Announcement: New Magazine.

For all those who are feeling quite strongly about the way the system is functioning, or rather malfunctioning... here's an outlet. I'm attempting to vent our concerns, in many ways through a News Letter called :

automoney

It's going to be a satirical magazine in collaboration with BHL. I'd love to get more ideas, comments, thoughts and issues which we can raise up. Actually, this magazine will concentrate, step by step on issues which are of concern, but are down played in our institution. Those who aren't from the institution can also contribute, if you are that jobless. Please spread the word. Thanks.
Mail your stuff to:

editors.automoney@gmail.com

We appreciate humour and would like to have a lot of it. But then, you write the way you want. Sarcasm accepted.

Thanks!
Low profile guy and BHL.

The Sound guy of music

The Sound guy of music
By the end of two years being in the Kul team of the institution, one reaps many benefits as long as one is willing to interact. Knowing the ‘sound guys’ when you go for a fest and take part in a stage-music event, helps you in many ways. First of all, you get all the equipment and, generally, how many ever mics you want. Then you don’t have to worry about the kind of sound that comes through the PA , as they’d manage it because you have already gone and said a warm hello to them and have asked the guy to assure us of a good sound. Actually, genuinely recognising their work and their ability and letting them know about it, creates a friendship between you and them because they know that you actually are grateful for the service they did, which most people often find hard to remember. Then there is the fact the, you ask for more or less volume, they’d do it gladly for you. It IS important to say a thank you from the heart once the programme is over, irrespective of how it went.
I forgot to do that at the Jaw-Chef fest. Wanted to say thanks to Joe who gave us an awesome sound and output on the PA. Thanks to you Johansson, if you ever happen to read this.
***

Deportmental Fixation

Deportmental Fixation

My friend told me a deplorable story with the Deportment of Cykologi cast as the villain, yet again. For the end semester practical exam, the second year students were asked to bring school students as subjects. They claimed that they were to make it authentic experiments. 60-70% of those doing Cykologi courses are not from Bangalore and do not have many contacts locally. In spite of this limitation, they were asked to bring school students as subjects (or guinea pigs), that too on week days. I wonder why the department which studies human psyche did not even pay attention to simple things like the difficulty for out station students to fulfil this requirement. So students ran around in a frenzy trying to get school students.

Many disguised pre-university course (PUC) students as High School-aged subjects. Some bribed people to come. Some walked in to a near by school with their powerful contacts and loaned the students for an hour. Towards the end, there was such anger and frustration among the students that they began cursing the department loudly in the college corridors. The anger touched its peak when those who could not find school aged subjects were allowed to conduct experiments on the usual subjects (friends, mothers, friend’s friends, etc), without any punishment, unlike threatened by the Deportment before. Towards the last batches, anybody and everybody were allowed to bring a subject of their choice.

What injustice! First, they threaten to cut Assessment Internally Continuous marks if the subject was not of the required age, causing dissatisfaction and frenzy among students due to the mounting difficulty and inconvenience in a city not their own. And in the end, once they had been through all the trouble of bribing and fancy dressing friends and strangers, the Deportment just overlooked those who didn’t even care to at least attempt following the rules. This was absolutely thoughtless of the Deportment of Cykologi and at least in the future, should not act like a stubborn child when it comes to trivial matters like these. And if they act stubborn, they should stick to what they say and not become partial and let some students not care for the guidelines, which are at the first place, crazy. I wonder what kind of a fixation a Deportment forms as it develops over the years in to a fully grown, still stubborn child.
***

The other side of the curtain.

The other side of the curtain.

(Thoughts from the seminar)
One is so easily susceptible to believing and accepting someone else’s beliefs and ideologies in such a short time, how much ever you used to oppose them. It is so difficult to not believe when they convincingly state the facts while drawing a curtain over the other side of their argument, often narrowing the visions of those who have not gone to the other side of the curtain. It is the easiest to fall prey to such one sided arguments when there is no one else to bring up the other end of it, which often appears sugar coated and goes down easily, unlike truth which tastes like bitter medicine.
***

You and your neighbours.

