Wednesday, April 22, 2009

But it Rained

Its raining in Bangalore. Actually this is the third time this week. The weather is so good, I want to shift my computer next to an open window. With a cup of hot tea on my table, I want to enjoy the cool air and the mild fragrance of wet earth which I so love.

I have just come back from the cafeteria, having lusted after the overcast skies, wet roads and newly washed trees for around an hour. A thousand memories- images from yesteryear's flashed in front of my eyes in this past hour.

I remember how my mom used to scold me for playing with friends in pouring rain. It used to be so good, surely gross, to jump in puddles of water. Finally when mom managed to get me inside the house, I would be sneezing and she would push me inside the hot shower with a towel and a change of clothes. That hot shower would remove the chill from the body and a cup of hot chocolate would be waiting for me on the table. I would pick it up and stand on the doorstep. Some tiny drops would bounce off the side wall and land on my face.

While preparing for IIT JEE in eleventh and twelfth standard rains used to be a welcome break. A reason for me to take my nose out of the book and take in the sweet smell of first rains. The scorching summers of Delhi used to make it even more special. I would sit on the entrance to the garden and see the grass slowly disappearing in the waters. The leaves and branches of the trees would relieve their parching throats, bending and submitting themselves to the heavy downpour. Sometimes, overwhelmed, a branch or two would break and fall down on the street. And I would just ask mom for some samosas, cheela or pakoras. It would refresh me for another week to be spent inside my room with my books.

And now, I am sitting in an enclosure which does not even have windows to enjoy the view. This centrally air-conditioned building has glass walls and no windows. The only place where I can sit and enjoy is the cafeteria at the other end of the building! Still I find my own ways.

I have always enjoyed the rains, and will continue to do so. In the present circumstances it will require extra efforts from me, a closed concrete jungle that I am living in. I do not in the least bit mind though - anything for that refreshing feeling and that breathtaking beauty of nature that comes with the rains. It can magically pull me away from everything else around me, and make me forget everything... everything!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

REMINISCENCE















AMU - Aligarh



Taj Mahal- Agra














Prayag / Allahabad











Tea Gardens - Jorhat



Thats Tura!!




Bihu - Gauhati
















Hawa Mahal - Pink City




Centerstage Mall - Noida














Delhi Metro














Bahai Mandir (Lotus Temple) - Delhi




Sé Cathedral at Goa Velha


















Mormugao - Vasco






Brigade Road - Bangalore



I had a chance to experience these places in the last 20 years... all thanks to my dad's transferable job and his daughter's education :)

P.S. Without Google this post would not have been possible. I have borrowed these pics from various sources and I am in no way taking credit for these or trying to generate profits.




Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Single in the City

BITS happened in the summer of 2005, and ever since I reached Goa I have felt like a nomad. I felt at home at home and also, at BITS - my new home. Before coming to BITS I always traveled with my parents who ensured I was comfortable wherever we went. In BITS, I had many journeys and sojourns, without my parents, and they taught me how to make any place my home. The latest in the list is Bangalore.


Back in December last year, before I left the campus, I knew coming six months were going to be in Bangalore- thanks to PS2. I knew that after spending every single minute I was awake with friends, for the past three-and-a-half years, Bangalore was going to be difficult. without them. Even for someone like me who loves(loved??) solitude. That is the effect college, especially hostel, life had on me.


For those readers who don't understand the closeness and deep bonds of friendship that you develop in college, I don't know how to explain. I can just say, try staying away from your home, away from family after being dependent on them for more than 15 years of your life. Try being surrounded by hundreds of people sailing in the same boat as you. And then try to explain the complications of your day to day (happening?) college life to your family members sitting hundreds or thousands of kilometers from you. Try to stay fresh and alive and happy and perky as you move away from your loved ones. Try it. You will understand. Trust me.


For those who have the experience, well, what can I say, you know the feeling. Those of you reading this, who are still living this rosy period of life, my advice is live it to the fullest. And those of you who are out, you could join me in raising a toast to the days gone by- the golden period of our lives.


