Got some good news today. Our midterms have been postponed to Saturday. That's a whole 24 hours extra time!!! There is a God after all!!!
Had Testing today. Same faculty as SDO. Bored chap, gonna go to Deutscheland soon. Comes in 15 min late, "teaches" for 15 min and then, we have to sit in the class for an eternity before we are "authorised" to get out!!! When did I ever get out of college?? No, wait!!! I left college and got back to school!!! Yes, that must be it!!!
WC was boring as usual. Different tones of writing. That' all. Ho Hum!!!!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Chronicle No. 13
An unusual day today. Only one scheduled lecture!!!! Actually, the problem was that the faculty was not feeling well and hence, had to take the day off. That gave us plenty of time to complete our second deliverable of the project.
We had our first session of Technical Writing today. It was strictly OK. Personally, I feel that life skills sessions should be more fun. Just sitting and listening to how stupid letters must be written is like visiting college all over again. Believe me, its really frustrating!!!
The last session was an impromptu French session. The French faculty was very nice and it was good revising La langue belle!!! I have spoken to the ILP co-ordinator here and she is willing to let us have extra French sessions after hours. Lets hope that this works out.
We had our first session of Technical Writing today. It was strictly OK. Personally, I feel that life skills sessions should be more fun. Just sitting and listening to how stupid letters must be written is like visiting college all over again. Believe me, its really frustrating!!!
The last session was an impromptu French session. The French faculty was very nice and it was good revising La langue belle!!! I have spoken to the ILP co-ordinator here and she is willing to let us have extra French sessions after hours. Lets hope that this works out.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Chronicle No. 12
Had the second consecutive of DBMS today. As expected, boring!!!! These faculty will make good parents. I mean they are soooo good at singing lullabies that their children will never have any problems sleeping. An instant sleeping pill anyone???
The day ended with Japanese. T'was a nice session and we got the results of our first class quiz. Thankfully, I did pretty well. Hmm....thats "Arigatou Gozaimashta" to "Matsuimoto Sensei"!!! (BTW, all are free to try their hands at translation in the comments section at the bottom of this post.) It seems that we have to answer a quiz at the beginning of every session of Japanese, henceforth. Guess, that's the only way we will "condescend" to revise the previous session's work!!!
We have Testing tomorrow, and we start with Written Communication & Effective Technical Writing. Why do I feel as if I never left college??
The day ended with Japanese. T'was a nice session and we got the results of our first class quiz. Thankfully, I did pretty well. Hmm....thats "Arigatou Gozaimashta" to "Matsuimoto Sensei"!!! (BTW, all are free to try their hands at translation in the comments section at the bottom of this post.) It seems that we have to answer a quiz at the beginning of every session of Japanese, henceforth. Guess, that's the only way we will "condescend" to revise the previous session's work!!!
We have Testing tomorrow, and we start with Written Communication & Effective Technical Writing. Why do I feel as if I never left college??
Monday, September 19, 2005
Salaam Namaste
Went to see Salaam Namaste in a theatre called Maharaja in the main city. Dolby stereo sound et al. Price?? An incredible 20 bucks for balcony!!! I couldnt believe my eyes.
The movie starts off quite well with the narrative building on the interactions (live and via media) between an RJ and a chef. As expected, they meet, like each other, fall in love. Then, the unthinkable happens!!! The guy asks the girl to live with him so that they can test out their compatibility. Girl agrees, they move in together, have fun, and screw all over the place. So far so good.
Then, comes the bombshell. RJ is preggers and our chef freaks out. A false abortion later, the convo leads to the usual "Where is this going?" talk. The only problem is that our chef doesnt wanna marry. Oops, wrong decision!!! RJ breaks up and continues to live with him!!! Some long drawn minutes later, chef realises his "mistake" and proposes marriage to RJ and they live happily ever after. Sniff, soooo touching!!!
The movie seems to be trying to convey a very pertinent message in today's world. It tries to show live-in relationships in a more acceptable light. However, the movie loses its track after the interval. Too many complications are introduced in the form of the RJ's friend and a blonde who befriends our chef. Even the chef's principles seem to be skewed. After resisting marriage for so long, his resolve suddenly changes when he sees the sonographic image of his unborn child!!! How's that for fickle-mindedness? And as usual, in the ending, the RJ and the chef agree to marry and live happily ever after. Acc. to me, a better ending would have been the case where the RJ rejects the chef's proposal for marriage and goes her own way. Maybe, the chef can be her child's father but, he can never be her husband. But, I guess it takes guts to make such a movie.
