Life in a metro!

It starts with the morning alarm or mostly what I've observed, it does with your someone special's call? It moves on to you just being able to catch up the rapid transit, with you being the last one to rush in, with the thought- "God, I'm super-late!". Rushing for your workplace, you know the entire day's gonna be packed with work, you just manage to reach there in the nick of time or even get late(Thanks to the metro delay!) with your boss not ready to understand that you ARE NOT narrating any self cooked-stories, it's bloody genuine! But then boss' got to be bossy! Reaching home you're utterly tired but still you do make it a point to log in to your social-networking sites to see what happening, or rather keep doing that on your way back, but then chat too is important! Well yes, this is just a little glimpse of life in a metro!

Coming from the city of Delhi, a metropolitan- as addressed or THE metropolitan as it is, I here throw some light on to what it is like being one in a population of millions! Well, one in a population of millions, got to add on, on this.. It's where each one of these million is bloody ambitious, hard-working, self-obsessed and on his path of dreams, with you having a constant feeling, how to out-do others? But then, if million are the brains, million are the ways too! ;)

Coming back to, "the morning rapid transit"- Well yes, the regular metro- THE lifeline of the city, you get to see, every kind of person here. From little kids on the way to their schools; the high-school groups-too loquacious and babbling; the under-grads-too busy with their cell phones, internet, laptops, newspaper, magazines or novels; the freshers- discontented with their new job or highly pleased,"I get 50k per month, that's pretty awesome for a fresher!" or the people quite regular with their jobs now! A variety- Isn't it?

"I'm quite pleased with my life.", or even, "I'm quite satisfied"- Two simple but highly scarce sentences, when it comes to "A metro"! Self-interest, Self-conceit, Self-happiness and Self-obsessions- seem to be the buzzwords! Corruption from the ranks of a auto-rickshaw driver to the A.C.P., police or a minister is quite an obvious scene. Learn to deal or you certainly be in trouble! Auto-rickshaw driver demanding a fare of Rs.100 when it's Rs.40 by the official meter is a regular scenario, you know what.. just tell them once "Bhaiya, humein police ka number pta hai jahan ek phone kareinge aur khenge ki meter se nahi jaa rhe ho to aapki garhi ander" (Dude! We're well aware, it takes a moment for us to contact the police and get you behind the bars for not following the meter fares) and see for the response!

Anyway, coming back to, "The completely packed days at your workplace". You know the work's gonna be demanding and you know your days are gonna suck the blood out of your veins, but then there are two obvious options-"Fuck! The day was so damn packed up! I bloody hate my workplace!" or "Wow! I see some real work! Let me put myself to test!" What's easy? - The first! What's better- The second! Smile and opt for the second one, the only only way to survive in a metro!

Moving on, "The time you reach back home and are completely exhausted", but then big-boss awaits and the chat seems irresistible! So, fun is a priority when it comes to metro, what you miss on is - sleep. I make it a point to mention because I personally love sleeping and miss my sleep a lot! But then, I come from a city called metro! ;)

So that's 'bout it, from me, on life in a metro! For those who were expecting "Inn dino dil merea mujhse hai keh rha.. tu khwab saja.. tu jee le zaara", trust me, take that literally, just this part okay? ;) And live your life! :)

You're always welcome to share your opinions about your life in a metro or any city for that matter and let's see how much the thoughts match! Hope to see you soon again! Signing off! Au revoir folks!

Btw, It's any blog's anniversary! Happy birthday kid! Hope you have a really long and glorious life! :)) And yes, Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho! ;) And New Year wishes to all! Have a blessed year! :)

CommonWealthGames - The spectacular opening Ceremony

Finally, India switched on its spotlight on 3 October, 2010, the Sunday evening, to mark the beginning of a grand event - The Commonwealth Games. The much awaited day came, packed with a mixed feeling - hopes of millions, the nation's pride put on stake and the nation's capability put to a question. The series of events preceding the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi unfolded like the scenes from a B-grade bollywood disaster - featuring the collapsed foot overbridge, flooded building basements, the dengue fear - all to question the nation's abilities to hold the event. When according to the press, any foreign visitor at the Commonwealth Games would have inevitably sat in a puddle of red betel spit, and then contracted dengue, and then died in a bridge collapse, the actual event marked a completely different scenario that shunned all such remarks and raised an all new enthusiasm in every Indian, who now acclaimed "I am a proud Indian". The event was enthralling and fulfilling for every Indian, to an extent that's beyond all measures.

