An open testimonial to UG2K5

My first day in IIIT. Amid a nervous environment and helter-skelter of settling into one of the rooms in NBH cellar, my father suddenly asked “darr to nahi lag raha naa..suna hai ragging nahi ke barabar hoti hai yahaan..”. “nahi papa..dekho waise koi mentor karke diya to hai college walon ne.. I guess light hi rahega..”. The words were timid, outset scary and hopes of escaping ‘unharmed’ pretty bleak. Though on a personal note, I was relatively a hard nut with already five years’ experience of hostel life under the belt ..but this duplex of insecurity between each fresher and its parent was choking the euphoria of getting into this place. But soon every part of it was to be proven wrong. There were guys(not very sure, but may be girls too ),  who payed the uncredited vigils…day and night..to make sure that we were whisked away in time from the clutches of Super Seniors & Co. A full batch of people..a full batch of UG2K5 people..and as it always happens..the first memories are always the deepest. So may be life would draft us all differently..but if ever we would recall your bunch..it would start from these very things you did.. the things we could never really thank you for.

It is difficult, and at times even ridiculous, to characterize 180 odd people into a single profile..and I am not a big fan of homogeneity either..but then there are few gestures that you conveyed..few prospects that you stood for..and many memories that you are leaving with..that I am almost forced.. and finding it hard, to attach few adjectives with you. A batch with the best coder, best singers, best sportsmen & sportswomen, best bloggers, best hooters ,  best leaders, and above all.. best of friends. As individuals you were all talented..as groups you were prolific and entertaining…but as a batch you were exemplary. While counting the ‘first time things’ done by you would make this post unnecessarily long, general upswing provided to all the aspects in campus life by you, be it in sports, cultural, or academics is hard to be ignored for times to come.

While one cant appreciate enough the smoothness with which you brought the transition in our understanding from playing second space to be at the helm of everything, watching and learning from everything you did in here was a privilege people will carry with them for ever. But a closer look..and one can easily see that our relationship was much more than this usual senior junior thing…a relationship of colorful ups and downs… for the better part of this journey, we have been the two batches who chose to stay up close in each of our endeavors. Did not really matter whether it was through rivalry or by teaming up with each other. It was only fitting that we scripted one of the greatest rivalries in sports(read cricket) in IIIT history and incubated one of the best coding teams in the world.

Now, while you leave the place to pursue what you must, the void left by your absence will be starkest of all the changes that are to come by. Our life together was really treasured by numerous unforgettable memories and one can only hope that we reflect the same virtues as a batch in coming times as you did. The endless BC sessions with you folks can never be compensated by any other alternative. So while you prepare yourselves for the open canvas of outer world, I, like every one else, is wishful for realization of all your wonderful dreams. You people are adored…and you will be missed.

Rivalry, it is.

Well. Lets begin with something positive…something excitingly positive! Inter batch Cricket has been played in the campus for a while now and justifiably, there is no need to see it differently than any other Inter Batch contest. But theories are often put to test by passion and that, my friend, is precisely the time when usual routine is replaced by the moments.  For three years, Inter Batch Cricket Title was something which no other batch than UG2K5 & UG2K6 could even think of winning…and frighteningly enough..none of these two teams could bear the thought of loosing it. This paved the way for unprecedented Cricketing Rivalry between two batches fully backed up by mercurial talent..Desi attitude..and exciting crowd support.  Each match a revelation of  fiercer commitment..from players..and from the people supporting those players. The proximity of batches only went on to ensure that this rivalry survives for no less than three years.

Team UG2K6 drew the first blood in contest by clinching first ever IBCT it participated in, and in very next year, UG2K5 penned down the song sheet of poetic justice by winning it back from defending champions. But then again.. basket of retributions wasnt empty yet.. and in third and final edition of IBCT rivalry, UG2K6 got back to their winning ways, rolling like a juggernaut in the series and ending up at the side where they were expected to be.. at least statistically.

