An Official IV and an Unofficial Tour

I have been in the same batch for the past two years. I have wasted two years in my college life! I haven't talked to nearly half of my batch mates properly till the event. I haven't known the names of some till that event. I haven't seen some of the faces clearly till the same event.

That event was Industrial Visit which should have been a tour with a visit to at-least an industry. But ours had only been a tour. A tour which showed the fourth face of the Ashoka lion. A tour which made us enjoy every day, every hour, every minute and every second. A tour which made us understand the coordination, discipline (:D), affection, respect, trust, friendship, responsibility of our batch mates.

From now on, They are my friends and not just batch mates.

Whoa! What a batch! What a coordination! I am dazzled. I am amazed.

Day 1 (22 Aug) :

The tour kick started on 22 August at 5 P.M. Day-scholars directly reached Chennai central. The hostelites started their delectation en route from college to Central in bus. We boarded the Mangalore express. We weren't together since the seats had been allocated in different compartments. It took nearly an hour to settle and people in each compartment formed a group and started enjoying. Me, Sathish, Dewa, Deepak, Venky, Ganesh, Saravanan, Anushia, Abhirami, Abinaya, Danisha, Bhargavi, Naren, Mega, Nagalakshmi, Banu, KK, Karpaga priya, Senthamarai, Meenakshi, Sano, Leela, Mathi and others. We played cards, dumb-c, truth or dare. We sang. We danced. We criticized. We mocked. We imitated. What not! The seats were allocated under RAC and so we didn't get the berths till 1 A.M. We were widely awake.

Day 2 (23 Aug) :

This day was entirely devoted to the train journey except for a halt in Mangalore. We got down at Mangalore around 8.30 A.M. and accommodated in a lodge for refreshment. We had our brunch around 11 in a scanty restaurant. It was the first time we struggled. None of us at the restaurant knew Kannada and none of the people working there knew Tamil. We used a few Hindi words and managed. We vacated the lodge and boarded the Matsyaganda express to Madgaon. Songs by our Venky were more hilarious. 

An interesting yet a bad incident happened en route to Madgaon in train. A transgender. How can we forget her? OMG! She came asking for money. It wasn't begging. She knew Tamil and easily found that we were Tamilians. The way she asked money. Phew! All the worst words in Tamil in a flow. Yappa! Pardha, you won't forget it in your life. I still remember the way Krishnakumar climbed the upper berth when she came again. We all were in a shocked state for the next half an hour yet we were laughing out loud at the incident. Giri, Kalai, Hari, Sathish, Athip and me will never forget this. We never forget to talk about that during the entire IV.

We finally reached the place by 8.30. We took a bus to our resort and had our dinner. Speaking about the food, we didn't have proper food for the entire day in the train and even in night. It was tolerable and we settled in our rooms at 10. The discussions and talks went on till 1 A.M. Hari! The way you talked is still making me laugh! Yes! Definitely some went out in night to the famous beaches. Bouncers!!!!!

Day 3 (24 Aug) :

Goa! Goa! Goa! What else! Aguada fort. The scenario was excellent. Two South African women told us to dance and captured a video of it. We visited three beaches. The Calangute beach, the Anjuna beach and one more. Played football and bathed in the first one. It was a memorable one. Had our lunch in a small hotel near the beach. The day was so hot. The climate wasn't on our side. 

Boat Cruise! An awe-inspiring one! The view! Amazing. The DJ was the most enthralling one. We danced. Yeah fellas, Everyone of us danced to the full spirit there! We found our way out after an hour of mind-blowing dance which ended with a traditional Portuguese dance. We reached the hotel around 9 P.M. and had our dinner. Some of us retired to the room. But the guys visited the famous Baga beach and returned to the hotel around 2 A.M. Four of us went to a nearby restaurant and had palatable coffee!

