The Undomestic Goddess

Mom: Nidhi, no office today rite?
Me: Hmmm…. Yes Mom No Office today what a relief (Smiles)
Mom: Nidhi, go and make tea for everyone, I am a bit tired today
Me (Sigh): Alrite, Mama (Tread heavily towards the kitchen)
Now, TEA-Making has an interesting backdrop. I, for sure dread going to the kitchen which was quite an implicit fact known to my dear mom. As always, mother knows best and they surely know how to tackle brats like me. You have guests in the form of aunties from the neighboring area, who turn up every time and then like vodafone smses on the cell ‘A time waster with useless suggestions of dating, movie, masti, magic n crap’.You need to treat them with fake smiles and agreeable expressions (Then only are you awarded the title of what-a-nice-daughter maybe!).Turnaround to the testimony my mother furtively made her secret mission and asked me to make a nice cuppa tea n coffee for my what-a-nice-daughter arbitrators. This kind of rigmarole has happened so often that it proved to be win-win-win situation for my title, my mother and of course tea-making.
Me (Served the tea and look at everyone’s face for their verdict to be): How is it Mom?
Mom (Smiles): Good, U certainly make good tea (Getting a Good remark from her surely counts she has all the traits of a Virgo Critic). But I would appreciate if you could learn and manage to cook at least a decent meal for yourself. You should take some interest in the kitchen chores too.
Me: Yes Mom, I’ll try………..
Moms have always something to add on, they are never happy with the child’s current status. She never minced these words earlier because she wanted me to be completely focused on my grad. Studies. But then eventually all this ought to be learnt sooner or later.
I was turning the pages of ‘The Undomestic Goddess’ and Bang! There you go, the story revolves around a girl just like my types with no idea of the household chores .The girl is Samantha Sweeting, 29 year old high profiled lawyer smart, gutsy and a complete workaholic. Her whole journey is a complete joyride from her career in Carter Spink to her mistaken identity of a housekeeper at Geiger’s house and her chick-lit romance with the Geiger’s house-gardener Nathaniel. The author Sophie Kinsella surely knows how to keep her readers charmed. After all the funny accidents in Miss Geiger’s kitchen, her innocence eventually proved in the 50 million pound blunder case, her partnership offered back to her she called it all quits and chose to be’ the housekeeper’. She chose what she wanted the most and found most satisfying. Crazy Isn’t! She was making the biggest mistake of her entire existence. No at all for Samantha---‘If I’ve learned one lesson from all that’s happened to me, it’s that there is no such thing as the biggest mistake of your existence. There’s no such thing as ruining your life. Life’s a pretty resilient thing, it turns out’.

Inconvenient Truth Unfolds

Geyser for the hot water bath. Toaster popping the crispy toast sandwich for the high-powered energy breakfast. Fans rotating in full speed to respite us from the hot summer of 2008.Rooms all illuminated with the halogens and PL lights for its easier to locate things and give credibility to Edison. Cell phone needs to be kept ringing all day to flaunt the no of friends and business exhibits and charged for the important communication to be. Air conditioner is a necessity for the good night sleep in the unbearable summer warmth. Iron steaming out working over the crease of the shirts for Looks matter and clothes definitely adds to it. Huh! That’s just a quarter of the whole electricity consumption that the billion population across the world makes on a SINGLE DAY. Not surprising at all!
We have other tendencies also .We just don’t switch off our PCs at our workplace; it is such a tedious job of booting the computer. We throw and litter things around and spitting is our contribution towards the red mosaic painting on walls, road, footpath, you name it and there we go. We are so good at nit-picking such as if incidents like the Mumbai Deluge do occur we have a thousand reasons to blame the Municipal Corporation for the poor drainage system and poor infrastructure. We love to experience the heavy downpours, the rising temperatures and shaking and swirling EARTH. Deluge, Floods, Tornados, Tsunamis, Earthquakes we have seen it all. As a matter of fact all are natural disasters so naturally they are bound to happen.
We are quite cool and calm and don’t even waste our time on the petty things of life.
We haven’t even learnt the meaning of consequences so far.
That’s the Inconvenient Truth; we are inhibiting ourselves from facing the truth of Global Warming a problem so severe that it will destroy the flora and fauna of our mother Earth. This is the truth. Face it.
An amazing documentary Inconvenient Truth presented by American Vice-President Al Gore is enlightening and brings to light the grueling and shocking facts of Global Warming. When he points on that blue dot in a satellite picture taken, he said something so stirring-In his exact words: ‘You see that pale, blue dot? That’s us. Everything that has ever happened in all of human history, has happened on that pixel. All the triumphs all the tragedies, all the wars all the families, all the major advances…….it’s our only home. And that is what is at stake , our ability to live on Planet Earth, to have a future as a civilization .I believe this a moral issue , its your time to cease this issue, its our time to rise again to secure our future. What we take for granted might not be here for our children’. After hearing him there is a gearshift inside you and you say inside ‘Oh my God is that all true!’
Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, what were our parents thinking? Why didn’t they wake up when they had a chance? We have to hear to that question from them , now.

