Its Back , Its here!!

The bells have rung. The clock strikes Twelve. Its time to battle!!

Calicut University yet again in action. This time its us, the Fourth Semester B.Tech students who have to battle against the University in the war where the only principle valid is " Survival of the Luckiest".

Third Semester University Exam notification has been released. It "ensures" that the exams may commence from 25th March. Thats just Eighteen days from now. No, I'm not frantic, just a bit agitated that the time given is so less.

18 days are to be spent for split attack on the heavy metal barrage of syllabus. Covert operations like "bits" or "exchange" is seemingly impossible in this battle field. Only way is to fight tooth for tooth , eye for an eye!

Now frankly, I've just got two eyes to give off and there are 6 exams, which ensures the fact of messing up the rest 4 papers, and probably the first two as well, guaranteed. :)

There is DSA( easy to type on a keyboard! ), i.e, Data Structures and Algorithms, STLD ( Switching Theory and Logic Design) and ECS( Electrical Circuits and Systems!). The most dreaded subjects of the Semester. These enemy fighters have been awarded the medals of " Largest Supply Provider", " Minimum Marks Mera Hai" and various other ones.



Our brave comrade Gabbar Singh, who fought against the universities of North India long time ago stated this quote in his movie Sholay " Jo dar gaya, samjho wo mar gaya". This is what my policy is going to be. Nopes, my knees won't buckle, my hands won't shiver and definitely I wont stink from sweat.

If not as mighty as the University, we aren't feeble either. The pre-war prep has begun. The trumpets have been blared, and the sirens are waking up every dozing brain in the vicinity. The hands that carried cigarette butts and "uppu soda" glasses during the entire semester, while idle chatting at Pallimoola, shall now bear the mighty pen and shed one's own blood into the waiting answer papers. Oops, getting way too carried away with the campaign.( Mental note: Play less of "Rome: total war". :) )

I had been to college today. Our hang out, Appachan's corner, was devoid of almost all the Second year guys, the regulars. As my feet took me towards Mech tree, the situation was no different. CCF(Centralized Computing Facility ) was in the clutches of First years and MCA people who were relishing the fact that we are about to face our doom. The sarcasm showed when they beamed at me.

Only people I met who belonged to the same rein were Sailesh, Tony and Merlin. Alas! what was happening to Tony! There he was, sitting with the DSA text by Ullman, concentration heavy on his eyeballs, as though burning the papers with this intensity. The three did not notice me as I walked towards them. It was Sailesh, taking a break( for a brief yawn) who saw me first. His face was devoid of the pleasing smile, and wore a sombre look. Teaching them both was Merlin, looking up at me over the rims of her glasses with dispassionate interest, probably perturbed by my interference.



Wars have psychological influences, they say. The aura was intimidating. My hands reached for the hereditary DSA textbook passed on to me from elder brother...

Guess I won't be here for a brief period from now.. Until we meet, pray that I survive the shelling and encounters with the University and return home, my bloggerworld, with all physical organs intact!!

A Giant Leap Year ahead!!

The day was 29th February year 2008. The only leap year in our b.tech life.
As decided before hand, almost all of us had worn black attire to mark this auspicious day.

(It is said that leap year is the time when its girls' turn to propose. At least I'm sure I wasn't proposed neither on this day nor on the valentines day that preceded it!!)

We were smoking our brains out deciding what to do to make the day memorable. There were suggestions of mass bunking(as usual!) for the entire day and going for a movie, having a gigantic snack-time at Wimbies and many more. As I could remember, It was our ex-rep Sailesh who came up with the idea of going all the way to Kaiparambu, where Vidya Engineering College is situated, to attend Perizia, the tech cum cultural fest organized by the computer Sciences and engineering department.

Despite some initial hesitation, we finally decided to give his plan a try. Soon a crowd, numbering between 20 and 30, stepped out from the ongoing Environmental Studies class( yes, we do have this!!).

As was obvious, the gathering of "blacks" caught everyones' attention en route. It so happened that, at Shakthan Thampuran Bus Stand, three people from our group strayed off to have some snacks. Not realizing their absence, the rest of us boarded a bus to our destination. The trio, upon their return were making frantic inquiries about us, when an elderly looking man asked them(obviously noticing the dress code)," Are you among the black cats who just left now??"