Performance-wise Preity Zinta is OK. Her cute looks pep up the first half, but she certainly deserves to be hidden in the second half, even if you consider the pregnancy of her character. I feel an actress like Rani Mukherji would have been a better choice for this role. Saif seems to be improving with every movie. His comic timing is perfect and you can feel his anguish in the serious confrontational scenes. However, he must take on a greater variety of roles, or he stands the risk of being typecast. The character played by Javed Jaffery is avoidable and can grate on your nerves. He tries to imitate Feroz Khan and fails miserably. He kinda reminds me of ARK!!!! And whats with Abhishek Bachchan as the bumbling doc?? Almost the entire scene seems to be copied from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.' s Rachel pregnancy!! AB jr would do better to concentrate on the more serious movies. C'mon, he has all the chicks after him, hasnt he?
The movie starts off quite well with the narrative building on the interactions (live and via media) between an RJ and a chef. As expected, they meet, like each other, fall in love. Then, the unthinkable happens!!! The guy asks the girl to live with him so that they can test out their compatibility. Girl agrees, they move in together, have fun, and screw all over the place. So far so good.
Then, comes the bombshell. RJ is preggers and our chef freaks out. A false abortion later, the convo leads to the usual "Where is this going?" talk. The only problem is that our chef doesnt wanna marry. Oops, wrong decision!!! RJ breaks up and continues to live with him!!! Some long drawn minutes later, chef realises his "mistake" and proposes marriage to RJ and they live happily ever after. Sniff, soooo touching!!!
The movie seems to be trying to convey a very pertinent message in today's world. It tries to show live-in relationships in a more acceptable light. However, the movie loses its track after the interval. Too many complications are introduced in the form of the RJ's friend and a blonde who befriends our chef. Even the chef's principles seem to be skewed. After resisting marriage for so long, his resolve suddenly changes when he sees the sonographic image of his unborn child!!! How's that for fickle-mindedness? And as usual, in the ending, the RJ and the chef agree to marry and live happily ever after. Acc. to me, a better ending would have been the case where the RJ rejects the chef's proposal for marriage and goes her own way. Maybe, the chef can be her child's father but, he can never be her husband. But, I guess it takes guts to make such a movie.
Performance-wise Preity Zinta is OK. Her cute looks pep up the first half, but she certainly deserves to be hidden in the second half, even if you consider the pregnancy of her character. I feel an actress like Rani Mukherji would have been a better choice for this role. Saif seems to be improving with every movie. His comic timing is perfect and you can feel his anguish in the serious confrontational scenes. However, he must take on a greater variety of roles, or he stands the risk of being typecast. The character played by Javed Jaffery is avoidable and can grate on your nerves. He tries to imitate Feroz Khan and fails miserably. He kinda reminds me of ARK!!!! And whats with Abhishek Bachchan as the bumbling doc?? Almost the entire scene seems to be copied from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.' s Rachel pregnancy!! AB jr would do better to concentrate on the more serious movies. C'mon, he has all the chicks after him, hasnt he?
Chronicle No. 11
Had an OK weekend. Went to watch Salaam Namaste in the city on Sat. Then, it was the mall for us. We had a nice time simply going around the place and soaking in the crowded atmosphere.Finally, it was feeling like home. Dinner in the Food Court above the mall was nice and we felt like we had FOOD!!!
Yesterday was, however, a dampener. It rained throughout the day with great gusts of wind for company. It was next to impossible to get out of the villa. At least we managed to get out for lunch. Otherwise, it was a very boring day and we spent most of it playing cards.
Today, it was back to business, as usual. T'was the last session of PG&E. Then, we had three continuous sessions of DBMS. Again, the faculty was someone from the bench, who had no prior experience of teaching. I dont know when these guys will start giving us trained faculty so that we can actually learn something.
On Friday, we got to know about our secret friends. Turns out that mine was a girl!!! I was also writing for a girl!! I ended up getting a Reynold's Metallix pen for my efforts. Neat deal, isnt it??
Yesterday was, however, a dampener. It rained throughout the day with great gusts of wind for company. It was next to impossible to get out of the villa. At least we managed to get out for lunch. Otherwise, it was a very boring day and we spent most of it playing cards.
Today, it was back to business, as usual. T'was the last session of PG&E. Then, we had three continuous sessions of DBMS. Again, the faculty was someone from the bench, who had no prior experience of teaching. I dont know when these guys will start giving us trained faculty so that we can actually learn something.
On Friday, we got to know about our secret friends. Turns out that mine was a girl!!! I was also writing for a girl!! I ended up getting a Reynold's Metallix pen for my efforts. Neat deal, isnt it??