Critics Call:The Class

This is my first book of the year and must say what an apocalyptic experience! The book
‘The Class’ by Eric Segal is not a romantic tale unlike his bestseller ‘Love Story’ nor is it the one discussing societal issue of the rich and the poor class as the name might suggest; its about the Harvard CLASS of 1958.
‘The Class’ is a powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of Class’58. Its about their journey of twenty five years which culminates with their alma-mater 25th REUNION at which they confront each other and the balance sheet of their lives. Daniel Rossi, Jason Gilbert, Theodore Lambros, Andrew Eliot and George Keller are the heroes of this story. Each guy from a different background and each had a different story to foretell but what stands in common is Harvard-the symbol of who they are and who they will be. If you are not the son of Harvard this is what one gets to hear-
‘There must be……some possible background in reason for one’s boiling over with joy that one is a son of Harvard, and was not by some unspeakably horrible accident of birth, predestined to graduate at Yale or Cornell’.
Its about the revelation of life that unfolds with the college years.
‘We took the world as given. Cigarettes

Were twenty several cents a pack, and gas

As much per gallon. Sex came wrapped in rubber

And veiled in supernatural scruples-call
Them chivalry
Psychology was in the mind; abstract
Things grabbed us where we lived; the my life
Worth living was the private life and- least
Worth scandal in this characterization-
We did not know we were a generation’
Each protagonist had something to share with its readers in terms of the realties of life. Eric Segal has portrayed in a remarkable way what it is like to be a ‘Harvardian’. He writes that the guys out there have such uncanny confidence, self assurance emanated from these dignitaries like a halo- whether they were discussing metaphysics or the merits of a new instructor’s wife. The guys have the ability to love themselves and treasure their own intellects. There are some fillers as to the lingo used in the college; the secret word that is the key to making good at Harvard: bullshit. With tongue-in-cheek remarks as to greater the opportunity for tossing the verbiage like so much salad(unimpeded by the need for such trivia as facts) the more likely the course would be a snap. To let the cat out of the bag , tell you the Harvard guys may not be that great at essay writing they have a secret recipe for it. Pad paragraphs with useful phrases such as ‘From a theoretical point of view’ or ‘upon first inspection we may seem to discern a certain attitude which may well survive even closer scrutiny’. The entry of the freshmen was animatedly described as ‘They glanced at one another like tigers taking measure of a menancing new rival. But in this kind of jungle you could never be sure where the real danger lurked’.
The author dynamically puts the fact that everybody pays a price for his success. Though you may learn a lot of things from such paradise symbolic places but ‘How to be happy’ that’s one thing that even Harvard can’t teach you. You may have a talent for success maybe and maybe no talent for friendship , such cold selfish nature can cripple you in the years to come.
Definitely a first class entertainment for all those seeking success (who doesn’t!) and that too from pride places like Harvard (could be IIMs here)
Leave with this quintessential message of the Odyssey
‘ The imperfections of the human state are outweighed by the glory of human love…..’

Dis(This)Ability

Well, This is about the most self-satisfying experience of my life lived so far………..
How do you react seeing the children on the traffic light area selling articles?
How do you react to a child polishing shoes-giving it a nice shine where as his future looks dim?
How do you react to children in a bad state singing and begging in the local trains?
AND how do you react to those little angels who were not born as normal kids and have to live with those abnormalities such as mental retard ness, hearing-impairness or low vision throughout their lifetime?
You pity on them, you are taken aback with this harsh reality, Ok!then people what are you doing about it?
Well I was always like this; I used to talk and brag about the state of these children with family and friends but never did something about it. We all like to comment and criticize things but never ever have we tried to set the example or be the CHANGE we want to see in the world. But this time around it’s a different story from my side, my colleague and good friend suggested me about Indian Council of Mental Health (ICMH) and told me to go ahead, find about it and make a decision. I got in touch with Manisha, trustee of ICMH Mulund School and she told me all about her school and the special children they cater to. ICMH has two schools setup in Mulund and Nerul for the mentally challenged and hearing impaired children. It is a partner-NGO of GiveWorld Organization based in US. Well we decided why not share this my entire project team, to my surprise with my friends help we could make a big contribution of 15K towards the Mulund School. All my gratitude to the team who supported me. One doesn’t get an emotional connectivity Unless one sees with one’s own eyes and I didn’t want to lose on that.
My friend and I attended the school’s first ever cultural program, its annual function on 9th Feb. Seeing the spirit of the children and the immense efforts of all the teachers guiding them, encouraging them was all worth taking in our stride. Imagine the state of the parents when they are told that their newborn is born with abnormalities and their state is even worsened by our very own society who considers it as a social stigma and talk about bad karma. How insensitive can we get to such facts and I feel it’s the generation of our times who can really bring about a change in our outlook towards these children with special needs. I plan to visit their school soon and share even more……..
But next time I look at them, things are going to be definitely different !!