Personally having watched each and every moment of it, here's a quick description of the fantabulous ceremony in my words. With the spectators having been instructed to reach the venue before 5 P.M. when the ceremony was to begin at 7, the event had a pre-ceremony where music composer Anand Raj Anand and singer Shibani Kashyap got the crowd on their feet with some of the most well-known renditions. While the spectators had to be seated much before the opening ceremony, the wait must also have been filled with much excitement. Because what lied next was the big moment. And yes the big moment came -Dot 7- The ceremony started with DD live-streaming it in India. The first view of the majestic Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium raised the hopes of every Indian. The gigantic main stage, inspired by the 'mandala', the huge helium aerostat, the brillant lightening effects all created a wonderful ambiance. The 65,000 spectators with the dignitaries like President Pratibha Patil, Prince Charles and P.M. Manmohan Singh all together for the big event. And hence the event started with a young seven year old showing his excellence with the tabla. Passion in the eyes of this little artist filled everyone with amazement. Keshav, the kid was so full of confidence and the applauds that followed were much deserved. Following which was the beautiful song of swagatam by Hari Haran. India welcoming the nations that were here for the 19th Commomwealth Games and singing the beautiful lyrics of the song with school kids performing a dance and the swagatam formation all created a wonderful ambiance. The kids under a white sheets creating a mehendi motiff as Swagatham reached an end. And the only word that defines all this is - Lovely!

The essence was made stronger with the well co-ordinated light and sound arrangements. 1,200 moving lights, 120 space cannons and 16 follow spots weighing approximately 75 tonnes was what it took to enchant the about 60,000 spectators. The 25 stacks of speakers produced 500,000 Watts of sound. But needless to say, the effect was spectacular.

Next came the round of all the nations, part of the games, coming one by one into the stadium with their flags held up and the players led by a leader. The beautiful ladies who led each country were drapped in the heavily worked and very elegant saaries, depicting the culture of India. The host nation India came in the end led by Abhinav Bindra followed by some 680 players. The whole stadium stood to honour the intruding Indian players. The stadium was full of applauds and an ovation from the Indians to welcome India -an overwhelming moment for the entire nation.

Next came, the speech by Kalmadi. What Indians had to say about that was quite clear. (For more look for my tweets. To cut the crap out of here...) Next came the speech by Prince Charles, PM M.M.S. and the final one by President Patil who's words - "Let the games begin!" marked the official opening of the 19th Commonwealth Games, hosted by INDIA! CWG and national flags were brought in while the military bands played. And hence opening of the games was marked beautifully.

Following this came some cultural performances by Indian females, putting forward the culture and danceform of each state and needless to say it was an elegant, truly beautiful and a remarkable session. Then was the yoga session where with body, mind and soul in unison, over 800 performers gave a stunning performance of Yoga forming the shape of a sun using most difficult 'asans' (postures). The session was completely enthralling for each viewer. Next was the Bharat Darshan with Hussain dancing on the tunes of a much popular track Chaiyan chiyan, adding the bollywood tarhka to the entire show. It was again, truly entertaining. Not to forget, the fabulous tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by sand artists needs to mentioned here. The sand art was truly beautiful!

And then..... came the legend A.R.Rahman with the theme song. "Jiyo utho barho jeeto" and the entire stadium was to put to life, each and every person, be it the one in stadium or the one watching it live on DD was singing to his tunes and his magic was spread like always. The oscar winning track of "Jai Ho" instilled in Indians a passion and craze which made them dance to his tunes and filled them with utter pride. And hence the spectacular evening came to an end....!!!

And hence the nineteenth Commonwealth Games got off to an inspiring and magnificent start oat the Indian Capital with the opening ceremony, which unfolded without any glitch. The ceremony beautifully portrayed and upholded the great journey of India with all its unique features and made every Indian utterly proud!

And here I come to the end of this post but trust me for an Indian, it was overwhelming. The hopes associated with the event were all lived up to and it made every Indian proudly acclaim of how proud he is to be associated with it. What do you feel about the same? Are you also a proud Indian like me? Do share your opinion by posting your comment. Signing of at the moment. Hope to see you soon. :)

Till then, Jai Ho!

Yes, I have to do!

There are hurdles but I need to sail through,
I have dreams that might not turn out to be true,
But if I say so, what will it be, that will make me do what I have to do?
I question myself, "What is it that I need to do?"

Lost in my world, I'm put amidst this view,
Of the world, some strangers, some people who are true,
Of the world, some friends, some people who'll make me sail through.

Life makes new attempts to break me through,
But dear life, get this straight and clear, for it's true -
I have my ways and means to win over you!
And to prove to you-
That I'm better off you!
And I WILL surely do, what I thought I can do!