Day 4 (25 Aug) :

We proceeded to South Goa. We burst out laughing seeing the way Guhan talked in bus. Visited an old church. It was a splendid one! An heavenly one! We continued to Colva beach and straight to Madgaon railway station. Devoured our lunch at a hotel in the platform. All 64 in a single compartment. Enjoyed every second of it. Truth or dare was the ultimate one in that journey. GV, sathish, Kumar, Deepak, Pramoth and others. Relished the dumb-c. Uma mam made it even more exciting. We reached the destination around 10. And oh! The dinner! We went to a hotel. There was only Paratha and Ghee rice at that ghostly hour. We nibbled some pieces and continued our journey to Coorg by bus. Everyone was fast asleep and we arrived to Coorg by 6 A.M. the next morning.

Day 5 (26 Aug) :

Coorg! It should be renamed as "The Bliss". The climate, the mist, the drizzle, the chill, the mountain, the valley, the greenery. It was appealing to the senses. We all got ready around 10 A.M. We had our breakfast and proceeded to the Abbi falls a.k.a. the Jessy falls. The route to the falls was astonishing. Full of green plants and shrubs. The falls was mind-boggling. The bridge in front of the falls made me lose my nerve. It was a life time moment. A worthy one. 

We returned to the room, had our lunch and visited the Raja seat. Hooooo! We were shivering. We could see our breath. Astonishing view of the beautiful place. Photo sessions, Train ride, shopping made us jump in joy. DJ! Whoa! Dancing (Solo, group and pair), Singing, Mimicry. Kudos to Praveen, Venky, Vishnu, Ganesh, KK, Pramodh, Naren, Hary, Laya, Moni and others who rocked the stage. We retired to bed after dinner around 10.30. A sad thing is that Aravind ended up with an a injury in his leg after dancing. And you people, you took great care of him.

Day 6 (27 Aug) :

Wonderla!

We commenced our journey to Bangalore by bus at 5 A.M. Several dozed off till 8. Then the next three hours were singing session. We sang loads and loads of songs. Started with an Anthakshari and ended up with all Kuthu songs. Hariharan rocked the place with his database. Had a bite. We entered Wonderla with a bang. The dry rides flabbergasted everone. The twisters! Yappa! It made our large and small intestines come out. Thanks to Sathish, Kalai, Dewa, Hari, Abi, Bhargavi and Subhashri who were with me through out the day. We had a luscious lunch at wonderla and continued with the water rides. Wave pool was excellent with artificial waves drenching us completely. Rain disco. The entire batch danced, danced and danced. None of us would have danced that way ever before. Kalaivanan showed his energy for the first time. Then came the lazy river. We pushed everyone into water from their tube. It was a complete fun. Then we advanced with the photo sessions. And we started our journey to Bangalore station. We went for shopping to Mantri mall where almost all shops had been closed. We were nearing the end of the IV. We boarded the Chennai express and all except a few slept in the train.

Day 7 (27 Aug) :

Chennai!

சார், சூடா டீ, வடை, காபி .....

Chennai central. End of our IV. We shared all our care, affection, friendship, trust! This IV made every one energetic and exuberant. We loved every single moment. This batch is gonna rock for the two years. Thanks and Kudos to all the IV organizers. Sathish, KK, Lal, Saravanan, Ramp, Ganesh, Venky, Sarath, Mega, Abi, Banu and all the others who made this possible! Thanks to Giri, Kalai, Hari, Sathish, Athip and Srichandran who were with me through out the IV. Thanks to Uma ma'am, Bharani and Benz who were so friendly to us. Thanks to Krishna and Jeeva for their photography. Jagan, MK, Eka, Santhosh, Shivaram, Raghavan,Mani, Thamil, Ezhil, Preethi, Priya, Uma, Sangeetha, Prasad, Keerthana, Swarna. Thanks to all who came and rocked the IV.

To those who missed it:

Dear people, seriously you have missed something important in your life. If you had thought that you had something more important than this, you had been mistaken. The IV was soo exciting. I don't think anything else could be more enthralling than this. If there is an IV in 8th sem, please don't miss it for God's sake.

P.S: Hope there will be another IV in eighth sem! 

Enga batch ECE-AB ku peria whistle adinga!!!!

Death, Debris and Decay!