Friday, September 16, 2005
Chronicle No. 10
Managed to finish half of the project deliverable due on Saturday. Feeling very sleepy now. Thankfully, there is a PG&E class in the second session. That will liven up things a bit. Today, we will be getting to know the identity of our secret friend, after a whole 5 days of suspense. Lets see who is mine. Will certainly mention him/her over here once I get to know.
The other 3 sessions are all SDO. The guy who's supposed to teach us is treating it as an informal interaction session. One thing's certain, though. I still dont feel as if I am out of college. The only silver lining is that SPCE has trained me to take on anything head on.
The other 3 sessions are all SDO. The guy who's supposed to teach us is treating it as an informal interaction session. One thing's certain, though. I still dont feel as if I am out of college. The only silver lining is that SPCE has trained me to take on anything head on.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Chronicle No. 9
Had three sessions of Systems Design Overview today. Then, it was time for Japanese. Its an extremely confusing language, especially because it has its own script. thankfully, they are not teaching us the script. As regards SDO, the guy was simply not made to teach. He spent most of the time narrating his experiences in the company. That made the sessions interesting. Else, it was simply back to college.
We finally managed to register our accounts with the company server. Now, I hope they will not have any problems in crediting my salary to my account. I am certainly keeping my fingers crossed.
I will have to sit up at night today. Gotta to meet a Saturday deadline. SPCE revisited!!!!
We finally managed to register our accounts with the company server. Now, I hope they will not have any problems in crediting my salary to my account. I am certainly keeping my fingers crossed.
I will have to sit up at night today. Gotta to meet a Saturday deadline. SPCE revisited!!!!
Chronicle No. 8
Got a call from S yesterday. T'was nice to talk to him after such a long time. We caught up on the good times and yapped on like the days of yore. He's invited me to visit him in Calcutta after my ILP gets over. I shall certainly be considering the invitation.
Got SDO classes now. God knows what that thing has in store for us now. I guess I will just have to wait and find out. I also have Japanese in the end. The worst part abt Japanese is that you are expected to bow down low, and that can be extremely irritating, esp. to a lazy guy like me. Good thing is that its only for 15 sessions in all, and we dont have to learn the Japanese script.
Gotta go for classes now.
Got SDO classes now. God knows what that thing has in store for us now. I guess I will just have to wait and find out. I also have Japanese in the end. The worst part abt Japanese is that you are expected to bow down low, and that can be extremely irritating, esp. to a lazy guy like me. Good thing is that its only for 15 sessions in all, and we dont have to learn the Japanese script.
Gotta go for classes now.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Chronicle No. 7
Got my employee no and bank documents yesterday. Now, I have a full-fledged salary account. The only problem is that there is no salary in it!!!
The axe has finally fallen on our plans for merriment. Today, we had our first project work meeting. We have to design a software for a Software firm!!! Can you believe it?? First submission deadline is Saturday, the next being Monday. I can still remember waving goodbye to my glorious Sunday, as it floated out of the window!!! Guess, I will have to get used to all this.
In the beginning, when I got here, there were very few people who wanted to go to Bombay. But, as the days pass, I find that this number is steadily increasing. Even today, when I am introduced to a new colleague, the dialogue goes something like this.
Other Guy : Hi, I am xxxxxxx from xxxxxxx, xxxxxx(mostly Calcutta here).
Me : Hi, I am Sumedh from SPCE, Bombay
Other Guy : Oh you are from Bombay?? Where in Bombay??
Its as if those guys know every inch of the place. And the other question me or RR often get is "Have you seen any filmstar/shooting in Bombay??" Oh come on, gimme a break!!! I would rather catch the 7:53 Virar fast rather than watch some stupid filmstar give 50 takes to get a simple scene right!!!! The guys from Calcutta seem to looooove their city, and are vehement supporters of Dada. The guys from Delhi are extremely snootish, however. But, all that attitude changes when you give your place of origin!! Its as if there's Bombay and there's the Rest of India!!! Hmmm......sad, isnt it???
The axe has finally fallen on our plans for merriment. Today, we had our first project work meeting. We have to design a software for a Software firm!!! Can you believe it?? First submission deadline is Saturday, the next being Monday. I can still remember waving goodbye to my glorious Sunday, as it floated out of the window!!! Guess, I will have to get used to all this.
In the beginning, when I got here, there were very few people who wanted to go to Bombay. But, as the days pass, I find that this number is steadily increasing. Even today, when I am introduced to a new colleague, the dialogue goes something like this.
Other Guy : Hi, I am xxxxxxx from xxxxxxx, xxxxxx(mostly Calcutta here).
Me : Hi, I am Sumedh from SPCE, Bombay
Other Guy : Oh you are from Bombay?? Where in Bombay??