I'm still full of hopes that my dreams will come true,
My wishes are many,
And I HAVE to fulfill them,
By what means...? Yes, I have a clue!
To make some more wishes that are new,
To fill my life with some new hue!
Yes I have to do!
I have to do!
Do what?
Answer is- Make all my dreams come true!

Is India really shining?

India Shining - A phrase coined back in 2003 but the one that continues to be a topic much in limelight even today in 2010. Back in 2003, it was first used to refer to the overall feeling of economic optimism in India after the plentiful rains and the success of the Indian IT boom. A slogan, popularized by the then-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2004 Indian general elections, it was initially developed as part of an Indian government campaign intended to promote India internationally. But a phrase that today brings with itself the question,
Is India really shining?

India – A nation that now needs no proof for it’s excellence, Be it, Education, Technology, Sports, Music, Researches, or any other possible field, it has given to the world some of the best individuals. It is being cited among the top countries globally in almost every field today. India will start growing faster than China in 2013, so says a Morgan Stanley report. Yes, it is shining, so proves the report and predicts a better future. The primary reason it cites is the demographic dividend, supported by continuing economic reform and globalisation. India will see a declining trend in the share of non-working dependents (children and the elderly) in the population, and contribute 136 million people to the workforce over the next 10 years, while China will add just 23 million workers. India’s savings rate would go up, as would the share of consumption in China’s GDP.

Though the forecast is entirely realistic, yet it’s dubious – “Is India really shining?”

Yes, it is shining, in the malls, in the PVRs, in the pubs and the nightclubs, in the flyovers and the high rises of the metros. It is shining in the glitz and glamour of high income class living in the modern luxuries, earning high salaries. We certainly have come a long way from what we were, But.... Sadly, This is not the whole picture. This is very small part of the real picture of the nation taken as a whole. As a matter of fact, there’s a lot more to it. India is shining...
Still, people live on streets and pathetic slums.
Still, the homeless are dying in the severe cold of winters and burning heat of summers.
Still, dirty scantily clad children of the poor construction labourers can be easily found playing in unhygienic environment, who have never even thought of going to school.
Still, women, educated and working, are harassed for dowry, leading to dowry deaths.
Still, several villages are without electricity and pucca roads.
Still, agriculture depends on monsoons and farmers are committing suicides on crop failures and debts.
Yet, India is shining! Isn’t it? Yes, it indeed is a strong pun that I intend to put forward!

With facts and figures stating- Sensex is shooting, GDP growth rate is astronomical, Sports excelling, IT sector shining – all that put forward India’s progress and induce in us a belief that India will soon be heading the global lists in almost every sector, yet when it comes to reality, it is still a big question mark. Yes, we have such instances that make us very proud – Even the interns today are getting big opportunities and earning as much as one lakh per month, the researches made by students of Engineering colleges are making the country proud and yes we have examples of such good brains who are ruling the world, but still I land up questioning myself, Is India really shining???

So what makes me question myself again and again? It is the fact that the area of progress is just the urbanized India. Where in one place, we have a modern metro India enjoying the boon that technology offers, there’s another rural India completely deprived and unaware of it. There is a change required, a change that can make India shine in the real sense. A change, which if successful, can lead to astronomic improvement, An initiative by the government “To promote and support rural India”.

“Rural India” – Education, Awareness and Poverty are the main areas we need to work and improve in. Making the farmers aware of the technology, teaching them new and improved ways of agriculture, improving their standards of living will make the country grow considerably. The present scenario of “rich growing richer and poor growing poorer” leaves us nowhere. India- the land of various cultures, various castes, various religions is considered to be developing at a very fast pace yet it is a known for caste-distinctions, girls being killed for dowry, people being humiliated for their caste and yet........ We say India is shining? A big fail in itself, Isn’t it?

So the need of hour is to lay more focus on rural India, address the issues like corruption, terrorism, molestation and above all the need to raise the level of common man. It will be with the rural India shining, that India will shine. Another important need of India is to learn “The lesson of self-help and self-reliance”. On June 10, 1947, Gandhi said: “The first lesson we must learn is of self-help and self-reliance. If we assimilate this lesson, we shall at once free ourselves from disastrous dependence upon foreign countries and ultimate bankruptcy. This is not said in arrogance but as a matter of fact. We are not a small place... We are a subcontinent, a nation of nearly 400 millions. We are a country of mighty rivers and a rich variety of agricultural land with inexhaustible natural-wealth. Our country, if it had not been neglected during the past few centuries, should not today only be providing herself with sufficient food, but also be playing a useful role in supplying the outside world with much-needed stuff of which the late war has unfortunately left practically the whole world in want. This does not exclude India”.

