'TECHNEX'

Now, before you start wondering what 'TECHNEX' means, it stands for "TECHNical EXcellence"!... It is the annual technical festival organised in our college IIT(BHU) Varanasi, by the Student Council. Every year, it attracts a huge number of sponsors, including giants like Google, Intel, IBM, nVIDIA, Adobe, Seagate, among many others. Countless participants from our own college, from other IITs, NITs, BITS Pilani, and other colleges show up for the four-day long festival!

TECHNEX includes a wide variety of competitions, guest lectures by prominent people from India and abroad, workshops on 'Robotics and Android Development', 'Ethical Hacking', 'Surface Computing', 'B-plan' and many others. This year it also included the featuring of movies and the work of many artists, for example, 'Sand Animation' by Rahul Arya, a stand up comedy by Rivaldo, and many others. The competitions include 'Krackat and Innoventure' (which are mock exams for Management and Interns), 'Balvigyaan and Biz-Wiz' (which are quiz competitions) and competitions involving robots like Aqua Combat, I-Robot, Optica, etc. TECHNEX also includes a gaming competition called 'Clutch', in which gamers from across the country are invited to participate in 'Counter-Strike', 'Need For Speed', 'FIFA' and 'Age Of Empires'. And finally, each day is culminated with Informal competitions (including Live Angry Birds, Bluffmaster, Bolt-Unbolt, Treasure hunt, etc.), and also a Military Show, displaying the latest advances in the country's military armaments and lethal weaponry.

Last year I had participated in I-Robot as part of a team, in which we had to build a line-follower bot; but unfortunately a few problems were encountered and we could not finish our robot before the deadline of the preliminary rounds. Now, robotics involves a lot of 'ifs and buts'!....You might have done the programming correctly and checked your hardware properly, but one faulty motor or IC can spoil your game at the last moment.

So, this year, although I helped out some of my friends with the 'coding' of their bots, I preferred participating in events other than robotics.I participated in 'Krackat' and helped co-coordinate 'Balvigyaan', which took quite a bit of effort and occupied my weekend, after an already busy week. None the less, it was fun and it contributed to a very useful and enjoyable experience. I also attended the guest lecture delivered by one of India's prominent political and international affairs advisers, in the form of Oopali Operajita; in which she outlined the environmental issues being faced by countries across the globe, and made us realize our importance in the issue, as the country's future.

All in all, it was four of the most participative and hectic days in my college-life. But, at the same time it was one of the best learning experiences I've ever had. I look forward to participating in TECHNEX again next year, and sincerely urge others across the country to do the same and make this wonderful event even more awesome by your active presence and participation in it!...Today is the last day of 'TECHNEX 2012' and its going to end with a bang, with a Laser Show and D.J. Night!.... Looking forward to it!... So, until next year then!...

 TECHNEX RULES !!!...

My Guiding Light!...

Philosophy and personal events aside, today I just want to thank and shed some light on the people, without whom I would have certainly had to get my feet wet floundering in some crepuscular alley. They are not only the most important people in my life right now, but also someone whose positives I'd like to emulate.

Now, when it comes to idolizing someone, for the fancy Dans, it might be some celebrity like Brad Pitt or SRK, or if you are sports oriented, may be legends like Ronaldo, Roger Federer or Sachin Tendulkar would fit the bill, or may be the traditional geeks would pick the likes of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs as the people to be. But all said and done, all of them might be great, but each and every one of us has someone special in our lives... Someone irreplaceable! This special person(s) is someone we have always looked up to and followed since our childhood and whose name is the first to turn up in our heads, in the face of adversity. Don't know about you guys, but my parents have been such a guiding light for me ever since I was brought into this big, wide, uncertain world. Our parents... The very people we talk to everyday, whom we seldom thank and whose importance we hardly ever realize... What a strange and wonderful relation to share for those fortunate enough! So, this article is dedicated to you Baba & Mamma!

