In Muse Mode...

As I read Jan's text on friendship day, realization suddenly dawned on me. This is the last chance for most of us to celebrate the first Sunday of August, as students!
I take a trip down the memory lane, though the heavy Forouzan textbook on my lap suggests a different form of activity for now.

I do not remember when exactly we started celebrating Friendship Day. I never knew its purpose and did not care enough to find out. It just meant fun, pure and absolute, in our good old school days. Running around on the First Monday of August, a scissor in one hand and a roll of "Friendship Band" in another hand, we used to tie the cut out pieces of the band around the hand of anyone we even remotely knew. There was a lot of competition on who got the maximum number of bands on her hand. Some even had bands extending upto their elbows on both hands! Cycling back from school, I remember trying to show off my hand and seeing how many people noticed the "Status Symbol" of any middle/high school kid.
Those days of innocence were gone soon enough and there occured two phenomena in my life- College and Cell Phone. Text messages on the value of friendship became substitutes for the affectionate and eager fingers that tied the colourful bands around my hands. Tying bands in college was "childish" and never practised. We had once contemplated tying Rakhis to all guys in the class ;) but Friendship bands were obsolete!
I feel sad as I respond in the negative to the messages from my school friends asking if I'd attend the Alumni meet scheduled for tomorrow. Though I had been looking forward to this meet for months, it must be postponed now. Whether or not I shall succeed in the endeavour I plan to pursue instead of attending the meet, No One Knows! Hoping for the Best!
Shall update this space on my Cisco-adventure, even if it becomes a misadventure, resulting in my having lunch at home on Monday with alternate plans buzzing around my head...

An Incredible thought that worked!

Placement Special Classes- The words that were anathema to me two months back. I would happily spend any number of hours at KT, racking my brains with Quants while I'd simply loathe spending half an hour doing C Snippets. I was just that way, and no amount of requests or even orders delivered with hard-concocted glares from my PR Yasoda (who, by the way, is otherwise an Epitome of Patience) could change me. "Give me an apti paper; I'll solve and return it in ten minutes. Give me a C paper; Forget it."- was my attitude. Placements were something I had failed to visualize in the near future.
Suddenly the P-fever caught up in our college last week with the much-hyped D.E.Shaw(10.5-12 Lakhs per annum) coming in first and rejecting all B.E. candidates. Along the trail came ThoughtWorks on Friday. I attended the Pre-Placement Talk and decided that I wouldn't go beyond the first couple of rounds at the maximum. (J2EE is considered most basic there and I knew nothing other than a little of C/C++).
After breezing through the Logical written round, I faced an interesting coding problem, upon solving which, I was shortlisted for the Technical Interview the next day. This was where the jitters began! My software knowledge was almost next to nothing and I had to attend an interview along with CSE and IT students who were skilled in languages I hadn't even heard of!!
The interview brought me a flood of relief as the panel member wanted to check my understanding of previously learnt concepts and analytical skills rather than question me on things I wasn't familiar with. Still, unsatisfied with my performance, I went home. After lunch, came a call from my PR- "You are selected for the next round. Come as soon as possible". Absolutely befuddled, I rushed to college, to find Yasoda grinning happily and handing me a "Complete Reference to C++" text, saying "Ithu varaikum epdiyo vanthutta. Take an effort and prepare for this round. Get placed, Shilpa. Do your Best!"
Moved by her concern, I did make an effort to read that gargantuan book. For ten minutes. Then followed a sheepish grin at her. She couldn't help smiling. We put the book away and started chatting! My only preparation for the second interview was asking the questions posed to the people who finished before me in that five-hour gap. It was then that my respect for Yasoda grew rapidly. A girl who has opted out of placement, having no business other than giving me company in the serious Waiting hall, sat there more patiently than me, encouraging and helping me keep my calm. For a question on an electrical circuits (posed to a friend) she even called her father (a TNEB employee) to get the doubt clarified!
Astonished, Awed and thoroughly Happy to have such a selfless girl for my PR, I went and attended the second round confidently. Towards the end of it, I put forth my wish to be a Business Analyst, which, I think, made all the difference. After a comfortable chat (HR interview) and a short written test, the boy PR congratulated us! Two ECE students were part of the Four who finally got placed!!!
Yasoda's smiley-filled message reached every inbox even before the offer letter was lodged between my fingers! She was absolutely thrilled. Untiringly, she had bought something for us to eat, at 11 p.m. when I was inside the cell!!
We exited the Placement Cell, 30 minutes short of midnight, ecstasy writ all over our faces. Explanation to watchmen, drive on a rain-wet road, walk to the hostel, friends receiving us and Food! at midnight :) :)
A wonderful day (and night)- through and through!!

WCTC!

