The Shortest Month

February is not only the shortest month of the year literally, but also figuratively! The past couple of weeks seem to have whizzed past at breakneck speed!... As North India's biggest sports festival Spardha'13, organized by our college, got underway; IIT-BHU witnessed the influx of over two thousand participants from all over the country for this adrenaline pumping event!... And although I fancy myself as an amateur in certain sports like table tennis and badminton, I decided to spend the weekend with my father instead, who had taken some time out from his hectic schedule and come over to Varanasi for a trifling number of days...!

But due to the ongoing 'Kumbh Mela', the world's largest congregation of religious pilgrims in and around the Allahabad region, booking a hotel in Varanasi became an arduous task. However, after a few grueling hours of searching, my father finally managed to obtain a room in the Haifa hotel, overlooking the Assi Ghat, at double the normal rates.

I had come over from my hostel and the bird's eye-view of Varanasi and the banks of the Ganges, that we got from the hotel terrace, was simply breath-taking!... For the first time since I had come to Varanasi, I was truly able to appreciate the beauty and charm of the old architecture that surrounded the hotel, neglecting the filth in the streets below.

This area has numerous medium to high range hotels and lodges, which attracts a tumultuous number of tourists every year. We noticed some of the foreigners residing in the lodge across the street, opposite to our hotel, keenly analyzing this strange place where they had ended up. Quite frankly observing them was nothing less than hilarious. One of them, with long locks and his mop-like moustache, was trying his best to play a flute but it sounded more like the moaning of a little puppy. He remained engrossed in it for hours on end, as we ordered dinner after capturing the beauty of the hotel terrace and its surroundings in our camera.

A supper consisting of sweet corn soup and some delicious sandwiches served my taste buds much better than the traditional mess food. Sleeping in an air-conditioned room on a cozy mattress was a pleasant change over the countless number of sleepless nights in our hostel, where my room-mate and I used to compete for the title of most mosquitoes killed every night.

We woke up late in the morning today, and the hotel staff, while not as active as in other major cities, still indulged us with the luxury of room service. Its raining outside and as February is about to end as soon as it started, the scene has been suddenly set for me to be writing this article, while enjoying a very late breakfast...!

A View of the Ganga coastline from the terrace of the Haifa Hotel

Breaking The Shackles!!!...

Take away all the expectations to be met, duties to be done and impressions to be created; strip away all the layers of baseless assumptions and fears that builds up within the confines and complexities of the human brain, and all that remains is a guy who simply wants to live, fulfill his ambitions and make a mark for himself before biting the dust!...

You might be tempted to think that these are the conceited words of a despondent, but they unequivocally aren't! I might not be closer to perfection than many of you out there, and that's totally fine because guess what? If your aims aren't laughable, then they're probably too small!...

Like many others, right from my budding days in school, all the way through higher secondary and even now in IIT, I had been struggling to break free of all the chains imposed on us by society, myths and a countless number of other things which tend to hold us back. But somehow, someway, clawing and scratching the rungs of life's ladder, I think I've finally reached that threshold, where I'm ready to break free of all these shackles!

A couple of days back, a few friends and I were just outside our college premises enjoying some hot tea, as the clock's hour hand struck the bewitching hour. Taking in the cool midnight breeze and gazing at the stars in the clear night sky, I was face to face with life's nitty-gritties. And in a flash, bleakness was replaced by chastity. As we leaned against our bikes and sipped on the tepid beverage, we could feel the ardor growing within us, abetting us to decimate all the walls confining us!...

Those few moments resurrected me as I felt reborn! And its only a matter of time before others are gripped by this overwhelming sensation too!...

BE THE FORCE!!!...

Opening New Doors!!!...

I was about to write this article when I came across this wonderful quotation by Walt Disney (given above), which precisely sums up everything I wanted to say in this post. Now, I need not elaborate on this as it is self-illustrative, and volumes of ideas have been condensed into this one punch line!...

