NishanTalk

The last few months have been some of the most exciting months in my life. After a semester full of preparations – be it placements or CAT – full of constant unrest about the future, worrying about leaving no stone unturned - December was a God sent gift. The culmination of all the hard work bore fruit in December. I got a job I dreamed about. A job that I had set my sights on since the 2^nd year. A chance to work in ITC. OF course there are some better jobs available – monetarily and qualitatively – but this is what I wanted. Can't miss the feeling of Dec 5^th. Placed on the first day, despite not being from the placement friendly departments – in fact I am from the department dreaded by every company. Not an easy feat I guess. The feeling of immense happiness and relaxation - the feeling of "peace" as per KGP lingo. Going home with a head proudly held high, meeting up relatives and friends who constantly shower praises – definitely a time to remember and keep as a motivator for future - keep achieving and such times will continue.

Then came the surprise. I must say I did prepare for CAT. But it wasn't close to the best I could give. Took two test series – fared badly in one of them, and did reasonable good in the other. Even after sacrificing the DP holidays, course completion was nowhere to be seen. My calculation speed had increased only marginally, so DI was always a weak spot. Quant wasn't a strength area either, I guess. English – all the movie watching and novel reading ensured that this section would not betray ever. After CAT I didn't calculate marks – I never do it for any exam. Thought that I'll manage one two calls based on CGPA and IIT. And what a surprise was in store – calls from all the IIMs. At a time when all IITians fared badly! Becoming a so called CAT-phodu! Another dream come true.

This part was the best of times.

"Saari duniya mauj main, Main akela fauj main" - a sentence that can sum up the feeling I've had for quite some time. Post placement semester is supposed to be the most fun of all. It's like one party after another. A kind of no-load zone. Nothing to worry about. But apart from the vacations at home, such time really wasn't in store for me. Calls from IIMs meant lots of preparations. GD/PI sessions in Calcutta every weekend, coupled with infinite syllabus to study has made my schedule pretty tight, to speak the least. I couldn't attend my favorite event in Kharagpur – Spring Fest. The fest I love above all else – the fest I'll cherish all my life. Everyone else seems to have the max fun of their lives after placement. And they can have this fun with no worries or qualms. Going to gangtok, sundebans, deegha – all such plans seem to vanish in front of the interview schedule. People have concluded that my life will always be like this – something to keep me busy will always find a way to encroach my time. And with the disastrous attendance record I'll probably not be able to miss any more classes in the rest of the semester. Sometimes I feel if IIMs are worth this, If I really want to clear them, or is it just to make some people happy. I'm still pretty torn on the job v/s MBA issue still. And the worst part – I'm not preparing well for the IIMs either, after all this hue and cry. Even at the time of writing this blog, I should supposedly be studying for IIM-A.

This part was the worst of the times.

So what kind of time am I really living in? Best? Worst? Somewhere in the middle? Are these achievements enough to call it the best? Or am I making too much of the preparations? Should I really care about if everyone else is partying their way through? Should I be more focused on the bigger picture here? Or should I just stop worrying and enjoy my stay here in KGP in the best way I can? Should I leave it all, as this time will never come back? Or should I stop pondering about these questions, and devote my time for the prepaprations? To be frank, I don't know!

Anish Kumar.

My friend. My savior.

It’s said that u find the best brains in IIT. I found Anish.

His calm, serene approach to life is what I appreciate the most. Working with him is a pleasure in itself. No matter what the tension, pressure, or the fact that you have an exam in a few hours and haven’t touched the course, “Anish hai naa”. Often called “sarvagya” or “gyansaagar”, anish ka dimaag chacha chauwdhary se bhi tez chalta hai!

Anish never lets down anyone who asks for his help. The fact that he has never had a fight with anyone in kgp till now speaks volumes in itself.

I’ll always cherish the time I spent with him. We’ve discussed a multitude of topics in the numerous bhaat sessions, and these discussions have often, if not always, enriched us. Anish is one of the rare people with whom I can feel perfectly in sync.

Not only do I wish, but I know with utmost certainty, that this ‘simple’ guy from UP will shine brightest wherever he lands.

Shubhroz Gill.

You enter kgp for the first time, and see a well built aggressive Punjaaabi guy in your dep. The next day you go to the manu lab, and find the ‘tool-breaking’ guy is your labbie. 4 yrs pass by and u relish the fact that the guy has been one of your best friends throughout.

To doston, yeh “Gill da mamla hai”. He is easiest to misapprehend. But pass that barrier and you’ll find a friend to cherish. The world’s black and white about Gill. You either like him or you do not. And for the latter, you are definitely missing the point, and missing out on a great guy.

