HOME AWAY FROM HOME

When i was in my XII std, and when my friends and i would start the topic of future plans, the one thing that i would hear from most of them was that they wanted to go someplace else to do their graduation (well...not all the girls but yeah each and every one of the guys). They thought that if we go to colleges like the IITs or BITS or the NITs or one of the many other private deemed universities, they would have better exposure and would learn to be independent plus get to make their own rules! I would often disagree, i had never planned on going away from home and staying in a hostel....I detested that very idea.I was perfectly OK with joining any 'not so bad' college in the city itself.

But, here I am now...at BPHC (that's BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus for the uninitiated), well, at first it was all a blur of getting adjusted to hostel life,classes(the whole lecture and tutorial system of BITS needs some getting used to!), making new friends(well that's one thing which will continue for sometime now, what with 600 students in my batch alone),then there was getting used to the mess food....and most of all just sinking in the feeling of independence, which was exhilarating and new in a nice way!

Soon enough I was comfortable in my skin, I made friends with the most amazing bunch of people and we (7 actually) treat each other more like family than friends. I realized that my so called favorite dishes were not really my favorite anymore thanks to the way the messwallah made it. I learnt (the hard way) that nothing was just given to you on a plate anymore , we had to manage our classes, tests,extra-curricular activities, laundry, room chores(or whatever you call it),hanging out with friends,visits home....everything had to be given its requisite amount of time and attention.

Since we are the second batch of students here we have just one set of seniors.At first we would always huddle together in groups, terrified to even approach the seniors. Every time I passed them by, I had these alarm bells going off in my head screaming "SENIORS,SENIORS!".....But now it couldn't be more different, It amazes me how much things have changed over a period of 5 months. We talk to them about everything , and they are ever ready to give us their advice and guidance(trust me, u need it to know the dos and donts on the campus,especially when it comes to dealing with some sadistic professors!)

I had my fair share of crazy, embarrassing and fun experiences in the very first semester of my college life. My first (and last actually) ragging experience was fun (you will have to contact me for the finer details!)...that set of seniors is the one that i know the best now and they helped me out in many ways. And then there was this audition for Ms.Fresher that I will never forget(yeah...I did go, seriously don't know who was I kidding!!!)....during the course of the session i told them that if I was good at something I liked to shout it from roof-tops and let the world know!(when will I learn to shut up???)....they(the judges of course, three senior boys to be more precise) couldn't be more amused, they made me climb this really high teachers table at the entrance of the lecture hall and shout something. It was quite embarrassing but later I realized the other participants were made to do crazier stuff!

Then I also had great fun during the salsa workshop and I really hope they have more such stuff in the future. Be it getting into the ELAS(English language activities society) or getting rejected by the editorial board or all of my 3 t-shirt designs failing to impress the Bhawan representative (we have to come up with designs and the best one goes for print) ...it was about self discovery for me...to learn to perceive myself and the people around me better.

Slowly I got used to calling this place my 'home away from home'....Now the campus feels strangely endearing, more 'apna'. We sure are burdened with more tests than any other university I know(who in the world takes 8 tests a year?)...but we are learning to treat them like something totally ordinary and nothing to worry too much about. Another great thing about hostel life is that you always have your friends around to help you with the subjects you suck the most at. Having girl-gossip sessions late at night, making Maggi in the most innovative ways(don't get me started on this)and just watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S with your friends laughing at decibels injurious to the ears of your neighbors....things like this make everything else worth it!

LOL...!!!

I really love one liners, cool quotes, be it funny or thought-provoking....I always make it a point to note down the one's i find most amusing.....Here are some of my favs(read each one slowly and absorb it before going to the next one)-

-If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

-Don't blame yourself. Let me do it

-Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator

-Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?

-Why do our noses run and our feet smell?

-Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

-Why do they call it "common sense" when it's so rare?

-If electricity comes from electrons does it mean morality comes from morons?

-If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?

-Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

-To err is human, to forgive is not Company Policy!

-Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

-If you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk

-Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink

-You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.

