So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish!

Well, this blog is inactive to say the least.

It has seen over 80 posts, been subject to praise and brickbats alike, endured the wrath and angst of its often eccentric writer and has had a reasonably diverse set of readers. But most importantly, it has been an important outlet for me. I've used it whenever I've needed to vent out my frustration, and yes indeed, it HELPS! However, I've reached the point where I realise that I don't quite have anything more to say. Perhaps I don't write anymore when I'm angry/happy/sad. Whatever it is, I do believe that this particular blog has run its course. In future, there will probably be other blogs, but for now, in the spirit of Douglas Adams - So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish!!!

The Shared Auto

Wondering what the title is all about? I mean, shared autos aren't all that uncommon, right? Well, make a trip to Gurgaon, and you'll find out why I'm writing about them. Better still, be forced to live (and work) here for two months. Then you'll really find out! Imagine the following scene: You live about 4 km from your work-place, with a ten-lane expressway in between. How long do you think you'll take to reach office? Five minutes? Ten? Fifteen? Well, if you're in this city, not less than 45 minutes, and that's on a good day. You see, the Einsteins who designed this little gem of suburbia forgot one tiny detail - the public transport. In Gurgaon, the word "public" and "transport" don't really mix. It's like Real Madrid and Barcelona fans. There isn't even a snowball's chance in hell of any sort of combination of the two. You've just got to deal with the fact - get a car, or else sit in three separate overcrowded, dusty and painfully slow autos to get to your workplace. It's that simple: Car or the Indian version of chaos-on-wheels. I'll try my best to upload pics of these vehicles, but like the Mumbai Locals and Bangalore traffic jams, you have to experience them to believe in them. Let me try my hand at a description - take a medium sized auto-rickshaw (about 50% larger than the Autos from Bangalore) and stuff FIFTEEN people into it. Bags, Sacks, Barrels, Small children... Everything fits, and how! Add loud dik-chik dik-chik music, painfully under-powered engines (obviously, the manufacturers wouldn't have had a passenger load of 15++ to contend with) and bingo, you have a typical "shared auto". A driver screaming random names and making interesting gestures at passers-by completes package. Wait a minute, I forgot to mention the best part. The "Shared" part of a shared auto comes from the fact that there needs to be more than one person in the auto, and they only ply on fixed routes (presumably, the random names the chaps keep shouting). Unfortunately, "more than one person" equates to a minimum of six. Hence, a half-empty auto behaves like a drunk lecher, angling its way near each pedestrian, (esp. women, and I've noticed this time and time again) almost intimidating them to get into the auto. No amount of pleading, coaxing or even cursing can get the driver to move a little faster. There is a single over-powering emotion: "must pick up passenger, stuff him/her in". Time constraints? Whatever is that? Abe India hai, boss! I sincerely miss those express buses of Mangalore :)

Hello World!

Hmmmm... Is it just me or are my titles getting stranger with each successive post. I read a few of the others, and ordinarily, I'd have put them down to the work of a stark-raving lunatic. Oh well, it takes all types to make this world. Anyway, as with all other esoteric titles, this has a vague semblance of an origin. (And here, some of my friends are going to roll their eyes over and snigger at the pretentiousness of it all. Well, quoting Clark Gable, frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn...) I was think about stuff in general the other day (here's where it all started to go downhill, right at the "think" part) and I realised something. I don't quite like the world I'm increasingly being exposed to at what is supposed to be a B-school. Don't get me wrong - the primary purpose of this place - i.e. providing a reasonable amount of knowledge - isn't being unfulfilled or anything. While some courses make you want to tear your hair out, and stuff it down someone's unfortunate throat, most provide a fair degree of learning. The part that depresses me about this place is the level of competition and politics.

Back at my previous institute, our student body was fragmented pretty much along regional lines. (For those afraid of another one my "election" related posts, don't worry. I was never really into that sort of thing...) It was sad to watch a bunch of guys, who were about as homogeneous and talented a group as is possible, given the size, squabble over issues that could have easily been solved in much better, more efficient ways. Here was one of the best institutes in the country, ending up as a sad reflection of all the ills that plague India. When push came to shove, we divided ourselves along simple language and region. Screw merit and all related concepts, we wanted our "state" to be among the winners. Some of us tried to change things, with a few notable effects, but all in all, what transpired was hardly the most optimal solution. For me, it was an indictment of all that was wrong with the system in India.