A 19 year old second-year engineering student died after he fell from a four-storey hostel! This could not have been an accident told his friends. He had committed suicide. 

Everyone in the city is very much shocked to hear the news of his suicide. After all, this isn't the first one in this year. There are four or five such suicides in the prestigious institutions of CEG, MIT and IIT in this year alone. This guy who died recently was supposed to be a bright student scoring 1160 marks in his plus two board examinations with a cut off of 198 out of 200. The situation is the same in all the four other cases. The students who committed suicide had been the pride of their schools. These were the sources of inspiration to their juniors in school whose ultimate ambition was to get into the esteemed institutions across the state. Their parents had pinned their hope on them that their son/daughter would make prosperity in their lives. Now the hopes of every single one of them is been shattered into pieces. 

What can be the potential reasons of the suicides of these younger minds? They are supposed to be the most brilliant students. They belonged to the creamy layer of the state. They should have certainly worked hard in their school to get into these places. The minds of these students should have been that of a genius. But why did they turn into cowards and weak-minded? 

1) Adaptation: The students who come from rural areas or the districts down south find it very difficult to adapt to the new environment. The metropolitan life is certainly very much difficult to live when compared to the places they are from. The vast place, the huge population, the complex transport system, the fashion, the standard of living, the type of food, the competition and what not! The very first thought that encounters a guy's mind, who visits the metropolitan city, is how difficult it is to lead one's life in here?! Only a few overcome all these difficulties and survive. 

2) Longing for affection and care: It is evident that almost all who had committed suicide were the hostelites. There must have been people in their place who had taken very good care of them. They must have shown them, all their love and affection. They would not have let them do their works and instead they would have done every thing for them right from polishing their shoes to combing their hair. I don't accuse parents but that they should have let them do their work so that they could get adapted to the situation where there could be no care or affection. 

3) Lack of responsibility: Responsible students never get these cowardly thoughts. If you had been brought up responsible, you would certainly be responsible now. The parents should make their children aware of their responsibilities in the family and the society. On the contrary they always hide their difficulties from their progeny thinking that they need not know difficulties at that age. This never helps them. If they had known your difficulties, they would not have been irresponsible and certainly would not have taken this decision. Be responsible, friends. Think about your parents every time you feel depressed. The so-called difficulties you face are next to nothing when compared to your parents' sufferings. 

4) Fear about the future: If you are not living properly in the present, you don't have the rights to fear about your future. It is rightly said "Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. And that is why we call it the present." Live in your present. Put the maximum effort in what you do and don't worry about the result. 

5) Ignorance and Insult: This is not the fault of those students. This is our fault, my friends. A guy can bear insults but not ignorance. Think about this. They come from different sections of the society to a new surrounding. They are already facing many a problems. We must talk to them, help and make them feel at home. How many of us do that? We see them as a Martian. We should not ignore them just because they are not from our sect. We form our own groups but we don't consider to include them. They are separated and left alone. That is terrible.  

6) Pressure: You are pressurized. Aren't you? There are always the desperate parents who tell their children this. “You have got school first in your plus two yet you have an arrears now. How could we walk with our heads high? You are a disgrace to the family!” Dear parents, remember that this same child made you proud a few years back. The school and the college aren't the same. They are entirely different. It isn't a must that those who have topped their school should maintain that in college. The education in school is reading and in contrast the education in college is learning and not reading. First try to understand the situation in which your child lives. Don’t  induce a peer pressure. 

7) Lack of support: Now-a-days it has become the style of a professor to quote this especially when a student couldn't answer his/her question. “You should have mugged up the contents of the book and cleared the paper without understanding. You may have got 200 cut off in your board exams but it’s difficult to survive here. Remember those times when the students were so smart and so knowledgeable.” If you learned people do this, how will the parents understand? A good teacher is one who understands the student well and helps him in his life and leads him through his difficulties. Not a guy like you! You are only a disgrace and he is not! 