Powerful words, which if understood, induce an all-new confidence in us, make us believe in ourselves and our country. We need to realize that we have immense sources which if utilized can make India shine in real sense. We are a powerful nation and moves by us in the proper direction can make us succeed beyond imagination. But what we need to ask ourselves is: “Who is more powerful to change or improve you more than YOU yourself?” If this becomes the slogan of the nation and each person tries to put his small effort for country’s progress, collectively it can have a huge impact. All we do is complain, complain and further complain! We complain about corruption, molestation, terrorism! But do we do our bit? There is a stark change required, in the thinking of Indians! Another problem with the people of India is the lack of respect for their own country! We “Indians”, from dance to dresses we want to be westernized. Our kids want to learn western dance, wear western dresses, they love pasta more than any Indian dish and then we call ourselves Indians. So who is be blamed if not us? We want to see things happening but don’t want to contribute. And it is this thinking which is the biggest hindrance in our path.
So, the day,
when Rural India will be developed, aware and educated,
when All Indians will be proud of themselves,
when there’ll be least corruption, least molestation, equality in all respects in India,
will be considered as the day of victory for India.

It’ll be that proud day I’ll believe India is really shining.

Pulchritude!

The charm, the beauty,
The refinement, the delicacy.
I adore it's allure,
that puts life even to solitary!

It's God's creation, His divine imagination,
That has given amazement to the cosmos.
It is nature, it's beauty, it's divinity, it's sensation
That can bring panacea even the days so morose.

It's my love for the divinity,
For it's Pulchritude, that brings an all new elation in me.
That makes me sing these words of praise,
For the nature that stands so beautiful for for both me and thee.

It's a tribute to all the God's creations.
The peacocks, the chirruping birds,those little puppies,
As beautiful as angels, those pure little infants.
The lotuses, the roses, the rain, the forest and the trees.
As thou are what define the nature and it's basic beings.

It fills me with amazement,
It brings a smile on my face,
The wonder and beauty that's associated with these creations,
Brings in me a remarkable elation.
It induces in me wish to fly, over the rainbow so high!

A look today at the environment around,
Made me sing this ballad to the world around.
Dedicated to all the beauties of nature,
To everything that we find as we look around.

So this is my composition,
As an ode to thee.
As thou are so wonderful,
And fill my heart with purity.

Colleges, Universities and Fuchchas- each year!

So the time is here again like many previous years, but the furor is not just back, it's packed with more ardor, more swank, more hype, unlike all the foregone times. The time that introduces them to a fresh, unfamiliar, unaccustomed and all new world, that marks the beginning of a highly crucial phase of their life. Yes, it's the time they step into their all new and much awaited phase of life! But the times that have become much more crucial for Delhi Times to publish a peppy article daily to capture 'their' interests. 'They'- whom 'Delhi Times' terms as fuchchas! An article daily to add to the hype of an already much-hyped issue. From wardrobe to bags, from brands to accessories, from seniors to faculty, from skirts and shorts to cargos pants for guys/girls, they give you all the 'erudiction'.

Introducing you to the much cool- Kat pants, popular at those times or making you aware of all new things in fashion they talk about well everything. They make you, all prepared for the college life and do much of your work leaving you with very little to ponder upon your wardrobe. The list of do's and dont's for the first day start getting published at least a month before the start of your college.

Spicing it with the Paul- the octopus' prediction/suggestions or making you plan your first day - when to talk/whom to talk to/what to wear/where to eat/what to say! Almost everything. Right?

As if, planning for you your first day at college is the endeavor of their life. They make you trendy, talk about cool tees and don't leave even the topics like what color nail paint is in or what color 'Converse' did Sharman Joshi wear in 3 Idiots to popularize it much with the teens. But dude aren't you being too monotonous with all this? Yes! It was another article today in TOI that made me write this post. I mean, cool, I too enjoy reading it once or twice but making it the only topic of talks about colleges and campus on the heading days of the new world for teens is undoubtedly lame. The word fuchcha that appears almost everyday is inundated with incessant ideas to make to them 'cool', which in my opinion ,would rather, only produce 'wannabes'!

I wonder if they even realize, it's the day that marks the beginning of your 'College life' where you enter, as a result, of may be, your hard work of day and night. So as to emphasize on the fact, giving them a reason enough to talk some sense here and there in the articles to make the person reading a bit passionate about the upcoming life, adding at least a little meaning to the spice. The motive of college is not to just to produce divas of their times but a bittttt more! (Drawling! Yes, a pun again!) So, introduce the teens to the trends, in fashion things or what seniors are all about but give them something that makes them passionate about life, defines an aim in their life rather than producing obsessions about wardrobes and brands! Groom their personalities but don't pre-occupy their minds with this. Lessen this hype and increase in the field where it is needed!