We reached Kaiparambu by 12 and waited for the three individuals to catch up. Getting to the college was no piece of cake as we walked the 2 km stretch leading there under the scorching sun. A cargo jeep soon came by and some of us could manage a lift in it till the college. The rest, however, continued tirelessly.

Events at the college were ion full swing as we reached. Hiran came to meet us upon informing. Some of our seniors were already present, participating in various technical and otherwise contests. The participation was free and so I gave my name for Quiz, Programming in C and Mobile Photography, along with others.

Quizzing was never this easy. I was in and out of the lab where the event was being held even before I realized. One or two correct answers and that was it!! The words " You are terminated Mister" beamed at me!!

Next in line was the Programming Contest Preliminaries. Almost all of us took part in it. Vinu, Raman and myself were lucky enough to get through into the finals along with our seniors and some other guys. The final was a nightmare and the question was waaaaaaaaay out of my logics!! Sat for about 3 quarters of an hour and finally wrote the following and came out:

#include
main()
{
printf(" good luck with the event! with love from GEC Devidas\n");
}

:)


It was for the first time that I was participating in a photography contest. This event was more thrilling than the rest, frankly. The task was to click few snaps and present any two that were related to the event "Perizia". Here I include the photos I submitted:





Meantime Rushdie and gang were busy preparing for the Ad-Zap event. While we were "busy" with the programming finals , rest of our company left the place to Neetha's home. We soon caught up with them for the photo session that followed. Neetha's identical twin sister, Neema was also present.

The day had , unknowingly become, memorable with all these unexpected turn of events. There were certainly some newbies among us who would other wise restrain themselves to the class. And surprisingly, there were more girls in the group than us!!


Not all are here!

Another page added to the diary of GEC memories, bookmarked to cherish!!

B.R.A.I.Ns- Lost in Transition??

Here is a diary excerpt from the days when I joined GEC. I was just glancing through my old entries and found this worth putting up. Execuse the vocabulary. These entries were enerally written in night (about 2 A.M.). So here it goes....
""
Its been some days since the last time I wrote anything here.. I'll try to brIefly explaIn what all happened In the last four months of my college lIfe:

I joIned the college on 9th october,06.As Is my character I made some frIends on the very fIrst day Itself. Jeevan was my fIrst mate here. He Is a nIce dude wIth good attItude.I dont have much to say about hIm as he left the college soon to pursue hIs Interests as a commercIal pIlot.Soon I met wIth Rahul and Arun RushdIe tallest IndIvIduals of my class who shared common frequency of thought and thInkIng as me. They had become my good company tIll the cultural fest of the college began-Confluence 06. These two were partIcIpatIng In a dance and they made new frIends whIle the practIce sessIons were goIng on.The brIef perIod of solItude.That was when I had close encounters wIth the thIrd kInd- back benchers. The prIced posItIon In any class where the brIghtest braIns are found. A place of hIgh rIsk actIvItIes IncludIng graffItI work on benches, readIng novels and magazInes whIle the class Is In full swIng, and at some raretImes, studIes...
The people I met here were Arun s always called "ArunS", Raman or RamakrIshnan, RohIt Rajesh, Jerry BrIstow and last but the best among all-Sethu.We constItuted the last two benches of the class.One fIne day, whIle on a tedIous work of graffItI, Sethu suddenly saw an already etched word on the bench-B.R.A. whIch stood for Back Row AssocIatIon. ThIs acronym sparked a lIght In us thus leadIng to the formatIon of the group. But sInce the name of the group had a multiple meanIng which was more popular, I came up wIth a suggestIon of addIng an addItIonal term to the name -"INcorporated". TakIng the fIrst two terms of the newly coIned word we thus had the fInal name of the group as B.R.A.I.N; thus levelIng wIth Abdul Kalam's popular quote about the braIns of the class.
We the founder members had veto powers, meanIng that we can decIde on selectIng new members to the group and decIdIng objectIves and operatIons and all..
Soon enough the membershIp of the group rose from 6 to 11 and from 11 to 22 where as the onlIne communIty opened In the same name has 26 members as on 12:47 AM 1/27/2007.
FollowIng our lead two other groups were formed In the class; frontbench Intellectuals or FBI, and cenral bench IdIots or CBI. InterestIng event to mentIon here Is that CBI soon merged Into BRAIN and thus the next objectIve at hand was to merge the front benchers In the league of these last benchers!!!
We have been partly successful In thIs venture as can be seen from the omnIous drIft of people from fIrst benches to the last benches durIng the dry lectures of graphIcs and other sImIlar hours.ThIs Is by no means a groupIsm In classrooms as we Intended the formatIon of thIs funky group purely for fun unplugged.
One abIlIty that braIn apprecIates Is of crackIng poor pathetIc jokes popularly known as 'pj's or chalI's. As In fIle, Raman holds the record for beIng the most entertaInIng chalImaster for three consecutIve months(onlIne statIstIcs).