I'd say all of us, consciously or sub-consciously, adhere to the given quote in one way or another. We are all trying to advance in our lives at the highest rate possible and the above statement gives us a clear way of doing so. New things are happening all around us every second and its up to us to capitalize on new opportunities, as the age old saying goes: "Strike while the iron is hot!"

In today's world, new doors can not only be opened but also created! It is still the first month of this pristine year and things in our college are already taking shape in a new way, considerably different as compared to that of the year before. It is the time for technical and cultural festivals to get underway... The same fests, but with a new twist!!!...

Some people might recall few of the articles I'd written this time around, last year; outlining the details of Kashi Yatra [the cultural fest of IIT(BHU)] and Technex [the technical fest of IIT(BHU)]. This will be the very first year for my colleagues and me, witnessing and participating in these fests as true IITians, which makes the occasion all the more animating. Festivities are in the air and coupled by India's Republic Day on the 26th of January, these few days are going to be extremely fervid. Kashi Yatra has already begun the day before, and other than the traditional Kavi Sammelan (the poets' get together), Natraj (the dance competition), Mirage (the fashion show), etc. [which I've previously given an account off]; today something totally new is already being experimented on, in the form of a competition, i.e. Model United Nations (MUN).

MUN basically emulates the structure of the United Nations, including its General Assembly and everything else, accurate to the smallest and most insignificant detail. Each participant or 'delegate' represents a particular country in the world, discussing and debating on the topics of concern or more accurately, the day's agenda. Watching the proceedings first hand gives us a very good idea of the real-life UN, something which we can only dream of ever being a part of!... A new event called DJ Night has also made its debut in Kashi Yatra'13, with 'The Electroverts' (the female DJ duo of Malika Haydon and Nina Shah) rocking the stage and setting their magic to motion!...

The Electroverts: DJs Malika Haydon & Nina Shah

Other than this, it'll be interesting to see what new modifications and additions are made to Technex'13, which is coming up very soon! Personally speaking, a lot is going on in my life too; fests, celebrations, and at the same time, academics and the question of this year's summer intern!... Haha, you know the routine...! I am eagerly looking forward to a confirmation email from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (B.A.R.C) where I've applied for my third-year summer internship, and the indications are looking quite positive. And although I have a few back up options, I've not had the opportunity or the time of giving them a serious thought as yet, and hopefully won't need to...!

I sincerely hope everything turns out well and wish everyone else the best too!!!...

  BE THE FORCE!!!...

The Agni Night Club

'Agni' in Hindi, means 'fire', and the night club literally lived up to its name. Some of my colleagues and I had gone there for attending a friend's birthday party, and what a thrilling experience it was!!!... Food and drinks were being served in the disco itself and the DJ was mixing it up real nice! It had been quite a while since I had visited a pub, so it felt all the more exhilarating. While people were going to Allahabad to wash off their sins in the holy Ganges, I felt as if I was doing the same in this heart pounding den, in some recess of Varanasi...!

Well! All buffoonery aside, the frolic and tango always breathes new life into us. While the birthday gal was busy checking out her gifts and stage managing the whole thing, we were having the time of our lives, dancing away with her friends and family. She had arranged some games for us too, the first one being 'Signature Dance Moves', in which we would have to individually perform the signature steps of the songs being played.

Then, after all the mirth, candles were blown and the birthday cake was cut. I can't help but say that it reminded me of the good old school days, other than the fact that the venue and drinks were worlds apart!... We feasted on the ambrosial cake and followed it up with more drinks and snacks. Finally, after hitting the dance floor once again, we had dinner followed by a prolific photo session. Before calling it a day, we took a bed sheet and made our unique palm prints on it with some paint, leaving our names and a special message from each one of us for the birthday gal, to make the occasion all the more memorable for her...!