Namesake.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
-Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ‘What’s in a name?’ has become quite an adage for our times. But honestly, who would like to be called by some other name as Mr. and Miss so & so. As a matter of fact, everyone who belongs to this world works towards success to make his or her NAME in the world. If the NAME gives u an identity, I surely would have lot of problems in not having one or being addressed by some other weird name. Truly, author Lahiri and Mira Nair too realized it with her book and movie ’Namesake’.
When a child is born a special name ceremony is kept and from that very day he is entitled with that identity. Our politicians are too not sparing us from displaying our identity in the capital city, without which u could be suspected and can get screwed up jus like Dr. Haneef in Australia. For me, everything is in our name, would OBAMA, the candidate giving a wild chase to Hillary Clinton would like to addressed as OSAMA. Never.
It was quite interesting to find the root meaning of my name ’NIDHI’ the other day. According to the Hindu mythology, Nidhi is a treasure constituted of nine treasures [navanidhi-that’s quite a lot of wealth ;-)] belonging to Kubera, the god of wealth. According to the tradition, each Nidhi is personified as having a guardian spirit, and some tantrikas worship them. The nature and characteristics of nidhis have remained largely unexplained and have not been fully understood.
So its no use in putting efforts in understanding me- I stand misunderstood!!! And mind you that I stand for precisely my name-Nidhi. Shakespeare defied.

Stars Shine Down.......

Last Saturday was a fulfilling day for I had spent three hours watching a movie that completely moved me. Yes, I am writing about ‘Taare Zameen Par’ with the tagline’Every Child is Special’. I generally go for any movie after reading the film reviews, taking feedback from my buddies, listening to 98.3 Mirchi Bioscope and definitely go by Rajeev Masand’s (CNN-IBN fame) blog for his reviews (I have complete faith in his critics). But this time it was a different story, the film showcases and being an Aamir’s movie was quite enough to drag me to the multiplex. It had to be different and it proved to be so.
Its nice to see some meaningful movies coming our way with ‘Chak De’ with a hockey backdrop reflecting women’s ambitions as well as the women hockey team itself being belittled down by the sports committee, how the players across India are part of the team who play as a whole for the team INDIA. And now we have ‘Taare Zameen Par’ which went ahead with a storyline centering on a Dyslexic boy who felt helpless in this world of competition where your competence is judged by the numbers. If you like painting, if u have great imagination then you better get hold of yourself for such things can get you nowhere in this cut-throat competition, all you need to aim is to get your mark sheet printed in 90 figures no more no less. And, if you fail to have both the quotients (EQ and IQ I meant!) then get ready to be nagged by your teachers, your peer, your dear parents for it wont be long when ull be labeled ’Idiot, Duffer, lazy, crazy’. Mind you this is being expected from an 8 yr old boy.
The fact portrayed that the parents fail to understand their children and provide the emotional support they always seek came as a thunderbolt to the audience. Watching the movie, at some points every parent realized that at times they have been genuinely wrong in understanding his/her child. Looking at today’s scenario with working mom and dad, who even has the time to listen to his/her activities, his achievements and failures. If a child fails then sending him away to the boarding school the only solution, that he loses his very own existence? So the child is there left all alone to fight with this big bad world and he is left being lost and dumbfounded. In the movie, Aamir came as an angel who changed the course of the child’s life and inspired him to live like any other child, encouraged him with his art passion that later ‘Ishaan Awasthi’ the protagonist made his name by winning the first prize at the art festival. The movie is par excellence and a must watch for the not-so-caring parents and for every child to realize their inner dreams and give a go ahead to it. Many interpretations, lot many sentiments a package of emotions-a soul-searching piece.
With such rave reviews around Aamir might definitely be preaching ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’.
For more agreeable thoughts on it visit http://www.dreamslife.wordpress.com/

Revved Up!!!