-Love makes the world go 'round, with a little help from intrinsic angular momentum

-Don't steal. The government hates competition

-The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.

-I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not too sure

-Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

-Parents spend the first part our lives teaching us to walk and talk, and the rest of it asking us to sit down and shut up.

-BEST ONE FOR THE LAST--Basic Definitions of Science: If it's green or wiggles, it's biology. If it stinks, it's chemistry. If it doesn't work, it's physics

ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY, HONEY...!!!

(sorry about the extra flowery language...this was for the editorial board screening so i had to make it as formal as i could)



One might think I’m just a tiny piece of green paper with some gibberish on it. I would tell them-THINK AGAIN….!!

I’m virtually the most abused and the most desired thing in the universe. There’s nothing the vermin of mankind wouldn’t do to have me; I’m the source of their eternal greed and their overpowering lust. To my consternation and amusement, I see them place me at the very epicenter of their lives, letting me closer to their hearts and placing me well above their loved ones. I see their flaccid relationships and families falling apart, all in my name. The fools that they are, they think I can give them the ultimate power and self-satisfaction; I make them despair and feel like I’m ubiquitous yet too far away from their reach. But, when they do realize that I give them all the material things they ask for and when they continue to feel fidgety and agitated, their despair reaches the zenith and I can hardly keep that glee from my face!

Those who have me copiously, sometimes treat me with satiated displeasure and those who have grown up being told that desiring me greedily is in itself a mortal sin, hold me in awe and feel apoplexic with power.

How predictable and vulnerable the human beings are, never fails to amaze me! With my perfidious influence they try to have the cake and eat it too and finally end up choking themselves!

With their retarded minds and immature attitudes, my task of spreading despondency and unhappiness becomes child’s play. I have taken over every sect of their lives; no human bond can be too strong when it comes to matters concerning me. I see the world through different eyes; I change hands often, sometimes I find myself bringing joy to a child, to whom, nothing in this world is as wonderful as that bon-bon in its hands. I see the pious man offer me in charity and pray for a better world. Such instances make me want to think again and see the mankind from a whole new perspective but before long, I realize there is no veracity to it. I’m soon being used to acquire arms and propagate means to disrupt harmony.

More often than they care to notice, they put me to misuse; all I do is sit back and say to myself-“ Let the despair prevail!!! ”

LIVE LIFE KING SIZE....

This was our topic for a creative writing competition. Here's what I had to offer-

Just take a look around; you are most likely to find myriad kinds of people- who are rich and spoilt, people who are hardworking and focused, people who are simple and giving and also people who are ambitious and power hungry. Trust me, the one kind of person who is extremely hard to find is one who is very content with himself and tries to derive the best possible from the big bad world out there and who never stops telling himself that he is the one and second best to none.

The one thing that I always wonder is-“If we are here to help others, what exactly are others here for???” If I love myself more than anything else in the world, what stops me from being perfectly happy about my imperfect self? It’s not about leading a Bohemian life; it’s not about being pompous and self-centered. It’s about giving yourself the best; ‘best’ being a relative term. It’s about doing something whole heartedly, not because you are expected to, but because you want to! It’s about LIVING LIFE KING SIZE!!!

As the cliché goes- life is too short to crib about the things we don’t get so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that in the end, all that matters is how I feel about myself and whether I have done everything I truly, passionately wanted to do, and have I put my happiness above the maddening demands of this crazy world??? If yes, BINGO!!! You have a person who not only enjoys his time to the fullest but also respects himself for what he is and collaterally has a good perception about the people around him and about life in general.


Honestly, for mundane beings like us, all this is easier said than done. Many great men have time and again tried giving us subtle hints as to how to live life king size. Baz Luhrmann’s Sunscreen song is something I really love, for it so beautifully tells us about the simple truth behind the most complicated things in life- ‘Sometimes you are ahead, sometimes you are behind, the race is long…..but in the end, its only with yourself.”

I personally believe that living life king size doesn’t mean having pretty girls or splurging on expensive cars, it simply means you rock, for the sole reason that you believe you rock!