With just about two years remaining in college, such care free days will probably get more hard to come by, but the night of 19th January, 2013 will always be something which I'll carry with me into the wild blue yonder!!!... Many many happy returns of the day Rachita!!!...

The Circle of Influence

Now, whenever we hear of 'circles', many flimsy things like Google+, etc. might come to our minds. But attending a lecture on 'The Art of Making Presentation', by one of the foremost professors in our department, has changed my perception of this word forever!

Sir divided everything around us (including people, problems at work, etc.) into two broad categories, viz. 'Circle of Influence' and 'Circle of Concern'. Although I personally feel that there should also be a so-called 'Circle of Non-existence', as some rarities are not even worth concerning ourselves with, I shall include this under the 'Circle of Concern' and stick with Sir's point of view to keep this discussion short and crisp.

Now, the 'Circle of Influence' is actually a subset of the 'Circle of Concern', which encompasses all those concerns over which we have some control. Proactive people are the ones who focus only on their 'Circle of Influence', to cut out any kind of negativity which might creep into their lives, thanks to their 'Circle of Concern'! On the other hand, reactive people are those who can't resist focusing on their 'Circle of Concern', and as a result get wound up in unnecessarily time consuming, distracting and fruitless issues, which causes their 'Circle of Influence' to shrink! Why should your identity be stifled by your peripheral presence in someone else's circle, when you can have your own unique individualistic identity and form your own circle as an elemental member?...

Now, this topic had connected to me instantly when it was being presented, because I had already felt a major change coming over me throughout my third year in college, i.e. from reactive to proactive. I used to be one of the most unpredictable, impulsive and vengeful guys even until a few years back. I guess that would easily put me under the category of reactive people, right? But, due to all the enlightening experiences I've had throughout my engineering college life, I'm slowly but surely being transformed into a positive thinking, aim oriented proactive person. I'm grateful for this change and as I further continue to develop, I'd suggest others to give this topic a serious thought as it can really play a major role in changing your life for the better!!!...

  BE THE FORCE!!!...

Some of my closest friends & I at Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore

Industrial Tour

Don't let the name fool you!... The so-called Industrial Tour which our college batch embarked on this winter, was anything but 'industrial'. Amid all the conundrum, with the 'end of the world' Mayan myth turning out to be a poor joke in colloquial terms, and an explosion in the number of debatable topics worldwide, 2012 had an equally exciting finish for us.

After having enjoyed the Durga Pooja and Diwali festive seasons with friends and family, and the semester witnessing a successful finish for most of us, a ten-day rejuvenating tour was all that was needed to keep us psyched and re-energize us for the onset of the brand-new year. First the calm tides of Vishakhapatnam and then the modernity of Bangalore were like a double treat.

In Vishakhapatnam, although the main purpose of our visit was to tour the Vizag Steel Plant of R.I.N.L, it was quickly over-shadowed by our two day site-seeing trip in which we experienced everything from the majestic Ramanaidu Film Studio and the placid shores of the Ramakrishna Mission Beach (popularly known as R K Beach), to the INS Kursura Submarine Museum. We followed it up with a visit to the Borra Caves and the well-known Araku Valley on the final day of our stay at Vizag. After ceaseless photo-sessions, it was time to take the satiating experience to our next destination, Bangalore!...

After an interesting journey with a bunch of Ayappa devotees occupying the same coach as us, having woken us up in the wee hours of the morning by their clamorous prayers, we reached the city with heavy eyelids. But a visit to the Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, with its wide variety of flora and picturesque Glass House, and its background outlined by the benign rays of the setting sun, would prove ample to freshen us up. This followed by a late-night visit to India's first luxury mall, UB City, set the stage for an awesome stay in Bangalore!...

But before our final day visit to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., we were left with one more day in our hands. So after a decisive vote, plans were made of visiting Wonderla, an amusement park 28 kilometers from Bangalore. And what a gut-busting experience that was!!!... It had everything ranging from a Wave Pool, in which real life waves (up to 2.2 meters) were being pulsated at regular intervals, and a Rain Disco to the gut-wrenching Dry Rides, not meant for the faint-hearted. 