That's what I felt after reading such articles regularly now for more three years. What do you feel about it? Agree with me or find it lame? Share your opinion here. Signing off! Hope to see you soon! :)

Precisely, What's around you?

What exactly surrounds you at the moment? Think... A little more.. So there you are!
Well, the answers that pop-up instantaneously are-Air, ofcourse YOU'RE BREATHING dude, you need oxygen! Next, Come up, Okay- Some kind of light- Sunlight, tubelight or any light but there needs to be one! Next- your sitting table, your bed, or wherever you're sitting right now with your PC/Laptop or NO! You can be walking or accessing net through a cell phone! Precisely- What am I talking about?
1. The natural necessities - Air, Light, A negligible portion of Earth for us to sit/stand upon.
2. OUR artificially produced BUT irresistible necessities, which we CAN just NOT without- CELL PHONE, PC/LAPTOP, NET ACCESS and few more which come up automatically with them, the cell phone charger, the laptop charge, the modem charger, Ah well! the list goes one!

Precisely, it's here that my post begins. I'm just done with my college end-semester theory exams and am in no mood to study for the practicals left. So here I am, on my blog scribbling my ideas. It was just when I looked around at my messed up room that I came across so many GADGETS that I couldn't stop myself from writing this post. To anyone reading this, look around yourself. If you're a normal teenager or a college-going student of this century, I bet you'll find ALL THESE around you-
1. CELL PHONE- Well, every 5 mins we have to look at our phone and take our important calls and messages. After all, we are the busiest generation presently existing! :P
2. LAPTOP- Can we these days live without it? OMG! I can't I really can't. I need it every two hours to multitask( multitasking that includes just random google searches, A regular check for my updates on social networking sites, playing songs, watching a random episode of 'How I met your mother' whose all the seasons I have stored in my laptop. Nice and productive muti-tasking. Right? Sigh! )
3. INTERNET ACCESS DEVICE- A modem, very favorite Photon, or come up, if not anything else then an Aircel connection with that irritating low speed and a bluetooth connection is there to serve us.
Then comes the list of all the possible chargers in this world! Any or every small things comes with a charger so to increase the list of things messing up the space around you, they definitely play a significant role.
And why not, An I-POD too! Dude how can we do without it? After all we've to listen to our favorite songs, play our favorite games. ALL without a fail!
Then last but not the least is the list of these small additional things- the headphones, data cable, pen-drives and many more.

So, precisely the world around us is all man-made and artificial. The virtual world created by us on the cell phones, internet which is giving a BIG- Trust me, BIG set back to our natural day to day world. We have to get up to those phone calls and messages from our dearest friends who might be there at darjeeling when you're at delhi but you can't live without them. The long long chats with those outstation friends but precisely most of your time, you are with your gadgets. That one look at the things around me made me realize how much dependent I've become on these things around me and how frequently I need all of these.

So precisely, what I pointed out is, a student in 21st century is bound by the gadgets and needs them without a fail, for his existence. Atleast I do! Don't you? What's your case? Do you also have one such messed up room or your case is different? Share your opinion down here. Signing off at the moment. Hope to see you soon. :)
Au-revoir folks! Have fun with your gadgets!

Life and friends or better- 'Friends and life'!

Back in time, there were days, when full of innocence and simplicity, unaware of sophistication and filled with purity, we used to relish each and every moment of our existence. Waking up to mom's sound and sleeping to her melodious tones, everything used to be a cakewalk. The only thing that could annoy us was Mom's continuous attempts to make us drink one FULL GLASS of milk each day. Ah! Swinging from one swing to another used to give us immense pleasure. Not knowing the purpose of life, our days started and ended with little things. Little but beautiful things that used to give us tremendous joy. The ringing of bell with each ending class, the games period, the Christmas celebrations, the recess time and the dancing sessions. Life used to be a bliss! Yes, our life was truly blessed, those days, when we were sweet, little kids.

Those were the days, I look back to and cherish each and every memory of.
Those were the days, I'm eager to bring back to my life each and every instant of.
When we all were little, when the life had just begun with THEM,
They-who are such demons that I can leave any angel for them.
They-whom I love, adore, respect and consider sacred,
They- whom God sends,
My angels, my demons, My lovely FRIENDS!

It might look quite saccharine. If you ask me what's life, I'd say it's a mysterious but a beautiful story. A story much of which comes to us by itself-untold and unseen, both mysterious and baffling! But at the same time a story which none but the person himself can write. A story to which a new part gets added as each day passes by. Each part of which gives us a new reason to relish it, but to me the part of my life which was most beautiful till date is my school life.