Its as if those guys know every inch of the place. And the other question me or RR often get is "Have you seen any filmstar/shooting in Bombay??" Oh come on, gimme a break!!! I would rather catch the 7:53 Virar fast rather than watch some stupid filmstar give 50 takes to get a simple scene right!!!! The guys from Calcutta seem to looooove their city, and are vehement supporters of Dada. The guys from Delhi are extremely snootish, however. But, all that attitude changes when you give your place of origin!! Its as if there's Bombay and there's the Rest of India!!! Hmmm......sad, isnt it???
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Chronicle No. 6
ILP seems to have started off completely now. We have just submitted 2
assignments, and things are beginning to get hot. Deadlines have to be
met and unfortunately, they are not flexible any more. Also, the hours
of sleep we get out here are dwindling steadily. Well, in that sense,
I am thankful for all those stupid drawing sheets and assignments
given to us by our @#$%# profs. At least, they have taught me to stay
up at unearthly hours and go for days together with low amounts of
sleep.
Bombay seems to be in the grip of some more heavy rainfall. It makes
me homesick to watch the news on TV about the floods in Bombay, or the
fire in Jaslok. Nothing ever seems to happen out here. The only hip
crowd here seems to be the cows. They seem to occupy every inch of the
road. I certainly wouldnt like to drive out here. Coming from me, that
is really something!!! ;-)
Had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to get here to write this post. I
hate the morning net slots. Thankfully, we will be back to the evening
slots next week.
assignments, and things are beginning to get hot. Deadlines have to be
met and unfortunately, they are not flexible any more. Also, the hours
of sleep we get out here are dwindling steadily. Well, in that sense,
I am thankful for all those stupid drawing sheets and assignments
given to us by our @#$%# profs. At least, they have taught me to stay
up at unearthly hours and go for days together with low amounts of
sleep.
Bombay seems to be in the grip of some more heavy rainfall. It makes
me homesick to watch the news on TV about the floods in Bombay, or the
fire in Jaslok. Nothing ever seems to happen out here. The only hip
crowd here seems to be the cows. They seem to occupy every inch of the
road. I certainly wouldnt like to drive out here. Coming from me, that
is really something!!! ;-)
Had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to get here to write this post. I
hate the morning net slots. Thankfully, we will be back to the evening
slots next week.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Chronicle No. 5
Had a gruelling 3 in 1 session of Requirements Engg today. We were supposedly taught by some esteemed faculty who had been specially brought in from Chennai!!! All she did was to ask us to read from the meagre handouts and explain the concepts ourselves. The only thing we learnt from the session was how to make the Data Flow Diagrams. That was mainly due to the threat of a deadline issued to us by the faculty. ;-) Guess nothing else will make us work that hard. HeHe!!!
We also had a Personal Grooming and Etiquette session today. That was very interesting. It kinda livened us up, especially after we had woken up to a very gloomy day, full of rain, complete with sound effects. Guess, I AM going to experience the mandatory cyclone before I leave this place for good, after all!!! Anyway, back to PG&E. It was a very nice and introspective session. However, the presentations reminded me of the tacky apparel ads often seen on the local cable channel. Hmm....guess you cant have your cake and eat it too!!!
Nice lunch today. Fried fish!!! Yummy!!! Although it was Rohu, which I am not exactly used to, I certainly didnt mind. It was a nice change after 2 whole days of tasteless, veg. food. Chicken Biryani awaits me now for dinner. :-D
Tomorrow's a working day. Will have to get up early in the morning again. The very thought of that makes me sick!!! Lets hope tomorrow will be a more interesting day.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Chronicle No. 4
Had a long session on CO today. Was taught by the same chap who taught UNIX. Lets call him ARB. His priceless quote during the UNIX session - "I have not worked much with Windows and I dont know much of UNIX!!!" Today, too, it was the same situation. He was supposed to come and teach us CO but ended up learning a lot about the way a CRT functions from the participants. For him the rest was all "cryapppp"!!!
We had gone in a group to the Nandankanan zoo yesterday, coz it was a holiday for Ganesh Puja. Huuuge place that. Langoors line the road at every corner, waiting to pounce on the edible assets of some unsuspecting passerby. The biggest attraction there was the tiger. Both varieties were bred there and mind you, they were big. The white tiger was the biggest of the lot and we got quite a visual treat when we got to watch him bathe in the heavy rain that has been lashing this place for the past couple of days. Unfortunately, I could not capture it on film for posterity, lest the rain ruin my camera. Oh, what a waste!!!
It seems we are to learn Japanese. The two batches after mine get to learn French. I would have dearly loved to revise French and see if HC had done a good job in training us in school. Well, you cant have everything.....lets hope that they will at least put me in Bombay for my posting.