Overall this tour would easily rank among the most enchanting trips of my life, especially since I got the opportunity to share my elation with all my friends and colleagues. From Bangalore some guys went off on an unofficial trip to Goa as an icing on the cake, while others including myself, having already visited this paradise, preferred the serenity of our hometowns for a few days of leisure. 

Signing off, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy new year and prosperous 2013...!       

Future Express...!

As the obscurity of the night fades away and murk gives way to the aurora of day break, new ideas blossom and energize us to work for the future. The will to get better, feeds the heat from our young blazing hearts as we prepare the mold for our futures.

It feels amazing to have inspiration at your doorstep, with the people next-door uninhibitedly working for their cherished dreams, and yet finding time for things like putting up a performance at the celebratory function being held for Teachers' Day in our department today.

With pre-placement offers being received by our friends and seniors, and countless number of bright minds getting placed, the circumstances also act like a catalyst propelling everyone forward. Its great to see friends from different walks of life unlocking their varied treasure-trove of opportunities and careers in front of our very eyes. They act as a measuring stick to try and visualize what we want to see ourselves as, a few years from now.

I can speak for a lot of people when I say that life in college, whether easy or tough, has gone a long way in bringing out the best in all of us. Some of us have learned to do things we never thought we'd try, while others have taken their previously acquired skills to a whole new level.

Coming down to specifics, I'd also like to take a second to congratulate all those who are already looking at shining futures in the foremost multi-national companies like Oracle, Adobe, ZS Associates and Rio Tinto among many others. Hearty congrats and good luck also to the guys pursuing higher education, may it be MBA, MS or Ph.D. in India or abroad.    

So, as all of us eagerly board the Future Express, and although I have more than a year to go before facing the placement scenario, one question always pops up in mind: What's next after IIT and what's our 'final destination'?..... 

The Calm Before The Storm!!!...

As the month-long suspense awaiting our semester results ended a couple of days back, it set the stage for the commencement of a short period of bliss, which I'm experiencing right now. And although my pointer fell a little short of my expectations, it was still a definite improvement compared to the semester before. 

Just the other day, I was speaking to a close college friend of mine and hearing him talk in such a jubilant and care-free way made me feel all the more liberated. And with a week remaining before we leave on a family trip, I've been gifted with a fortnight of euphoria, after more than a year of tribulation, in which quite frankly I'm content with having to do virtually nothing!...

But with our 2012-13 college session about to start, this is merely the calm before the storm brewing ahead. Step by step rowing against the strong tide, I'll have to buckle up and get ready for the roughest ride in one's career. But I seriously do hope that our long-awaited family outing just helps me chill out like all our friends, watching movies, dining at our favorite hotels and simply hanging out with each other.

With so many bonds formed, a few unfortunately broken and new ones being cultivated every second, this year has been insightful and noteworthy to say the least. Not being able to get a preview of what's in store ahead is surely deplorable but it's the same thing which creates all the buzz and the flurry, and I've come to accept it all as an interesting part of life.

But right now, all I care about is to do all those things in these few days, which I longed for in college. It will help us all return to action not having missed a beat, braced up and fortified to take and dish out impacts alike. It's going to be a real hoopla!!!...

The Magic Spell...!

Now, before you might be tempted to close the tab thinking that this might be just another one among the long chain of brain churning and philosophical articles I tend to write many a times, then I assure you that this shall put an end to all of its kind! After five whole years of searching trying to find the magic spell of living life, the perfect solution I was so desperate to find, is still quite illusive. But I have found certain eye-opening facts which I thought I'd share with my friends without further ado, as walking down this path any longer will only result in a worthless waste of time.

