Life, shife and all that.

Thanks to Himank, I got myself to writing this post. First things first- Happy birthday IIIT-H. Just like the Indian economy, it’s that stage of the life cycle of IIIT where it is growing really fast. And for the growth to be really meaningful, the efforts need to put in to take the institute to another level.

For me, the most important thing which has to change is the work culture of the students. Be it assignments, academics, Felicity or a general attitude towards anything – we are far too lethargic and laid back. Except for the last few days in the lead up to Felicity and Placements, we refuse to put in meaningful work. Even when we do for a few occasions, the effort is hardly structured. For us to really reach the next level, we need a change – a change in a lot of ways things are done in college. And for that, a new work culture needs to brought in.

Comparing IIIT with IIM Indore, two institutes which started around the same time, there is a fair bit of difference when it comes to processes and functionalities in the student body. Even given the point that things are expected to be better in IIM-I with the virtue of it being a part of a premier brand name, IIIT can do much better. This, especially considering the fact that the quality of students is quite high in IIIT, probably matching the standards here. There is so much potential among the students- all of that can be harnessed with some effort in changing the work culture.

If there is one wish for IIIT I have, it is certainly this.

Meanwhile, I really miss a few things from undergraduate days- prime among them is the camaraderie with my batch mates. This of course, includes my circle of friends, but also the others. The next thing I miss is the culture of the place. I so disagree with one of my professors when he says that we don’t have a culture in IIIT. I think we do, and I feel it all the more when I’m away from the college. Take for example, the kind of discussions we would have in the corridors of the hostel. And finally, though I’ve spoken about the work culture, I do sometimes miss the laid back days of old! All the times when I’d just hang out in my pals’ rooms.

PS: It’s a new life here in IIM Indore, and I’ve gotten used to it. It’s just that after the chat with Himank today, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

Love you IIIT!

Here’s one more post on… what else, but the IPL. Prasant Gopal had tagged me quite some time back on this. However, I wanted to put off writing on the same till the IPL reached its concluding stages. So, here I go on the five best things I’ve liked about the IPL:

1) Manpreet Gony, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Yomahesh, Yusuf Pathan, Dhaval Kulkarni. Do you ever remember going to watch a Ranji match? But for the IPL, we wouldn’t have possibly seen these colourful players on the circuit. The tournament has given a lot of opportunities and a taste of the big stage to the rookies. And I dare say, a lot of them are ready to give the current crop of Indian players a run for their money.
2) Half the people in the country seemed to be supporting the Mumbai Indians- and the reason? Yes, you guessed it right- It was being led by God. Every single Mumbai Indian player said that he was lucky to be playing under God. Every single fan in Mumbai was screaming for God to score in every match that he played. Fans in Jaipur were more concerned with God scoring than their team picking up wickets. Take a bow Sachin Tendulkar- the major reason why most Indians are glued to cricket.
3) My sister and female friends support the KKR. My aunt supports the CSK. Corporates run live matches. 50 matches have had more than 80% attendance. The TRP ratings have crossed the eight mark, pushing Panchvi Paas, Saas bahu sagas into oblivion. The support the IPL ahs got has been mind numbing.
4) It’s been weird to see some real dome strategizing by stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Rahul Dravid and Mallya put up a dumb test team for the T20 (Though a lot of fans hate Mallya now, especially after his outbursts against Dravid). Must admit that Dravid was good though. Guess he’s made a case for his re-selection in the ODI team.
5) Harbhajan Singh is a total jackass. Need I say anything more? I support Murali Kartik or Amit Mishra getting a chance in the team ahead of the Turbunator.

There are other things like the IPL becoming a regular feature in my daily life, Shane Warne, Sanath Jayasuriya, Glenn McGrath etc, but I guess the tag doesn’t allow me to write more than the five points. And before signing off, here’s wishing Rajasthan the best of luck and here’s hoping that Mohali kicks Chennai’s ass (Oh, forgot to mention. Am mainly against Chennai because of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s attitude towards seniors)

I tag everyone on my blogroll who hasn’t been tagged as yet.

I have started to hate TV news channels. How do I care whether Aishwarya Rai sits to the left or right of Abhishek Bachchan during one of those innumerable marriage ceremonies? Or which designer designed AB junior’s sherwani for the ‘Sangeet’ party? Balls.. I couldn’t care less. But that’s what they’ve been showing on news all week! On Friday, the day before they were getting married, everyone went paranoid. Media access to all the functions was restricted, and hence they did not have any clippings involving the two superstars. However, they kept showing the Bachchan house from the outside throughout the day, and speculating on what was going on inside. Shit man, has the world come to such a pass? The news channels can as well go to the dogs. Even DD news was not spared of this hysteria.

In fact this has been the case with them for quite some time now. When Prince, a kid fell into a manhole, his rescue operation was the most widely watched event. Similarly, when Naresh Gupta’s son was kidnapped, the media went into a frenzy which lasted till the time the beleaguered child was rescued. Its insane, can’t they show more sense on TV? They can as well show things like success stories of powerful Moghals, problems which people face etc. I mean there’s so much more creative and useful which they can and should telecast. But guess, it’s the Indian audience which loves to watch spice and gossip upon it which is the driving force behind all this!

PS: Hey Maruti, I’ll write on your tag soon, don’t worry! Thanks for tagging me