Ok enough! I am going off the track... So my campus life is over. It has ended and has brought me to this new stage-Practice School 2. The PS2 program is a weird feature. Actually it is a good entry into the world outside the campus- or a good introduction to the working environment. You are out of college and don't have the option of bunking or sleeping till after midday. You can't or at least wouldn't want to disappoint the host organisation, the BITSian ego in you will make sure of that. Yet, you are not into the corporate world. Unless you are really unlucky, chances are you will have a dozen BITSians for company. Your weekends will still be spent eating out, catching a movie and sometimes sitting on the footpaths (though less often now), with familiar faces. The only change is the background of the image. The objects remain the same.


Now out of the campus, it is a strange feeling of independence. This is the first time I am staying away from the sheltered environment provided my parents or BITS. No restrictions what so ever(except that I need to come to PS everyday!). And I am liking it, as I am sure most others are too. This freedom is even sweeter for my committed friends who can spend more time with their gfs/bfs without the fear of being caught by anyone(of course everyone fears the moral police). There is a lot more for them to do, and many more options to hang out, and more freedom, thus more demands on their time.


So, what happens to me when all my friends are busy with their bfs/gfs? Well, I am alone on the streets of Bangalore(after a point its boring to sit in a 12X12 feet room with three beds). I see many things around me which I hardly notice when I am in a group. I simply love the tiny bird hopping on the wet grass, the small helpless boy in tattered clothes selling tea to get some money for his dinner, the bright yellow shirt a wannabe metrosexual guy is flaunting, the speed at which Honda Civic crosses me, the look in the eyes of the pink faced one year old in his mom's arms, the look of affection in the mother's eyes, the smile on a pretty girl's face as she is busy typing on her iPhone, the assurance of protection that a father offers his son who is firmly holding his dad's hand, the happiness on the face of a young boy of five when his mom gets him a Happy Meal, the fascination on his face when he plays with the toy, the group of people standing on the road to cross the road, in a rush to reach their destinations on time, the guy wearing white shirt and stylish sunglasses at night, waiting for his girlfriend to come and sit behind on his CBZ, the girlfriend who is walking with great difficulty in her high heeled shoes, the last few rays of sun giving a brilliant glow to the sky, the big strong trees disappearing into the darkness of the night, the autowala haggling with two guys for ten bucks...and a lot more.


Sometimes I feel that silence and solitude are the best things in the world. It makes me look at things I often miss in my everyday busy schedule when I am hanging out with my friends. Things outside and inside. I absorb my surroundings better. I just sit at CCD with a book and cappucino. I get to checkout books in Landmark for hours, without having to worry about someone else. I eat what I want, when I want and all I want. I watch the stupidest movie ever made and laugh very hard. I go off to sleep contented in my heart-a weird kind of peace. I don't understand the feeling myself- I wish for more time alone.


And this new city has given me a lot of it, which I have used to reflect upon my past, savour the present and dream of my future. At the end of each day I feel that being a single ain't that bad. At least not in this city full of life and with a head brimming with thoughts.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

My To-Do List




1) Get down to washing clothes. Every two-three weeks when my wardrobe has more dirty clothes than clean ones, I realize the big number I own. And still I feel they are so less!

2) Call my cousins. I was supposed to stay with them in Bangalore during PS, but decided in favour of staying with friends. But they had offered, and they are family. So, I guess its high time I visited them or at least gave a call.

3) Finish the book I have been reading for more than a month now. A million little pieces by James Frey. I am just too tired after sitting in front of the computer whole day to read upon reaching home. But I have to take some time out!

4) Call up some old friends. The short break in winters didn't give me time enough to meet them. And since I have come to Bangalore...well!! This place is costly. I haven't yet received my first stipend. I have a big ego- don't like asking my parents for a lot of money. I spend a lot. These four facts must have made you realize the cash crunch I am facing. So well, haven't called them for quite sometime now.

5) OK. This one is a not 'to do'. STOP EATING JUNK FOOD.

6) Get some exercise. Midsem report, seminar, interviews, a lot of laziness has kept me from it. And I have to still work on the 5th point above. So basically, I have to avoid bloating up.

7) Watch Notting Hill for the nth time. (I just love Hugh Grant)

8) Complete the drafts waiting to be finished and posted on the blogger.

9) Download some nice music... been a long time since I listened to something good and fresh. Right now just can't get enough of old hindi film music. Am stuck.

10) Wish Ramya on her birthday - need to keep this in my head - big day is tomorrow. :)



PS: Don't ask me the reason for posting my to-do list on my blog