Not a 'fair' deal

In the light of the recent racist attacks on Indians in various parts of the world, I thought we should probably take a look at the ‘racist’ issues we are faced with closer home. I am definitely condemning the people behind these attacks, but don’t you think we, ourselves are racists, not the kind that physically attack, but the kind that go about it in a filthier angle.

Let me give the best example, something which we come across everyday- the fairness cream ads on TV. I get extremely annoyed every time I watch them, because most of them are pathetic and carry a totally anti-social message. In some ads, they portray it as though fair women make better lawyers, singers and even sports persons. How incredibly lame is that? The so called dark girl fails to do her job well and impress people, but once she uses these fairness creams and becomes ‘fair’ ( which I’m sure never happens), she is a star all of a sudden!

We don’t see racist issues surfacing in India on an everyday basis, but there surely is a racist element in people’s attitude. In the matrimonial sites, you see grooms asking for well educated, tall and FAIR brides. All I have to say to such people is-Get a life! Aestheticity isn’t everything and I frankly don’t believe being fair skinned means being beautiful.

It is a social stigma that is meaningless yet well prevalent. I’ve seen it being openly brought out in serials and movies, where the parents are worried about finding an alliance for their ‘dark’ girl or where the fair kid drawing more attention gives an inferiority complex to the darker sibling. This kind of stuff does happen in real life.

I think this is the most childish and senseless thing that we as a society need to out-grow and as the King of pop, Michael Jackson puts it-

Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don't you black or white me

Box of chocolates!

Picture this-you have a whole box of chocolates in front of you, but you are allowed to take just one, mind you, just one. Once you start thinking, there is always the nagging fear that the one you choose may not be as good as the one next to it! But, as I said, all you have is one go, so whatever you choose, you will have to live with it.

With counseling (for admission in graduation colleges) either in progress or fast approaching, this is exactly the situation in which me and most of my friends are in right now ( I know, some of you might find that comparison very lame). Well, at least some of my lucky friends already know where they would be joining, but whether they are happy or not with it is only secondary, cause in today’s scenario of cut throat competition you don’t have much choice, unless you are good (here that would mean either fricking intelligent or hardworking enough to put SRK to shame!!!).

Everywhere I see parents who are worried sick about where their darling child is finally going to end up. I believe, this year with web counseling, there will be all the more dilemma and tension to add to their worries. Anyway, let’s just wish we all are given what we truly deserve!

"Culture" shock

How do you define the word ‘culture’? I’m sure most of us can’t find the right words to define it. That is because culture is something that is constantly evolving, changing and always trying to fit in. In today’s world of globalization, no country can survive independently, India is no exception, all nations are interdependent. So, in this scenario, wouldn’t being flexible in matters of culture and traditions be the wise thing to do?

The impact of western culture on the Indian society is both a boon and a bane. I would definitely say its more of a boon, because we as a nation are becoming more developed, futuristic and intune with what’s going on outside the borders. Moreover, no culture wishes to be frozen in time, the very essence of civilization is blending our culture with that of others while maintaining the core values and traditions of our ancestors.

Are we so narrow minded as to refuse to accept anything other than our conventional methods of going about anything- education, marriage, celebration and life as a whole? I’m not saying that we go about doing anything and everything just because it’s a part of their ‘culture’ elsewhere in the world and is not considered taboo there. Of course, it is essential to realize where to draw the line, the traditional values and ethics prescribed by our holy scripts and epics must never be left behind. Having said that, I would like to add that, at the same time, its also important to discard senseless rituals like Sati and child marriage, which, though a part of our ancient traditions have been abandoned for good!

I think its also high time that these so called moral police and other such lame organizations be shown there rightful place. They can’t go around beating up girls, forcing dating couples to get married and protesting against homosexuals, all in the name of ‘preserving our culture’. What I really wonder is what sort of a culture professes physical abuse of women and denial of the basic rights of the people which make us the democracy that we are today??? We just need to broaden our perspective and look at such issues from a whole new angle.