After having missed last year's Champions League final (though in retrospect, it's good I missed it since I'm an AC fan) there was no way in which I was going to miss this year's final. Even though none of the teams playing were amongst my favourites, I was praying for a Barca victory. And I was vindicated. Here's the match in brief:
The Shock before the kickoff:
This was more of a shock for the TV viewers in India. I know that ESPN has taken it's Indianisation process very seriously, but for god's sake, why the hell do you need Hindi commentary for the Champions League final? It's not as if there's any Indian playing. But still all of us had to suffer the terrible Hindi commentary throughout the match. And to just annoy you a bit more, they don't turn off the english commentary entirely, they just attenuate it. Hence there's always a hum going on in the background. Many a times I tried to catch it but was largely unsuccessful. And here are some golden nuggets from the Hindi commentary:
1. Aajka yeh antim SANGRAM Arsenal aur Barcelona ke beech: The guy used this phrase so many times that it reminded me of the freedom struggle. Can't you just say 'Champions League final' instead? Nobody's gonna sue you.
2. Arsenal ke subsitute goalkeeper hai Manuel ALUMINA: I guess the guy must be a metallurgy student or something. It's ALMUNIA for God's sake!!! He kept pronouncing it incorrectly during the first half. Thankfully somebody told him about it in the half time interval & hence the correct pronounciation in the second half.
3. Aur ab ball hai Oliver Giuly ke paas: Duh, I thought Giuly's first name was Ludovic. And I'm not even mentioning his constant reference to Giuly as the 'Prince of Monaco'. Hmmm, a sequel to 'Prince of Persia' maybe?
4. Is match ke vijeta to milega UEFA Super Cup me Seville ke khilaf khelne ka mauka: Oh & I thought winning the Champions League was the ultimate aim. Well, then why the hell are all the best players playing? I mean it's not like it's the Super Cup or something.
There was another shock for me before the kickoff. I was expecting to see Lionel Messi playing but suddenly found him missing from the squad. And the commentator refused to shed any light on it. But I guess he must be injured or something. Too sad.
The early chances:
For the first few minutes of the match, I was only half awake. And so it seemed was the Barca defence. And both of us were rudely awakened by two early attempts on goal by Thierry Henry within the first three minutes. They were pretty good chances too, the first one from close in & the other from long range. But Victor Valdes, the Barca keeper, prevented both. A good start for the Gunners.
The no-goal & the sending off:
Samuel Eto'o received a brilliant through pass & just before he could shoot from the edge of the penaly box, Jens Lehmann brought him down. The ball rolled to Ludovic Giuly who slotted it in coolly. Barca fans started celebrating but the referee had already blown the whistle - the goal was disallowed & instead Lehmann was sent off for his horrible tackle and Barca got a free kick. Almunia came on to replace Pires & Ronaldinho took the free-kick There was nothing special about the free-kick though - it was well wide of the goal. The only slightly amusing thing was Ashley Cole's sideways dive to stop the ball from going in. Well worth a second look.
Eboue's dive & the goal:
Emmanuel Eboue, the young Ivory Coast defender, does know a bit or two about acting. He was dribbling outside Barca's penalty box when he suddenly lost control of the ball. So what does he do? He stretches his arm out to make contact with Carlos Puyol's shoulder & immediately falls to the ground. And he does all this in one fluid motion so that the Linesman is totally fooled. Result: A free kick for Arsenal. Henry whips in a cross & Campbell heads it in, totally unmarked. Where was the Barca defence?
Halftime score : Arsenal 1 - Barcelona 0
The second half:
It was pretty predictable. Arsenal went back to what they did best - defending & waiting for a chance to counterattack while Barca went on total attack mode. The stage was set - Arsenal's defence v/s Barca's attack. Barca got a few good shots on goal but Almunia ensured that none got in. He did a good job for a second choice goalkeeper. But it has to be said that Barca's attack lacked that sting which usually characterises them. And both Ronaldinho & especially Deco seemed a bit off-colour
The turning point:
This according to me was Henrik Larsson's introduction. In big finals, experience counts big time & Larsson had a huge impact on Barca's attack. Suddenly Barca seemed like scoring a goal every minute.
The equaliser:
A long ball played into the box, a slight deflection provided by Larsson & a cool finish by Eto'o who had timed his run to perfection. Larsson's touch was so slight that at first I mistook it for a dummy. It was only in the reverse angle that the touch - and it's significance showed. So after 76 minutes it's 1-1. Match on.
The winner:
Barca kept on attacking after the equaliser & in the 81st minute, Larsson once again provided a perfect pass, this time for defender Belletti who converted it. This one though, should have been saved. It went from between the feet of Almunia. I guess second-choices are after all second-choices.
The end:
You'd expect Arsenal to make a final struggle to win towards the end. But such was Barca's dominance that Arsenal had no chance of equalising. In fact Barca had a few chances more but couldn't covert. And then came the referee's whistle & it was all over.
Barca had won the Champions League after a gap of 14 years & their fans went crazy with joy. In fact so did their manager Frank Rijkaard who became the 5th player to win the Champions League as both player & manager. Arsenal could only look on in despair as Barca added the Champions League trophy to their La Liga title. I guess on current form, they are the best team in the world. AC Milan, Juve & Chelsea are close behind but Barca's consistency & attacking style of play puts them ahead. As for Arsenal, Man U & Liverpool - only in your dreams. Which is where I'm going to now.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Catcher in the Rye
Three questions asked during quizzes on this book, including one at Mood I in the tie-breaker which sent us out, was what it took for me to finally read it. Usually during my whirlwind trips to Nashik I ensure that I have a good book to read. And when I found 'TCITR'(as I would now call it) in the library & when I saw that it was only about 190 pages, I brought it home immediately. And it turned out to be a good decision after all.
At first I was worried that it might be of the serious literature kind - full of heavy stuff that bores you to death. But the first few lines really caught my attention & I decided to give it a try. TCITR is essentially the story of a young 17 year old who gets kicked out of school for the third time & this time decides to do something else in life rather than join another school. At first, the American english & the different (I'd say brilliant) narative style can get a bit difficult to digest. But as you move on you get used to it. The portrayal of the various characters is pretty good & so is the detail of Holden, the main protagonist's thoughts & ideas about the world. But whats best about the book is that it is totally unexpected. Almost the entire book is out of the blue - you really can't predict what will happen next. That's what makes it stand out from other books.
Also, the book has a very good & touching ending. You could say that over the entire course of the book nothing much happens. Well that's true but I believe the events in the books somehow set the stage for further events in the main protagonist's life. In a way, the book mirrors our own lives, how we strive to & often fail in realising what we really should do in our life. All we need is a slight push in the right direction, once we get that, the rest is easy.
All in all, the book makes for great reading. It has been said that ' Some books are to be tasted, others just taken in while some are to be digested thoroughly'. TCITR surely belongs to the last category.
At first I was worried that it might be of the serious literature kind - full of heavy stuff that bores you to death. But the first few lines really caught my attention & I decided to give it a try. TCITR is essentially the story of a young 17 year old who gets kicked out of school for the third time & this time decides to do something else in life rather than join another school. At first, the American english & the different (I'd say brilliant) narative style can get a bit difficult to digest. But as you move on you get used to it. The portrayal of the various characters is pretty good & so is the detail of Holden, the main protagonist's thoughts & ideas about the world. But whats best about the book is that it is totally unexpected. Almost the entire book is out of the blue - you really can't predict what will happen next. That's what makes it stand out from other books.
Also, the book has a very good & touching ending. You could say that over the entire course of the book nothing much happens. Well that's true but I believe the events in the books somehow set the stage for further events in the main protagonist's life. In a way, the book mirrors our own lives, how we strive to & often fail in realising what we really should do in our life. All we need is a slight push in the right direction, once we get that, the rest is easy.