We will be having these internet sessions every evening till the 10th. Hope to be able to blog regularly until then.
We had gone in a group to the Nandankanan zoo yesterday, coz it was a holiday for Ganesh Puja. Huuuge place that. Langoors line the road at every corner, waiting to pounce on the edible assets of some unsuspecting passerby. The biggest attraction there was the tiger. Both varieties were bred there and mind you, they were big. The white tiger was the biggest of the lot and we got quite a visual treat when we got to watch him bathe in the heavy rain that has been lashing this place for the past couple of days. Unfortunately, I could not capture it on film for posterity, lest the rain ruin my camera. Oh, what a waste!!!
It seems we are to learn Japanese. The two batches after mine get to learn French. I would have dearly loved to revise French and see if HC had done a good job in training us in school. Well, you cant have everything.....lets hope that they will at least put me in Bombay for my posting.
We will be having these internet sessions every evening till the 10th. Hope to be able to blog regularly until then.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Chronicle No. 3 ( on an IBM ThinkPad) :-D
Had the first net session today. We have been allotted individual IBM ThinkPads and they are extremely good. Feels good to work out here. Am slowly getting used to Bhubaneswar. Its a nice enough place if you decide that you are not going to expect any facilities out here.
Had Systems Approach to Consultancy Lecs today. For the first time, I was interested throughout the lecture. It mostly preached about how you should uphold the squeaky clean image of the company ....Blah!! Blah!!! But it was good!! :-)
Got nothing more to say. The only thing I dont like out here is the company policy of wearing ties on weekdays. It can get very hot out here in Bhubaneswar and there is also the humidity. Hope the weather gets better in October. The locals say that it gets very cold towards Oct end.
Lots of Bongs out here. It seems that the official first language of the ILP here is Bangla. Kinda reminds me of the conversations between S, R and A during those golden days. Sigh....those were the days!!!
Had Systems Approach to Consultancy Lecs today. For the first time, I was interested throughout the lecture. It mostly preached about how you should uphold the squeaky clean image of the company ....Blah!! Blah!!! But it was good!! :-)
Got nothing more to say. The only thing I dont like out here is the company policy of wearing ties on weekdays. It can get very hot out here in Bhubaneswar and there is also the humidity. Hope the weather gets better in October. The locals say that it gets very cold towards Oct end.
Lots of Bongs out here. It seems that the official first language of the ILP here is Bangla. Kinda reminds me of the conversations between S, R and A during those golden days. Sigh....those were the days!!!
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Chronicle No. 2
Here goes my first Sunday in this God-forsaken place that is Bhubaneswar. Actually, I don't mean to be demeaning to the place or anything but, home feels sooo much better!! Well, whatever, I HAVE to spend 2 months out here, so might as well, enjoy the place.
The training has started off completely now. We have done a bit of UNIX, which will be wound up tomorrow. I guess I must thank PHS for making us do our C programming in UNIX. That has really helped me a lot. Hmm....must message him tomorrow for Teacher's Day. In addition to the Comps stuff, they are teaching us "Soft Skills". Its like going back to school!!! They teach you how to talk, eat etc. They are even teaching us a foreign language. The only problem is that the workplace is about 1.5km from our villas and the buses are available only at odd timings. No bus=1.5 km walk in the hot sun/dark, unlit road strewn with cowdung. How very romantic!!!
Went to the old city today to see the Lingaraj Temple. Lovely structure. It's indeed a Civil Engg. marvel. The carving on the main dome is extremely intricate and goes right up to the top, which is around 12 floors away from the ground. The temple complex has 1001 temples inside it!!! Loved the architecture and got quite a few good pics. Then, we went to see the Orissa State Museum. Nice small place. The only thing interesting are the small stone sculptures they have sourced from Orissa and Bihar. Extremely beautiful carvings. Definitely worth a dekko.
Well, I hope JD awakens from his slumber on Sundays to condescend to write something. And, I hope I never sail in the same boat as him. Me and not checking mail for more than a week?? Aaargh!!!
The training has started off completely now. We have done a bit of UNIX, which will be wound up tomorrow. I guess I must thank PHS for making us do our C programming in UNIX. That has really helped me a lot. Hmm....must message him tomorrow for Teacher's Day. In addition to the Comps stuff, they are teaching us "Soft Skills". Its like going back to school!!! They teach you how to talk, eat etc. They are even teaching us a foreign language. The only problem is that the workplace is about 1.5km from our villas and the buses are available only at odd timings. No bus=1.5 km walk in the hot sun/dark, unlit road strewn with cowdung. How very romantic!!!
