• Try to request people to participate in at least one of your surveys every year (maybe twice). Do not forget to post a reminder (or two) saying how desperately you need it.

• Try to post at least one album full of pictures where everyone in sight is wearing a business suit; no problems if it's June.

• Try to give us some expert comments every time our Government is on the verge of making a much publicized policy decision. e.g. FDI, Nuclear deal. Preferably align with whatever the US/Europe happens to be pushing at the time; not that you will ever feel the need to do otherwise. 

• Keep sending us some links to articles that happen to rank your alma mater favorably. If there happen to be no such lists (:P), try posting some which talk about some excellent initiatives that have been taken instead (hint: Dainik Jagran).

• And last, but not the least, as an MBA student, it's part of your social responsibility to keep educating half-literates like me. So keep posting fantastic tidbits of knowledge filled with MBA jargons that make me gasp in wonder. Accentuate the effect by having your classmates comment in equally incomprehensible literature.

P.S. I never did an MBA. Nor am I an aspirant.

Do not get me wrong. I have but the utmost respect for people learning so much more. Just because I dropped out half literate doesn't mean I cannot appreciate that.

And any intended offence caused is humbly apologized for.

There was this time when he felt like a spark....
There were these moments when he could feel electricity inside.
When he felt like a live wire..

Today, he feels like a light bulb.
There are no electric patterns anymore;
He radiates a dirty yellowish light.
Ever responding to the flick of a switch.

No one really needs a spark,
Not many can live with one.
Everyone needs a light bulb.
Most cannot live without none...

Why then on some lonely nights.
When the switch is open,
And there is a queer calm all around,
Does he long to be the spark again?

And why does the line spin in his head
Barely noticed, but always there...
Like a small old wound that never healed right
I was not born to do this.....

Does this happen to you too?

I was eating loads of street food, when someone commented that on the hygenic aspect of street food. In response I told everyone how I had a pretty robust digestive system ( Which I still maintain that I do), so that I could loads of everything and anything that I wanted. The next morning, everyone else is fine, while I keep shuttling between the room and the loo.

I tell someone how I efficiently wrap up my work on time, so much so that I never need to stay back late or go to work on weekends. All through that week, I do 11+ hours and also work from home over the weekend.

I tell my folks how popular I am in college (again I still maintain that I am still a recognized face in my campus, even though I am out of it now), and the next day they meet someone who has never heard of me before. The day I had told someone that I was good with mechanics, the graphics lab prof told me that teaching me graphics had been a complete waste of his and my time.

It's not a crime to brag once in a while, is it??

Let me tell you a story.
Mr. X gets up at 7 every morning. He shaves and shits and drinks his coffee and showers and all that. He switches a few channels and catches up with the stocks on their ever crazy journey. By this time his kid is ready and Mr. X drops him off at school.

Beautiful Mrs. X. gives Mr. X a long list of what she wants for her household. She complains about that trip he had promised and how they should go out for dinner that night. Mr. X talks about how busy he is at work. Mrs. X understands nothing of what Mr. X does in his office. Mr. X leaves for office in his sleek car.

Days at office are rarely different for Mr. X. He meets clients and delivers presentations and attends office meetings where people talk at length about stuff no one is interested in. And he spends time creating those presentations debating whether to use 11 point Arial or Garamond 12. Mr. X brings back home some work and the stuff Mrs X had ordered. His kid tells him what he did at school and Mr. X feels guilty because he does not find enough time to teach him maths. Mrs X keeps complaining about this and that but on some days they have a pretty good time.

Once or twice in a year, the X's go out for vacations. They share their photos with their friends and talk excitedly about the trip. Sometimes, Mr. X goes out on office trips.

Growth for Mr. X means a bigger office and a better pay. Mr. X works not beacuse he is very interested in it, but because he has a family to support and a future to secure. On some rare nights Mr. X gets all nostalgic and tells Mrs. X about his dreams and fantasies when he was in college. Beautiful Mrs. X doesnt seem to connect much with all that.

You know what??
I'm calculating how much time I have before I turn into Mr. X. Except the beautiful Mrs. X part perhaps. Given the direction in which my career is progressing, it's just a matter of time before I turn into Mr. X. Where is the INNOVATION in my life?

This is not what I had signed up for when I decided to be an engineer. I need an escape route. Any ideas anyone?

What do you do when you have nothing interesting to write about? And when you desperately want to post something?

The answer is simple. You post something boring. :D

The college cultural fest was a cacophony of people, emotions, expectations and what not. That is why I love fests. From excited first years dying to get their few moments of on stage fame to frustrated fourth years scouting for pretty first year gals. Everything about a fest is big and interesting. At least to me. Students about to pass out getting all nostalgic and ending up in tears. I loved every moment of it, even that. Call me unemotional if you want to.

But what I noticed for the first time was a sound guy. Not a guy who was sound but a guy who was a part of the company that was responsible for the audio. On the last day, at around 3 am in the morning, I suddenly noticed that he was fast asleep in a big space behind the console. A rock band that called themselves STEEL and their fans STEELERS was performing, and that should give a fair idea of the decibel levels around the place.