Now, although I've never asked for much from my parents, always being sensitive to our finances and looking at my duty as its own reward, be it in academics or otherwise, my parents too for the most part never allowed anything to dent my happiness either. Granted I never had or even seriously wished for such materialistic luxuries as a Play Station or an Xbox or an iPod, but the basic necessities were always more than covered, for which I'm grateful. And I surely haven't been impeccable, probably being quite a handful to my parents on many instances. I'm occasionally moody and hot-headed and many a times in the past I've preferred doing things my own way, not listening to my parents. I'm also not too proud to say that I've perhaps unintentionally hurt their feelings on a few occasions too. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to paint a real-life portrait of my parents, trying to acknowledge just some of the things they have done for me and how their sheer presence has changed my life for the better... At first glance, one would say that our small family looked pretty much the same as any other. My father is a government officer and my mother portrays the character of a typical Indian housewife. And although almost every parent has to make some sacrifices for rearing of their children, but doing so without the tiniest bit of hesitation year after year, is something that I truly admire!

My father bought a house in Pune, so that my mother and I would not have to move when he was being handed disparate postings every few months. I have done my entire schooling at the same school thanks to my father, who always ensured that my education wouldn't be disturbed at any cost. Back then and even up until the early 2000s, I remember we had an old rust bucket of a second-hand Premier Padmini, which my dad hesitated to park near my school gate alongside even the mundane Skodas and Mitsubishis, although I never had any qualm in that regard, as the only thing one should be proud of is doing his best with the circumstances presented. As I used to explain to him, businesses always have an underlying tendency to treat people in accordance with what they stand to gain from them, but that cannot form the basis for self-worth. We didn't socialize much either with many of the affluential families of the brats in my class, as most of them met at swanky private clubs with exorbitant membership charges, our school being one of the most sought after and me having gotten admission there purely based on merit, just grateful for being able to afford the fee. I also remember forfeiting a school organized trip to Australia, without even asking my dad, as I knew it would burn a hole through his already burdened pockets. Even now, braving the frosty winters and sweltering summers of northern India without a temperature regulating appliance of any sort, I just feel humbled thinking of all the underprivileged who study by the street-light. 

When my father was transferred to Mumbai, he used to undertake intercity travel on a daily basis, slogging to and from work covering a total of about 400 kms. with a time implication of more than 6 hours each day. Despite his busy schedule, he always tried to finish his chores beforehand, so that he could get a day off during any event relating to me, be it the annual prize day ceremony at school or the Christmas choir. Similarly, my mother has a Master's Degree in English and could have outdone many others in any associated job interview, but instead she decided to stay at home, so that she could contribute to my upbringing, never letting me feel neglected. Although some would term it as professional lethargy, the demands of child nurture is not something I can comment on at this stage. And if you think that this was going overboard, you could tell my mother that, and get ready for an hour's lecture! Even today, after almost two decades, you would see the same relieved expression on her face, when my father and I return home safely, just as it was in the old days.

Although I admit my parents have been a tad bit too protective at times and some might have thought of it as pampering, but I looked upon it as an attempt at good parenting, an intention which has become my driving force today. No matter how tough a situation I might be in, no matter if no one supports me, and no matter if nothing seems to be going my way, because the deeply rooted vision of my parents' smiling faces is always enough for spurring me on! Honestly, I could go on writing for ages if I were to throw light on every small highlight, as a single article or blog truly does no justice to the incomprehensible magnitude of what they mean to me. Needless to say, my parents are priceless to me and not a day goes by where I do not strive to repay their debt. Every so often I have flashbacks of having sometimes been a bit rude to them, which still hurt be it justified or not. We must remember that what leaves a second's impression on some, might leave a lifetime's impression on others. 

So, today I say this publicly to my parents that:

"I love you and I assure you that as long as you are there for me, I'll always be there for you too! Thank you for being MY GUIDING LIGHT!!!"  

The Mystery Of ‘Reason’!...

Life’s always full of brain-churning puzzles, riddles and questions, some of which can’t be clearly answered, even after a lifetime of head scratching. Although most people go about their lives by their instincts and what they ‘want’, there exist a handful, who actually attach a ‘Why’ to their ‘What’ and try to reason with themselves before jumping into something. You see, in nature, there’s always a driving force behind everything. This ‘driving force’ is what we call ‘reason’!