A recent picture of hard-headed brain members

SpeakIng of the members of the group, the person to be mentIoned prImarIly Is Sethu.He Is a gIfted graffItI maker wIth a unIque knack for creatIng excellent quotes and onelIners. To revIew hIs artworks, a vIsIt to the last benches of the class Is necessary. He has already fInIshed total graffItIIng of a bench and handed It over to the FBI to realIse the artIstIc valour. He's currently occupIed on another sImIlar project and Is scheduled to release It before "february 14th".

Arun s Is an InterestIng character wIth lots of enthusIasm for learnIng newer thIngs In the new atmosphere. He had complted hIs studIes In Jamshedpur In BIhar.Though born wIth the gene of an Intellectual, he's an ever charmIng character radIatIng an Innocent smIle which were, untill recently, been furnIshed wIth braces.Me Raman n Arun sIt In the second last row of the class.


a rare sight..

Jerry n BrIstow are two characters who need to be mentIoned together. They are cousIns and good frIends and have been In each other's company from class 8th onwards. BrIstow In case I havent mentIoned here yet, Is a bombastIc character In short. a rare collector's Item Is what I would call hIm as. He's got a charmIng personalIty and Is surely a man of ladIes, rIghtly called PUSHPAN meanIng flIrt!!
He's been nicknamed "Pushpan " as he's seen constantly In the vIcInIty of beautIful ladIes wIth hIs copyrIght protected seducIve smIle.Jerry on the other hand, Is bIt more composed character, nevertheless competItIve.In the short tIme we have had together whIch Is actually InsuffIcIent to judge hIs character I have started consIderIng hIm as a man of word, adequately composed of the x factor necessary to be a braIn.
RohIt Rajesh n me myself have got many a thIngs In common. We have had an almost equal academIc career and have got settled wIth almost the same rank. He's got a brother and lIves near mannuthy about the same place where I lIve. And importantly, whenever there is a chat we almost say the same thing together( you know, it gives goosebumps!!). An acad by nature as I presume and stIll contInues to tIckle the funny bone.
I suppose thats It, thats us the braIns!!!! hear it world, we RULE!!!!
"""

Its the cigarette that smokes, the person only Sucks!!

My day began. The sun was at his best when I came out from my apartment , walking through the same path which lead to the quadri-walls of my cubicle inside the intimidating multi-floored complex. The scorching heat reminded me of the rainy days which I had always cursed of, and the cozy warmth of bed from which one would never like to get up.

The sweltering heat taking its toll on mind as my thoughts wandered off to long forgotten times. Those evenings at Pallimoola had everything to offer- peace of mind, freedom from the strain of the day and, cigarettes. The first puff, the long cough that followed at the end of which I was almost at the verge of throwing up. Friends had warned me of not getting into the habit, or rather, to keep away from it. But situations kept coming when there were no other options than to take a long relaxing fag and blow out the gray smoke which had taken a brief visit of my interior. The world around would start to swirl as I reach almost the middle of the 69mm long "coffin nail".

They say drinks have better off outcomes than these paper rolls, but I say no. No matter how good(or bad) they are, cigarettes are, on the other hand, are far more affordable and won't let your consciousness go to sleep. I haven't tried any of those nor would if given a chance.

I have seen changes coming off to the people around me, sitting near "Appachan's Devalokam". There were guys who had no reasons for pursuing this habit, and were now far more addicted to it than I was. There were others who would not spend a single penny to buy one but nevertheless got themselves the elixir of life by waiting for other regulars, a phenomenon known locally as Welding.