He can be really compassionate, and the next moment he’ll be carrying a stick to beat anyone in sight. His notes will be the best written in the class, and yet his room will be the dirtiest it can be. Has an int’l aura floating abt him, but would prefer daal-roti over any other food item. This is Gill for you, folks!

Since he and I are off to different avenues right now, I’ll have to make do with the fond memories of this ‘erstwhile nerd-humor king’ till out paths cross again.

Have you seen Finding Neverland? If no see it ASAP!  

The power of imagination, love, genius, tragedy, and triumph of human spirit - all are exemplified in this gem of a movie. Peter Pan has been a favourite since childhood, and watching the story behind it was a revelation in itself. Finding neverland is perhaps the sweetest movie i've seen.

Johnny Depp portrayal of James Barrie, author of Peter Pan was befitting. His portrayal of a distraught genius in a relationship crisis, and then overcoming it to give a masterpiece, is excellent. Kate Winslet's acting is
so natural that you'll immerse in the plot easily. And Peter (Freddie Highmore) portrayal as a confused, angry, talented kid is marvellous. The relationship between Barrie and Sylvia Davies is expressed beautifully.

The film highlights the power of imagination - a thing that i have in plenty. Imagination and love of Barrie helps him write one of the finest piece of fiction that's still popular today.

One of the main highlights of the movie is its OST. The background score is a pleasure for the years. The music rises is calming and serene; certain songs raise ur spirit, and certain display despair, sadness. Particularly, the music for "this is neverland" is remarkable - the music gives a feeling of joy, tension and sorrow all in different ways. This is one piece of music that I can listen to repeatedly, and still want more.
 
I just wish there were more movies like this one.

Scientific advancements in the field of biology have a come a long way since Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution in 1859, and Gregor Mendel performed his experiments on pea plants in 1865. Today scientists are equipped with intensive information in the fields of molecular biology and genetics to understand life in a way that scientists of 19th century couldn’t even dream of.

Genes were established as the relevant heritable material, and in 1953 the structure of DNA was discovered, which led to understanding of the mechanism to describe the duplication of heritable material and its transmission from one generation to the next. What is relevantly passed on from one generation to the next is the information in the DNA, encoded in the unique sequence of bases.

Although Human Genome Project led to the identification of approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, further analysis is still going on, and will continue for year’s to come. Scientists are steadily determining each gene’s function and how to use this information for mankind’s benefit. But the knowledge we have is still a drop in the ocean. The tiny strands of life have almost infinite amount of knowledge yet to be discovered.

Should there be a limit on the knowledge that we should acquire. I believe the answer is no. Gaining more information on heredity isn’t a bad thing, on the other hand – a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. To understand genetics and biology of heredity completely, to use it effectively to counter diseases and defect in human beings, to bring back the extinct species and make up for human’s mistakes, its essential to gain as much knowledge as possible.

A school of thought believes that gaining more and more knowledge is dangerous, as it leads to several unwanted repercussions – use of the knowledge for a purpose not intended, use of the knowledge for destructive rather than constructive purposes. Biological experiments have always been featured in movies, fiction novels and television, and their over-imagination has created a common misconception in people’s minds – that the experiments are done to create mindless armies, improved soldiers, and biological weapons. Most of this is far from the truth, but the case of Anthrax poisoning has brought to attention the impact of knowledge in wrong hands. 

But is this a justification to end or limit out conquest for information. Fire hazards kill and destroy, but does that mean fire shouldn’t have been discovered? Vehicle accidents are main source of deaths in cities, but does that mean vehicular transportation shouldn’t be developed. Nuclear energy is used in atomic bombs, but it is also used for nuclear power reactors – our hope for the future power requirements. So should we stop our research in nuclear physics? Each coin has two sides, and so all knowledge that we gain has two sides – it can be used for the good or the bad. And bad is really a subjective matter – its highly dependent on the circumstances what is good and bad. It isn’t the knowledge which is dangerous; it’s the applications that may be. But that shouldn’t hinder our quest for knowledge. It’s the quest for knowledge that has brought us from the dark ages to the modern world; that has brought us from darkness to light.

Biological knowledge in the right hands can do wonders. The human body is still a mystery and there are innumerable diseases that must be tackled – AIDS for instance. Thus we shouldn’t limit the knowledge that we gain, rather we should let our minds explore the nature’s finest creation. After all, isn’t that what the human mind is for?