All in all, the book makes for great reading. It has been said that ' Some books are to be tasted, others just taken in while some are to be digested thoroughly'. TCITR surely belongs to the last category.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The tide is turning
Actually I should have posted this right after the Electronics paper itself, but decided not to take the risk. But now I really feel that the tide is turning.
Since joining COEP, my exams have been just one bad news after another. Never did I feel good after any of the 15-20 odd papers that I've already written. But suddenly in the so called one-week long PL that we had in the last week of April, I began to feel upbeat about my chances in the exams this time around. Though I yet again managed to start off badly with a below-average Maths paper, it all changed after the Electronics exam.
For those who might not know, I had Electronics as my vocational subject in Std. XI & XII. I never ever studied it properly enough during that period, though my marks portray a different picture. But somewhere down the line in those 2 years, I started developing an interest in the subject. And that interest suddenly boomed in the 2nd sem, when we had electronics as a theory subject. I was thrilled on seeing that there was nothing new to learn, just a revision of what I hadn't learned in the last 2 years. But this time around I took the subject seriously and managed to score a decent 19/20 in the T1. However disaster struck in the T2 with me scoring an unexcusable 13/20 which meant that my chances of getting an EX were almost extinct.
But then all of a sudden, before this sem's exam, I had a gut feeling that my bad run was about to end. And it did come to an end with the Electronics paper. I needed to score an unheard of 59/60 to get an EX. Believe me, in most papers I don't even attempt questions worth that much. But this gave me a new challenge & after a very long time, I started studying very seriously with a single aim in mind - the EX. This meant that I had to go for almost 30 hours without sleep & without decent food, as the mess decided to make an extremely foul dinner that night. But throughout that time, almost all of which I spent studying, I experienced a feeling that was usual earlier on but had become rare in the last year or so. I actually started ENJOYING the subject. So all I wanted to do was to keep studying electronics all day, and night, and that's what I did.
However this story doesn't have a happy ending. It's almost sure that I'll not score 59 in that exam, though it's pretty much sure that I'll get a score above 52-53. But the satisfaction that I got from that exam gave me a huge boost & gave rise to this new feeling - a feeling in which I approach each exam confidently, knowing that I won't screw up. And believe me, it's an awesome feeling. That was the same feeling that I had before today's Applied Mechanics exam. It wasn't as if I was totally prepared for the exam, there are still many aspects of App Mech, the finer points of which elude me, but thankfully I won't have to study the subject again. I was so confident going into today's exam that I was actually reading 'Shantaram' for a long time yesterday - thus inviting some very harsh comments from my friends who thought I'd lost my head. But I read on & approached today's exam quietly but confidently. And though there were no fireworks in today's paper, I managed to achieve my target for today's exam. And with just 2 papers left - Applied Science & Graphics, I have a feeling that this might just be my day, or rather my exam.
There is now a new smell in the air. It's not tension, it's not anxiety & it's not the fear of failure. This is the smell of blood. The blood of the prey. For too long now have the exams hunted me, now it's time for me to be the hunter and hunt for my prey - the exams. Now, the goddess of hunting shall become the hunted & I shall feast on it's flesh.
Since joining COEP, my exams have been just one bad news after another. Never did I feel good after any of the 15-20 odd papers that I've already written. But suddenly in the so called one-week long PL that we had in the last week of April, I began to feel upbeat about my chances in the exams this time around. Though I yet again managed to start off badly with a below-average Maths paper, it all changed after the Electronics exam.
For those who might not know, I had Electronics as my vocational subject in Std. XI & XII. I never ever studied it properly enough during that period, though my marks portray a different picture. But somewhere down the line in those 2 years, I started developing an interest in the subject. And that interest suddenly boomed in the 2nd sem, when we had electronics as a theory subject. I was thrilled on seeing that there was nothing new to learn, just a revision of what I hadn't learned in the last 2 years. But this time around I took the subject seriously and managed to score a decent 19/20 in the T1. However disaster struck in the T2 with me scoring an unexcusable 13/20 which meant that my chances of getting an EX were almost extinct.
But then all of a sudden, before this sem's exam, I had a gut feeling that my bad run was about to end. And it did come to an end with the Electronics paper. I needed to score an unheard of 59/60 to get an EX. Believe me, in most papers I don't even attempt questions worth that much. But this gave me a new challenge & after a very long time, I started studying very seriously with a single aim in mind - the EX. This meant that I had to go for almost 30 hours without sleep & without decent food, as the mess decided to make an extremely foul dinner that night. But throughout that time, almost all of which I spent studying, I experienced a feeling that was usual earlier on but had become rare in the last year or so. I actually started ENJOYING the subject. So all I wanted to do was to keep studying electronics all day, and night, and that's what I did.
However this story doesn't have a happy ending. It's almost sure that I'll not score 59 in that exam, though it's pretty much sure that I'll get a score above 52-53. But the satisfaction that I got from that exam gave me a huge boost & gave rise to this new feeling - a feeling in which I approach each exam confidently, knowing that I won't screw up. And believe me, it's an awesome feeling. That was the same feeling that I had before today's Applied Mechanics exam. It wasn't as if I was totally prepared for the exam, there are still many aspects of App Mech, the finer points of which elude me, but thankfully I won't have to study the subject again. I was so confident going into today's exam that I was actually reading 'Shantaram' for a long time yesterday - thus inviting some very harsh comments from my friends who thought I'd lost my head. But I read on & approached today's exam quietly but confidently. And though there were no fireworks in today's paper, I managed to achieve my target for today's exam. And with just 2 papers left - Applied Science & Graphics, I have a feeling that this might just be my day, or rather my exam.
There is now a new smell in the air. It's not tension, it's not anxiety & it's not the fear of failure. This is the smell of blood. The blood of the prey. For too long now have the exams hunted me, now it's time for me to be the hunter and hunt for my prey - the exams. Now, the goddess of hunting shall become the hunted & I shall feast on it's flesh.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
(Sub)Mission Impossible II
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
It's all over. I have finally completed my submissions for the second semester. It took a long time & a great deal of efforts, some of them on my part, but finally it's done. All the midnight mugs of coffee haven't gone waste after all. I feel as if I'm on top of the world.
Unfortunately, the celebrations of this great feat come with a disclaimer - only the sub-missions are over. The main mission ie the end semester exams still await me. But for now I bask in the glory of a job well done. And once again I steal a quote from the great Roman Emperor Julius Caesar :
Veni Vedi Vici
( I came, I saw , I conquered)
It's all over. I have finally completed my submissions for the second semester. It took a long time & a great deal of efforts, some of them on my part, but finally it's done. All the midnight mugs of coffee haven't gone waste after all. I feel as if I'm on top of the world.
Unfortunately, the celebrations of this great feat come with a disclaimer - only the sub-missions are over. The main mission ie the end semester exams still await me. But for now I bask in the glory of a job well done. And once again I steal a quote from the great Roman Emperor Julius Caesar :
Veni Vedi Vici
( I came, I saw , I conquered)
An obituary: The king is dead..... long live the king
The Dhote 'ketchbook
August 2005 - 26 April 2006
Life, for us privileged students of Prof. N.D. Dhote, usually revolves around a few sheets of A3 sized paper bounded together, normally called as a " 'ketchbook". In fact, it almost seems that these pieces of shit oops ,sorry sheet, rule over our lives. It's like a noose dangling around your neck, waiting to strangle you. They are at the same time our most hated & our most precious possessions. Hated because they are a constant reminder that a lot of drawing is still to be done. And precious because if you happen to lose them, it means drawing all those boring problems all over again.