Blessed and obsessed with their presence in my world,
I am here to pen down my experiences.
With them, who were my continuous support system,
With them, who I wish had still been there with me,

With them, whom I call FRIENDS!

School life- The life that brought a number of experiences with itself. Right from the moment when I first dressed up in my school uniform, when I first saw my school premises- something that seemed totally alien that day to today when it fills me with thousand memories each time I walk past it, it has given me a number of lessons. It taught me what life is, it taught me what individuality is, it taught me what 'I' am, it taught me everything! And the life which was wonderful with their presence. Each learning experience with them, each fight with them, each teacher's scolding with them was enjoyable to an extent that's beyond explanation. 'Them'- whom I call 'Friends'!

Lazily as I lay today on my bed, the wonderful memories of those lovely days surrounded me.
The memories of those inculpable, innocent and insignificant fights,
The memories of those lovely and fun filled-cries!
The memories of those days which started and ended with boisterous laughter,
Which made me exuberant, buoyant, ebullient, happier and better.
The memories of those who made it was all possible,
The memories of those without whom it would have been all impossible,
Well whom I call 'FRIENDS'!

The life which started with alphabets, syllables, words and taught me a sentence,
Both learning and eventful, it's pleasure was immense.
When my teachers first praised me, when I got my first ever prize, when I topped for the first time or when I even went blank on stage in a debate competition to now when I love stage. It was a continuous journey, a learning experience which I now treasure. OMG! Lovely old days, good old days. It was the memory of those holi fights, it was the memory of that first ever sights, it was for the lovely bonds I had shared with those priceless people who were always there, that I bring forward this blogpost dedicated to my wonderful 'Friends'. I wish to thank all of you! Hope you all liked it! :)

So here I am towards the close of this post-Life and friends, well no 'Friends and life' but as I come to a close, I have even better words-
"Friends for life!"

P.S.1- Dedicated to all my convent friends, lovely apeejayites!
P.S.2-Though I've talked about my school life but Rupu, it's incomplete without your mention. So yes ofcourse, my 3 idiots at college, dedicated to you.
P.S.3-Avi, hope you're happy now. Dedicated to A.P.S.P.C.D. We rock!

I'm straight.. are you?

Well, as Genelia D'souza- the new HT CITY columnist and the very well known "Pappu(who can't dance saala)'s heroine" brought forward her first article, her idea impressed me so much, that here I am stealing her topic and writing it down in my word space. So firstly, a pat on her back, great work lady!!! (after all impressing me is not that easy, so you deserve to be applauded). And now, a warm welcome to my thought space, here I am to share with you my thoughts on Miss D'souza's first article. Okay, you read the heading, what do you infer? Hold your thoughts, I'm NOT going to talk about any section 377. But I want to keep you all waiting for a little longer, before I actually get to the point. The bubbly, young actor Genelia comes up with her article in a really simple yet elegant language and I bet, any reader who came across her work must have enjoyed it and agreed to her thinking. And the art with which she portrayed her idea was just too good . A topic that is thought about almost by everyone each day.

Okay, I guess I need to come to the point, so that atleast my readers don't leave the post in between and do stay till the end to see what I have to say. So let me start by being absolutely straight..... forward! (Gotcha!) Yeah that is what she wrote about- Being straight forward!!! One topic that atleast I much ponder upon.
Straight forward- used or abused is the question. I've asked myself quite often. What do you think? I being a person who is absolutely straight forward, have been in a fix many a times, as to is it good or bad. If asked about my point of view, I would say there is nothing better than being straight forward. Be one and you'll know the difference. You don't have to have any guilt of not having told the other, the thing you always wanted to. You know you said the truth and atleast your mind is free of any kind of questions. You indeed feel, so relaxed. But then comes the question, did your straight-forwardness hurt the other person? This question often puts you in a fix. But then again, how often do we see people being downright rude to each other and justifying the insolence as straight-forwardness? On the other hand, there are such times, I find it extremely blunt, as in pretext of being rude, or a nice way of simply insulting the other person. The latter is pretty lame!!! Because there is nothing like a nice way of insulting someone, rather there is a rude yet wishful(in the right sense) way of insulting so as to improve someone.

Dictionary defines straight-forward as honest, frank, unambiguous. But how many of us know it's correct usage and I find most of the people abusing it rather than using it. I think, it's always better to be vocal about your feelings, because there lies the charm of being truthful and there's nothing more beautiful than a truthful person. But the only thing to be kept in mind is the situation. Holdback from being straight forward in an inappropriate situation. Discretion is critical. Decide if being forthright would help bring the best in someone or the result is making the recipient treasure your words for life. It may serve as a ray of hope in trying times but may even kick someone into dumps when they are already down and out. So take the proper decision and go for it because next lies the happiness and contentment of making someone realize a fact, of having told the truth!