Went to the old city today to see the Lingaraj Temple. Lovely structure. It's indeed a Civil Engg. marvel. The carving on the main dome is extremely intricate and goes right up to the top, which is around 12 floors away from the ground. The temple complex has 1001 temples inside it!!! Loved the architecture and got quite a few good pics. Then, we went to see the Orissa State Museum. Nice small place. The only thing interesting are the small stone sculptures they have sourced from Orissa and Bihar. Extremely beautiful carvings. Definitely worth a dekko.
Well, I hope JD awakens from his slumber on Sundays to condescend to write something. And, I hope I never sail in the same boat as him. Me and not checking mail for more than a week?? Aaargh!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Chronicle No.1
Landed in Bhubaneswar on Monday, the 29th at 1:15 pm. Outside temp. - 34 degrees. Felt more like 54 degrees, esp after the cool environs of the plane's cabin. A long prepaid taxi ride later, RR and I found ourselves in front of the company villa. It looked like a very well-developed place in the middle of nowhere. On checking in, we found that as per company policy, no 2 students from the same college can share rooms, meaning that RR and I had to part ways.
Room was nice and clean, good toilet facilities, and water round the clock. Even the power cut is executed for arnd 30 min in the evening when it turns cool, so its quite alright. After a full Udupi dinner, which cost the whole of 20 bucks per head, I headed back to my room to find that my previously non-existent room partner from Jadavpur Univ. had now put in an appearance. Quite a nice chap, the only two problems being that he speaks in such a heavy Bong accent that I have to ask him to repeat himself at least 3 times before I can understand what is going on, and, he smokes. The former problem is pretty easy to solve. However, having heard of JD's predicament in Chennai, I solved the latter by requesting him to use the bathroom to smoke. He was game, so I am saved the trouble of having to cough for most of the day.
Today, I made a visit to the local Big Bazaar. Seems to be a nice place to come and shop every Sunday. Everything available at dirt cheap rates. Nothing much happened worth mentioning throughout the day.
Tomorrow, we start training. Hope it goes well. I certainly do not wish to stay outside Bombay for more than 2 months. My fingers are crossed.
Room was nice and clean, good toilet facilities, and water round the clock. Even the power cut is executed for arnd 30 min in the evening when it turns cool, so its quite alright. After a full Udupi dinner, which cost the whole of 20 bucks per head, I headed back to my room to find that my previously non-existent room partner from Jadavpur Univ. had now put in an appearance. Quite a nice chap, the only two problems being that he speaks in such a heavy Bong accent that I have to ask him to repeat himself at least 3 times before I can understand what is going on, and, he smokes. The former problem is pretty easy to solve. However, having heard of JD's predicament in Chennai, I solved the latter by requesting him to use the bathroom to smoke. He was game, so I am saved the trouble of having to cough for most of the day.
Today, I made a visit to the local Big Bazaar. Seems to be a nice place to come and shop every Sunday. Everything available at dirt cheap rates. Nothing much happened worth mentioning throughout the day.
Tomorrow, we start training. Hope it goes well. I certainly do not wish to stay outside Bombay for more than 2 months. My fingers are crossed.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Govt. v/s Judiciary
For the last two days, I have been seeing headlines about the public spat between the Central Govt. and the Judiciary splashed about everywhere. This leads me to think - Who will emerge as the eventual winner?
The entire dispute started when the Hon. SC (Supreme Court for this post!!) passed a judgement abolishing the reservation quota in private colleges. Although a majority of the college owners were overjoyed, this order sure made the Govt. see red. You see, they had their vote banks to protect!! The govt. started claiming that the Judiciary was infringing on its territory. On the other hand, the Judiciary curtly asked the Govt. to see to it that they do their job properly.
Well, in a way, the Govt. of India is right. India is a democratic nation and Parliament is the body empowered by the Constitution to make our laws. If we complain that Parliament does not act responsibly, then it is we who are to blame. After all, it is we who send our representatives to Parliament as MPs. Whatever be the case, Parliament SHOULD remain the sole law-making body in the country. The Hon. SC is simply expected to ensure that these laws are upheld in letter and spirit.
On the other hand, it can be argued that the large no. of PILs being filed in courts against the Govt. negligence forces the courts to look into the matter. After all, the Constitution guarantees every citizen the Right to Justice. Hence, it is implicitly implied that it is the duty of the Judiciary to ensure that this right is upheld. This leads to an internal conflict between the duties of Parliament and the Judiciary. Now, how can this conflict be resolved?