Ever had a camping trip? If not, then go for one as soon as you can. Chances are, if you love adventure, you'll love camping. I was sceptical about it too but now I rate my lake george trip as one of the most memorable one's.

on the memorial day weekend i along with my cousin sister shivani, her family and her family friends went to lake george in new york for a 2 day camping trip. after meeting the friends in New jersey we drove off northwards. it was a nice group of people... most were newly married or had a very young baby. we were 5 families in total. i travelled in several cars - suzuki, chevrolet, honda, toyota. it was a nice ride on the highways. we stopped at some service areas to have breakfast, snacks etc. it was an american breakfast with sandwiches, bagels, soft drinks, and loads of cheese. we reached our destination in the evening. google maps helped a lot during the travel.

after reaching bolton landing, we hired a boat to go to the islan which we had rented for camping. yes... an island for rent. sounds cool doesn't it. i loved the boat at first sight. finally something that i can legally drive in this country. it was pretty easy... a steering and a gear. as ususal when i was at the driver's seat it was mostly top gear. parking the boat at the pier was something that required a bit of patience.

the island we stayed at is called 'Huckleberry'. its a small island with lots of trees. at first galnce it would seem inhospitable to most. there's no sign of any civilization, no lights, amenities (apart from a rest room in the centre of the island, which by the way has no light). but i sensed tons of adventure in the place. its like living in the wild, establishing everything from scratch. we reached the island in the evening, as it was pretty far away from the rental place, and our boat was full of lots of stuff -tents, bags, suitcases, cans of sodas, cartons full of food and what not. it took 2 boat rides to get all people and lugguage to the island. but we found a short cut on the way back so everyone reached the island safe and sound.  the first thing we all set up was the kitchen tent. the ladies arranging all the food, while guys went searching fro wood for bonfire, and setting up tents where we all were to stay. there were 2 tents one had the capacity of 11 people, other was for 6 people. its good that it doesn't get dark here till 9 pm, so wec oudl get everything set up before dark. i had a sleeping bag.. quite comfortable infact.

the next day me and pankaj jijaji drove off in the boat and sped awaya t full speed. it was really exciting. since there were less people on boat, its engine showed its true power and rorared off. now i really know how anyone can get passionate about a boat (remember rachel's dad in friends.. the one with two parties). i could see around several americans in their magnificent boats jetting away with pride. its really something. u can feel the speed, hear the engine roar, see the water splashing around creating ripples all around as you pass one scenic place after another. with mountains around, and sun shining over...the scene was awesome. the whole group went to lake george village in the evening. while going to pick up half of the group at the village, it started raining heavily. i was at the driver's seat speeding off when suddenly huge waves appeared alla round and with drops of water coming from everywhere. man it was like a storm! quite an ordeal!

one of the couples had a 5 yr old daughter, and I became quite good friend with her. in the night we had a barbeque and a bonfire. but it started raining, and we rushed into the large tent. but it was quite fun in the tent. the couples played a game in which a person had to recognise his/her spouse blindfolded just by touching the palms. after that we played a word game which me and shivani didi won comfortably. apart from that we did several activities and enjoyed a lot.

the next day i drove off along with jiaji, didi and daksh after breakfast as i had to catch a bus at 5 pm from nyc. however we met with some traffic on the way so i got off at metro garden railstation to catch a train to newark in hopes of catching the bus at 5.55 from there. i caught a nj transit train to penn station newark, and reached there at 5.45. i dashed away to the greyhound terminal (which fortunately is adjacent to penn station) and caught the bus in the nick of time. later in the night Smita and Atul came to pick me up at milesburg. they had a great trip along with the rest of the gang at virginia beach.

in all it was a wonderful trip and i'm really thankful to shivani didi and jijaji for making it possible for me.

While planning for my US trip, washington DC and New York city were two places where i definitely wanted to go. both these metropolis cities are near to Penn State campus.

Pan IIT 2005 was going to be held near DC, and was moreover on a weekend. i loved the pAn iit 2004, at fdelhi last yr, and didn't wanna miss this yr. i contacted the chairman of the conference (who later turned out to be the CEO of a major company). it was held at  Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

i took a greyhound bus from state college to DC on 21st morning. it was my first trip outside state college, and was pretty cool. bus was very comfortable, and the surroudings were scenic. i had a 2 hr stay at Harrisburg (Capital of Pennsylvania). its a beautiful city. the capitol buildibg is especially cool. also romaed around in a mall there and had lunch at subway. i did clicked a lot of pics around.

i reached dc in the afternoon, and finding the union metro station was no biggie. i was in a hurry so couldn't roam around, but the buildings did amaze me. there were a lot of government buildings around. metro station was quite similar to delhi's, but there were ticket vending machines instead of a ticket seller. the metro trains didn't look as good as delhi's metro, but they were pretty fast. MAriott was near white flint metro station, and on the way i could see lots of indians. one of the guys asked "which Batch ?". when i metioned i'm still a student, he was amazed. And so were rest of the IItians i met. none could gather as to how being a student I managed to arrive at the conference. well of course in their time, noone used to go for internships abroad.