Well that was about the beautiful article written by the young bollywood actor Miss D'souza that I had loved to the core. Stealing some lines and putting in some of my thoughts resulted the post. I hope you liked it. Did you? But now let us put it to test. Why don't you be straightforward in your feedback on this? Let's unearth some possibly more interesting facets and addtional honest "interpretations". Comments welcomed. Signing off. Hope to see you guys very soon. :)

My College!!

DCE- 'A world class institute' in some people's language while 'A dream institute for every Non-Medical student' in the others' . Being a non-medical student myself , I always had quite a similar notion. I had always aspired to be a part of one of the IITs or DCE. IITs ofcourse! Who doesn't know about IITs? The best Engineering colleges of India. But then, Close down in the list after the IITs and BITS is DCE. Delhi College Of Engineering- It is indeed a world class institute. Well ,all the major details are about the college are available on net. So I won't talk about them. You can click on the links above to get that information. But as a student of this institute, I would rather like to talk about it's inside world. A world of which the outsiders have no clue. The hidden, mysterious world! Excited? LOL! At this point even the dceites must be looking forward to what I am going to say.

But before I go ahead on the mysterious part, there are certain things, I just can't do without talking about.

First and foremost- The change of DCE to DTU !!!

Yes, for those who don't know, an Act enacted by Delhi Assembly, Delhi Act 6 of 2009 which came into force on July 15th, 2009 upgraded DCE into DTU.

'UPGRADED'- How far is that correct? Let's see. It introduces the following changes:

1. DCE -working under Delhi University now becomes an autonomous DTU.

2. From the current accademic session itself the DTU has added four new undergraduate programmes in the areas of Software Engineering, Enigeering in Physics, Automobile Engineering and Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Further MBA program in knowledge and Technology management has also been added.

3. "Supposedly", the faculty standard will improve and now DTU will have the power to select it's teachers itself, unlike the previous criteria which involved seeking permissions from DU for selection of faculty(UPSC Exam) or for introducing any kind of change in syllabus.

4. The coming batch will start receiving degree under the name "Delhi Technological University". This one will have serious impacts. The label "DCE" that was acknowledged in the world will now be replaced by "DTU", which might take time to establish the same respect for itself. Recruiters also might not like the idea of recruiting the freshers with the DTU name- One reason for which even the faculty went for a strike. So regardless of the fact that both faculty and the students DID NOT like the idea, the bill was passed and the change was made.

P.S. - Thankfully, our batch WILL receive a DCE degree, atleast saving us of all the panic. Phew!!!


Coming to the second change- "The new admission process of DTU".
The B.Tech admissions to DTU will now be based upon the AIEEE results. Unlike the prior procedure which involved conducting of a formal Common Entrance Examination(CEE), just for the admissions in DCE and NSIT, the institue will now take into account the performance of students in the AIEEE. The University shall conduct its own Counseling for Delhi & Outside Delhi seats in respect of 14 B.Tech. full time programmes including 10 programmes of the erstwhile DCE on the basis of merit rank of All India Engineering Entrance Examination - 2010 (AIEEE-2010), to be conducted by the CBSE, New Delhi. Though the 85% reservation for the Delhi candidates is still there, thus still saving the Delhites. Phew!!!

Well now,
Having kept you all waiting for quite long, I'd finally begin the process of unveiling the secrets of Delhi College Of Engineering.

First and foremost, I'd like to tell you, the day you step inside the college, you fall in love with it's stupendous structure. The magnificence of the structure fills you with astonishment but at the same time gives you a wonderful feeling of pride. The beautiful campus that matches the level of excellence associated with DCE- The name.

Like everywhere, there are certain points or places called the hep points(Happening places) in the campus. When you come here and it's your first year, you'll be fascinated by the Mech. canteen, the haunted street, the lake and not forgetting the T5 Canteen. Coming to them one by one, Mech. Canteen(called so because it's located in the Mechanical Block) is a place where you find students of all the four years, Some sitting big-big groups and chatting endlessly with their friends, some(basically the boys) sitting at the table in front of the T.V and watching their favorite cricket matches, some giving their birthday treats, while some even copying the files and assignments. But the place definitely has something in it, coz it attracts the majority of the college. When it comes to matches, you hear loud applauds at Sachin's every six and a loud disappointed voice of Ohhhhhhhh....!! at every falling Indian Wicket. When it comes to assignments, you see one assignment paper being copied by atleast 8 people with all finding a small place to be able to look at it and copy( Well, One big part of college life is copying assignments and trust me you enjoy it like anything! ) A treat scene is undoubtedly the best, coz that time boys get to beat their friends to the fullest and the girls enjoy it to the fullest. :))

The haunted street, well yeah it is called so. And when you are a fuchcha, it fascinates you like hell! You go in a group to visit and explore the hauntedness associated with the place. But eventually, you're left with nothing but merely foolish things like a burnt bus which is kept there and that's where the haunting nature starts and ends and you're left disappointed. But then when you're in a group and your friends start with their scary sounds, the place indeed seems haunted. So you ought to go there once, if you don't want to miss the fun.