"Organize the World Classical Tamil Conference"- the judge of an event in my college sprung a surprise on the finalists, sometime last September. With no clue whatsoever regarding the magnitude of the event, we started planning, discussing, drawing up lists and charts. It was fun!
But now as I see the city all decked up for the five-day fest, with people actually organizing it and working round the clock, I sense an overwhelming amount of skepticism all over. This is no fun event and those who execute the organizational plans are all but happy. The newspapers carry ads wishing the conference success and show pictures with smiling faces all over. Are the smiles genuine? Happiness is worthless if it is shown just because it is required of us. Look at the face of any of the several Policemen standing on duty in the scorching sun throughout the day, and you will know how much they enjoy working for and being a vital part of the conference.
Avinashi Road looks good (despite the long-forgotten and messed-up six-lane system). The traffic signals and streetlights are good; let's hope they last for quite a few years. The VOC Ground is as unrecognizably cool as obviously artificial and temporary. I haven't seen Codissia complex in person; its glittering photo in 'The Hindu' is attractive, but why does it remind me of the several hours of power cut (occasionally even 5 hours a day)we had to endure over these past few months??
While we were drawing up the list of dignitaries to be invited in that mock WCTC, Dr. Abdul Kalam was somewhere at the top. Whereas the actual organizers (who apparently know better than us) have rather invited The current President of India, whose knowledge of Tamil, I am ignorant of. Well, there do seem to be some heartening things like the arrival of several International Tamil scholars which shows how popular this language of ours is (atleast outside Tamilnadu).
The one most significant advantage of this WCTC is the employment (and hopefully a considerable remuneration) provided to hundreds of skilled and unskilled laborers, occupied with painting of walls, laying of roads, pavements, etc.
The Tamil anthem, though famous now due to its frequent playing almost everywhere, has failed to become an ear-worm for many.
Well, let us see. Skepticism, Fake enjoyment and mounting tension (on the organizers) apart, let us just hope that this event ends peacefully (successfully would be a hollow term, coming from me!) without any form of harm to any human life.
P.S: I am Absolutely happy with the conference for the sole reason of the miraculous nine-day break in the semester :)

Tribute to the Bravest and Most Lovable Woman in my life

Manni.

That is how a baby born in 1990 was taught (by her naughty little cousins) to call her maternal Grandmother. The baby has now grown up and she still can't think of calling Her Paati or anything else. She is just that. My Manni. A very special Person in my life.
It was a poem that I wanted to write on Her. But I am not good enough to write a poem on a Poem.
Born in an orthodox Brahmin family, She was steeped in tradition; She followed every custom and performed every ritual religiously. She lost her father when She was five. Yet, She managed to finish Primary schooling even in those days. Married to my Thatha who was then in the Air Force, She multi-tasked easily, keeping every one of her brothers and sisters-in-law happy and rearing five children with the meager salary from thatha who would be posted in some far away regiment. She was possibly unaware of the word 'finance' but she managed the finances of the family very well. All her kids were well-fed and very well-educated. I remember Her telling me, a week ago, that She used to feel proud when she saw Her five children study harmoniously under a single light bulb.
She was the Best Wife. The Best Mother. The Best Mother-in-law. The Most Best Grandmother. Always ready with a welcoming smile, She was the embodiment of Hospitality and Goodwill.
"Nee aathukulla vandhaley galagalappa irukum. Enaku athu romba pidikum."- Her evergreen words to me. She loved my constant chatter and I always sat beside Her, listening and nodding, for her stories were always amusing. We did have our differences. I never believed in rituals, constantly questioned their relevance and showed reluctance in obeying them. She used to dislike my wearing pants and shirts, for She was taught to believe that those were inappropriate for girls. But, over the time, She got used to them and She herself bought jeans for me once. A Navarathri gift. That was a festival She always celebrated with passion. And I, without knowing much of the reasons behind the fest, just followed everything to please Her. Our Love and Bond matters more to me than the reasons behind rituals do.
Her Cooking- The Best on Earth. My mom's great culinary skills are just a reflection of the original Genius in Manni.
The past two weeks have been a gift to me. An opportunity to serve Manni. I shouldn't probably ask for more. But, all I need is just one minute- in the morning of last Saturday. One minute where I could have spoken to her; told her where I am leaving for and heard those wonderful words I always craved- "Maharaajiya Poittu Va"
P.S.- I am no longer an Agnostic. I am no longer confused about the existence of God. For I now know my God's identity. I have seen God-with all the virtues required of a God. I have grown in Her hands. I have slept in Her lap. I feel Her Heavenly Love. Here and Wherever I go.

Did You Know that...

1. There are 10 sequential steps to be followed in overtaking a vehicle on the road?
2. There are 3 types of Parking?
3. You must check 6 parts within the bonnet of the car before driving away in it each morning?
4. The minimum distance between your vehicle and the one in front must differ with the speed as follows:

one car's length at 15 kmph
two cars' length at 30 kmph
three cars' length at 45 kmph
..........and so on?????

Well there are more such rules. But in a country like ours, these are useless, at least until a mammoth revolution takes place, changing the way we think, act and yes, DRIVE. Till then, these rules (especially the last one which is the most unfeasible, IMO ;) ) shall find their uses only in putting pitiable 20 yr-olds to sleep, when they take the effort of waking early during a vacation and in consuming a few minutes of your precious time spent in reading this post ;)

Absolute Nonsense

"Kit நல்லா work ஆனா , நாலு wire என்ன , நாப்பது wire கூட connect பண்ணலாம்!"
-Nive (frustrated with our attempts (in vain) at getting the output overcoming some loose connection problems) :)
I promised this post to her :)

It's fun :)

Thanks to John who re-introduced me to this world of indomitable Gauls. Reading their adventures, untiringly even at this hour, brings a smile to my lips and a freshness to my mind which has nothing to look forward to but the bleak prospect of having to start the "come to college at 9.30 sharp. Hall will be informed later" regimen again.