if i counted the net worth of the people in the conference, it could cross gdp of some countries quite easily. man, everywhere around there were ceos, vps, directors. its so awe inspiring! one of the guys was the VP of Procter and Gamble, when he left India. Imagine what position he must be holding now! Intercating with such people is really an experience. i just imagined, that hopefully in 5-6 yrs i'll be standing there with my friends and batchmates.

i left at around 8pm (after eating a lot of Seekh Kababs and other snacks) to Vienna, fairfax, where one of my friends has a place.Next morning i decided to skip the conference, and headed for the historical places. I boarded a metro from Dunn Loring Station to Smithsonian, and as soon as i came out from the metro station i was greeted by the gigantic Washington Monument. Just its sight was enough to pump adrenaline. However the tickets were already sold, and so i clicked alot of pics from outside and headed for Jefferson memorial. I didn't go much near as i had very little time, and clicked pics over the lake. there was another monument depicting all the states of US on huge tiles, with a fountain in the middle. couldn't gather what its name was.

and then there was the sight - the reflecting lake between lincoln memorial and washington monument. Its so awesome! I had seen it countless times in movies (remember the antiwar rally in Forrest Gump? Its the same place). really really cool!

The Weather was pretty good at the time, so walking around was no problem. there was a cut european couple who took a pic of me with the lake and monument in the background. since the time for the next metro train was approaching, i walked back, crossing the vietnam memorial. A lot of people were standing around there, but i couldn't see what the attraction was. maybe cause americans can relate more to vietnam, and i was born much later after the war. there was graduation of george washington university in a park besides washington monument, and so there were lots of students in black graduation dresses with their families around. on the way back i  saw capitol building. that's a familiar building too. i didn't go much cloase but did click a lot of pics. the whole are was just full of world famous structures. all the buildings, roads had a history of their own. I didn't go to white house as a) the recent security issues , and b)there was no time. but whatever i could see was well enough to make me happy for the rest of the US stay.

I boarded a train back to union station. its one of the most famous places in DC, and is a historic railway station. i boarded the bus back to State college in the afternoon, and the return trip was comfortable as well. this trip is really memorable, as it was my first visit to a major us city, and moreover i was so happy that i could go around US completely on my own, with no assitance whatsoever. this really boosted my confidence to travel around. and i hope to do that more often now.

Well your first flight is always exciting and fascinating, and if your first flight is to USA, then Oh Man! I always used to pester my parents to give me a flight ticket, as i was the only one in the family who hadn't been on a flight. Mom always consoled that you'll soon be on a flight, and it'll be to the US. And voila! It came true.

My final destination was state college, where the Pennsylvania State Univesity is. I had two stops, one at Frankfurt, and other at Washington DC. Dad chose the best airlines possible (Lufthansa), even though i wanted to cut costs by going for a cheaper airline. But now i'm happy that i flied on Lufthansa.

After all the security checks and stuff in Indira Gandhi Airport, Delhi, I waited for almost an hour before boarding. I got the window seat (Yo!). As the plane began to take off, the speed of the plane increased instantaneously, and it was so thrilling ! It felt like being in a roller coaster, and was totally awesome. I still don't gather how anyone can be scared of taking off and landing? Then i saw the breathtaking view of Delhi glittering like jewels in the night. i wish i had a camera. And soon i was above the clouds, sailing like Alladin and Jasmine on a magic carpet. it became dark soon.

Food on airplanes isn't as bad as it is made out to be. nothing great but not bad at all.

Frankfurt airport is so huge! thankfully my terminal wasn't very far from where i had landed. i walked around and saw the shops, mcdonalds, cafes, and every thing was so tempting! its good to have a lufthansa flight while boarding at Frankfurt, as they have special lounges and good seating areas. One thing i didn't like was that there were no water outlets and the shop owner asked for 5 euros for a small bottle! but everything apart from it was so cool. first step into foreign soil was pretty engrossing.

the next flight was to dulles airport, washington dc. i had a little time to go through all check-ins, cutoms, baggage, but it all went peacefully. I met a nice indian guy at my terminal. but everything rushed so fast that i couldn't realize that this was my first step into US. the last flight was a small carrier. i was worried that will it be able to handle my baggage? but it was a peaceful flight as well and in 1 hr i was in state college. my guide, Prof Robert a Schlegel, came to pick me up in his volkswagon, and i was taken into the scenic, beautiful and lovely city of State College.........