Thus, the 'ketchbook was a powerful ruler, feared by it's subjects & it's enemies alike. But with the graphics submission done, the reign has ended & we are all free men now. The reign of terror may have been short but after going through it, we all have emerged stronger than before. Our survival through this torturous reign has given our confidence a great boost. We all now know that whatever calamity may arise, it can be survived by a combination of determination, hard work, will, team spirit(in my case) & glass tracing(not in my case). Now we all look ahead to a free life before us. But before that, a minute's silence in memory of the deceased. The king is dead, long live the king.
August 2005 - 26 April 2006
Life, for us privileged students of Prof. N.D. Dhote, usually revolves around a few sheets of A3 sized paper bounded together, normally called as a " 'ketchbook". In fact, it almost seems that these pieces of shit oops ,sorry sheet, rule over our lives. It's like a noose dangling around your neck, waiting to strangle you. They are at the same time our most hated & our most precious possessions. Hated because they are a constant reminder that a lot of drawing is still to be done. And precious because if you happen to lose them, it means drawing all those boring problems all over again.
Thus, the 'ketchbook was a powerful ruler, feared by it's subjects & it's enemies alike. But with the graphics submission done, the reign has ended & we are all free men now. The reign of terror may have been short but after going through it, we all have emerged stronger than before. Our survival through this torturous reign has given our confidence a great boost. We all now know that whatever calamity may arise, it can be survived by a combination of determination, hard work, will, team spirit(in my case) & glass tracing(not in my case). Now we all look ahead to a free life before us. But before that, a minute's silence in memory of the deceased. The king is dead, long live the king.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Sorry for the delay
A very big sorry to all you loyal readers who happen to read my blog. Fact is that the hostel server is down & rumour has it that it won't be up till the end of the exams. Hence after waiting for a long time, I finally accessed the net from outside the hostel.
Also, I'm sort of busy right now as I have a few activities on hand that are quite time-consuming. And there are submissions to be dealt with too.
Not that I was totally inactive. I did a lot of things worth writing here during the last fortnight. But that I guess will have to wait.
So once again, I take off on another break from blogging. Toh milenge break ke baad. Hopefully that would be soon.
Also, I'm sort of busy right now as I have a few activities on hand that are quite time-consuming. And there are submissions to be dealt with too.
Not that I was totally inactive. I did a lot of things worth writing here during the last fortnight. But that I guess will have to wait.
So once again, I take off on another break from blogging. Toh milenge break ke baad. Hopefully that would be soon.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Finally the Xearch is over
I've been in Pune for almost half a year & have been quizzing a lot during this time. However, the level of quizzing in Pune being pretty high, I fail to even qualify for most of the quizzes, especially the important quizzes for which everyone turns up. Hence the only way for me to win a quiz was by participating in non-descript college quizzes & hoping for a lucky break. That finally happened yesterday (Saturday).
I had won a pretty decent quiz recently, the AFMC Sports quiz, but that after all was a sports quiz. So officially, my General Quizzing victories column still had a big zero in it. But yesterday I finally managed to open my account by winning the Quiz conducted by the Civil Dept. of COEP as a part of their event 'Xearch - 06'. I agree that there were no regular quizzers competing against us except for Siddharth Dani, that it was an extremely short quiz (it lasted just 4 rounds) & that we only gave 3 correct answers during the entire duration of the quiz. But a win is a win & even though this was by no means the greatest achievement of my quizzing career, I had achieved my target - of winning the first prize of Rs. 500. I know it's not much but it's pretty good if you only have to sit for an hour & answer just three questions. As it is I had nothing else to do & my recent spell of partying & eating out meant that I desperately needed something to balance the widening gap between my income & expenditure. Hence it was a pretty good way to spend the afternoon, even though it would have been much more fun if I could have attended the BCQC meeting as well, which I had to leave halfway in order to participate in the Quiz. But I guess you win some & you lose some. And today I won & nobody can take that away from me .
I had won a pretty decent quiz recently, the AFMC Sports quiz, but that after all was a sports quiz. So officially, my General Quizzing victories column still had a big zero in it. But yesterday I finally managed to open my account by winning the Quiz conducted by the Civil Dept. of COEP as a part of their event 'Xearch - 06'. I agree that there were no regular quizzers competing against us except for Siddharth Dani, that it was an extremely short quiz (it lasted just 4 rounds) & that we only gave 3 correct answers during the entire duration of the quiz. But a win is a win & even though this was by no means the greatest achievement of my quizzing career, I had achieved my target - of winning the first prize of Rs. 500. I know it's not much but it's pretty good if you only have to sit for an hour & answer just three questions. As it is I had nothing else to do & my recent spell of partying & eating out meant that I desperately needed something to balance the widening gap between my income & expenditure. Hence it was a pretty good way to spend the afternoon, even though it would have been much more fun if I could have attended the BCQC meeting as well, which I had to leave halfway in order to participate in the Quiz. But I guess you win some & you lose some. And today I won & nobody can take that away from me .
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Andre Nel's attempt at sledging
In cricket, all fast bowlers try to intimidate the batsmen in some way or the other. They may do it the McGrath style (use a lot of f-words) or the Walsh style(just stare hard & remind the batsman that he's lucky to still be in the middle). Personally I prefer the 2nd type marginally more than the first. And the latest addition to the 2nd type has to be Andre Nel. Though unfortunately it didn't work out against Gilchrist, as pointed out by Alec Stewart :
"Andre Nel ... idiot. Actions speak louder than words. He's chirped him [Gilchrist] and then gone for 22 in an over. If I was Nel I'd be embarrassed ... look in the mirror and ask yourself a few questions. Have I made an idiot of myself. Have I let down my country? Yes."
Alec Stewart after Nel's histrionics when he attempted to maintain his hard-man image with Adam Gilchrist at Durban
The event was really hilarious & Nel actually was made to look like an idiot. But he still managed to smile despite all this. The game really needs such characters.
"Andre Nel ... idiot. Actions speak louder than words. He's chirped him [Gilchrist] and then gone for 22 in an over. If I was Nel I'd be embarrassed ... look in the mirror and ask yourself a few questions. Have I made an idiot of myself. Have I let down my country? Yes."
Alec Stewart after Nel's histrionics when he attempted to maintain his hard-man image with Adam Gilchrist at Durban
The event was really hilarious & Nel actually was made to look like an idiot. But he still managed to smile despite all this. The game really needs such characters.
Monday, March 27, 2006
The Sinhagad Trip - II
This is no sequel to the previous one - the cast this time around is totally different except for 3 guys. And also I'd say, it was much more fun.
The Sinhagad trip undertaken by us, the FY students of E&TC has a long history. It was originally planned for the 2nd sunday of January and since then has benn though of & scrapped many a times. The latest occasion was when we were sitting in CCD on Friday the 24th, the last day of T2. But this time, things worked out & the trip became a reality.
Well I may not be the E & TC class topper & nor am I the CR, but I do hold a place of importance in the class. I'm in charge of organising any trip/event/party/any fun thing that our class guys plan to do. In fact if we had an entertainment committee, I'd surely be it's head. Hey that's an interesting idea. Hmmmmmm...........
Anyways, back to the trip. So on Friday we decided to go for the trip on Sunday and almost everybody agreed which is a huge achievement in itself. The next day was sort of a rest day but Saturday night was extremely hectic. Throughout the night me, Amit & Baviskar were sending invitations, reminders & requests to all E & TC students to come for the trip. So what was initially supposed to be a small trip, soon turned into a class picnic with no less than 20 students coming.
We decided to assemble near the boy's hostel at 6:30 AM on sunday morning. And with almost everybody coming on time, we were on our way to Sinhagad by 7:10. By Indian standards, that's very early. We reached there safely enough, despite the extremely bumpy road & with only a small hitch. That was when a few of us (not me) took the wrong route & ended up climbing Sinhagad by road. But they soon realised their folly & joined us at the foothill of the fort.