Now, whenever I finish writing an article, I always get the eerie feeling that something's missing. There are always some trailing doubts, some things which were about to be shot out but weren't, which give me a recurring notion of something left out and offer me more food for thought! But this particular piece of text aims to clear all of that... There is always so much to keep us occupied that we often find it difficult to get our minds off the bustling fast lane and concentrate on what's actually important. But I've finally figured out the answer to all my queries. This might sound a little annoying to people expecting something extra-ordinary, but what dawned on me was a simple realization, that there is no magic spell, there never was and there never will be!

I have pointlessly pondered upon certain aspects of the past long enough and have finally decided to learn from it and move on. Instead of complaining and whining about how tough it was, now I can finally come to terms with life. Living in college with colleagues from a myriad of different cultures and backgrounds, has taught me to appreciate how revealing life can be... The way some of us are placed right now is a privilege, and we should be grateful for it, instead of arrogantly taking everything for granted and exuding even more greed. I was off-track for a while and it took me quite some time to find my mojo, but some back-tracking has finally paid off and forever cleared my doubts.

Sometimes we need to stick to the things we believe in, irrespective of whether anyone else has faith in our goals and methods or not. Some sacrifices are necessary to serve a bigger purpose. Not all people will agree with you and some, quite frankly, won't be the least bit interested in looking at the world from your perspective. Some might like you, while a few might detest you, but one should always remember what his initial targets were. Our goals should remain unadulterated and shouldn't be modified by temporary roadblocks.

As for me, I'm living life completely by my own laws and don't regret anything I've done so far. I have played the game hard even when life seemed no better than a thorny impenetrable maze with hounds chasing you down. It feels great to have overcome all those thick endless dark clouds which always shrouded the way ahead, achieving my childhood dream of becoming an IITian, and barging my way through all the impossibilities which stared me in the face. My bluntness in saying this might be interpreted as cocky by some people, but I have found that many a times, it's in our own interest to see things just the way they are. I've written quite a few articles on similar issues, but this should serve as an ultimatum to sum it all up!...

As my best summer break ever comes to an end, it feels nice to cap it off with a family trip after three long and busy years. Having tried my hand at everything worthwhile the year before and with the director of Bharat Forge asking us if we would be interested in a future career in the company, after having successfully completed both the unique projects given to us in our intern, things can't look any better!

Of course, there are still a few minor issues that need to be addressed, like trying not to blow off steam when not at all required and being like a precision guided missile when it comes to hitting the mark, which have to be gradually worked on! But, with the prospect of our careers looming large in the horizon, everything else from now on takes a backseat. Extra-currics, parties, personal issues and similar stuff lose their place to the forthcoming academic challenges. We have had enough of the former in the first two years of college and it's time to get a little bit more serious and couscous about the latter.

The time for talking is over and our actions will be the only things which define us and decide our futures. So, carrying in mind all the fond memories of my friends and family and the inspiration obtained from my summer intern at BFL, I get ready to bid goodbye to my hometown in the hopes of returning a winner, better than ever before, and wishing everyone else the same.

ALL THE BEST!!!...

&

BE THE FORCE!!!...

A Recurring Doubt...!

When you think of the seemingly limitless expanse of space and then try to place yourself and your surroundings in it, it just gives you a sense of sheer pedantic nonsense, no matter how much you zoom in! We are all so concerned with life, which is itself such a flimsy thing, that we seem to forget what tiny specs we really are, especially when compared to the bigger picture.

And, no! These are not the simple musings of a daydreamer. These are valid questions which each and every one of us face at a certain age and learn to ignore or defer to other issues as we grow older. We never truly understand life, and even the most enlightened of men offer only partial solutions to all our queries, which often just answer the 'how' part of living life but not the 'why'!...

I've spent most of my time in the recent past working, enjoying, thinking, writing but most of all pondering upon the reason why I bother to do these things at all. What's the most which can happen to you if hypothetically speaking, you decided to just exist, assuming for a second that you had no personal or social responsibilities to live up to, and looking at the situation from a strictly logical standpoint? 