But, every chain of reasoning has to start from a certain assumption, principal or law, whatever you may call it. This is the point beyond which more ‘Whys’ yield no more results, and the best our persistence can achieve is making us go in circles, using previous ‘assumptions’ as our ‘reasons’. This is what attaches ‘mystery’ to ‘reason’.

Furthermore, our reasons may, and will differ depending on our points of view. Just for example, while I’m busy learning Matlab and other softwares, and helping out some of my friends, participating in Technex (the annual technical festival of our college), with the programming of their robots; the only thing that some people bother to ask me is whether I’ll be getting a certificate for it! Now, self-development is proof enough and ‘reason’ enough for learning stuff, and I know fruitless pieces of paper are not necessarily required to validate what someone’s doing.

‘Reason’ is the holy grail of everything. If we ever find out the reason behind each and every occurrence, behind what has already happened and what is going to happen, we might as well lose our reason to live. Therein lies the contradiction and confusion!......

So, What is ‘reason’ actually?..... It’s something which has its roots in baseless presumptions and uncertainty and yet logical people must embrace it! It’s something which we crave to know and yet, might not really want to know, as that would make our lives utterly boring!...

So, what should we do?... Well, honestly, I don’t know! I have mixed feelings about how my life has turned out till now! I have done some things which I’m proud of, and some others which could have been done a little differently, or shouldn’t have been done at all. Anyhow, I’ve felt it best to let life unveil the right ‘reasons’ at the appropriate times.

As I take steady steps towards my future, with hopes and ambitions and also, some impending fears, I don’t know how things are going to turn out and what I’m going to face. But, none-the-less, I hope and believe that things are going to fall into place and someday, I’ll gain a subtle understanding of the mystery, that is ‘Reason’!...    

A New Lease Of Life!...

How could someone ever guess that a normal Sunday, i.e. , on the 1st of January, 2012 , would end up being one of the most...no! "the most"... dangerously adventurous trip of one's life which would leave many people battered and bruised and really lucky to be alive?!!!...Well, a first hand near-death experience speaks like none other!!!

Some of my class friends and I had planned a trip to Lakhaniya Falls, nearly 70 km. from Varanasi to celebrate the oncoming of the brand new year. We had had a wild night on new year's eve and got up late the next morning only to find out that our plans were being washed away by heavy rains! We took two whole hours to rethink our plan but after some dilly-dallying, we decided to stick to our original plan anyway.

So, we started off at 11 am. instead of 9 am., on a cloudy and gloomy day. None the less we hoped that our adventure trip would cheer everybody up. After we reached there, some of us had a bath, in the river originating from the Falls, while the rest of us prepared 'Maggi' and 'Sewaiyan' over a fire made out of dried branches, twigs, etc., in utensils borrowed from our hostel mess. We feasted, took pics and were about to leave, when some over-adventurous genius suggested that we head up the mountain to the head of the main Falls, as we wouldn't have been able to see it from our current location there. So, inspite of the heavy downpour and dangerously raised water level, we agreed, as it was a 'once in a lifetime' experience.

We started trekking, but the journey was anything but easy. In fact, the word 'treacherous' would do more of a justice to define our journey. Right from the heavily forested, thorny bushes to the slippery rock faces! One slip, and we would kiss good-bye to all our future dreams. Well, somehow, helping each other out we reached the opposite cliff in front of the Lakhaniya Falls. Wow!!! It was an awesome sight to behold; the most amazing sight of my life! The water gushing down and breaking into droplets, appeared like a mist, which had something sinister behind it! We took time to appreciate the power of nature and frankly, were more interested in taking photographs.

Well, it was 5 pm. and it was getting dark, so we decided to head back using a shorter route, which was steeper, and were forced to sit or crawl from rock to rock, from cranny to cranny which lead us to the bottom of the Falls. Here, that mist of water droplets created by the Falls hitting the water beneath, was spraying us with a cool, wet breeze, which made us relax for a few minutes and get rid of the fatigue acquired from all that trekking and rock climbing we had been doing.

Well, some more pics and then, as we were getting ready to head back on a 'supposed' plain and simple route,we made a shocking discovery that the only way was on the other side of the stream, which had currents strong enough to wash away even the strongest of us, and was too deep to cross, with loose, slippery, pointed rocks hidden beneath the water surface. But, brash, young and fit guys don't give up so easily, or do they???!!