We started ascending at about 8:10 & kept a good speed in the beginning. But soon the harsh sun took it's toll & one of us (name not given to protect privacy............... okay fine it was Prajakta) started running into all sorts of problems including headaches & dizziness. But we all rallied around her and literally dragged her to the top thus ensuring that she at least completed her first & almost surely last Sinhagad trip.
We reached the top at about 10:10 AM, two hours after we had left. Then began the spree of photo-clicking which ensued for the rest of the day. All of us climbed the arched door that marks the entrance to the fort. That was the easy part, but the most hilarious part was when Shraddha & Sneha struggled & at times almost gave up while climbing down the arch. Boy, did I have a great laugh. The sight of Shraddha, just 2 metres above the ground & yet totally scared while trying to come down was one to remember.
I had already been to Sinhagad once earlier & hence wasn't much interested in sight-seeing. Hence I decided to take a short detour & climbed up to one of the points where cannons were placed & which was totally isolated from the rest of the fort. There I had an awesome time, enjoying nature & feeling it's power to give us peace & tranquility. We sat there for quite a while, chatting & just looking out into the various hills that encompassed the horizon. It was a beautiful place & I really enjoyed every minute I spent there.
But then we had to leave as we had been away from the main group for too long. We joined them soon enough & after spending some more quieter moments at the other end of the fort, we left for lunch. Lunch was pretty good, the 'taak' was awesome & we all had a heavy meal, as a consequence of which none of us was in any mood to roam around & all of usa wanted to return. In fact, most of us (not me yet again) were so tired that they decided to go down by Taxi while six of us - Me, Rohit, Chaitanya, Sneha , Apoorv & Prutha descended down the hill by the same way we came. That took us about 50 minutes, all of which were enjoyable as the sun was hidden by the clouds for most of the time.
After coming back to base, we all left for our next destination - Khadakwasla. This was totally unplanned & as it often happens, it's these unplanned things that give us most of the fun. There we had a total blast in the clear-blue water of the dam, splashing around in the water, trying to hold one's breath & giving bumps to a certain few (unfortunately, that included me) . We spent about an hour and a half there which was for me, the most enjoyable part of the trip.
We then left for home, soaking wet, but happy nevertheless. We reached home safely too, except for the occasional hiccup when 2 of us were fined by the Traffic policemen. But that notwithstanding, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day & one which I would remember for the rest of my life.
The Cast:
Aniket Khasgiwale : (organizer-cum-main target of all the teasing)
Rishikesh Baviskar (the constantly side-schanging sidekick)
Apoorv Vaidya (the financial manager - trust a Kokanastha Brahmin to do this)
Amit Jawade (yeah, he got up early, what a miracle)
Neelesh Balani (dancemaster)
Aditya Patil (the guy who scouted the horizon for a glimpse of SIT)
Kartikeya Lande (the one who managed to fool a traffic policeman once, but was unlucky the next time)
Sagar Gawli (the one who never took his cap off)
Pradeep Patil (photographer-cum-lord of the ring)
Chinmay Kulkarni (we managed to get him into the water finally)
Rohit Pandharkar (the fast guy - fast rider, fast climber & really fast descender. Also the one who was constantly worried about his elevation above sea level as he was trying to calculate the change in potential energy that he would undergo during the trip. The formula he is trying to use is:
delta E = ( (h2-h1) x g x m) - energy spent in neck vibrations )
Expect an answer anytime now.
Chaitanya Salunkhe (the one who started climbing down with Rohit but soon gave up seeing Rohit's speed)
Akshay Khole ( The guy who ate up all the 'dahi'. A very silent guy who managed to evade detection while on his eating spree)
Mayur Sadavarte (The guy who managed to come in time, despite having to pedal all the way from Bibwewadi. Watch out Lance Armstrong, you've got competition )
Milind Deulkar (the one who went up on his bike & came down the same way. Dude I agree it's an awesome bike but can't you leave it alone at least on a trek)
Vaddi Vishwa Shanti (no comments)
Sneha Das (the first girl to climb up & the last one to come down. Hey Rohit, I think she might have the highest value of instantaneous change in potential energy as she spent maximum time on the hill. If I write anything more, I'm dead, so that's it)
Prajakta Pardeshi (the girl who had all sorts of problems but actually had 2 sinhagad trips - her first & her last)
Prutha Shende ( the one who helped Prajakta on her way up & ensured that she never came down the same way)
Shraddha Pandhe ( the one who was really frightened while climbing down just 2 metres. Thank God she didn't attempt descending on foot)
Post-Script : Even though the day was thoroughly enjoyable, in writing it doesn't seem so interesting. I've still got a long way to go in improving my writing skills & I'll try to add more colour to my descriptions in the near future. Hence this post isn't for an outsider who wants to know what we did, but just for the 20 of us who went for the trip & for whom it'll be a refreshing memory.
P.P.S : I request everybody who went for the trip to PLEASE post their comments on the blog. It gives me an idea of how many people actually read whatever I write, as I've taken a lot of effort & time in putting up this post. And this is applicable to everything I write on my blog. So make sure you comment on everything you read. I promise to respond to the comments as well as I can.
P.P.P.S : The quote of the day: "If we had so much fun after a mid-sem exam, imagine what we'd do after the end-semester exam"
- Chinmay Kulkarni
The Sinhagad trip undertaken by us, the FY students of E&TC has a long history. It was originally planned for the 2nd sunday of January and since then has benn though of & scrapped many a times. The latest occasion was when we were sitting in CCD on Friday the 24th, the last day of T2. But this time, things worked out & the trip became a reality.
Well I may not be the E & TC class topper & nor am I the CR, but I do hold a place of importance in the class. I'm in charge of organising any trip/event/party/any fun thing that our class guys plan to do. In fact if we had an entertainment committee, I'd surely be it's head. Hey that's an interesting idea. Hmmmmmm...........
Anyways, back to the trip. So on Friday we decided to go for the trip on Sunday and almost everybody agreed which is a huge achievement in itself. The next day was sort of a rest day but Saturday night was extremely hectic. Throughout the night me, Amit & Baviskar were sending invitations, reminders & requests to all E & TC students to come for the trip. So what was initially supposed to be a small trip, soon turned into a class picnic with no less than 20 students coming.
We decided to assemble near the boy's hostel at 6:30 AM on sunday morning. And with almost everybody coming on time, we were on our way to Sinhagad by 7:10. By Indian standards, that's very early. We reached there safely enough, despite the extremely bumpy road & with only a small hitch. That was when a few of us (not me) took the wrong route & ended up climbing Sinhagad by road. But they soon realised their folly & joined us at the foothill of the fort.
We started ascending at about 8:10 & kept a good speed in the beginning. But soon the harsh sun took it's toll & one of us (name not given to protect privacy............... okay fine it was Prajakta) started running into all sorts of problems including headaches & dizziness. But we all rallied around her and literally dragged her to the top thus ensuring that she at least completed her first & almost surely last Sinhagad trip.
We reached the top at about 10:10 AM, two hours after we had left. Then began the spree of photo-clicking which ensued for the rest of the day. All of us climbed the arched door that marks the entrance to the fort. That was the easy part, but the most hilarious part was when Shraddha & Sneha struggled & at times almost gave up while climbing down the arch. Boy, did I have a great laugh. The sight of Shraddha, just 2 metres above the ground & yet totally scared while trying to come down was one to remember.
I had already been to Sinhagad once earlier & hence wasn't much interested in sight-seeing. Hence I decided to take a short detour & climbed up to one of the points where cannons were placed & which was totally isolated from the rest of the fort. There I had an awesome time, enjoying nature & feeling it's power to give us peace & tranquility. We sat there for quite a while, chatting & just looking out into the various hills that encompassed the horizon. It was a beautiful place & I really enjoyed every minute I spent there.