Long ago there was a girl who did what she felt like doing, need not be told what needs to be done, how it is to be done, the world was at her feet and she simply enjoyed the rosy ambience of a free freaky world. Interpreting it, the gal mentioned might definitely be holidaying:-), for such prudence of independence and arrogance can fall only with the unfortunates with no WORK! I was the fortunate one though (apparently not) to have got an opportunity to step into a world quite contrary to the realm I am used to.
It was 8th march International Women’s day-a day bestowed in tribute to Women, a day signifying my empowerment too when the offer letter reached my hands and I had my future path drawn. I was forewarned by my senior friends, my dear Profs that its only a few months of enjoyment and then your life is definitely not gonna be the same. Putting in the exact lingo ‘Baccho jitna mazaa karna hai karlo baad mein sab kuch badal jayega’, I used to laugh hearing those remarks, come’ on its going to be so much better, no exams, no assignments to write, no sneering looks from the Profs, no submission deadlines, no competition with fellow comrades fighting for those marks…Life is definitely going to be cool for I will have my own share of money, I shall be financially independent (though I still believe in TEAM WORK: my father earns and I spend).I was also satisfied knowing that the success of any business hinges on 4 Ts-trade, technology, treasury and talent wherein T-technology will be satisfied on my joining the tech co. and last T is definitely unquestionable considering me :- ) ,the other two will be considered with time.
Well, misconceptions are always there. Who had even thought that FORBES listed big shot companies would have Indian CEOs with Indra Nooyi chairing PepsiCo and Vikram Pandit heading the CitiGroup lately. Where had Musharaff thought that he would be defeated despite of his cunning ways and diplomacy? Where had the cricket fans thought that the Indian team would win the 20-20 World Cup in such great style? These events were definitely awe-inspiring. Now me too had my own set of misconceptions, which were ruled out with me stepping into the CORPORATE world. I remember the words of my soft skill trainer Capt.Thapas, whose words are worth remembering a lifetime. Firstly ’Nobody born on this Earth is the son of a lesser God.’ Always have belief in yourself and always learn to keep your self respect , never let people take you for granted. Secondly, ’In the Corporate world no one is your best friend or your worst enemy’ I guess it’s quite tacit. My PL’s wise words are too noteworthy that one has to deal with all kinds of people around, and everyone will have their own way of doing things. So its very important to understand them rather than get frustrated and sulk about it. Secondly, ask yourself what new did I learn today. So this fledgling definitely needs to learn a lot from her immediate surroundings.
I must say Engg life is still better……………..(what say misconception again!!!)

Old Familiar Faces-Epoch II

Now you might be wondering why did I not mention about any guy (Phew! Did you even think of that or me just guessing). I am not treating them a passé ,nobody is going to be left out don’t worry-my first interaction was with DC (who had volunteered for CSI membership and he had asked for my photograph reqd for the form since then I was teased with him Poor Guy!)Then the turnaround with Bala (he is used to treat us every week with home-made yummy dosas n idlii), he happened to be my lab partner initiated with lots of highs but now its all ‘mutual understanding’ lol. Bala is quite hardworking, intelligent, very helpful but a bit bossy at times, he wants his things done by hook or by crook .and the list goes on-Sumit, Punit, Girish , Krunal, DC, Anurag , Sushain , Gaurav, Umesh.