In my sixth grade, came a new guy. His name was unusually long for any person from our community (which is notorious for giving weird names to their new born children. Eg: Flubbeesh). Mr. Moncy (There! I told you), our class teacher, who was a strict but funny man, asked him his name during the introduction at the beginning of the academic year.
"Jerrin Antony Joseph Thottaan".
"I didn't ask all your neighbours names, just say yours", said the 'strictly funny' man.
The class laughed away.

11 years later, I came across a person who taught in a famous college in the Pub city. Name?
'Jesus Milton Rousseau S.'
My best buddy asked me, on telling her, about him:
" Does the 'S' stand for Shakespeare?"

With little children after a long day.

After the long wait and the sweet victory at a fest which was everything but "KALA" (hey...perhaps, it was 'kaala'), I asked BHL if he'd join me for a programme where I thought I'd have to be alone. The programme was to be with kids and entertain them with songs stories, games and all that, while their daddies and mummies sat next door in a garden saying "I still do" (It's the Valentine's thing coming up). BHL, to my suprsie agreed and as usual we had a great time talking about a wide variety of things, from salt to camphor, to use a local term. The journey to Indira's Nagar was great, though we ended up paying the Autoguy through our nose!

The children sat on the turning thing and swings and slowly we got close to them and it went on for an hour, effortlessly, by God's grace. We played Follow the Leader (his idea), then an instant improvised game: What-occupation-am-I-acting-out? which wasn't all that heavy as it sounds. then we taught them, the songs "Telephone to Jesus", and then when we went indoors- "I want to be your friend a litle bit more". This last song was awesome with all the uncles who were there to helP JOINING IN THE SUPER KIDS ACTION. wAS FUN, MAN..

The dinner was great and we all had to our necks fill. Yeah, uptil our necks. Afterall, the dinner was the main attraction of the programme. At least that's what Vinay and Tom said.
We walked through silent Indiranagar, which is noisy by day, in search of a bus. But BHL's idea was to take a cab to Koramangala. He was the rights. We got one all the way to my bus stop and then we parted ways. Good night. It was great fun and filling.

migration and settlement- the prototype of humanity in a class room

In the beginning of first year, nobody wanted a fixed place in the class room. All were free birds and any teacher who even dared to impose a particular place for the students of a noisy class were met with threatening glares and mumbles of strong dissentment.

I'll sit where I want. This isn't primary school. We're grown ups.

Months passed. Today I look around the class. Everyone's on the same seat as yesterday. Looks like their behinds have been stuck to those 38 year old benches. There is a fear to move to another seat,beside a class mate whom one hasn't talked to much. Fear of alienation, fear of talking to a class mate outside one's own group. Nobody wants to befriend another who's been in class but seems like a stranger, just before going out of the college (it's the last year).

Some months ago, a gang of friends "reasoned" with another group of friends why that place belonged to them and how they'd got used to it. The latter group were so cross that they mumbled and walked off.

People migrate for a while. Then they setlle down. It's been the same with life, the same with humanity. Communities of people migrated thousands of years ago and settled somewhere, at a point of time. When other migrants came along after a while, initial settlers flinched their eye brows. Sometimes, it led to wore. thank God, that can't happen here. But it's all the same. Even in life Passionate lovers settle down for one specific lover at some point of time. Most people stick to a particular job at some stage, after shifting many jobs.

And, I realised, the human community, shows the same characteristics wherever they are- be it a class, or in life, or anywhere. Migration stops at some point of time. But it need not be pleasant to all.

OE - Beginning with the Seventeenth century.

Find them:

There's a lot in a NIL pint-oh not again, it'll scatter all over! So ban a teacher who can wear saddam's shoes and walk beside Paddy fields along with King Sol who's against Edward-the Last, of the neighbouring country, besides being a buye(r).

If you've found them, congratulations, you can keep quiet now!

Smokey.

It is just funny when your lecturer smells of cigarette when you greet him in the college corridor during the break.