We had no hope of going back the way we had come, as another 3 hrs. of trekking through rocks and thorns in the dark without having local know-how, was practically impossible!... We started looking for a way across the wildly screaming stream; and a cheap-ass phone, with a torch-light served our purpose better than an expensive iPhone with no network. After a lot of head-scratching, we noticed an old tree trunk, with one of its ends firmly fixed to the shore and the other embedded deep beneath the river bed. It would help us cross two-thirds of the width of the stream by sitting and scraping carefully across its surface, but what would we do then? Now, I admit that I normally wouldn't define myself as an 'adventure junkie', but the 'Indiana Jones' stunts we were pulling gave me a certain sense of thrill, like I had never felt before!...

It was risky and one false move would surely be fatal (absolutely no exaggeration). Anyway, somehow we managed to get across the log and take a few 'leaps of faith' holding on to each other's hands, to scamper to the opposite shore. It was a long, time-taking and cumbersome process, but the claps confirmed that everyone had made it safely across the roaring stream! So, is this where the tale ends?....... No!! Not by a long shot!!!...

Our route was about to get even worse! We tried to keep away from the water and preferred slipping and falling over slippery moss-covered rocks than to get carried away into the abyss, which had already claimed the lives of two bright students from our college, the year before!... But, out of the blue, we found our way blocked by a shear cliff face, while we could vaguely see a path (which barely deserved to be called so) on the other side of the stream!

Ya, you might have guessed right; we decided to cross the howling stream yet again, for a second time!!!...It was just that this time we wouldn't have the aid of our 'beloved log'!!... The girls were sobbing and I do admit having an impending sense of misfortune! Their tearful faces made us realize how serious our situation was, which was slowly but surely getting out of hand. One by one, stepping from boulder to boulder, each placed several feet apart, not knowing whether the next step would be on a pointed stone or on a ledge or in a cranny, we struggled on. One of the girls was almost swept away but was saved thanks to the iron grip of one of our friends! Ultimately, as we neared the other bank, we had to climb a 5 foot ledge, just to end up on a 45 degree inclined, slippery surface. This probably was the most dangerous phase of our journey yet; one slip and it was a 9 foot drop to the river-bed rocks. Even expert swimmers would've faced a very high risk of sustaining severe injuries, if not getting washed away by the powerful current!!!...

Discombobulated and hurt, with thorns sticking out of our palms and feet, ankles sprained, with our entire bodies beginning to cramp up in the freezing water and relentless rain, we had begun to believe that our perils were far from over and in the worst case scenario, we might even be stranded there the entire night! But, all of a sudden we saw a few dots of light in the distance!!!... No, they weren't glow worms or anything of the sort, but this time, it really was the locals searching for us at the request and appeal made by the Safari drivers who had brought us there!!!...

Even with their expert knowledge and familiarity with the terrain, it was quite a rough ride, but within half an hour, to our great delight, we found ourselves back to the place where we had been dropped off. We boarded our vehicles and were driven back to our college without headlights, only with the help of the car indicators, trying our best not to attract the attention of the police. My mobile was drenched with water, one of my friends' had lost his shoes, many had lost or broken their spectacles or other belongings, but all of this seemed insignificant compared to the very fact that all of us were back safe and sound, talking to our friends about the incident and me having lived to tell the tale through this article!!!...

I'm honestly very glad to be sitting in my hostel room right now and being able to touch the warm keys of my laptop once again; trying to portray what had happened as realistically and accurately as possible. Its strange how the human mind gets over things so quickly, as I dare say it was a fun-filled trip. Although our grit and determination had played a role in saving our lives, I still believe that it was shear dumb luck which saved us!!!... How else could a bunch of inexperienced, college-going students have overcome the worst nightmares, even pros have?????.......All in all, it's been an eyeopening experience, which finally made me realize why parents break their heads and call a million times when we go somewhere!!!...

This trip will forever be engraved in my mind as one of the most unpredictable, dangerous, life threatening and 'over the edge' experiences ever, which changed the point of view from which I look at life!!!..... WHOOH!!! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!!...