So, doing what Indians do best, I simply ignored it, forgot about it, and pretended that nothing had happened. In all fairness, nothing really had happened. I was just a little late to wake up, and smell the coffee, as it were :)

Anyway, moving on to where I am currently, I thought that this place would be different. I expected a far more mature response to issues like elections, considering the group of people here (after all, I'm one of the youngest in my class). Well, the previous few months have been pretty much the opposite of what I expected. I've realised yet another thing - this place, while mercifully not divided along regional lines (at least not apparently, anyway), is still very much divided. People can't seem to understand a simple fact - this stuff (committees, secys etc. etc.) really DOES NOT matter. Think about it - ten-plus years from now, are all these committees going to seem all that important? I sure hope not, for all our sakes :P. Not to say that I didn't have fun as part of a committee - I think that what we accomplished (esp. memorable - one hell of a simulation game) was quite brilliant - but I'd like to think that there are bigger things in life. That brings me to my point - at times, we tend to get a bit caught up in the here and now. We seem to be overly bothered about stuff that really doesn't matter, so much so that we neglect what we ought to be doing. Getting one more live project, with no real learning value, really isn't going to change much. Having said that, everyone's doing it, so what's the harm in doing it also? There lies a fundamental problem I really can't change - we're part of a rat-race, and I can't see a way out of it, yet...

It's Time For Change!

Well, if anyone still visits this blog (apart from me once every fortnight, surreptitiously checking if there's been any sort of activity) they'd have notice the change in the name. The obvious question that follows is "Why?". Well, to put it very simply, things have changed. My physical appearance has changed, if only by a bit. My world and the experiences in it have changed. My friends have changed. (at least some of them :P) But most importantly, I've changed. The way I look at things, the way I see people has definitely been altered. I've gone from contentment, to mini-desperation, and finally back to contentment again. In some things I've tried and failed. In others, I've been successful after a fair few attempts. In still others, I've succeeded at the outset itself. My expectations from people have been modified to account for the subtle deception that is invariably part of life. I've learned not to take things at face value, and not to assume anything.

All in all, I've done a reasonable bit of introspection, and realised that ultimately, thus far, the questions I've asked have mattered far more than the answers I've received. Hence the title - Questions, NOT Answers.

Um....

Well, it's been a long, long time since I put up something here. I've made several starts, but have completed nothing that I'd actually want people to read. Anyway, what you're about to read is a set of thoughts that are hopefully (it is after all nearly 5 AM) connected by a common theme, however tenuous.
Ever since I've come to this part of the country, (Jamshedpur, Jharkhand - East-ish India for the Geographically challenged) I've noticed a few things that are different here. Food-wise, this place sweeps the floor with NIT Surathkal's gastronomic delights. Except from the unfortunate fact that the chef seems to own a potato farm, seems to work to the old adage - "when in doubt, fry it in oil", the food here is a world apart from the stuff I was used to. People-wise, I really can't make out much of a difference, except that my new set of friends aren't really interested in the geeky stuff that I'm used to. (Yes, yes. Before my former wing-mates start baying for my blood, let me just point out that we were, and still are, geeks to a certain extent - however much we may deny it) Institute-wise, there's a wide and substantial difference between NITK and XLRI. A clear change (and this is something that took me a while to get adjusted to) is the level of work - At NITK, let's just say that Final year was akin to cruise control on an Autobahn, while my first term here was like clutch-riding through City-market traffic. Also, the things that I do here seem to matter more, but I'm sure that's just me - I reckon that I'm just as insignificant as ever :P
Some things haven't really changed - I still am the source of entertainment in my group, given my interesting origins and let's just say, "unique" (there are several opinions on this one - let me not get pedantic :P) points of view. Some things have - I can now fully appreciate the value of loosing an argument - something that a few years ago would have been anathema to my very existence.
Well, there you have it - a very brief snippet of..... um, I really don't quite know what that just was. Which would go a long way in explaining the title :)

Vikram is now using Facebook in English (UK)