That moment, I just tried to view things from his angle. What did a college fest mean to him? Another sleepless night, irritating high decibel amateurish music, sweating people who would jump rather idiotically to anything and everything that's being played and raise loads and loads of dust in the process. Think about it.

What meant moments of a lifetime to such a vast multitude of people, meant a plain frustrating day at work for him that paid poorly. Isn't it wonderful that such vastly contradicting perceptions of the same thing can exist in such a packed atmosphere blissfully oblivious of the others presence?

Life is damn interesting!

In a now famous speech at Stanford graduation, Steve Jobs once talked about a piece on death. It said, "If you live each day as if it were your last, some day, you will certainly be right".

I'm not really open to the idea of dying anytime in near future, but a bit of introspection always helps. If I were to die tonight, could I look back and believe that there's nothing with my life that I would wish to change? That, I believe, is important.
It's hardly plausible that anyone would want to play Mahul Bhattacharya. So this is not a guide to being me. Rather, its an endeavor to find out what I am and what I am not.

So being me means:

• Daydreaming: Forms a very important part of my life. This is what I do when I have nothing else to do. Which incidentally is almost always the case. From winning the Nobel and Booker to rocking on stage in orange shirt and silver pants :D. From playing superhero to cricketing hero. Lamborghinis and Porsches and Hayabusas. And obviously, lots of hot gals fighting to win me over.Not all dreams are that rosy though. When I'm disturbed, the dreams get all dark and murky. I land up in jail and get bashed up on the streets. I flunk exams and get thrown out of college. In short, you name it, I've dreamt it.

• Profiling: That's another thing I keep doing. Profiling people and situations. In short figuring out how the world would react to stimulus. Most of it always turns out to be wrong. The rest never happens *wink*. Once in a blue moon, I get something right. And that gives me the incentive to carry on with this mindless monologue. But yes, it does help in understanding how people react to situations. And that, I like to believe, helps me react better.
  

• You will have to eat lots, digest that properly and still keep looking like a stick.

• Late to bed and late to rise. And keep promising yourself everyday that you will end the cycle.

• Procrastination: Somehow I can't seem grow out of my affinity for the Indian Railways schedule. And tell you what, when it comes to not being on time, I beat them by miles.

Being me also means you can say good bye to:

• Ladies man: Not extra caring and extra generous with the fairer sex. Another reason why gals find me obtuse.

• Spoilt brats: We keep a safe distance. Dunno why. But expect no special attention from me just because you were born filthy rich. If you have substance in you but aren't worth a penny, you would still have all my respect.

• Fashion: Not really my cup of tea.

• Anything addictive: However hard I try, they refuse to climb down my food pipe. Tea, coffee, smoke, booze whatever.

This list is no where near exhaustive. Whatever I write, there would still be more to me. That's why I am a human after all.
And yes, Instruo pictures won't be coming. Why? Because I found that I am missing from most of them.

Hello blogging world!!

I'm back. After a hugely successful stint in the college technical festival, INSTRUO as Internal Coordinator. This would rank amongst the most satisfying experiences of my life.

As a part of the package, comes the hype and the recognition. Only to dwindle and die away with time. Not that I'm complaining one bit. Yeah, I impressed lots of people. And as usual, none of them were girls. *wink*.

But that's something I will talk about some other day. Today, with the Instruo experience and the anticipation of the cultural fest just around the corner, I want to talk about something entirely different. I want to talk about the two mistakes of my life.

I would have loved a better physique. With an imposing physical appearance, some things would have been far easier.

I should have learned some music. That's one area I have never explored. Except listening to music; some idiots call that a 'hobby'.

Perhaps its too late to amend these mistakes. Perhaps its never too late. Only time can tell. Instruo pictures coming soon.

What's up, everybody??

The last few days have been quite eventful. I was depressed, I was happy, I was confused... life has been strange. I was burdened with responsibilities. And the burden will continue till the 12th of April, perhaps even longer. I hardly find to time blog these days. Sorry blogger buddies, I really could not catch up with your blogs through this time.

Life's strange. Through the four years of college, my hostel mates have formed my world. I have lived with them and I have dreamed with them. We have been sharing the highs and lows of life together. And I have never really thought about it. But when it is poised to end, it feels so empty inside. Because I know, with time and distance, we will gradually turn from buddies to college friends to acquaintances to long lost friends. It is bound to happen and there is nothing I can do that would change that.

I have always loved to be the guy in control, I like things happenning my way. When they didn't, I always knew that I had only myself to blame. But this one time, I feel so powerless. Whatever that I might have done, it would still be the same. And with cruel luck, no two of us would be relocating to the same place. In a matter of months, we would be scattered all over the country.

Life suddenly doesnt seem that rosy anymore. Add to that, worse things have been happening all this time. A friend got engaged and had to break up for no fault of his. That too in a week! I was always half misogyne, and I can slowly feel the circle comming close.
Whatever, there's always something to look forward to, and with the technical and cultural festivals just around the corner, I hope I'll be cheering up soon!