There is a way or two about the underdogs. You can invest every wee bit of effort without even thinking of result. But going into the turf as favorites makes you prone to think about those exasperated eyes.. those muted consolations..nd voices like ” abe saalon..is baar fir se haarke mat aana..”. Most of the time it was just a game..a battle to better each other on score cards..but sometimes..when loosing wasnt even thinkable at all and winning chances were in jeopardy..the contest became more than what it should have been…then it was about the brothers and others…some emotions had to get hurt..some supporters had to get disappointed..and this wasnt acceptable to either teams.

UG2K6 may have been 2-1 up in the contest but both of the teams share equal credit for setting up such wonderful live wire matches. Participating (or even winning, for that matter) in next IBCT will never be the same for us.. We painted this spectrum of cricketing rivalry with all the unforgettable colors..starting with Inter Batch scuffle triggered by a cricket match..and ending it up by going out for farewell treat on the eve of final match.. a pleasant irony.

Been there, done that.. The Teams..

Just another Bike Trip…

Yeah. Agreed. You couldn’t care less about a bike trip by yet another fun seeking, bored-of-indoor-hours group of guys. After all, with hearing so much about it now a days, it almost qualifies as a cliche. A grumpy run of the mill attempt of having fun. But not always. Not when you choose to pursue your wildest of fantasies…oldest of fears…and darkest of places in the city. Stage for this was set on previous night. A night out full of discussions about myth, mysteries, death and religion. Now you take this new found inquisitiveness about ‘the others’ and combine it with heavy duty vellagiri that we are suddenly finding ourselves in after Felicity, and you get a perfect platform for something remarkably outrageous.

Somebody among us came across this story of a peculiar family and curiosity took over us instantly. Customary google searches were made to know more about the place and after knowing it was in Kundan Bagh near SomajiGuda, we scampered through our not so planned preparations. In a while we were out in the Hyderabad of mid-night, wheeling away from everything safe and crowded. Rushing fast to ally with frightening ambiance. The Ghost Hunters!

Kundn Bagh is not so difficult to find, but traces and stories of ‘the house’ was no where to be seen. Time layers down everything…being quickest with the ones that ain’t supposed to be the normal. We then started to ask the people about known haunted places and local graveyards(admittedly enough..we surely freaked out few people as they immediately sulked backwards after our inquiries..maintaining a safe distance from us then onwards). It was only after seeing that one of the persons that we were about to ask our questions was carrying a rifle(may be some cop) that we decided to quit on this plan and think of a safer alternative for the decided tryst. Calls were made back to the college. Alas! Resorting to same place for help which we left behind in exhilaration.. .mocking it for its comedy of restricted roads…either leading to labs or to CRs.  Anyway the college, as magnanimous as always, defiling our contemptuous attitude, provided us with the altenative. Place was some Warisguda house, 2 kms ahead of Sicundarabad.

It was only a matter of few odd roads and there we were. Eight of us standing in a narrow residential lane of a ghetto with quizzical looks and having no clue where to go now. Along came a group of conceivably helpful people. Both parties confused…apprehended to make the first move. WTH are all these people doing around here this late in night…never seen them before!! shall we ask them what we are searching..will they take it in positive light? anyway, silent ice was broken and one among them finally asked where did we want to go. We couldn’t phrase our question. Sense of embarrassment was only getting converted into dubious looks. But then, suddenly, one of them, intelligently enough, guessed the motive. ” arre bhai khul ke boliye naa…red light area jana hai?? “. And that was it, greater sense of embarrassment usurped and we asked them ‘the question’. They seemed to know one such place and one of them even agreed to escort us there. And there comes the real stuff!

It was a desolated building in sidelines of an old colony. Partially burnt to black from the front and all the doors and windows wide open in absence of any furniture. The deep and disturbing silence around the building was scarcely punctuated by howling of stray dogs. The place was wrapped in repugnance–the Hawala House..conducive of something frightful lurking inside..or may be we were so intent to imagine and realize our worst of fears. “nobody who has bought the house has lived for another day”. It took us while to realize that the man was still accompanying us. Can he be a thug? may be his group which we just left behind is getting here after us. May be this whole building thing is just a usual trap. May be some neighbor has called up the police after sensing our unsound presence here. All the fears confusing themselves up..one replacing the other and getting replaced by the another. Anyway..all these things for later…shall we get inside? The group instantly drew a line of argumentative partition. At one side the Safists and at the other side, people who hadn’t still seen enough to get done with the night. Soon we realized that we were without torch and so it handed Safists a virtual victory.

