts is making me nostalgic! One major difference back then was that we were not as independent as we are now. We had parents to blame for everything. We were frowned upon for our wrongdoings and suggestions and advice from parents didn’t hurt our ego as much! There was hardly anything we couldn’t tell mom and dad. There were no tensions or responsibilities (except the exams time, ofcourse!).
My English teacher often said that school days are the best days of one’s life but it is in our innate nature that we don’t understand the importance of something until it is gone forever. Back then we felt that it was just a ruse to keep us interested and motivated and nothing more.
Today, as I lay back and think of those beautiful days, I realize how much things have changed. That innocence, that carefree attitude towards life, the ability to live in the present and not give a thought to what will happen a few years down the line, relishing as small a thing as chocolate distribution on birthdays or the thrill of getting a free cricket bat with some health drink.
Well, this is life and it moves on. Now, we have to think of jobs, internships, future plans, career path; the list is endless. I believe the right thing to do would be to keep a track of all these things but at the same time not forget to enjoy the moment at hand, the present; else life would just slip away like loose sand.
‘And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.’ – Abraham Lincoln.
Cheers to this moment!
Piyush.

Chom or Gult

These are the BITSian slangs for the north Indians (CHapati Oriented Men) and people from Andhra Pradesh (Telugu read backwards sounds similar to gults).
The all important question here is ‘where do I belong’? Whenever I try to force this question on me, I tend to get utterly confused. This is because I was born in Bihar, spent my very early years in Uttar Pradesh and then moved to Andhra Pradesh at the age of 8. Most of my schooling was done in this southern state yet I am not a native of the state. When one talks of the history, traditions and cultures associated with this part of the country, my knowledge is a big zilch. I don’t speak very good Telugu neither do I have much idea of the telugu film industry or age old politics. To some extent, the fault lies with me. When one spends such a lot of time in some place, one ought to know these things. But then, at home there is hardly anything I can learn on this front. My kins have never been to the south and so newspapers are all I have!
I can call myself ‘gult’ only because most of my close associations and my very close friends in school and BITS have been with gults. I am a ‘chom’ because essentially I belong to Uttar Pradesh. On a personal level, I don’t mind being called either to the extent where someone doesn’t abuse the other community on my face for no reason. I believe in treating people on merit, be it chom or gult. Someone deserves to be praised, I’ll go and pat him on this back and if someone has to be lambasted for his mistakes I surely will not refrain from doing that as well.
There are flip sides to everything. A dual status at BITS has its own share of pros and cons. The most unique advantage is that one gets to know these two very different wonderful communities from very close. I feel proud that I don’t find trouble bonding with either. No one’s perfect and so if one can adopt the good things, such a status is a real great help. On the contrary, sometimes a few harsh comments hit you directly in your face. No one like’s to be lectured or shown one’s mistakes. So, when someone talks ill of either gults or choms, it feels like I am being scolded. I prefer staying mum during these encounters.
One may feel that I am exaggerating this a tad bit more. But, what would anyone else do being in my position? I don’t blame you for not understanding me, because from where I am standing this question is totally valid and besetting. I have seen people generalize things about the other regional association which to me doesn’t sound right. I have heard people say that some community boasts of ghotus, misers and self-centered people, I can show you a million examples on the contrary. I have heard people say that a particular community is full of people who are lazy, laid back and very loud in expressing thoughts. Again there are examples to prove one false.
My point is don’t see a segment or a few souls doing something and start to take that as the character of the community. One can find all kinds of people in that very community; after all, god didn’t create us keeping in mind this faux split of regions. It is true that culture adds a lot to one’s behavior and attitude, but then again it is how one interprets ones culture or traditions. Particularly in BITS, I find people take pride in being a part of the split. It is not wrong to be proud of your region, your community or your folks but trying to gain superiority by making all the wrong assumptions about the other group is just not right. When we think of the bigger picture, it is the first step to degrade a nation. The educated lot should understand this. Someone at fault should be pitied for not having the understanding to get it right and not humiliated. Only then can we, as a nation, move forward.
After all is said and done, I feel proud and privileged to have been associated with ‘gults’. Whatever I am today is because of this great state and my great friends. But again, I would request everyone to ponder upon this!
Cheers,
Piyush.

Andhra Mirchis

The two words mean a lot to me. I believe I haven’t made the most of my time here at BITS but this is one thing that is very close to my heart, that has made me proud. It may not matter much to those who haven’t been a part of it, but I will not refrain myself from writing anyway.
Andhra Mirchis is the cricket team we formed in our first year and the association has continued to exist and better itself every day. But this was not something that just came by. The team, as it stands today, is the result of many hours spent discussing strategies, contemplating our mistakes and looking for ways to gain an edge over the opponent even before the matches take place. The team formation itself took many nyt-outs and heated arguments. Captaincy has had its share of pondering as well. Some may find it amusing but, I can assure you, every person who has been a part of the squad has taken it very seriously. At no point in time did anyone feel that we are taking it too far, after all this was just a campus team, like many others, which played tournaments conducted by regional associations at BITS Pilani. Three cheers to that spirit!
As it happens with every team and every player, we have also had our highs and lows, players have been in and out of form and health but then it is the love for the game that has kept us going. I believe we are one of the very few teams on campus, in fact the only one as my memory goes, which has had the same 11 on its squad for over three years now. In our final year there have been a couple of changes owing to the Practice School program, and our new members have proved to be equally talented and spirited (proud of you, guys!). I can’t recollect a single instance where we had team members arguing over something or any sort of ego clashes. There is always a captain in the team but then we have never had monopolies. Any decision is the outcome of a collective thought process. To better oneself, one always needs to retrospect so that same mistakes are not reiterated. We always have post-match cnot session/discussions in the wing/anc discussion or sometimes we sit musing at the Gandhi circle (!) as to how each one of us performed that day. We rejoice every victory and there is a sullen silence whenever we lose (very few of these, I believe!), although we never forget the kudos handshake with the opposition. The loss inspires us to perform even better the next match and the post-match session is a real boost. We have team treats and our bonding on and off the field is just great.
I feel ecstatic even as I write this post as this gives me a chance to hold on to these moments forever. So, I will also not miss out on mentioning the players who are the real assets of a team.
(In batting order)Kishore a.k.a Mule, Aditya a.k.a Adi, Chaitanya a.k.a. VSK, Vijay a.k.a Cap, Sarat a.k.a Law, Mohan a.k.a Barru, Venkatesh a.k.a Venki, Sowseel a.k.a. Kodo, Myself, Amarnath a.k.a Amar and Satyanarayana a.k.a Satti. This year there have been a couple of changes - Jagannath a.k.a Jaggu, Krishna Mohan a.k.a KM have replaced Law and Barru, and we are still as formidable as ever.
I feel privileged to be a part of this team and this affiliation of great talents.