Journalism Class Script II

Recently, the bunny came and told me an inccident which would qualify to be presented under Journalism Class Script II:

A very active student from the Bachelors classcomes running into the staff room and asks Beloved Mr. NR, "Sir, Sir, I want to go to the UK and study when should I write the IELTS exam?"

"Uh.. when they hold it."

Hope she writes the exam.

* * *

Sir talking about Sports Reporting in Class:

"Anyone knows the National Sport of Pakistan? Anyone?"

"Cricket Sir!!", attempts a backbencher, which carried a a typical immature teenage american phrase "Duh...!" as the subtext.

"It's Hockey , ok? It's hockey", he revealed and added, " Atleast one thing they both agree on."

3rd year English textbook on google books

Did anybody ever know that you get to read third Year Optional English text books on google books? Sign in with your google account and study fortheexams online. Why buy the books, anyway?
Instructions:
Go to the google site. Press the 'more' button and then the books tab and go ahead searching for your book.
I got it while searching 'Sashi Deshpande' for an assignment. Try a person from the EuropeanLit book and I'msure you'llfind the other book there too.

Here's where you get Text and the Worlds.
Indian Lit:
http://books.google.com/books?q=Shashi+Deshpande&as_brr=0

European lit:
http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=The+handsomest+man+in+the+world&btnG=Search+Books&as_brr=0

Enjoy Fellas. Print me a page when you print one.

Et tu, digest?

Everytime I visited my Mom's place, especially, her eldest borther's, Readers Digest used tobe my favourite past time. When there was nothing else to do, I'd read every single article. Otherwise the routine used to be flippin across the jokes. Once I started reading the articles, I got hooked to RD. Once, at my Mom's mom's bro's place, I sat up till 2 in the moring reading the different issues I'd gathered from the lonely house. Surely, it was a reliable companion. I loved the classy look, the style of articles, the paintings which came on the back-cover, etc.

We never subscribed RD at home.

But the excitement when I saw one at somebody's house was special. Later, I saw the changes in the digest. The lay out changed.

Forgivable.

But when the front cover's format had to come out with headings with numbers on it: 5 ways to reduce your flab, 7 techniques for better memory, 6 ways to eat food and stuff like that and the lates: 14 ways to find love on the Indian edition, it was all boring. RD became more of an elite health magazine, which advised drinking fruit juice for breakfast

14 ways to find love???? WHAT?

Are Indians so deprived of love that RD has to suggest methods for them to find love? Heights of commercialisation and regionalisation has turned RD to a way that 'suits' India. Nonsense. RD toohas joined the band wagon of commercial bundits, whose aim is to exploit while putting up a superficial image. All fluff.
Et tu, digest?

Et tu, digest?

Everytime I visited my Mom's place, especially, her eldest borther's, Readers Digest used tobe my favourite past time. When there was nothing else to do, I'd read every single article. Otherwise the routine used to be flippin across the jokes. Once I started reading the articles, I got hooked to RD. Once, at my Mom's mom's bro's place, I sat up till 2 in the moring reading the different issues I'd gathered from the lonely house. Surely, it was a reliable companion. I loved the classy look, the style of articles, the paintings which came on the back-cover, etc.

We never subscribed RD at home.

But the excitement when I saw one at somebody's house was special. Later, I saw the changes in the digest. The lay out changed.

Forgivable.

But when the front cover's format had to come out with headings with numbers on it: 5 ways to reduce your flab, 7 techniques for better memory, 6 ways to eat food and stuff like that and the lates: 14 ways to find love on the Indian edition, it was all boring. RD became more of an elite health magazine, which advised drinking fruit juice for breakfast

14 ways to find love???? WHAT?

Are Indians so deprived of love that RD has to suggest methods for them to find love? Heights of commercialisation and regionalisation has turned RD to a way that 'suits' India. Nonsense. RD toohas joined the band wagon of commercial bundits, whose aim is to exploit while putting up a superficial image. All fluff.
Et tu, digest?

Steppin into a puddle of Indian music competitions.