I feel that our esteemed Parliamentarians are to blame for this whole mess. If they discharge all the functions expected of them, then it will be no longer necessary for the citizens to resort to the courts for justice. Then, even the courts can carry out their functions without infringing on Parliamentary territory.
Coming round to the original argument, I feel that the executive viz. the Govt. will eventually emerge the winner, and rightly so. The only problem is that the powers of the Judiciary may be curbed in the process, resulting in denial of justice to a citizen in the future. Now, if only our politicians could do their job properly.......Sigh!!!!!
The entire dispute started when the Hon. SC (Supreme Court for this post!!) passed a judgement abolishing the reservation quota in private colleges. Although a majority of the college owners were overjoyed, this order sure made the Govt. see red. You see, they had their vote banks to protect!! The govt. started claiming that the Judiciary was infringing on its territory. On the other hand, the Judiciary curtly asked the Govt. to see to it that they do their job properly.
Well, in a way, the Govt. of India is right. India is a democratic nation and Parliament is the body empowered by the Constitution to make our laws. If we complain that Parliament does not act responsibly, then it is we who are to blame. After all, it is we who send our representatives to Parliament as MPs. Whatever be the case, Parliament SHOULD remain the sole law-making body in the country. The Hon. SC is simply expected to ensure that these laws are upheld in letter and spirit.
On the other hand, it can be argued that the large no. of PILs being filed in courts against the Govt. negligence forces the courts to look into the matter. After all, the Constitution guarantees every citizen the Right to Justice. Hence, it is implicitly implied that it is the duty of the Judiciary to ensure that this right is upheld. This leads to an internal conflict between the duties of Parliament and the Judiciary. Now, how can this conflict be resolved?
I feel that our esteemed Parliamentarians are to blame for this whole mess. If they discharge all the functions expected of them, then it will be no longer necessary for the citizens to resort to the courts for justice. Then, even the courts can carry out their functions without infringing on Parliamentary territory.
Coming round to the original argument, I feel that the executive viz. the Govt. will eventually emerge the winner, and rightly so. The only problem is that the powers of the Judiciary may be curbed in the process, resulting in denial of justice to a citizen in the future. Now, if only our politicians could do their job properly.......Sigh!!!!!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Another Futile College Visit
Had gone to college yesterday to make renewed attempts at trying to get a Transfer Certi from college. But, the guys in office were too smart for me. This time, the excuse was a fairly legitimate one, as compared to last time. FE admissions!!!Now what could I say to that?? With the pall of gloom that had now descended over my demeanour, I walked towards my former class with heavy strides.
On reaching the desired destination, I found, to my chagrin, that the classes had again been reshuffled, as regards classrooms. On inquiry, I found that this was PHS' doing (now why doesn't that surprise me??). It seems I was in time to witness another bombshell being dropped on the class. PHS wanted the total no of project groups in the BE class to be 12. It seems that the students were, somehow, unable to reach this figure. Now, they had it!!! PHS marched into the class, divided the class into 12 grps in his typical style and that was that. Thankfully, the groups were allowed to opt for their guides. This incident has, predictably, left the BE class disgruntled. Hope they manage to sort out this problem soon.
As regards me, I shall launch a fresh attack on the impregnable fortress that is the SPCE office and try to con them into giving me my TC. Akramaaan!!!!!
On reaching the desired destination, I found, to my chagrin, that the classes had again been reshuffled, as regards classrooms. On inquiry, I found that this was PHS' doing (now why doesn't that surprise me??). It seems I was in time to witness another bombshell being dropped on the class. PHS wanted the total no of project groups in the BE class to be 12. It seems that the students were, somehow, unable to reach this figure. Now, they had it!!! PHS marched into the class, divided the class into 12 grps in his typical style and that was that. Thankfully, the groups were allowed to opt for their guides. This incident has, predictably, left the BE class disgruntled. Hope they manage to sort out this problem soon.
As regards me, I shall launch a fresh attack on the impregnable fortress that is the SPCE office and try to con them into giving me my TC. Akramaaan!!!!!
Friday, August 19, 2005
When will I get the Transfer Certi??
Had gone to college last week to get the Transfer Certi and the 500 bucks refund. Was stared at in the most condescending manner possible and curtly told by the Accounts chap to return the next week. Of course I should have realised this. How very stupid of me to go and bother them when they are soooo busy yapping about imp topics like why the trains are late and why that lady was looking so pale today and why Manmohan Singh should resign. These topics can affect the entire socio-political balance of the country and I actually have the cheek to go and attempt to stop all this??!!! All this information was conveyed by the contemptuous look cast in my direction by the Accounts chap when I tried to request him to do my wok ASAP. Damn - it made me wonder why I was even born!!!!