But then we had to leave as we had been away from the main group for too long. We joined them soon enough & after spending some more quieter moments at the other end of the fort, we left for lunch. Lunch was pretty good, the 'taak' was awesome & we all had a heavy meal, as a consequence of which none of us was in any mood to roam around & all of usa wanted to return. In fact, most of us (not me yet again) were so tired that they decided to go down by Taxi while six of us - Me, Rohit, Chaitanya, Sneha , Apoorv & Prutha descended down the hill by the same way we came. That took us about 50 minutes, all of which were enjoyable as the sun was hidden by the clouds for most of the time.
After coming back to base, we all left for our next destination - Khadakwasla. This was totally unplanned & as it often happens, it's these unplanned things that give us most of the fun. There we had a total blast in the clear-blue water of the dam, splashing around in the water, trying to hold one's breath & giving bumps to a certain few (unfortunately, that included me) . We spent about an hour and a half there which was for me, the most enjoyable part of the trip.
We then left for home, soaking wet, but happy nevertheless. We reached home safely too, except for the occasional hiccup when 2 of us were fined by the Traffic policemen. But that notwithstanding, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day & one which I would remember for the rest of my life.
The Cast:
Aniket Khasgiwale : (organizer-cum-main target of all the teasing)
Rishikesh Baviskar (the constantly side-schanging sidekick)
Apoorv Vaidya (the financial manager - trust a Kokanastha Brahmin to do this)
Amit Jawade (yeah, he got up early, what a miracle)
Neelesh Balani (dancemaster)
Aditya Patil (the guy who scouted the horizon for a glimpse of SIT)
Kartikeya Lande (the one who managed to fool a traffic policeman once, but was unlucky the next time)
Sagar Gawli (the one who never took his cap off)
Pradeep Patil (photographer-cum-lord of the ring)
Chinmay Kulkarni (we managed to get him into the water finally)
Rohit Pandharkar (the fast guy - fast rider, fast climber & really fast descender. Also the one who was constantly worried about his elevation above sea level as he was trying to calculate the change in potential energy that he would undergo during the trip. The formula he is trying to use is:
delta E = ( (h2-h1) x g x m) - energy spent in neck vibrations )
Expect an answer anytime now.
Chaitanya Salunkhe (the one who started climbing down with Rohit but soon gave up seeing Rohit's speed)
Akshay Khole ( The guy who ate up all the 'dahi'. A very silent guy who managed to evade detection while on his eating spree)
Mayur Sadavarte (The guy who managed to come in time, despite having to pedal all the way from Bibwewadi. Watch out Lance Armstrong, you've got competition )
Milind Deulkar (the one who went up on his bike & came down the same way. Dude I agree it's an awesome bike but can't you leave it alone at least on a trek)
Vaddi Vishwa Shanti (no comments)
Sneha Das (the first girl to climb up & the last one to come down. Hey Rohit, I think she might have the highest value of instantaneous change in potential energy as she spent maximum time on the hill. If I write anything more, I'm dead, so that's it)
Prajakta Pardeshi (the girl who had all sorts of problems but actually had 2 sinhagad trips - her first & her last)
Prutha Shende ( the one who helped Prajakta on her way up & ensured that she never came down the same way)
Shraddha Pandhe ( the one who was really frightened while climbing down just 2 metres. Thank God she didn't attempt descending on foot)
Post-Script : Even though the day was thoroughly enjoyable, in writing it doesn't seem so interesting. I've still got a long way to go in improving my writing skills & I'll try to add more colour to my descriptions in the near future. Hence this post isn't for an outsider who wants to know what we did, but just for the 20 of us who went for the trip & for whom it'll be a refreshing memory.
P.P.S : I request everybody who went for the trip to PLEASE post their comments on the blog. It gives me an idea of how many people actually read whatever I write, as I've taken a lot of effort & time in putting up this post. And this is applicable to everything I write on my blog. So make sure you comment on everything you read. I promise to respond to the comments as well as I can.
P.P.P.S : The quote of the day: "If we had so much fun after a mid-sem exam, imagine what we'd do after the end-semester exam"
- Chinmay Kulkarni
The party after
By now, everybody knows about the disaster called T2 (refer previous post) which struck me recently. Lesser mortals would have yielded to it & would have sulked & pondered over it for a long time. But me, I'm different. I decided to get over it by having one big blast. Read on...
24th March 2006, Friday:
The Graphics paper in T2 was by far the worst paper of my life. The same was true for many others too but for guys like me whose linework is as dirty as a PMC dustbin, it was totally woeful. In fact I'm running out of bad words to describe my latest (non)performance & since I don't have a Thesaurus with me right now, I'm forced to switch the topic.
As I was saying, I had a blast after the T2. After the exam was over, I returned to the Hostel with my friends. All of them were pretty glum & in order to get over this sad mood, we played some music. And then my friend Raghav just started dancing. That immediately changed everything & soon four of us joined him and converted the room into a dance floor & danced to music played at full volume, paying no heed to the Mech. students studying next door. We danced for quite a while before finally running out of songs. But after the dance came the movie. We all left for E-Square to watch 'Being Cyrus'. This was the only the 2nd time I was watching a movie on the day of it's release. That it was also the day of the worst exam in my life didn't bother me much & I thoroughly enjoyed the movie which I would thoroughly recommend to all those who like dark, witty & distorted movies.
After the movie, it was destination CCD. There everybody drowned their sorrow in mugs of ice-cold coffee & had quite a good time. It was also the venue for an impromptu mobile phone vibration mode competition, which after a closely fought tussle was won by Chinmay Kulkarni. I, due to my awesome cell, was unable to participate. But that was the highlight of the day.
But it had to end sometime. And it ended soon after that with all of us going home late in the evening. But before we left we made or rather re-made a plan which was long overdue - the trip to Sinhagad. More details in the next post.
24th March 2006, Friday:
The Graphics paper in T2 was by far the worst paper of my life. The same was true for many others too but for guys like me whose linework is as dirty as a PMC dustbin, it was totally woeful. In fact I'm running out of bad words to describe my latest (non)performance & since I don't have a Thesaurus with me right now, I'm forced to switch the topic.
As I was saying, I had a blast after the T2. After the exam was over, I returned to the Hostel with my friends. All of them were pretty glum & in order to get over this sad mood, we played some music. And then my friend Raghav just started dancing. That immediately changed everything & soon four of us joined him and converted the room into a dance floor & danced to music played at full volume, paying no heed to the Mech. students studying next door. We danced for quite a while before finally running out of songs. But after the dance came the movie. We all left for E-Square to watch 'Being Cyrus'. This was the only the 2nd time I was watching a movie on the day of it's release. That it was also the day of the worst exam in my life didn't bother me much & I thoroughly enjoyed the movie which I would thoroughly recommend to all those who like dark, witty & distorted movies.
After the movie, it was destination CCD. There everybody drowned their sorrow in mugs of ice-cold coffee & had quite a good time. It was also the venue for an impromptu mobile phone vibration mode competition, which after a closely fought tussle was won by Chinmay Kulkarni. I, due to my awesome cell, was unable to participate. But that was the highlight of the day.
But it had to end sometime. And it ended soon after that with all of us going home late in the evening. But before we left we made or rather re-made a plan which was long overdue - the trip to Sinhagad. More details in the next post.
Damn the T2
Q: What is the main similarity between me & Sachin Tendulkar?
A: Both are woefully out of form.
When I joined COEP & came to know about the T1, T2 & end-semester system, I was pretty pleased. That's because while joining an Engg. college, in the beginning all you hope for is to get an 'all-clear' tag from the first year itself. But further events showed that I was way, way off target.
The T1, T2 system totally sucks. In the first semester we had a combined test in mid-semester which was pretty good as we all did well in it. So this semester was my first experience of T1 & T2 as two separate exams and mind you, it was horrible.