Indian music. Something which i thought I knew nothing of. Finally I got to it and realised. It's music. The passion I shared. To add on, the instumentation of todays music(popular music, shared a lot to what I generally play. Gave it a shot.

First out of compulsion in first year.
Second year, out of competition spirit.
Everytime the bunny came and told me about the new team we could form, I was unsure. Was still thinking... BHL added to the confusion by logically telling about the chances we had and the fun we'd have in playing as a team.
Rob just ordered - You're coming.
"But I'm in the C for SA, Acoutics, Electric...don't think I'll be able to manage time..."
No, it's alright,shut up ande just come. See you in the evening (for practice)

That's when I decided. Guess Bunny wasn't happy with me just giving up doubts on Robs compulsion. He had tried a lot before that.

We fought took it like a battle. We loved ' the winner and his teams music. But we believed we were as good. We fought I loved the preparation. the strategies. Everyone knew in a music competition,it wasn't just the music: Strategies, comparisons, research, surveys, planning, assessment. Like a corporate Company. Like a business. It was fun. It was like playing a game. A simulation of our future lives. Excitement. Hard work. The balancing act, with Studies and the CS of A, church, mp, friends...Man! I look up to the mountains, where will my help come from, My help comes from the Lord who created heaven and earth!

And that's exactly where it came from.

What's in a Pondy?

What's in a Pondy?

Frankly speaking, most Christites who put their hearts into Darpan, dream about going to Pondy. What's at Pondy? Factually, a mega fest named 'Spandan' (meaning: beat/ heart beat) in a mega College called GYPMER in Pondicherry , where many other colleges take part and the competition is tough. The programmes go on till late night and the feeling of being on the bus to Pondy along with your 'Cul' team mates and representing your college elsewhere is something that is supposed to be memorable. I haven't gone there, so I don't know. There's much excitement in the air. Perhaps, more than our team and the fellow Cul team members, it's our friends and class mates who seem to be in seventh heaven about us going to Pondy. I wonder what the previleged Cul team members of the previous years felt when they won the compettions and found themselves destined to go to Pondy. "Man!!! Gonna rock in Pondy, eh?", "What macha..All set for Pondy-a?", "Lucky buggers!/ (sigh)/", are just some of the describable reactions. I don't want to sound all previleged and proud. But the reaction of the other guys, who haven't been to Pondy but still are mesmerised under the magic of a place and event, which they have only heard of puts me in a thinking mood. So what's in a Pondy, where I've never been, but gives the other fellows who're going to stay back, when we're away, the jitters? I see people dying to go to Pondy this year. Various tactics, strategies and exertion of influence is going on just to get oon that bus. All that's going to be over. I know who's going and who is not. This list is going to be up today.

I'm happy to be a potential Pondy goer this year. To be part of the College folktale ("We did this in Pondy", "we won that in Pondy", "We lost but we had fun in Pondy", "What a feeling to get the cup in Pondy", etc.), which would be told further down the generation. To be a part of the contingent which represented the famous college of Mission and Vision. I look forward to it. To be part of the team, make new friends, experience something new together, to share and laugh and cry and travel together, to form new bonds and add in something in the album called life. Thank God for the opportunity. Really thank God. Don't think I deserve it.

And to end on a queer, but joyful note. My friend is happy and all excited about going to Pondy this year. He's been working out a lot off late and I ask him why. With that trademark smile he says "I'm getting ready for Pondy". Well, well.

The Journalism class script - 1

This post is dedicated to Mr. Naresh Rao, JPEng students' ever favourite teacher.

Some of his quips and quotes and a couple of incidents, from our class in June 2006.