The way back to college was sought soon after stopping by for some chai and omlette. Bodies tiring, enthusiasm blurring and mind left back at the Hawala House. Roads were mostly devoid of life except for the Police check posts as the night was aging old with every passing second. We sped back to the college. The test match between India and New Zealand couldn’t be missed, as Sehwag was all set to set ablaze the otherwise chilling Basin Reserve Cricket Ground.

PS1: Apart from realizing that we had forgot to bring along the torch, we also realized that it was important to bring somebody from photography club. What an unbounded scope for creativity for these guys. I hope somebody is up for the task.
PS2: There were eight of us-Anurag, Anushray, Nikhil, Pagare, Prateek, Raghav, Rishab and me. Here are few pictures of that house. Not as aesthetic in sense as it would have been had we taken some Photography club person along, but still good enough for you to think about this as your next outing place.

Front View

Side View

One night at Parliament Meeting

For a while you would almost wonder what is more appalling..the calendrical rarity with which our parliament decides to gather or lion’s share of empty seats that mutely testify to the indifference of this student-empowering-congregation shown by its selected beholders.

The parliament was called after a span of two and half months to meet at 8 30 pm. To no one’s surprise, it was 8 45 and welcoming eyes had still some more waiting to do as people continued to walk in casually in  groups of 2 and 3. Anyway we started by 8 50..still decent enough by our punctuality priors.

The discussion started. A genuine concern was raised by the speaker towards lack of voice from representatives. Why did they stop asking questions? Why their responsiveness to issues dealing with our academic life was so lackadaisical? Even towards something as direct and provoking as a potential fee hike in the college. Dr Kamal was routinely watching the proceedings with least interference and gravest attention and at the modest expense of few moments this question was directed to him by the impromptu section of the parliament. Result – all eyes pitched on him. So he decided to be considerate to all those tilting heads and came to sit in front of the busy-in-little-chats parliamentarians.

Cocern #1 : Is this fee hike inevitable in nature. Are we looking at all towards alternative ways of dispensing this additional onus onto students?
Dr Kamal : to the first line-both yes and no. Yes because we can’t compromise with teaching class rooms and our Faculty standards. We are losing quality Faculty base because most faculties prefer to stay in the campus and with the arrivals of new and competitive Institutes in the city, assurance of at par faculty is tougher than you’d imagine before. Also classrooms like these aren’t sufficient in terms of space and technological infrastructure to support what you can call a quality class environment. Mind you. The meeting was in 305, one of the biggest CRs we have right now.

Concern #2 Isn’t this fee hike going to be detrimental to the good students willing to come here? Wont we start to lose top ranked students?.
Dr kamal : No. If you see the faculty profiles and other authentic indicators, the judicious choice for college to be preferred becomes obvious. Besides we have various incentives intended towards needy students.(The back rows hustling were drying away in the light of relevance that the interaction was now catching on with. All attentions combed towards these wonderfully candid disclosures.). Also the college isn’t alien to the concept of experimentation. In fact we thrive on newness of the plans to be adopted.  Afterward if it doesn’t gel with our expectations we can always lay it aside and take some positives out of it for the times to come ….and about the drop in least ranked student getting admitted to IIIT-H — its reasonable in today’s brand frenzy sphere if you keep adding an IIT each year in the country.

Its 9 30 already and there come few nonplussed parliamentarians to grace the occasion with their considerate presence. Looks like someone made a point to inform them about prospective attendance.