In any case, you would spend your time here, and then your soul (if there indeed exists such a thing) would become one with nature or however you want to put it. If you have lived a successful life, people benefit from it and build on it, and if you haven't then no one really cares. But my constantly recurring doubt is where does all of this get you, at the end of it all?

Visualizing the end of life as we know it, sometime in the very distant future, we can picture ourselves asking questions like what did this endless cycle of life and death, creation and destruction have to do with anything? What did it do for us? On the larger scale, things would have gone on as usual even if we never existed. 

It's a scary thought, because if there's something we humans love to do, it's to try and validate our lives. We put our faith in a 'master controller' and detach ourselves from things which are too vast to fathom. Instead, we concern ourselves with the pettiest of issues, just like me thinking about whether the title of one of my past articles was a little too brash!...

I frankly don't know how to answer these questions or what's the right thing to do. This is where science collides with faith and during the heated debate, people begin to lose sight of the question itself. I really hate it when I'm in doubt; but the best I can hope for is that things sort themselves out, just like they strangely always seem to do. Some things, I've learnt are just not for us to meddle with, especially for an engineering under-graduate like me!... I guess I'll just enjoy the wonderful rain outside and go about life the way I usually do!...

Self Made Voyage!!!...

So many articles written this summer and yet I find it extremely hard to find words worthy of describing this awesome experience. A countless number of priceless lessons learnt, with a soul renewed and a heart pumping more horse power than ever before, I get ready to step into my third year in college!

If there is one thing which Bharat Forge has taught me, it is to remain in one gear only and that is 'constant over-drive'! It might not necessarily mean physically running around all day, but it surely means getting into an unbeatable state of mind! Project after project successfully completed and consecutive reports timely submitted, it's been one hell of a ride!...

I think I've literally done almost everything conceivable in the past year and the summer intern which followed, and in fact, 'eventful' would be a very mild description for depicting this epic voyage. But, with my third year in engineering college just round the corner, things are about to get serious. This is the year which will probably have the most profound effect on our careers, with companies arriving in our college to offer interns and placements to all the students.

Although there are certain walls yet to be scaled, building for the future has rendered every other small priority irrelevant. Reality can't be changed and hence among other things, getting good grades is of the utmost importance, without which all other efforts would be in vain. I was fortunate to have done this year's intern with one of the topmost students of our department, one year senior to me, who other than being a good human being, also served as an inspiration.

He has done it all; right from getting the first rank in one semester and winning several events like IDP in Anveshan [the Metallurgical Engineering fest in IIT(BHU) Varanasi], all the way to forming his own dance group with his friends, called NUTS'11!... To have achieved all of this and yet be the very personification of humility inspires me to respect him all the more. What's even better is that he has become a very close friend of mine, and its good to finally see someone who lives by his own common sense and follows his own self-made principles, just like me!...

It was a pleasure to have him come over to my house for our report completion today, followed by lunch. He never speaks as if he's older to me, and a chat with him on a personal level spread a sort of calm over me, which I had not felt since a long time. So, hope we always remain in close contact Himanshu bhaiyya. Looking forward to cracking this new academic year, as the word 'fighter' is much more than just a cliche, I repeat the words which are, and always will be, the closest to my heart:-

BE THE FORCE!!!...    

The Technological Edge!!!...

I've heard of living life on the edge, but this is the first time I'm truly experiencing life at the 'technological' edge! Our first summer project being very pin-pointed in nature, at least as of now, leaves us with plenty of time in our hands. And although a second project on 'EMD Welding' is on its way right after we finish developing the 'Creep Test' procedure for Bharat Forge, life at the moment is pretty alleviated. Sitting in the comfort of a sofa in an air-conditioned research library and catching up on every earth shattering engineering breakthrough that has taken place in recent times is, without the shadow of a doubt, my favorite part of the day. 