• 
  Journalism class- One Morning:"Uh....So who can tell me a definition of NEWS? You know what a definition is , right?" (And we go: Sir we're 21, 22 and this is college)And then he goes again... "I mean when I say a definition, it should be one, told by somebody or something like that. Don't just make it up sitting there.."
• 
  Sir calls out the rolls. Suddenly a huge THUD noise is heard wihich signified someone almost broke his back at the whack of another student. All laugh when they find out it was Ms.Jols' Thunderous whack on Bar's back. Hearing the commotion that followed, he stops the roll call and goes: " I don't know whether he deserved it but... lets try to keep such activities outside the class...0k? ...ya".
• 
  Yet another day. High volume talking in the class during roll call- "Uh... you should learn to curb your natural instincts for communication with each other during the class...especially the ones that involve a lot of noise..."
• 
  Another roll call story. People busy talking as usual. Some forget to answer their numbers and Sir continues. Realising what she had done a girl calls out, "Sir!Sir! Number 23 Sir! ". Visibly a bit irritated, he says, " Uh... You need to react....".
  Usually his power point presentations end with an out of topic line which goes either "All the best", "Thank you", or if its exam time, "Wish you all good luck" or something relevant to the times , accompanied by a "...ya". IT was very funny one day whenhis PPT on the News Paper Organisation ended with something else. As he clicked the slide quickly to the last one, it flashed for a moment before closing , reading " Made any sense??!"
• 
  Bunny, had just got back from his internship as an Asst. Director for a movie. He talked to the class on Sir's instructions and shared his experiences: How he was able to get to that post through an Uncle who was a film producer, how he was respected there, interactions with Nandita Das, film techniques, etc. After he finished, Sir, took the stage and said, " I think what we need to learn out of this.... ", (everyone waited for the valuable lesson we had to learn from Funny's talk) "...is that we should all go back home...go back home and search your family tree..." (July 1)

More to come...

The People who got paid for making me, me.

Some teachers teach. Some teachers just give a speech. And the real teachers reach your heart and stay there forever.
And as you reach college, there are hardly few of them who can reach. Some who did( in college):

1. Mr.Patrick
He knew it. He taught it. He played, so did we. He couldn't keep respect away from him. He talked to a student like a student. To a teacher like a man and to a Principal , like a friend. Hats off, Sir!

2. Mr. NR
You know him and I needn't tell. He knew exactly what he talked. Never talked more than that was needed. Has the wit to find humour in the place you thought you couldn't find it. Moreover, wherever he goes, an aura of respect surrounds him. Respect, for which he never asked, but always got, unfailingly. Salute!

They're all Real flesh and Blood. Hard to believe.

Sailing with arms open wide.

Sailing with arms open wide.

The afternoon was just amazing. The cliched shady tree, cool breeze and children playing in front of you, is an awesome mood setter in real life, if not on paper.
The stories of a twisted and wrenched heart poured out. The background, how people never understood, prejudices, hopes and dreams, the shouldering of familial responsibility... it all just flowed. And in between, the love of the life.
It was never obvious. At least between them. Or, to them. But like I would explain to my super liberal modern brother and sister-in-law, the piture was drwn in front of me, giving dtailed reasons of why it would only remain a dream and nothing more. The words reflected maturity, sensibility and pragmatism. But the very words spelt backwords betrayed a wish, a longing- " If ever you come to me, my arms would be wide open, and I would receive you."
Though a sailor on another boat myself, I'm still not able to see the other coast or the tiny rays from the light house, though I felt it was time to have seen it. Perhaps, I might have to miss that spectacle and leave my fellow sailor to find his way across the sea. One thing I know fellow sailor man, though you don't see the shore, it's definitely worth the wait.

Sankara Mankranthi (Ask BHL)

Telling off people isn't easy. Especially when they are in a group where they're not supposed to be. IF you're able to sense that you don't belong there at that moment, and slightly strain your brains, you could avoid much humiliation, maintain self esteem, mind your very own important business, etc.

So my brothers (Cool quote:"You're my brother of another mother" - Courtesy: Daffy) and this low profile guy walk to the kiosk at college, planning to go through the second round of discussions regarding songs and their selection, for the Music competition. Suddenly, i hear a row of "Uh-oh"s and "Faster, faster"s, being mumbled.
Too late.
"Hi................................................!!!!"
Wonder what those frogs think when they gulp down 5 feet snakes with much difficulty. Surely they must think in between, "Man this is more than a mouthful; but there's now way out now". So they carry on. So did we.