He further explains-
The college intends to give you a lot of academic freedom. The only point is your exposure and understanding of it. Four years time isn’t sacrosanct. Take a brake and do something wonderful out side this circle of stereotypes. The whole point is that you need to take it easy. You have made it to here and that’s the safest testament of your competitiveness. With 2, 000 students between each set of two marks, you lose couple of marks in AIEEE and you are out of IIIT-H.(isn’t it better than losing one mark…in which you end up here as a dual degree – a friendly neighbourhood quip ).period.

With few extra mentions the meeting met its other end and everyone took a contemplating stride towards our known places.

PS1 : @ all – we don’t know as yet of vast steps taken towards financial redemption, but least we can do to contribute to the cause is cut down on the electrical wastage that we often indulge in.

PS2 : Just learnt it there, If you take in account the quality output of MS and PHD students from IIIT-H, only colleges that appear as potential peers are IITB, IISc & upto some extent IITKGP. Take a bow.

Strolling into the Dreams!

We are all masters of procrastination. I am just another instantiation of this quintessential phenomenon. After so many afterthoughts and reconsiderations, here I sit, heads down, trying my typing hands with the blogging for the first time. And what better topic to pick than Felicity, a unique manifest of our coherence and competence in itself.

Its been almost three years since we all walked in together here with puzzled, nervous and excited heads over our shoulders in the wake of coming times that we were deemed to spend together.  No doubt life has been a large party here for us with the tons of moments that we shall treasure for rest of our lives.

But time has its faces..and each one of them is not equally likable. After all we were the flock involved in a rather forgettable inter batch brawl and been in the middle of resorting  to a wanton revelry with parting seniors in farewell party. Many an allegations of the batch being unable to hold the legacy of baton-passing and transcending the sense of involvement among batches do not even make a serious count…and along the way came Felicity ‘ 09.  Supposed to be organized by the people who had a maiden and below par batch carnival under their belt.  Things that followed were pretty indicative of that as well. Even before Felicity could flutter its wings of embarkment, unfortunate and misplaced rifts were raring to dilute everything positive that there was.  But each one of us has a typical characteristic of moving on…. and so we did.

The batch stood to embrace the opportunity that was wrapped in unforeseen challenges, hardships and priceless moments of togetherness. We owned the chance given to us and little did we know back then that we would make it happen, and that too in style. Bringing the fest to real terms meant almost nine months of caressing, having fingers on each up or down that it was going through and feeling thrilled with the plannings on the rearmost bench of lectures. Still, sometimes you would get the impression that all you were chasing was just illusion and would gape in exasperation into eyes of each other.  In silence. Hoping at least somebody has something positive, classy and graceful to bring up. So this possibly gives me the reason for the strong maternal love exercised in this world from time immemorial. Love for the baby whom you guide through the tenderness.

All the moments are spent, few enjoyed and fewer still are remembered.  I would be lying if I’d say that I didn’t care about facts and figures, unprecedented foot count, exemplary timings and the unidirectional thrust that the fest got from the people of all the batches, but let others contemplate about these for the while. For me the essence, the real essence, of the fest came from somebody who stood holding and watching live electric wire all alone ensuring that others had uninterrupted Masakalli moments, from somebody who kept carrying himself untill he was forced down by the weakness of hunger in late midnight, from somebody who worked for two months to organize the talk shows and is now praying that those shows were shooted as he missed them all and from countless such aptly placed, diligently put and selfless efforts that would always be shelved in anonymity.  Under the obligation of not sounding a batch chauvinistic let me suffice that, agreed, it all has been done earlier and hopefully it will soon be bettered in its effect and coordination, but what it did to us that it made us all believe. Belief that tenacity is hallmark of ours. Belief that we could be more than a noise making and bullying crowd when we stand as a unit…and with the intent.

People say first rant is always the longer one..and I see it has become one such. So I will cut it short with couple of PSs.

ps1 : For  the span of all three days, so called Damage Control Team was rendered jobless as Event organizers assumed the full responsibility for everything related and carried it an a magnificient manner. A pleasant and unexpected find of the fest.

ps2 : Participation of UG4 was really encouraging and their enjoyment added substance to our efforts. Indeed.