Sumit is a fun, good – natured guy. A ‘good guy’ types he calls himself Pentium-10(the rate at which his thinking goes- I am talking of the wild thoughts).Punit-the mischief maker (Whatzaaaaa), he wont let u write your assignments, push you, pinch you. He irritates everyone in the group and Bechaara; he is now being nagged by an unwanted gal. Overall accha banda hai, knows his responsibilities & really sweet (he brings smiles around-not everyone can do that).Cuming to Girish aka Anna ;the thinker, the philosopher; star wars endorser, intelligent, can do 10 things at the same time with great results, sometimes he gets into his mania(we do wonder after all Girish is not that serious, he too has his funnier side), cracks sarcastic jokes, he worked hard to get a tech fest in our college-Techithon’05 was born under the leadership of our very own Anna which turned out to be a grand success. Krunal another guy on the block, very high IQ, sweet, good natured, a bit reserved, gives wonderful critics, knows to get his work done(through the thousand ‘Please yaar’ that he uses), Darshan aka DC, the GS during our tenure what to say of him he is the “King Of PJs’ ,got a sense of style in his speech, makes friends instantly, loves to talk & blabber, gets really irritable when he has a workload on his head and very creative in his usage of words. A fun guy to hang out with. Sushain, Anurag &Gaurav have always been together as a trio. Sushain was a shy guy, he used to rarely talk to gals but now see the metamorphosis he has gone through turned into a cool dude. Anurag has always been the ‘Big Boss’, making rare appearances in the college. He has literally gone to Ma’m and said ‘Oh madam aur kitna time lagega ’(when during our viva external Prof arrived late during our final VIII sem). So now its all crystal clear how my comrades were and how we were surviving in this egosystem.
Oh yes now talking about my college-They quite thought of us for a while.We went for our industrial visit to Goa! (a happening place in the name of industrial visit- what more do we want- parents ko convince karne ka idea bhi college ne hi de diya-“Mom its an industrial visit. Ma understand’’).We had a blast , the trip was in the third year, our hotel was called ‘the old anchor’ it was in the shape of a ship & a disc on the upper deck, a beautiful ambience and a beach close to the hotel.It was a wonderful trip with lots of singing, dancing, mastii & sun bathing in the sands of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa.
The second year was quite dull, no major activities, the only change that we saw was the entry of diplomats nah! I am talking of the diploma guys who entered in the second year. It was a nice change for our guys who looked forward to the new diploma gals. New faces are always welcomed, there is always a need for a change and experiment right Guys!From here I get hold of a pal who joined our group later on and even into the hearts of some….(hmmm….),Shrutii-the gossip queen, very studious, active in all college activities, enthusiastic about everything on Earth. And I call her my Tech partner (u have good tech skills thats why I employing u Shrutii ok!).Then there was Purva who joined my friends list with her loud laughter, gossipy talks, lot of chattering together &giving me insight into the whole US-MS application process. And yes how can I forget my friend Aditi-cute, sweet, keeps me on my toes about studies (if I forget to open my books she will gimme a call with her never ending doubts –so I am indebted to her for making me study.),she was from Lucknow had that typical north Indian accent, but now u see her tht accent has gone and she is definitely a mumbaite now. She jus cannot control her laughter and sometimes she gets into trouble too because of that .She is my cool buddy and always of immense help .
The final year had nothing much to talk about. Everyone was busy planning their career paths-busy with placements (aptitude tests->group discussion->tech interview->HR interview), banging the doors of placement office as to which company is coming next. Some were preparing for GRE, some CAT n GMAT. Some had already given it in the third year (se how proactive engineers can be!) and were ready with application process.
I definitely cannot pen down each and every moment I have spent in my coll but can only carry with me those beautiful memories in my heart. The only reason I did this because when Mahatma Gandhi said these words he was definitely right-“Memory is a very frail thing. The written word stands for ever ”
And the words of Charles Lamb remind me of ‘Old Familiar Faces’.........

I have had playmates, I have had companions ,

In my days of childhood,in my joyful school days-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

I have been laughing,I have been carousing,

Drinking late,sitting late, with my bosom cronies-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

Ghost-like i paced round the haunts of my childhood,

Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,

Seeking to find the old familiar faces.