The further walk made me feel that I was doing the green mile, or even worse was being sent out of the library for talking. She stuck around. We wondered how to tell her off. Politely. But assertively. She wasn't meant to be there. She should have realised that! Acting like Willy Lowman (from the play 'Death of a Salesman'), she thought that she was meant to be there and was an integral part of what was happening.
At the kiosk table, I signalled the brother and Frankfinn. They signalled me.

4:15 pm.

The meeting was supposed to start at 4:05.
No more waiting. "Shall I?" I asked in code language Mal. They sang back their enthusiastic approval in the the same universal code.
"Uh..Sankranthi, do you mind? We're having a band meeting. See you on Tuesday, yeah?"
Seemed like she'd heard the loudest thunder bolt in all her life. Didn't mean it to be that way. But it was important and had to be done.
"Ok........................!!!!!!See ya!!! bye!!!"
There she goes, there she goes again.

We celebrated as if it were Holi. My hand was shaken and the boldness appreciated, by the bros and the finn.
Sorry Sankranthi, we just had to.

We spend. So what's wrong?

Our neighbours, next door...what a life! Made me think.

Imagine you're all so grown up with a family and all. You aren't too well off, financially. You've got a kid whose school fees reaches somewhere near half your salary. What will you do when something like a school trip or a requirement examination fees come up? Waht do you feel then? Would you like to go ask your friendfor money or would you think, thoug I'm so old, I can't even run my family's expenses! What's my wife going to think about all this? Will she wonder whther she made a mistake by marring you? What 'll your kids think? Will you think of yourself as incapable of running a family?

Today we spend lavishly on our parents money. We believe they are earning it all for us, and spend as if we earned up all that money. New clothes every month, compulsive shopping, eating out many times, 3-4 movies a month. We spend without shame.

When we are our parents age, would we want our children to live that way? Think for a moment.

*****

Now. What do we know about not having any money in hand?

Nothing.

Because, there was never a time we couldn't find less than 10 bucks in our wallets for more than 24 hours. Do we know what it is like, when on the 10th of the month, you'll have to live on 100 Rupees for the rest? The 'Computer Fundamentals' book for IVth sem costs over 100 rupees.

Lilly Aunty is crying. She doesn't know what to do. Her daughter scores well in her exams. She wants to go for science in College. But where is she going to get Rs. 15,000 from? Her husband is in uwait, but doesn;t earn enough money to send home (And people go: He's in Kuwait and I'm not gonna help 'em). The youngest daughter needs to but a new uniform, as she's entering the 5th std. in June and needs to replace her 2 year old uniform. Where is all the money coming from?

Lilly Aunty, our neighbour, is crying.

She isn't all that poor or below poverty line (BPL). But htey have expenses to meet their requirements for a life in a place like this. she came from a family which had just the basic things.Where is she going to go for money. She runs a mess just outside her house where IT and BPO employees who stay near by come and eat from. The income goes, as it is for the house rent which is Rs.2500 for such a dingy place.

Will she have to tell her daughter, heart broken, that they don't have enough oney to send her for further studies, so sit at home? Even if she borrows money, how will she pay back? the girl (daughter) can't even imagine buying new clothes from commercial street once in a year, let alone the half price sale once a year. 30 rupees for a coffee seems insane to her mother- no question of going out with friends. TV. What TV? No money to pay the cable network.

Is it possible to live like that? Of course it is.

But in a society where you look around and see everyone showing off one thing or the other; the same 3-4 years old dresses which your friends make fun of you about?...It's difficult. You're the only one out. It's tough.

Perhaps friends, we need to be more considerate.Everyone is not as fortunate as us. When we spend money, let's just give it a thought. Do I really need what I'm buying? Does it give me any satisfaction? Are these these the things that make me happy? Is my happiness based on what I possess?

***

(Lilly -name changed- stays next door to us)

***

Harshly critical and straight-from-the-heart comment/ difference of opinions solicitted from all. Please respond with your thoughts on spending.

I'd Specially like to hear from Antares on the web, Blueplush and Romali Roti.