Initially I felt that my T1 went badly, but now after my T2 I know that T1 was much better than the disaster called T2. Much, much better. I didn't feel too bad after the T1 as I was lucky enough to score well in a few subjects. But T2 really knocked me out flat. And the worst part is that I had studied a lot for this test & hence my dismal performance is inexcusable. The only plausible reason I can give for my bad performance is that I had a 'mental block' during the paper, which is totally 'mental'. Hence the search for a better excuse & some better marks still continues. I hope it ends soon.
At least before Sachin's slump.
A: Both are woefully out of form.
When I joined COEP & came to know about the T1, T2 & end-semester system, I was pretty pleased. That's because while joining an Engg. college, in the beginning all you hope for is to get an 'all-clear' tag from the first year itself. But further events showed that I was way, way off target.
The T1, T2 system totally sucks. In the first semester we had a combined test in mid-semester which was pretty good as we all did well in it. So this semester was my first experience of T1 & T2 as two separate exams and mind you, it was horrible.
Initially I felt that my T1 went badly, but now after my T2 I know that T1 was much better than the disaster called T2. Much, much better. I didn't feel too bad after the T1 as I was lucky enough to score well in a few subjects. But T2 really knocked me out flat. And the worst part is that I had studied a lot for this test & hence my dismal performance is inexcusable. The only plausible reason I can give for my bad performance is that I had a 'mental block' during the paper, which is totally 'mental'. Hence the search for a better excuse & some better marks still continues. I hope it ends soon.
At least before Sachin's slump.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
The greatest one-day match ever
Much has already been said & enough written about Sunday's cricket match between Australia & South Africa. It's still not enough. I've seen many matches, especially one-dayers, but this one was something unbelievable. For a team to score 434 runs in just 300 balls is remarkable in itself, & that too against a strong bowling attack like the South African. So for the other team to successfully chase it is something out of this world.
Till now my favourite one-day match was the 1999 World Cup semi-final between the same two teams. It was a similar thriller, though a much low-scoring one. But now it has to be this match, even though I'm an Australian supporter. So much entertainment in one single match - truly unbelievable.
For two days my biggest regret was my having missed the match. I only got a chance to see the post match celebrations & that made it even worse. But today by sheer luck I walked into the mess to see the TV on & everybody tuned in to the replay of the match. Nothing, not even the T2 around the corner could have prevented me from watching it then. After all, we have exams every other month but such matches are truly rare. To sum it up in one sentence, stated by Tony Greig, it was 'The best one-day match ever'.
Till now my favourite one-day match was the 1999 World Cup semi-final between the same two teams. It was a similar thriller, though a much low-scoring one. But now it has to be this match, even though I'm an Australian supporter. So much entertainment in one single match - truly unbelievable.
For two days my biggest regret was my having missed the match. I only got a chance to see the post match celebrations & that made it even worse. But today by sheer luck I walked into the mess to see the TV on & everybody tuned in to the replay of the match. Nothing, not even the T2 around the corner could have prevented me from watching it then. After all, we have exams every other month but such matches are truly rare. To sum it up in one sentence, stated by Tony Greig, it was 'The best one-day match ever'.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Guess who's back? .........Back again?
Sorry for the insane delay in updating my blog, but I can say that I have been pretty busy of late. The reason is the college gathering which was held in the first week of this month. Needless to say, I had a complete blast. Here are the daily posts which I should have made then:
March 6 : The skipping party
Yes, the partying isn't done yet. Today evening was the skipping party, to commemorate our great World Record breaking feat. The party was at hotel Sanskruti on the Solapur highway. The hotel provided us with unlimited snacks & soft drinks. No wonder I had fun. I also got a chance to play Kabaddi on the green lawns of the hotel. That I escaped unhurt & unscathed from the game is a great achievement.
After all the playing came the dancing. However, today I was content with watching others dance. I'd had enough of it already. Then there was the felicitation function followed by dinner which was really good. After dinner, all of us had a get-together which we really enjoyed. That lasted till 11:30 PM afetr which we had to leave. But the fun wasn't over yet. We had a great time on the return journey on the bus, singing & shouting all the way back. A great day.
After all the playing came the dancing. However, today I was content with watching others dance. I'd had enough of it already. Then there was the felicitation function followed by dinner which was really good. After dinner, all of us had a get-together which we really enjoyed. That lasted till 11:30 PM afetr which we had to leave. But the fun wasn't over yet. We had a great time on the return journey on the bus, singing & shouting all the way back. A great day.
March 5 : The 78th annual Regatta
Today is the day most of the college has been waiting for. The Regatta is one of the most popular college events & notwithstanding last year's tragedy, many turned up for the show. I had to go really early to catch a seat in a good position. The show was awesome. The Kayak Ballet was awesome & so were the Telematches which consisted of a huge fireworks show. However, being a staunch 'Say no to fireworks' activist, I felt bad on seeing the number of fireworks they were cracking & even worse when I realised that they must've been doing this everyday in practice. I can still feel the polluted air in my lungs.
After the Telematches came the Mashal Dance. And even though I had seen the guys in practice, I was thrilled by the actual performance. Everything was almost perfect, not a single error. Hats off to you guys. Somehow the Mashal Dance guys are always under-rated, don't know why. Maybe because every FE ite wants to be a part of the Punt Formation. But after today's show even I felt like participating in the Mashal Dance. But that feeling soon ended when I came to know that they had practised for as much as 18 hours daily during the last week. NO WAY am I doing that.
And then finally we come to the PF. As I'd said earlier, these guys were great in practice. So the finale came as a bit of an anti-climax to me. I had seen these guys perform much better in practice & felt let-down by the actual show. However the show they put on was still a great one & everybody who was watching it for the first time love it. The PF brought an end to the Reagatta & in fact the whole Gathering.
All in all, the gathering was a great experience, a once-in-a-lifetime (actually 4 times in a lifetime) event. I had a lot of fun. I just can't wait for next year's gathering.
After the Telematches came the Mashal Dance. And even though I had seen the guys in practice, I was thrilled by the actual performance. Everything was almost perfect, not a single error. Hats off to you guys. Somehow the Mashal Dance guys are always under-rated, don't know why. Maybe because every FE ite wants to be a part of the Punt Formation. But after today's show even I felt like participating in the Mashal Dance. But that feeling soon ended when I came to know that they had practised for as much as 18 hours daily during the last week. NO WAY am I doing that.
And then finally we come to the PF. As I'd said earlier, these guys were great in practice. So the finale came as a bit of an anti-climax to me. I had seen these guys perform much better in practice & felt let-down by the actual show. However the show they put on was still a great one & everybody who was watching it for the first time love it. The PF brought an end to the Reagatta & in fact the whole Gathering.
All in all, the gathering was a great experience, a once-in-a-lifetime (actually 4 times in a lifetime) event. I had a lot of fun. I just can't wait for next year's gathering.
March 4 : Gymkhana day
The day began with 'COEP Shree' - a bodybuilding competition. Needless to say, I won hands down. All those who actually thought the previous sentence was true need to consult their nearest psychiatrist.
After that there was the 'Mr & Miss COEP' contest. Also in today's itinerary was the Awards distribution function & the play 'Conditions Apply'. As I was absent for all this, let's move on to tomorrow.
After that there was the 'Mr & Miss COEP' contest. Also in today's itinerary was the Awards distribution function & the play 'Conditions Apply'. As I was absent for all this, let's move on to tomorrow.
March 3 : Variety Entertainment II
The day began yet again with cricket. However I couldn't do much batting today & had to be content with fielding practice. But still, a good start to the day.