Old Familiar Faces-Epoch I

It was a journey of four years- exciting, surprising, enigmatic and creepy. There were the days of festivity, moments of breakdown & a dozen of gruesome nightshifts. A package offered of 43 subjects (I still cannot understand what did it really had to offer me), two projects & the hullabaloo of submissions (learnt immense patience dealing with Prof).A package that unwillingly could not be negotiated nor dictated. It had to be accepted for we had a single goal to be called –‘The Engineers’. An Engineer who of course cannot give life to someone unlike Doctors but make a life quite a luxury(I am not here to debate on Doctors vs. Engg) .
I have the vivid memories of the short span of my life I have spent in my college with my wonderful group of friends, some supporting & some grotesque Profs, the ever changing Principals, the not so co-operative peons (I specially want to mention the vulture Caution: His prey was a mobile user).
I remember my first day in college, I happen to reach before time (I know my dear friends are not believing it but I do end up with surprises u see!).I roamed around the classroom (It was R11) & then found a place on the third bench and took my place of pride, I had no school or jr. college friends to join me here, filled with excitement, waiting for someone to give me company. Then there came a gal-confident, friendly and talkative—my friend Chaits, we hit off very well within mins and I even bunked the lectures that followed what a convincing power she has. I remember we were given a brief orientation by a Prof who seemed like some senior of my coll. Then the lectures began as usual we had Mechanics, Applied Science (AS), Applied Maths (AM), Computer Programming (CP) & BEE. We had a sweet Prof for Mechanics but too slow and dunce when it came to teaching that subject though in the later sems he taught us drawing in his good form. I did not understand anything (act he did not explain anything either.), and used to scribble, mumble n crib, that was all I had to while the time away. Some cronies cracked the sums, thanx to the vacation batch classes @ vidyalankar( a place highly recommended for all engg-if u haven’t been here u haven’t really been part of engg exploration).If somebody would pitch in to ask me the answer to a particular question I would give a blank stare(I am ready to share my new fx991ms calci but don’t ask me such deadening questions).
So while comprehending my first step into the engg era I made some wonderful friends which culminated into a group of four-The Chandaal Chokdii which included me(Nifty),Neha (Nutty), Zarana(Zany) & Amruta(Amu or our JUMBO) all different but yet together. Nutty has always been like a big support, of great help and a good listener. She is always ready to pitch in for help and the best natured gal I have come across. The best part is when Nutty cries and hunts for her things that she doesn’t find them and we being habituated by her unnecessary cry we all end up finding her things right over there. Well n coming to Amu aka Jumbo she is a big comic timer. I remember how she used to enact the character Hansa of ‘Khichdi’ fame, how she can speak Marathi & Kutchii so fluently is commendable (I can’t even speak Gujarati- my mother tongue forget two lang).She seems to be cool headed but she is also the one who has broken down the most over these years (Rem-Amu-CP-I submissions, when Bala said something during a lecture about Sumo &u n u got a sweet apology letter from Bala-lucky u! or when we were leaving after lunch on the last day), she is our crying doll, our sensitive darling! Now coming to my last member in the Chandaal Chokdii Zany- a big blabbermouth, non stop talker, will tell stories about her Chachi , her Maasi, her cousins(all ending with the same name Chirag), gave me insight into the Gujju Culture-very hardworking, clever & street smart. have a lot to recollect for they have been there with me through thick and thin accepting my agonies and tantrums and of course my smiles!
Friends were around , but I was missing, yes missing in the first lecture , I couldn’t reach on time-never and ended up with low attendance in Maths and yes a panga too with Prof Madhuri somehow she realized that I wasn’t that bad n now she adores me). I was saved from her orders of calling one’s parent (call your parents- common we used to hear all this in schooldays & has never happened to me in school-what’s happening here!).Then came the submissions –it was time to write assignments (or rather copy assignments), complete journals (were those experiments performed were of any use-Titration in chem, crystal lattice in phy Huh! An elec & telecom engg why am I being made to learn all that),take printouts of programs from that Dot Matrix printer (which made such humdrum noise that can put anyone in a deep slumber).Submissions was all about getting good grades & getting the precious files signed by our attorney. But this submission dimension took a deadly turn when it was our CP-I dimension, a new Prof joinee in the bandwagon whose head was filled with vacuum, took our submissions till 9.30pm who made our day so unbearable & miserable. She refused to correct our files and made us correct some flowcharts which apparently she couldn’t follow. Running through the errands we somehow got our work done. Exams followed and that was it the end of first semester.
The month of January came the time of festivity-our college was adorned with posters, draperies, beautiful rangoli at the entrance lobby (the rangoli was made using wood dust this innovative idea was born in the mind of our college creative pride-Kalps-our wonderful senior-dramatics, decoration, designing fashion show sets , fun making he was topping it all-L & T guys might be having a great time having him).In the first year we freshers were silent spectators and definitely big critics—‘Oh they should have done it that way. What a waste! These seniors don’t know how to organize…and on n on. Its true when you are in the first year you think the seniors are always wrong and you are always right. There is no sense of self-reservation; you just don’t want to listen to them and you always want one’s one way (I remember this particularly because we had taken pangas with the GS of college-NO BRAINS NA! )
After the festivity and month long vacation it was time to hit back to college with the second sem- somewhat more comfortable than the first sem we had a better orientation with subjects CP-II, AM-II,AS-II,Engg Drawing and yes my favorite Communication Skills(CS)! I rather would not talk about other subjects but wont leave you without mentioning my tryst with the CS subject. Our Prof was excellent, outstanding, I think she should start teaching organizational behavior in a top B-school-She’s Worth it! (Ah! That the L’Oreal Tagline!).We learnt all about business correspondence-writing business letters, memos, making a resume, writing about our fav.communicators (mine was Barkha Dutt and Simi Garewal quite a contrast though!).Sem II turned out to be a bit shorter & winding up in the same loop(assignments->submissions->vivas->exams).
That was the end of our first year …with mixed feelings of love, pride, hate, sorrow & hopes…………