Now, I am again going to go and attempt the impossible on Monday. Lets see what new look I get from the office guys. God help me!!!
Now, I am again going to go and attempt the impossible on Monday. Lets see what new look I get from the office guys. God help me!!!
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Glorious Pune
Had a nice extended weekend this time, so Dad suggested that we go to Pune. It seemed like a nice idea to Mom and me, so we set off on Sat. Pune was glorious and it was extremely cool due to the rains. A very refreshing change from Bombay. Plus there was no power cut, which was the biggest plus of all!!! Pune definitely seems to be improving. However, it seems there must always be a reason for me to complain about. And without fail, this time too, Pune provided me with one. Bad Roads!! Long potholes, wide potholes, circular potholes, even ones with no particular shape, which reminded me of amoeba. You name it, you had it. And not to mention, the slush all around. My car is back in its parking space looking like a wounded warrior which has just tackled some horrendous battle and just managed to scrape out of it alive!! I will HAVE to get it serviced ASAP!!!
Drive back to Bombay from Pune was fun, though. Smooth bypass road, smooth expressway = good motoring experience. Had to encounter very very heavy rain in the ghat. Visibility down to around 10m. Horrifying experience. But, t'was still fun!!! :-D Wouldn't mind doing it again!!! God Bless the person who first thought of the expressway!!!
Drive back to Bombay from Pune was fun, though. Smooth bypass road, smooth expressway = good motoring experience. Had to encounter very very heavy rain in the ghat. Visibility down to around 10m. Horrifying experience. But, t'was still fun!!! :-D Wouldn't mind doing it again!!! God Bless the person who first thought of the expressway!!!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Urgently Required - A Govt. for Bombay
Finally, Bombay is recovering from the deluge that submerged it for the past week. A lot of aspects of the average citizen of this megapolis have come to the fore. Be it the generosity of the people towards strangers, their willingness to help, their propensity to spread rumours or their eagerness to pose as victims and get undeserved aid, you got it all. But, amongst all this, one thing was missing - the so-called Govt. machinery. Where were those cars with flashing lights that we normally see on the roads? Where were those stupid village yokels who call themselves ministers and attend every opening of a flyover or a road? Where were those "Mamas" who are always eager to stop you if you dare to break a traffic rule? I am sure these questions are being asked not only by me, but also by thousands of my fellow citizens.
All this leads me to think. The State and Union Govt.s impose a variety of taxes on us, and manage to fill their coffers. However, very little is pumped back into the upkeep of the city. Where does all this leave us? I certainly feel shortchanged. How can Bombay be ruled effectively by a bunch of guys elected from villages, who don't have any idea as to how the city functions? What we need is a Govt. by our own people. We need a separate city state of Bombay a la Delhi. Then, our rulers will be truly answerable to us. We need a mayor with executive powers a la New York, who will be elected directly by the people. The entire BMC has to be restructured. Its current Commissioner has failed us miserably. In June, he was calling press conferences and tom-tomming the preparedness of the BMC for the coming rains. Well, Mr. Joseph, how does your foot taste?? Bitter, I think!! These guys hold us to ransom every year before Diwali and now, when they are needed the most, they disappear into thin air!! Alright, the rainfall was the highest in a century, but the extent of the catastrophe could have been curbed.
I thin its high time all this changed. I want a Govt. of my own for my city. I want a CEO who will be answerable to me, and whom I can oust if he/she fails me. Silly thoughts?? Naah....more like a Utopian concept. One which I hope will come true in a decade's time.
All this leads me to think. The State and Union Govt.s impose a variety of taxes on us, and manage to fill their coffers. However, very little is pumped back into the upkeep of the city. Where does all this leave us? I certainly feel shortchanged. How can Bombay be ruled effectively by a bunch of guys elected from villages, who don't have any idea as to how the city functions? What we need is a Govt. by our own people. We need a separate city state of Bombay a la Delhi. Then, our rulers will be truly answerable to us. We need a mayor with executive powers a la New York, who will be elected directly by the people. The entire BMC has to be restructured. Its current Commissioner has failed us miserably. In June, he was calling press conferences and tom-tomming the preparedness of the BMC for the coming rains. Well, Mr. Joseph, how does your foot taste?? Bitter, I think!! These guys hold us to ransom every year before Diwali and now, when they are needed the most, they disappear into thin air!! Alright, the rainfall was the highest in a century, but the extent of the catastrophe could have been curbed.
I thin its high time all this changed. I want a Govt. of my own for my city. I want a CEO who will be answerable to me, and whom I can oust if he/she fails me. Silly thoughts?? Naah....more like a Utopian concept. One which I hope will come true in a decade's time.
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