Setting these aside, there were certainly some good experiences about being around at the smoke factory. There were guys whom you just cannot meet anywhere in college but could be found here almost always if you are looking for them. There was gossiping of the serious kind, debates on the current social and political scenario and unavoidably, those about girls. Bottom line- none of us had a girlfriend and don't pity ourselves nor blame our habits for it.



I have seen changes to the brands that had come by. From the usual 69mm long ones to the elite 74mm ones which I could afford only during the beginning of the month (that's when parents pour in cash for the kid's monthly expenditure). They were as cheap as Rs 1.50 ab initio, and, thanks to the annual budgets, were now sold at little less than Rs 10. Every new year brought with it the time to make resolutions and as always, my efforts to quit had become more or less passive.

Then there were friends, who would just not accommodate the fact of me not being as normal as them for the reason that I smoke. The words of wisdom and advice emanating from people of your age are more of a shame than regret to listen to. I was what I made myself to be, and I could go back the track only when I decided to.

Then there were other friends, whom I picked up at the place. The people with cigarettes but nothing to light them. The sharing would start of from the fire from ones' own cigarette to the others', and went all the way till both were inhaling from the same till the sponge-made butt start to smoke black. There were people from all walks of life coming in for a break here, construction workers, government officials, the unemployed and many more unidentifiable faces. But we all had one thing in common...

The night-outs at hostels would mean four or five packets of cheap quality ones vanishing as smoke when its time for combined studies and/ or movie time. Events at college that ran late into night and the morning after always had the same story to tell.

From the vibrant and joyous life of a student, I was turning into a 'gray man with a gray job'. Yes, that's what the "industry" has done to me!

There were offers from the MNCs that I had longed to be a part of. The first day at work, the nervous shiver which was internal and not from the centralized air cooling system and much more. The pleasure was to die pretty soon. The dumb machine was always there, insatiable just as the world outside ,just as the dementours , politely called "clients". With each day that turned itself to nothing but a number in the dusty calendar, the passion, the energy that made me opt for such a life drained into oblivion. My family, my parents, gradually reduced to exist as the people whom I now met perhaps once a year or so. The thread of friendship had ceased and withered away with time as we all parted for the purpose of existence, working as monotonously as I was. The yesteryears had nothing to offer but the melancholy of lost dreams, dreams unfulfilled, love unanswered and much, much more...

The burning butt of Davidoff spit out the last whisker of air as my boots crushed them...

Dedication: to all the Pallimoola friends of mine...

The Two Worlds

Sun was setting in the far oblivion.Her home, a furlong away was visible in the twilight as a beautiful patch of grey over the blazing red that was now the horizon. Heaving foot one ahead of the other, she slowly made herself walk towards it, the loneliness that she suffered wanting her to go back the stone track, through the meadow, towards the river bank.

It was here, in the hours after she had left her friend, a young bright lass of her age, that a traveller, seated on a hand-made saddle, placed on the darkest and the mightiest horse she had ever seen, stopped her. His face was hidden half beneath the scarf with the golden braided edge and the dark brown eyes had expressed, beyond his attempts to mask them, an exquisite liking and a warm feeling of unearthly fondness.

She could sense his eyes wandering from her hair, that was gently flying in the mild breeze coming from nowhere, to the features on her face, and further beyond. A sense of uneasiness set in initially, but soon gave way to a unique sensation she had never felt before. He got down from the beast, and started stroking its mane, his eyes fixed on the beauty in front of him. His boots showed signs of rough times, and the leather holsters on either side of his belt held guns with ivory butt.

It was unusual for a stranger to ride into their town, in the valley beside the snow-capped mountain. They were the cast-away from the kingdom of the cruel king, and defying his rule was their mistake. The mountain provided them protection from the king's guards, and from the beasts that prowled in the jungles beyond. The tracks leading to the village had given way to vegetation, the reminiscence of a prosperous trade route. Any person coming from other side of the mountain was hanged in the town centre, for, if he is left alive , their settlement could be ambushed by the cruel king.