After that I went to the college to see the variety entertainment programme. It was the same programme as yesterday, but today the audience consisted of SE & BE ites. They were literally swinging with the songs & dancing with the dances. This inspired the performers to put up an even better show. I really enjoyed it once again, despite the repetition. Of course I wasn't meant to be there, being an FE ite, but I've never paid much attention to rules & the fact that even the college doesn't helps.
Then came a 3-act play performed by the college students. The play was 'Moruchi Mavshi' & the title role was brilliantly enacted. The play was very good, totally hilarious & never boring. It was a totally enjoyable experience. I was all the more pleased for one of my friends, Raghav, played a major role & he pulled it off pretty well. Great job dude!
After that it was supposed to be Karaoke night. I was somehow convinced by my friends to sing & I duly enrolled to sing 'In the End' by Linkin Park. I know this comes as a shock to all those who have endured or rather suffered my singing. How I managed to be convinced is still a mystery. However, I must clarify that, contrary to popular belief, no terrorist group had asked me to sing in public. No terrorist group would attempt such a devastating
feat. However the public got bored of the Karaoke night & brought it to an end before my turn came, thus averting a disaster. Instead of Karaoke, we now had the public dancing once again to popular dance tracks. Which obviously means that I was dancing too. However it soon came to an end, so I got to dance for only 2 hours.
This was once again followed by dinner. Of course I wasn't supposed to have dinner tonight as it was the turn of the SE & BE students, but I slipped in nonetheless. Tonight's dinner was made a bit more interesting by the Rabri drinking competition we had. I performed miserably, drinking only 5 cups of Rabri while the winner drank 13. I'd never been so thoroughly beaten in any eating or drinking competition & I promise to put up a better fight next time.
Yet again I was in no mood to go to the hostel & found myself at the BC again. The PF guys were still practising & I stayed on to watch them. I had a great time, gazing into the night sky, looking at the stars, the planes & also the PF practice. The PF guys put on a really good show tonight. And so did the Mashal Dance guys. All this meant that I was at the BC till about three AM. After this, the PF practice ended & I returned to the hostel.
After that I went to the college to see the variety entertainment programme. It was the same programme as yesterday, but today the audience consisted of SE & BE ites. They were literally swinging with the songs & dancing with the dances. This inspired the performers to put up an even better show. I really enjoyed it once again, despite the repetition. Of course I wasn't meant to be there, being an FE ite, but I've never paid much attention to rules & the fact that even the college doesn't helps.
Then came a 3-act play performed by the college students. The play was 'Moruchi Mavshi' & the title role was brilliantly enacted. The play was very good, totally hilarious & never boring. It was a totally enjoyable experience. I was all the more pleased for one of my friends, Raghav, played a major role & he pulled it off pretty well. Great job dude!
After that it was supposed to be Karaoke night. I was somehow convinced by my friends to sing & I duly enrolled to sing 'In the End' by Linkin Park. I know this comes as a shock to all those who have endured or rather suffered my singing. How I managed to be convinced is still a mystery. However, I must clarify that, contrary to popular belief, no terrorist group had asked me to sing in public. No terrorist group would attempt such a devastating
feat. However the public got bored of the Karaoke night & brought it to an end before my turn came, thus averting a disaster. Instead of Karaoke, we now had the public dancing once again to popular dance tracks. Which obviously means that I was dancing too. However it soon came to an end, so I got to dance for only 2 hours.
This was once again followed by dinner. Of course I wasn't supposed to have dinner tonight as it was the turn of the SE & BE students, but I slipped in nonetheless. Tonight's dinner was made a bit more interesting by the Rabri drinking competition we had. I performed miserably, drinking only 5 cups of Rabri while the winner drank 13. I'd never been so thoroughly beaten in any eating or drinking competition & I promise to put up a better fight next time.
Yet again I was in no mood to go to the hostel & found myself at the BC again. The PF guys were still practising & I stayed on to watch them. I had a great time, gazing into the night sky, looking at the stars, the planes & also the PF practice. The PF guys put on a really good show tonight. And so did the Mashal Dance guys. All this meant that I was at the BC till about three AM. After this, the PF practice ended & I returned to the hostel.
March 2 : Variety entertainment
The day began with a different kind of entertainment. For a cricket buff, I play very little of the game. In fact I hadn't played cricket since the last summer vacations & that seems like an age ago. Hence I was more than thrilled when I got a chance to play cricket early in the morning. I got a chance once again to experience the thrill of batting. Batting gives me a pleasure unmatched by anything else. Once I pick up the bat, it's as if I'm isolated from the outer world. The only thing that matters is the ball that I'm facing. It gives me such satisfaction & peace that nothing else even comes close, not even listening to Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. The joy of batting is second to none. And if you're batting well, well it's icing on the cake.
Yeah I know what you're feeling - 'Who the hell does he think he is, writing about batting as if he is a great player? Enough of this bullshit, get on with your day.' So in your interest, my dear reader, I move over to the next thing I did today.
As I've said earlier, today was the day of variety entertainment in the college. The show began at 1000 hrs, commendable considering that it was only half-an-hour late. It consisted of various songs & dances woven around a common theme - life in COEP. It was extremely hilarious & the dances were good. The only problem seemed to be the crowd which consisted of FE ites & TE ites & which seemed largely uninterested. Nevertheless it was a great show.
Then came the evening & possibly the best part of the day - the DJ nite. Once again we grooved to the beats of the latest numbers for almost three hours. And despite it being a cool night, I was yet again drenched with sweat. I had danced non-stop for the entire duration so this was expected. What was unexpected was the fact that towards the end I was dancing almost hysterically, like a man who's having a fit. I have since been asked many a times why I was dancing like a madman. I still haven't found an answer.
After the dance came dinner. No, not in another hotel but this time in the college itself. During the gathering, the college even serves dinner for a night. And the food was pretty good too. Hey, I eat in a hostel mess everyday, so such food is bound to taste good. After dinner, I was still in the party mood, so intead of returning to the hostel I went to the BC. There I saw the Punt Formation guys practising their show. Have to say, they did a good job. But after the day's exertions I was soon tired & returned to the hostel for a good night's sleep.
Yeah I know what you're feeling - 'Who the hell does he think he is, writing about batting as if he is a great player? Enough of this bullshit, get on with your day.' So in your interest, my dear reader, I move over to the next thing I did today.
As I've said earlier, today was the day of variety entertainment in the college. The show began at 1000 hrs, commendable considering that it was only half-an-hour late. It consisted of various songs & dances woven around a common theme - life in COEP. It was extremely hilarious & the dances were good. The only problem seemed to be the crowd which consisted of FE ites & TE ites & which seemed largely uninterested. Nevertheless it was a great show.
Then came the evening & possibly the best part of the day - the DJ nite. Once again we grooved to the beats of the latest numbers for almost three hours. And despite it being a cool night, I was yet again drenched with sweat. I had danced non-stop for the entire duration so this was expected. What was unexpected was the fact that towards the end I was dancing almost hysterically, like a man who's having a fit. I have since been asked many a times why I was dancing like a madman. I still haven't found an answer.
After the dance came dinner. No, not in another hotel but this time in the college itself. During the gathering, the college even serves dinner for a night. And the food was pretty good too. Hey, I eat in a hostel mess everyday, so such food is bound to taste good. After dinner, I was still in the party mood, so intead of returning to the hostel I went to the BC. There I saw the Punt Formation guys practising their show. Have to say, they did a good job. But after the day's exertions I was soon tired & returned to the hostel for a good night's sleep.
March 1 : Traditional Day
I had never ever worn a traditional outfit in my life. NEVER. Not even for family functions. And I never attended traditional days in junior college. Hence today, for the first time ever, I'm wearing a traditional outfit, thanks to Rohit, from whom I borrowed it. And I must confess, the only reason why I never wore traditional clothes - they are too uncomfortable- proved to be false.