Uncalled Battle

It has been a long time since i have posted on my blog.Hearing all the complaints from my dear friends for not keeping my blog updated its high time i feel guilty about and get going with it.It was not as if i was lost in translation or had nothing to share or discuss but can assure you the relunctance and indolence took a toll on me.Will definitely give a shot in overcoming it after all blogging is all about narcissism.
Now its very important that u revisit my blog so i had to share sumthing intriguing and definitely that topic should be driving me within too,because for very creative writing you need to have ur inspiration.I came across this article by a famous happy bachelor which really tickled my bone and i had to have my say on it.But before i go ahead i will give you a sneak into the article -my source of inspiration.
TRAVAILS OF A METRO MALE
Liberated or hoodwinked into running all errands? The world seems to be making a fool out of the metro male!
A lot has been written about the metrosexual and i guess a lot more will be written once people understand that this is not some unique species we are talking about.However, what has been conveniently ignored is the harrowing life of men operating under high pressure in a city like Delhi or Mumbai!
This debate about gender equality has banished most metro men to their kitchens ;they are running errands, they are the ones queing up outside Mother Dairy booths,they are the ones trying to get the little brat to school ,attending parent teacher meets and playing with children in the park!But does anyone recognise their pain ? No sir!Instead a myth is created ,eulogising their sacrifice by calling them modern or liberated!All in the hope that they will run a few more errands,I am sure!
Tell Me,what is so liberated about standing in line waiting to fill your vessels with some milk?Or to listen to some wretched school teacher drone about all the aweful traits your IVF-induced child is plagued with?What is so liberated about fasting on Karva chauth jus to express solidarity with your wife?Solidarity went out with Lech Welesa in Poland and we don't need it to recur either in Malabar Hill or Maharani Bagh.
An unsuspecting war has been unleashed on the hapless Indian male.They are now questioning everything about us:their psychometric tests make a narco test look like kindergarten stuff, and yet there is no one to stand up for us.We are a minority and we don't even have a Mamta Banerjee to go on a hunger strike for us.We live within such pressurised homes as if we were born into a family of Hawkins.
This column will be the voice of the male.An impassioned voice that will appeal to all who matter and also to those who don't.It will reflect on the issues that we men are inflicted with and affected by.It will about Man Poised when India is.It will be about the Indian man who has come a long way in nation-building.It will extol our virtues of patience and the tolerance of boundless sufferance.Through this column we men will show the world a side of ours that is never seen because we are never allowed to take our clothes off and those who do are punished by being kept out of the cricket team for periods of time.This will be a column that will tell the world how arduous it is to stay manly in todays world, in every which way.If you look around ,the prettiest women don't want hunks anymore!They seek softer sensitive people:so you've either got to be gay or you've got to give in.There is no third option!
They say the age of chivalry is dead and yet there is no comment on why men must be packed like sardines whereas women get to travel in Ladies Only compartments?Why men cannot be allowed to listen to Gloria Stein's lecture just because she is a feminist and we are not all that bright?This perverse exclusion must stop in India.Even politically the indian male has been weakened .Te south saw a rampaging Jaylalitha and Vajpayee was so often downon his knees that both his knees had to be replaced.And the east today sees a very hungry yet extremely rotund Mamata go on a fast but catch a man fasting and not even his own family will be there to commiserate.This is how the Indian male is being treated today.Rabindranath tagore if he were alive would have goaded the indian male a voice,a platform,from where we can be seen ,even if never heard.At least in the 60th year of India's independence,the indian male can look forward to some freedom!
Well Well....the only reaction i get after reading it was 'Finally!'.So over the centuries we have been discussing the plight of Indian women , the atrocities inflicted by the Indian male on them n Finally if the same plight ,the same pains(which is hardly a matter of fact)is being experienced by our poor Indian males i am only filled with great exhilaration.If the time is ripe for role reversal the Indian male should definitely gear up !