He talked to her in a language that was not her own. His voice , she imagined, were of the gods her mother always spake of. Unmistakeably she could comprehend the essence of his words as though they were connected by a link from the past, perhaps from a previous birth. He lifted the gunny pouch hanging from his waist,requesting for the elixir of life- water. She gently took it in her hand. Their fingers touched for a brief moment and a pulsating surge sent shivers through her nerves. She drew back immediately, her soft snow-white cheeks now wearing the vibrancy of a rose bud.

Her breath quickened as she curvetted towards the rivulet. The chirping of the blue-tail reminded her of the romantic ballad her grandma used to recite.
Anxiety mounting, she quickly filled the pouch with water, and ran back to the place where she left him. Her heart beat faster than ever as she imagined his face beneath the scarf, daring herself to speak once she got back.

He was lying under the large oak tree. The horse he had straddled was no where to be seen. She set herself next to him, resisting her temptation to touch his hands that now rested on his chest. His breath was heavy, and words were choking his throat. She gently placed her hands on his back, rendering him support enough to sit. Her emotions flooded beyond bounds as her arm drenched in his blood. The gaping wound on his back was draining him of all the vitality he was left with, drawing him closer to the darker world beyond life. Their eyes locked for a brief moment. His hand gently rose, caressing her face, before falling down, lifeless...

Dedication: to a very special friend, Merlin, who inspired me to write this...

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National Crisis!!

View the following photos and etch your comments. The pictures are self-explainatory.


Notice No. 0 : Stars which vanished into oblivion


Notice No. 1


Notice No. 2 : Anxious Parents


Notice No. 3: Them again!!


Notice No. 4 : Primo facto

The creators of the notification are Chacko and Rushdie, the bereaved friends of the missing individuals.

Notice No. 5 : Hoping for the Good

Require Immediate response. All you people out there.......

Helppppppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!

Saami- Doom and Return of a Legend!! The saga continues!!

This is a tale about a boy who struggled through rough times and proved to the world around him that true courage and hope for good is still left on this planet.

Once upon a time, in the distant land of Thrissur Engg. College, studied a smart little young man named Saami. Ardently inspired by the words of great leaders, he decided to dedicate his life to the welfare of common people and his fellow sudents, by landing up in college politics. People gasped with awe when he passed, and he increasingly became a rare item in his own class as more often his duties would keep him busy, as an emerging Red Star.

Then disaster struck. The day was December 31st, 2007. On his way back to hostel, exhausted and weary, Saami was atacked by a gang of ....THE MATTANCHERY MOSQUITOES.

He fought them back bravely, him against nine(perhaps!!) but one of the savage beasts found its destination, Saami's leg. The mosquito made the strike before Saami could barricade himself.

Gasping for air after the galactic war, Saami realised with shock the emergence of a small inflammation near his toe. Irritation soon set in and unable to stand it anymore, Saami plucked at the lump and it burst!!

As days passed by, the swelling in his leg increased though he seldom bothered about it. Busy with his routine, Saami had totally forgotten the pain till it became excruciating. Upon his friend's insistence, he soon consulted a doctor who immediately hospitalised him.

Friends are a boon and sometimes a real pain in the ...

Friends and family poured in to visit the fallen warrior, with empty hands. The sufferers were the nurses of the floor as prying eyes often lurked around them and jackals in saint's disguise sought every oppurtunity to talk to them.(no offence meant :) )

A dying patient needs care even in his death bed

The D-day, as Saami dreaded, finally arrived. A white clad lady came into his room rolling a wheel chair, taking him into the mystery land of OPERATION THEATRE. His friends ran behind him untill they were blocked by giants called attendants near the Op-T.

Lead Unaware

Seconds turned minutes and minutes ran to an hour and a half. Saami emerged as illuminant as before, out of the glassed entrance(or exit!! whatever!). The doctor, exhausted after the minor surgery was soon brought out supported on either side by the attendants. His final words were" It was a miracle. The boy shall live."

Victory is thee

Our joy had no leaps and bounds. Messages and calls came pouring down like the water in Niagra. Friends and family celebrated a new dawn for the " boy who lived".

Walking towards a new dawn(Hopefully!!)

Soon came the day when he parted from the comfort of the hospital bed. His eyes wet with tears, throat choking to let a final word out and hands trembling as he slowly let the door to Room no. 212 slide back to its latch.Heartbreaking Moments

And then.......












He lived happily ever after!!!


****************THE END**********************