8) Lack of belief: Have confidence in you. When you don’t believe your own potential, how can you expect others to believe yours and help you? What matters if you have arrears when you excel in another field? Life isn't only about studies. There are several things other than that. There is a whole new thing waiting for you outside the premises of your college. If you don’t fight against these difficulties and come up, how will you see those splendid things waiting for you? Believe in your potential and that will change these things! 

9) Adolescence: This is the age of adolescence. You are prone to love, lust and indulge in smoking and drinking. There is no love on this earth equal to your mother’s. There is no care equal to the God’s on this earth. There is no affection on this earth as your father’s. Yet you choose to die just because a girl/boy rejected you? This is the sense of insanity. Think high of you. If you are responsible, you will think there are much more important now than this. If you scold me that I don’t know the feeling, well, yeah. I don’t know! I may not know. But I am sure that your love can wait till you get a job and get stable in your life. What about your parents and others who believe that you will improve the condition of your family? What about the people who have hope in you that you will take care of them in their final days? Don’t lose that! If your dad had this practice of smoking or drinking, what would have happened to you? Will you be in this place at this time? That's a doubt! Even if you are here, you must have undergone a great stress to get into this institution. They have sacrificed a lot for you. And it is a MUST that you must take care of them. 

Life isn't something given by God for you just to end it because you are in distress. It is something more that that. Here is a famous dialogue from the film called “Rocky Balboa” released in 2006. 

I'd hold you up to say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's going to be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time comes for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it isn't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you aren't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that isn't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain't gonna have a life. 

அரிது அரிது மானிடராய் பிறத்தல் அரிது 

அதனினும் அரிது கூன், குருடு செவிடு இன்றி பிறத்தல் அரிது! 

(Its rare to be born as humans and it's even rare to be born without any impairment!) 

This is a famous verse of Avvaiyar. Life is a gift for us. Please don’t waste it for mean reasons!

P.S: A few days back, a guy from a big institution threw himself before the train because he couldn't get to the second round of an interview. 

Is there a next time always?

This was the tenth time everybody pacified the Vineyard.

"There is a next time!" said the Sun.

"Don't worry. Every thing in this world has been created by God for a cause!" told the Sky.

"If something good doesn't happen now, it indicates that something better than this is gonna happen in future!" pacified the Earth.

"You deserve something better!" spoke the Wind.

"There is a next time, buddy!" said the Sun again.

"There is always a next time? Not for me!" sighed the Vineyard.



A Vineyard. A beautiful Vineyard. An excellent Vineyard in the country side. There were hundred such Vineyards.

This particular one was looking majestic with all the plump and fleshy grapevines hanging perfectly in the rows and columns. The Vineyard was expecting the cultivators and the business men to pick it and use it for wine production. The people came and started choosing the Vineyards best suited for wine production. Its eagerness, enthusiasm and tension increased to a higher level for it was the first time they were entering its place for checking. After discussing for a long time, they left the place. It became depressed. It all started from here.

The Vineyard lost its spirit and energy though it was motivated by its close ones. But it never seemed to get the spirit. It prayed to God with a little hope. It always had a little hope. It turned to face north. There wasn't a Vineyard unharvested. It turned in the direction of east. Nothing in that direction either. Similar results in the other two directions. It was full three months after the generation of first fruit. Nothing had happened yet. Not even a single industry selected it. The harvesting season was almost over and the cultivating season might begin anytime. It would be destroyed before that.


A sudden rumbling noise. It didn't look. There was a sudden rush of footsteps. A group of people approached the Vineyard with a tough fat guy leading them. He examined it and  nodded his head. the machines were brought into the field and works began. The Vineyard slowly looked at the fat guy. He was speaking over his cell phone.

"Sir, Yes! I am positive. This Vineyard has come out to our expectation."

(Some pause!)

"Yeah! This is gonna help us make the costliest wine in the world! We are giving it to the Catholic Church in the Vatican City."

The Vineyard stood in shock and happiness! It saw the sun, the sky, the earth, the wind  happily with tears welling its eyes!

"Well! There is always a next time!"




The Sun shouted, "Don't keep on telling that! Watch out, Vineyard!"