Love you guys,
Piyush.

Fantasy Cricket League

This IPL season created a lot of buzz right from the day the bidding for the players started. The controversy over the snubbing of Pakistani players, the much awaited announcement of the two new franchises (which gave the satta bazaar a whiff of fresh air) coming up in the next season and then the frills and thrills of the T20 game itself.
Amidst all this euphoria, there came up something called Fantasy Cricket League. Although, the concept has been there for quite some time now, it is only in this semester, rather this IPL season that I have realized how well it is catching up with youngsters.
I see this as an attempt to commercialize the game. The idea of bidding for players and teams itself seems to degrade the very spirit of the game. Add to that, I find people cheering only for the players that form a part of their own ‘so-called’ fantasy team. Only a few days back as I was watching an IPL match where our very own Sehwag seemed to be in his prime form, someone from the crowd was Bronx cheering him just because he was not a part of his own team. He went to the extent where he was praying for Sehwag to be out in that very over(because he had elected the bowler to be in his squad) and hoped that the batsman at the other end scored some runs, again for the same reason.
Some may argue that this ‘Fantasy’ thing has brought more flavor to the IPL and people turning up for the matches have increased. To me it is nothing more than a sham justification, an excuse for people to get rid of their boredom giving them a reason to go on arguing and spatting for hours together. I understand that one may have reasons to support a player – talent, attitude, character or sometimes even nationality (a good enough reason because the very idea of matches between two countries seems to justify it well). But keeping all this aside and supporting a player so that one’s ‘fantasy’ ranking improves doesn’t go well with me.
I consider this to be worse than wagering, atleast there one has a chance of winning something. What pleasure can one possibly achieve seeing a lower number (rank) on his fantasy chart or tad extra number of points on the scorecard? I find people are ready to cut on their diet, outings and leisure time because they may run out of time to elect a fantasy team and with the IPL likely to go over two months this has become a daily thing now.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying it. But, in my opinion, one should not take it too far. Don’t avoid your diet for some faux team selection or shout your hearts out for your ‘fantasy’ team player.
If you really want to take it so seriously, start betting where atleast you compensate for all your time you spend talking and thinking about the game. But see that’s the problem! One can enjoy the game for some reason like Fantasy Cricket League but as soon as you talk of money, all the hue and cry starts. You are chided for not being ethical. But, why do you lock your ethics in some box when I talk about something no more than virtual betting. To me, in either cases I am not enjoying the game for the right reasons, in the former earning nothing more than headaches and tensions.
Seriously guys, no offence, but I do not find a fair reason to this. Give this a thought and I am sure one can find a million other better grounds to cheer for the game, the teams or the players.

Cheers,
Piyush.

My First Blog

Its been quite a while since I have been thinking of blogging. Even at this moment, I am quite unsure of what I should be writing about. Well....lets see....I think my four years at BITS Pilani would be a nice idea to start off with. I still vividly remember the first time all of us were called to gather in our respective bhawan common rooms. Our hostel warden was right in saying, although then it seemed to be just a boring speech, that these four years would pass by in a blink of an eye. Today, as I await convocation, those words come rushing into memory.
Right from day 1, all of us embarked on a memorable journey. There were times that made us feel low and there were moments that got us all enthu-ed. Be it one day preps before tests, the tension of rightly predicting when some tut was going to be conducted(very bad at that!), ANC sessions, LAN gaming, gen tp nyt-outs, various cultural nights, group study sessions before exams, dhaba and cnot trips, birthday celebrations, treats etc. etc. etc..., everyday at BITS has given us something to relish upon for the rest of our lives.
As of me, I remember how reluctant I was when my father asked me to apply for BITSAT. It was not until the very last day that my application status turned positive and even this didnt seem to bother me much! I must say if it werent for my father, I would as well be rotting someplace, no offense to anyone, not even knowing how much I was missing. The campus life has really taught me a great deal of stuff, given me some great insights into living life, and above all given me great friends who I can look upon to.
Into my final semester with just two courses, the 'lacha' sessions have increased dramatically now. AOE fever is spreading fast in the wing. In fact, it has reached to an extent where my sidee is nicknamed 'War Elephant', super sidee 'Paladin' and we also have 'Archers' and 'Skirmishers', not to forget the 'Goth' blogger, thats me! Cricket, Table tennis....full on. There is just one problem this semester, PLACEMENTS. Half of the wing is yet to be placed, but who cares(just kidding, the low moments I was speaking of!).
Neways, less than 50 days before the journey ends, but as our Ts rightly say 'Once a BITSIAN, always a BITSIAN'!, hoping to carry forward the tradition....

Signing off,
Core DOSA member !
:)