I am one of the lucky guys at the hostel who managed to get hold of a traditional outfit. The others, notably my classmate Rishikesh Baviskar, had to stay back at the hostel wearing a disappointed look. Hence I was pretty happy when I slipped on my Kurta when I realised that it had no buttons. This led to panic - I was soon running all over the hostel searching for spare buttons, but they were nowhere to be found. Then I asked one of my friends whether he had a safety pin. The confused look on his face said it all - a safety pin???? How the hell would I have a safety pin? But I was determined to attend college and continued my search for the elusive pin or button or rather anything which would help me out. Then came divine intervention. Another one of my friends emptied his pockets and out popped a safety pin. Despite consequent investigation the origins of the pin are still obscure. But it WAS a pin & it was there for the taking & I grabbed it with both hands. Soon I was on my way to college.
The atmosphere at the Boat Club was amazing. I had never seen so many people there. Some students had taken the idea of traditional day a bit too seriously & hence there was a bullock cart outside the BC, loaded with students in traditional outfits playing Dholaks. And along with the traditional music there was also another kind of music - a DJ was playing at the BC. This was the first time I'd seen a DJ perform in any college, but then COEP is a great college after all so one should expect the unexpected. And the DJ gig soon became a regular feature - he surfaced at the the BC 4 times that week.
And now comes another first. I had never danced in public. NEVER. But the music was inviting & the fact that everybody else was dancing was even more so. Soon I joined the bandwagon & started swinging to the music. Hell it was fun. And the fun soon grew, when Rishikesh & other friends of mine came to the party. They had totally failed to obtain a traditional outfit - even the guy who rents sherwanis at the hostel(yes there is such a guy, great business sense I must say) had run out of them. But then somehow they got hold of the white caps worn by Muslims & came to the BC wearing those. The fact that they wore T-shirts & Jeans & also that none of them was Muslim was inconsequential. They joined me & we all had a blast, dancing like we'd never danced before.
Those who know me know that I never drink soft drinks, except on rare occasions. Well, today was one such occasion. After dancing for almost an hour and a half, I was drenched with sweat from top to bottom. In such a condition a soft drink is hard to resist & I gave in to the temptation.
Soon it all ended. The DJ packed up & left. I left too, & along with my E & TC classmates went out to eat after which I returned to the hostel. The eating out has to be a peculiarity of our group. If all of us happen to be free, we always end up going out to eat. This means that we have eaten at almost all the restaurants on JM & FC roads. This coupled with the fact that I'm a hostelite means that I have a lot of meals in hotels. If this continues, at the end of 4 years, you can expect a book from me titled 'Restaurants in Pune'. Till then, make do with this blog.
I am one of the lucky guys at the hostel who managed to get hold of a traditional outfit. The others, notably my classmate Rishikesh Baviskar, had to stay back at the hostel wearing a disappointed look. Hence I was pretty happy when I slipped on my Kurta when I realised that it had no buttons. This led to panic - I was soon running all over the hostel searching for spare buttons, but they were nowhere to be found. Then I asked one of my friends whether he had a safety pin. The confused look on his face said it all - a safety pin???? How the hell would I have a safety pin? But I was determined to attend college and continued my search for the elusive pin or button or rather anything which would help me out. Then came divine intervention. Another one of my friends emptied his pockets and out popped a safety pin. Despite consequent investigation the origins of the pin are still obscure. But it WAS a pin & it was there for the taking & I grabbed it with both hands. Soon I was on my way to college.
The atmosphere at the Boat Club was amazing. I had never seen so many people there. Some students had taken the idea of traditional day a bit too seriously & hence there was a bullock cart outside the BC, loaded with students in traditional outfits playing Dholaks. And along with the traditional music there was also another kind of music - a DJ was playing at the BC. This was the first time I'd seen a DJ perform in any college, but then COEP is a great college after all so one should expect the unexpected. And the DJ gig soon became a regular feature - he surfaced at the the BC 4 times that week.
And now comes another first. I had never danced in public. NEVER. But the music was inviting & the fact that everybody else was dancing was even more so. Soon I joined the bandwagon & started swinging to the music. Hell it was fun. And the fun soon grew, when Rishikesh & other friends of mine came to the party. They had totally failed to obtain a traditional outfit - even the guy who rents sherwanis at the hostel(yes there is such a guy, great business sense I must say) had run out of them. But then somehow they got hold of the white caps worn by Muslims & came to the BC wearing those. The fact that they wore T-shirts & Jeans & also that none of them was Muslim was inconsequential. They joined me & we all had a blast, dancing like we'd never danced before.
Those who know me know that I never drink soft drinks, except on rare occasions. Well, today was one such occasion. After dancing for almost an hour and a half, I was drenched with sweat from top to bottom. In such a condition a soft drink is hard to resist & I gave in to the temptation.
Soon it all ended. The DJ packed up & left. I left too, & along with my E & TC classmates went out to eat after which I returned to the hostel. The eating out has to be a peculiarity of our group. If all of us happen to be free, we always end up going out to eat. This means that we have eaten at almost all the restaurants on JM & FC roads. This coupled with the fact that I'm a hostelite means that I have a lot of meals in hotels. If this continues, at the end of 4 years, you can expect a book from me titled 'Restaurants in Pune'. Till then, make do with this blog.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
WE HAVE DONE IT!!!!
Firstly, my sincere apologies for being so late in posting this. But I was a bit busy in organising a sports quiz so I apologize.
And now to begin. I have already stated before that during practice we had already broken the skipping world record. However for it to be ratified by Guinness, it has to take place before at least 2 judges & 1 legal representative. That's why we had assembled on Sunday the 26th of Feb at seven-thirty in the morning - to show the world that we have what it takes to break the world record. It was the final step in the completion of 'Mission Magical Manouevre'.
The record attempts began at about 8:30 AM. The first few attempts were unsuccessful but we never lost hope. We then had a small break after which we again started with our attempts. And finally on our 10th attempt we managed to skip 14 times - thus creating a new world record. The existing World record was 12 jumps by 220 people & we broke it by jumping 14 times & that too with a total of 292 students. Now that's one hell of an achievement.
And then we all went nuts, giving high fives, congratulating everyone, giving hugs & hoisting the organisers, Sagar, Nachiket & PC one by one on our shoulders. It was a great moment, all our hard work had paid off & everybody had a blast. Soon we were dancing, singing & getting group photos clicked. It is simply unforgettable.
Many people disagree with the name of the event - 'Mission Magical Manouevre'. But I think it fits the bill perfectly. Because it may not be magic like getting a bunny out of a hat but 292 people coming together, jumping together, succeeding together & celebrating together IS Magic.
And now to begin. I have already stated before that during practice we had already broken the skipping world record. However for it to be ratified by Guinness, it has to take place before at least 2 judges & 1 legal representative. That's why we had assembled on Sunday the 26th of Feb at seven-thirty in the morning - to show the world that we have what it takes to break the world record. It was the final step in the completion of 'Mission Magical Manouevre'.
The record attempts began at about 8:30 AM. The first few attempts were unsuccessful but we never lost hope. We then had a small break after which we again started with our attempts. And finally on our 10th attempt we managed to skip 14 times - thus creating a new world record. The existing World record was 12 jumps by 220 people & we broke it by jumping 14 times & that too with a total of 292 students. Now that's one hell of an achievement.
And then we all went nuts, giving high fives, congratulating everyone, giving hugs & hoisting the organisers, Sagar, Nachiket & PC one by one on our shoulders. It was a great moment, all our hard work had paid off & everybody had a blast. Soon we were dancing, singing & getting group photos clicked. It is simply unforgettable.
Many people disagree with the name of the event - 'Mission Magical Manouevre'. But I think it fits the bill perfectly. Because it may not be magic like getting a bunny out of a hat but 292 people coming together, jumping together, succeeding together & celebrating together IS Magic.
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