The wind kicked the Vineyard. The Vineyard opened its eyes and realized that the exulting events had happened in its mind and not in reality! This happened every time. It always visualized this excellent finishing in its life.

"What happened? Why did you kick me" asked the Vineyard yawning. The Wind wasn't friendly anymore. It turned into a grievous one.

There was really a rumbling noise this time. But it wasn't the same as in its dream or visualization. Something terrible started occurring.

All the channels flashed the news : "The Katrina Hurricane devastated the entire state! The people in the near by regions are moved to the safe places by the police officials!"

After a storm, comes the calm!

The yard (No more the Vineyard!) asked the sun,"Is there a next time always? Life isn't the same for everyone!"

IS THERE A NEXT TIME ALWAYS?

"Wh" words and a How!

When you are a kid:

We: Mamma, when will I do this?
(Some random uncle of an unknown relationship shouts from a place!)
Uncle: Dare you question your elders? Do when we tell you to!

When you are a boy:

We: Mam, Why should we do it this way?
(The teacher frowns and makes expression like Mansur Alikhan!)
Teacher: Goofy, Don't ask me questions. Now go out and stand!

When you are a guy:

We: Sir, What is the necessity of doing this?
(Our professors start making hysterical yells and they become red hot like our famous "Red Skull"!)
Professor: No attendance today and remember one more time you question me UNNECESSARILY you can't attend my class for the entire semester!

A Chinese proverb, 
"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever!"

I was talking to guy from an industry a few days back. I told him that we students don't have practical knowledge about the stuff as much as theoretical knowledge. He replied me that it was our right to ask the concerned people to give us practical knowledge too. I have been thinking about this for the past few days.

Are we allowed to ask questions?

What
Who
Why
Where
When
Whom
Whose
Which
How



In our school period, we were taught about these basic questioning words. I remember that there are "Wh" words and a How! But do we know the usage of these words today? Are we using them correctly? Basically, are we using them?

The answer is no! We have been inspired by the way scientists, industrialist and other eminent personalities talk about the art of questioning and how it had helped them! They keep on telling us to question the situation! I wonder how on earth did those people get a chance to get their questions answered. 

There are two types. Either we don't ask questions or our questions go unanswered. Either way we don't or stop questioning. Whenever some try questioning, they are humiliated and are made to sit down. None encourages questioning these days. Our superiors neglect our questions because of two reasons. They don't know the solution else they don't want us to know the solution. Stopping the art of questioning stops our improvement. Questions and questioning are the two important learning tools. They can help gain our knowledge, improve our skills, make us strong and independent, give us leadership qualities, help us come out with innovative ideas and much more.

The basic problem is that if we ask questions and if the guys who have to answer them procrastinate the answer for the next day, we don't go and ask them that they got to tell the answer the next day. We forget to remind them that its day to answer. We don't disturb people till we get the answers. They don't answer. Eventually we end forgetting the question.

Never get deterred by those who insult our questions. Those who try to dominate others will always do that. If somebody doesn't answer yours, they are not capable of answering. Move on and ask the same to someone else. If they insult you, they don't have the answer. Move on and ask some one else. If they scold you for your question, they are afraid of your question. Move on and ask others. If they ignore you, they are frightened by the thought that they can't answer your question. Move on and ask others and one day yours will be answered. But never stop questioning till you get your answer. 

What would have happened if Newton had not questioned the fall of apple? What would have happened if Buddha had not questioned the reasons of sorrow? What would have happened if Gandhi had not questioned the idea of freedom? What would have happened if the questions had not been asked in the history in the right time at the right place?

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DON'T ASK QUESTIONS?

Here is a book which I found amazing regarding the art of questioning. 

Leading with questions

Think smart. Ask questions. Get answers. Live smart.

Happy friendship day - Friends, Friendship and its day!

I am thinking about you. In fact I have always been thinking about you. You have done a lot for me. I have to do something in return for you. You will get it. I shall tell you about the thing I am gonna give you in the end. Before that, I have to tell the world about you and the things you have done.

You, whom I don't wish to mention with a name, have done me the following things!