Caught In A Cauldron

'You have to be a Buddha to live in this city and not get angry..........................'
How does my day start well nothing extraordinary nor a pleasurable one.The resolution to jog, exercise and do some asanas everyday turns out to be futile as i end up opening my eyes at the struck of the hour when its time to pack,dress up and head to college.I am bogged by the rule of '9 am deadline' wherein 'You reach at nine or go home and have a nice time'.Ah!So its a rush to catch the rickshaw and the always seemingly crowded bus.True, jostling with life is the buzz that surrounds my city Mumbai.The city of 'survival of the fittest' wherin i find myself hard to fit in ,please Dad take me to some place peaceful,calm,serene &titillating.
Standing at the lokhandwala infamous circle waiting for the share rick to drop me to my destination for its inevitable to wlk to the distant station.We rowdies don't maintain a queue and if i happen to reach even a little late i try to pitch in ahead,with disgusting &helpless smile from others.The literate and educated working lot don't want to start off their day seething over these issues, better handle the boss at work.The rickshaws pass by refraining & ignoring our kind requests taking the full advantage of our being at their mercy.Waiting for the day when these rickshawwallas will get a lesson of their life when their share system goes out of order.So if one gratifying rickshawwallah agrees its the swarm of bees rushing to his so called hive.Its all about money honey! This is my daily struggle waiting for the day when this future affluent connoisseur gets a taste of a real'good morning' :-).Thats just a snippet to show how the mumbaiker withstands all this and takes his way out.But everything has a limit and when things go out of hand you see a different picture altogether.What makes Mumbai angry? Its a question that cannot be denied.
Reader's Digest survey quoted Mumbai as a rude city with lot of criticism from all the mumbaikars for the fallacy.Mumbai is a city with a heart of gold.How can u forget the instances wherin mumbaikars pitched in to help others whether it was the deluge or the 7/11 they were all there.You still call it a rude city.Absolutely Untrue!Though they are turning angry &aggressive at trifle happenings could be a fortiore to support.Fuming Masses seethe against the other scoundrel in the other car on the road, that exasperating collegue in office, that rude salesgirl at the mall, that anoying spouse at home.Damn them all. Anger is becoming an epidemic in the city.Mumbai's rage meter has been climbing suddenly.What is making the city lose it?
Overcrowding is a scientically proven trigger for anger.It takes us back to the age old experiment where you keep adding mice to a cage .Beyond a certain number it is seen that the mice attack each other ferociously at the slightest provocation.The analogy is not co-incidental.The mice cage is evidently synonymous to Mumbai's life and style.If you're thinking of checking out the malls, go on a shopping-spree or planning to eat out at a new food joint thats opened up then avoid for you shall not be spared from jostling with the crowds.Destressing is so difficult in this city.Overcrowded trains, bad roads,endless traffic jams,long working hours, escalating costs of living, angst within the family.But instead of raving about it what needs to be done.
We need to de-catastrophe our language.Fury causes as much damage to the angry person's own body to the other person's mind.We need to learn that if we are stuck in a traffic jam its not a horror of life its just a hassle.So turn that radio ON and catch u on some good music or if your radio is not functional then sing on your own and entertain others too.
To give the full and final jist of my blog read on.A British physician John Hunter was suffering from a heart disorder.He often remarked 'My life is at the mercy of any scoundrel who chooses to put me in a passion'.this remark proved prophetic when during a board meeting he got into a heated argument, walked out and dropped dead........

Neonate Blogger

Well, it was long back when we had poetries as a part of our English curriculum, wherein we used to never get the real feel of the poem losing its main purpose, we looked upon them as a syllabus we need to learn, relearn, or precisely rote all the meanings, the questions given by our teachers. Surely, there were some poems which we were made to recite as part of our oral exams and thanks to those exams I can at least remember some poems by heart for now if u ask me to learn ’The Listeners by Walter de la mere’ u shall see a big sulking face for I really don’t have any incentives (marks there!).But with passage of time, I realize that there are some things you need not have incentives; you just need to enjoy them whole-heartedly. So there is at least a thing I enjoy now and cherish every word that I put on my paper in the form of phrases, lines need not be sonnet, octet; whether its 8lines or 16 lines it doesn’t really matters for they are the true reflections of what I feel, what I observe, what I imbibe. That is the beauty of a Poem, complex yet intriguing!
So when did my journey of writing poems began, it was those inter-house poetry competitions which gave me the first plunge into the era of poetry-writing. Initially, I thought of only rhyming words to fabricate my conventional poems but with introduction of poets such as TS Eliot, Rabindranath Tagore, William Wordsworth, W.B Yeats, I realized that its all about presenting it in a well-phrased form it need not be shine-dine, sleep-deep or cool-fool. Then the journey continued ,whenever I was in a complacent mood, or idle all I needed was jus a pen and a paper to finish the unavoidable task.
I remember there was this poem on ‘LIFE’ which I wrote during the mechanics lecture in my first year of engineering.. Our Professor was the best in whiling away time, he just managed to do two problems in a 60 mins time, the two sums each at an interval of 20 mins, and another 10 mins for Roll-Calls , u see it’s a class of eighty he needs time have mercy on him. I had lost my patience after two lectures for I really cant stand such lousy profs…so instead of scribbling on my book writing Nidhi in the different fonts which even Mackintosh or Microsoft will need to own from me, I went for writing what I wanted, definitely not imaginary forces, or the moments but the words I felt within. So here we go with my poems on Life as it means to me !

Life!
The sun gave its sunshine,
To brighten the day arrived,
What lies ahead,
What lies beyond,
Is a question I cannot deny
There is so much to give and
So much to share
But what I feel
Does anyone care!
Across the miles, beyond the boundaries
My Dreams aspire me ,
To go ahead
For the very thought,
Of losing someone,
Makes me think of my life again
For what you believe
And for whom you care
Tell them that you are there…
For Life is short
And so much to give on
Live your life to the best!!!
---Nidhi Acharya
npa®

The next poem in my future blog….till then I go back to work!