The lake- LOL! Yes, it's called lake when it's nothing bigger than a swimming pool! Situated amidst the thick trees to give a forest like feeling, again there are some stories associated with the place. Some suicide, some mishap. But when you go there and explore it, it is fun!

Last but not the least, the T5 Canteen. I must say it indeed is the most happening place of DCE! The canteen that is situated just in front of the girls' T5 Hostel. It is this place where you'll find the majority of boys hanging out, coz it is, here that all the girls live. So finding one or the other reason, guys do land up here! A fact! Isn't it guys? LOL! ;)

Enough about places, coming to other topics,
The day you walk in the institute, what you would be expecting is a great amount of discipline, highly qualified faculty? Isn't it? Well yeah, quite obvious. That's what you expect of a high ranking Engineering College. But dude, better not expect such things here!!! Discipline?? Wow!! Come and see it's boys hostel ! Jumping the college walls to get inside the hostel at 1 a.m is quite a regular scenario. All kind of stuff quite easily found with every guy. But when it comes to girls, well they are locked up at exact 8:30 inside the hostel building. Or even when it comes to rules like restricting their movement out of campus in the college hours, our DCE has great discipline!
And faculty!!! Well if you get to see the senior faculty even 4-5 times in the whole semester, I must say you should find bliss in it. Because the best are the busiest and the rest are always left teaching in your classes! Sad! But true!

But all in all, I love my College because it's the best! It has been a prestigious Institution all these years, giving to the country some of it's best Engineers. It offers a chance to get placed in the best companies and has the best recruiters visiting each year. It is something in the air of this college that motivates you to work, providing a great technical environment and filling you with a never-say-die spirit. And I totally love it, salute it, adore it!!!

The cognizance of the momentousness of this day!!!

This day- 26 January- The Republic Day- The day that marked the transition of India being a British Dominion to India being a Republic, back in 1950, is here today for the 60th time. Yes, it's back! But as the Independent Indian republic aged to turn 60, so did the spirit with which the people welcome this day, the realization of the fact that how important this day was in Indian history, the cognizance of the momentousness of this day. Didn't it? Sadly but yes it did!

This day marked the establishment of a truly sovereign India with the enforcement of the constitution of the Independent India. But, How many of us realize what all this day brings with itself? It brings with itself the memories of all the freedom fighters who struggled hard, sacrificed their life for this sole dream of an Independent Indian REPUBLIC. A great day indeed!!! Isn't it? But let me ask you a question, How many of you actually got up today morning with a thought that Wow! It's our Republic Day, a day when our country finally realized the dreams of the great Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous Indians who had fought for years only in hope of this day. Not many right? Rather very few. A fact, let's face it! Most of us look upon it as a mere holiday. A holiday to go and visit even the most distant relatives or to plan a get together with our friends, least bothered about the essence of the day, the patriotic spirit of the day.

Patriotism ??? What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. But it has lost it's meaning in today's world! So the exigency of the moment is to apprehend our national responsibility. If we become cognizant of our role in country's development, it's national affairs and merely start following our fundamental duties, our purpose will be solved.

Inspite of the fact that India is a flourishing country today, with it's name in the top list in each and every field may it be technical or sports, our people want to be westernized. Each kid wants to learn western dance, wear imported things and follow the western culture. I'm not against it. My only emphasis is have the same respect for your own culture, our own language, our own country, because IT IS YOUR OWN. Rise above the caste or colour distinctions to have a united and a progressing India. Understand the fact that solution doesn't lie in cribbing upon things, it lies in searching for it and acting accordingly. Most of the Indian people are dis-satisfied by the politicians' work but when it comes to voting, we are too lazy!! Change this mentality and see the results. Because that's your duty as a citizen.

Taking utter pride in being an Indian, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Republic Day. Don't let it go this time as a mere holiday. As the tricolour unfurls this time, realize the essence of it and do your best to make your country proud. Don't wait for a change be the change!!! Because you are plenipotentiary, if you know how to use your power properly!!!