1) You rarely call me by my name. My parents and relatives had searched for it in a group of long lists of names. Each list had a diverse classification in terms of meanings, family backgrounds, astrology, superstitions, divinity etc., A final list was drafted by my family members and one of them was chosen for me. You ignore their efforts and call me by the words which strike your mind out of nowhere!

2) You take for granted whenever you visit my home. You enter our kitchen and take things from our fridge and eat them. You come into my bedroom and sit on my bed without courtesy. You don't even ask for any permission. You don't have manners!

3) You grab my cell phone whenever you wanted to pass your time.You read my private messages. You browse my private folders. You call whenever you don't have balance in your's. You have never asked me once if you could use my cell phone.

4) You ask me every time to buy things for you. I will get them but you don't even have the courtesy to ask if you should ever repay me. You have never given me back the money which you owe me. Would you even think of paying me back? You always ask me treat for everything. For failing, for scoring centum, for buying a pen, for an accident, for everything.

5) You always terrify me, petrify me, mortify me and stupefy me! When some one mocks me in public, you, Oh you will be the leader of that group. You are always waiting for a strike against me. You will laugh at me whenever I fall down! You will criticize me forever!

6) You have never allowed anyone to scold or ridicule or criticize me. You always tell that you alone have the rights. You think that you can skin me to death but you wouldn't allow others to touch me. You will strike down upon them with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy me. 

7) You, oh you stupid, You always ignore me whenever I open my lunch box. You devour it fast as if you are at an eating competition. If I tell you that I am hungry, you will finish it off and give out a loud burp. Then you go out to canteen and stand in line for me and buy my favorite and even feed me.

8) You always care for me. You always think of my welfare. You always scold me for my best. You always worry if I don't text that I reached home. You laugh with me, you laugh for me. You cry with me, you cry for me.You fight with me, you fight for me. You pray with me, you pray for me. You live with me, you live for me.

9) You have always enjoyed my company. You are satisfied just with my presence near you. You always become happy when you see me. You can find me even in a crowd. You can understand my state of mind by just looking at my face. You realize my situation by my mood. You know me more than anyone else.

10) You have always helped me! You always make me laugh when I get moody. You console me when I get depressed. You motivate me whenever I feel demoralized. When I ask you the reason for being with me and helping me always, you reply that I am your friend and there is no need of any reason other than this. 

Oh yea! You are my FRIEND. Let me tell that all the above are your qualities, my friend. Be with me always  and give me the strength to face my life. You and I are destined to do this forever. I have told in the beginning that I am going to give you something in return for the things you have done. 

This is the best gift I could ever give you! I may not have been a great friend for you! But thanks for being there at the other end :)

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY, MY FRIEND! LOVE YOU!

And yeah! This is called FRIENDSHIP!

He was smiling at her!

He was smiling at her.

She was thinking about the incident. She was thinking of him. This boy of 9 years. She thought that she was seeing him. She was on her deathbed. She was suffering from a very rare disease called Chagas disease. It had already eaten up half of her. Doctors had told her family that she might be alive for not more than two hours.

He was smiling at her. 

She used to be a great and a lucky doctor. She became famous in her medical world due to her research about very rare and neglected diseases. The British Government had honored her with the most prestigious award for her invention of the cure of the Chagas infection.


Her patent for the medicine was filed. Each dosage of that medicine costed about a lakh out of which 50 percent went to her. She became rich and famous among her people for her invention.

He was smiling at her. 

Her fate ruled against her. Her own invention didn't help her. She was definitely going to die. She knew that it was the sweet revenge of the fate. She laughed at him. Tears welled her eyes. She told him that it was the best justice God could give. 

He was smiling at her.

She asked her son to bring her personal diary. He handed it over to her. She couldn't even hold it and dropped it. A newspaper flew onto her lap.

It read,

"A 9 year old kid in Yorkshire died out of Chagas disease due to the inventor's neglectfulness. She decided against his dosage for his family delayed in giving her 50 percent share!"    

He was smiling at her! He will always!

T75JDY74C6UB