Yes, yes - you did read the title right. After months of sheer, utter, total and complete boredom, I've decided to join the rest of the civilised world on Facebook. If you've been a regular reader of my meanderings over the past few months, you'd have noticed a fair few posts belittling and deriding the entire world of Social Networking. So what prompted the change of heart?
Well, apart from the aforementioned boredom, (see the first line for the qualifying adjectives) I found that I know (OK, not "know know", rather "know of" or "know about") a lot of people, and this is perhaps the only place I can find almost all of them. So whether it's my high-school reunion (which I missed, thanks to me being a self-styled social hermit) or a friend's birthday, I won't be in the dark any more. (hopefully)
However, this does not mean that I'm a fan of the medium. Photos, videos, and random likes/comments are fine, but I don't expect to find myself taking quizzes like "which barnyard animal does so-and-so resemble?" OR "which word suits so-and-so the best" OR even the oh-so-tempting "which character from Housefull do you best identify with". I mean, come on, if anyone bears any resemblance to characters from that awful movie, it's time to lock them up and throw away the key, preferably into an active volcano. Neither do I expect to find myself "poking" friends. (speaking of which, I've never got the idea of a "poke" - what the hell is it anyway?) And don't even get me started on MafiaWars or FarmVille. Raising a cow/sheep/pig/tractor is fun isn't it? NOT.
Time-consuming rubbish apart, Facebook is still a powerful tool (if used properly, and for the "right" reasons), and I was a bit of an idiot to stay away from it for so long. Well, as they so famously say - Better late than never!

Adiós and Muchas Gracias, NITK!

Well, after almost four years, eight semesters, and countless incidents to remember, this is it. This is, in all likely-hood, going to be my last post as a student of NITK, Surathkal. I have a lot to be thankful for - a fantastically diverse set of friends, a set of great experiences that can only be had in a hostel like mine, innumerable incidents which define who and what I am... - the list is endless. A few (material only - friends always come first on any list) activities and places of note that I will miss: Football, GNPD, Endless Ranting about the deplorable Mess, Bureaucracy and what not, Arbit and totally last-minute Trips, Suraj, Amul, Nescafe, Mega Block, SD Canteen...
In terms of what I take home with me, nothing can be more valuable than the things I've learned about myself. As I stare outside my window at the rest of the campus, I can't help but marvel at the transformation that has happened to me, during the four years I've spent here. Every little victory, every little set-back, every little moment of doubt - they've all added to the Vikram Gulati that leaves here tonight. I've made and lost friends, and in some cases, even re-made them. I've learned the art of sharing, the art of giving, and more painfully, the art of speaking (or rather not speaking :D). I've traveled a fair deal, literally crossing streams and climbing mountains :P. I've learned how to appreciate good food, yet developed the art of eating almost anything with a smile on my face. I've learned how to stay positive, and the magical skill of keeping myself occupied. I've also learned how to appreciate the small things that make every single day beautiful - the way the rain falls, the flowers on the trees, the crash of the waves on bare rocks, the effortless flight of an eagle - things that would have escaped a 17-year-old version of me.
As I've said before, I have a lot to be thankful for, and this post, if at all it has any point to it, is simply to say just that - Thank You, NITK!

It's THAT Time Again...

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the greatest show on this vast (read: NITK campus, all xxx - can't seem to recall the exact figure, but rest assured, it's HUGE - acres of it) Earth. I have the solemn (and unilateral, because I'm sure half the people reading this are going to denounce me as a heretic, be-littler, blah-bloody-blah) honour of introducing to you the Student Union Elections as the headline act for tonight. Please take your seats, and be prepared for the sheer grandeur of the setting, the relevance of the dialogue and the solemnity of the script. Welcome to one and all, once again.
Frivolity aside, let me describe the significance of this event in the life of the average NITK-ian. Since NITK is an amalgamation of students from all across India, and ultimately these said students are the ones that vote for the Union (and other) leaders, an election here is bound to reflect the, ahem, "vibrant" nature of the Great Indian Election. As in the real thing, coalitions are the order of the day. Situations like Region 1+Sub-region 2+Part-of-Region 3 vs Region 4+ Sub-sub-region 5+ Break-away-province 6 are common occurrences, with each important party (yes, "party", like the BJP/Congress/etc.) choosing representatives, leaders, negotiators, spies, secret weapons, counters-to-secret-weapons et al. Constituency visits, in the form of late-night meetings in the various blocks; Campaigning, in the form of door-to-door visits; Propaganda in the form of videos, pamphlets, agendas and even manifestos; Reservations in the form of a "Girls Rep" (recognising the fact that with 1/8th of the population, they need the representation - see how prescient we are?) etc. are all to be found in this democratic exercise. Again, reflecting the true nature of our multi-faceted country, negotiations for potential alliances are long, tedious and often fruitless. News from a day before may as well be a year old. Partners are swapped with an orgy-like frequency, friends are made, lost and made again. When the very future is at stake, (and I'm talking long-term here - ONE whole year of proverbially running the show) can you expect anything else? Can you? Huh? Huh?
You don't agree? Oh you foolish, cretinous, half-witted moron!

P.S. Since we're (Final years) almost done with this place, we aren't officially involved in the process - which is what led to this post. It's easy to write about events that you are disconnected from... :D