Surfing the net to find extensive details and combining it with the knowledge gained from the latest research papers available here, is by far the best utilization of time I've done in ages. Many a times I feel like I'm already living my dream, even before I pass out of college with a master's degree in hand. The dim fluorescent lighting in the beautifully carved ceiling and the few rays of sunlight entering through gaps in the curtain totally detach you from your current bearings and take you into a world where science combines with technology to give rise to new ground breaking theories and their varied mind-numbing applications.

It was just the other day that I picked up a magazine titled 'New Scientist', in which Einstein's space-time theory had been challenged by physicist Lee Smolin and his colleagues at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada. They had made a radical claim that we actually live in an eight-dimensional world called 'phase space', which combines our familiar four dimensions of space-time with a four-dimensional world called momentum-space. If this theory was indeed proved to be correct it would solve certain intriguing problems like the 'black hole information-loss' paradox.

Spending your days at the research facility of one of the foremost companies in India, trying to conjure up the secrets of the very fabric of reality in your mind, is probably a strange but one of the most interesting and fruitful ways one can spend time here, that is if you are interested in such stuff! Time flies and we don't even look at our watches. This is one of the first and only places where I think of staying a little longer, instead of being keen on returning home as soon as the clock's hour-hand strikes five every evening!...

I wish this amazing journey would last a bit longer than the duration of our summer intern, but alas with only a month remaining, the time to leave Bharat Forge draws nearer every day. But, what's more important is enjoying every present moment as such good times might not last forever. With so much uncharted territory yet to be explored, I can now say with conviction that: "Even the sky is not the limit!..."      

A Weird Day.....!

I had this weird sensation when I woke up this morning. I don't exactly know what it was or how to describe it! Whether it was the remains of the mixture of dreams I was having the night before or just the stress from the past few weeks playing up, I can't really tell!... So many thoughts were fleeting through my head on such a wide spectrum of isolated topics, that I was going through philosophical extremes!... 

It started with a vagabond shouting and creating a ruckus at our doorstep, which had woken me up from my reverie in the first place. He had dressed a cow in some paint and covered it with holy rags, claiming to be a fortune teller of sorts. As I peered out of my window, covering my eyes from the sudden glare of the sun, I was told that he had already predicted our guard's family facts correct to every infinitesimal detail, without having known him previously. But, having seen these gimmicks a million times over, a lone reaction came to mind... Whatever!

Then, as I sat down to have my morning tea, the dipped biscuit fell to the floor with a splat. I kept staring at that wet mass and somehow drifted away into a world of my own. I was thinking about the biscuit which I'd just wasted and the elaborate processing which might have gone into it to give it its unique shape, texture and flavor. I saw the letters of the company engraved on it with an intricate design. It made me remember the first time when we had been taught to write autobiographies in school, on inanimate objects.

My mother, out of the blue, shouted something at me and I was violently woken from the subconscious state of mind in which I had passed into. I was shocked to find that twenty minutes had already passed and my cup of tea was still filled to the brim. I finished the tea in one sip and decided to watch television.

I switched to one of my favorite channels, Ten Sports, and found the weekly episodic Monday Night Raw being aired by the WWE. I sat down to pass some time with it, and again fell into a sleepy, dreamy phase! I started wondering about all the hours of abuse those wrestlers had had to doubtless overcome despite it being kayfabe, to even get a shot in the main roster, leave alone become a full-fledged star in the business. I began to compare their situations with those faced by regular people in their day-to-day lives. Just like them, we need a legitimate and interesting story line to become someone notable in life. At the end of the day, life can be visualized just as a game, in which we are the key players. It's our choice what kind of character we'd like to be and how we decide to play this game to the best of our talents and abilities. Some people just decide to sit it out and do nothing out of the ordinary, while others decide to fight it out and compete with others to become the winners of this game, who can be rightfully regarded as the 'Champions of Life'!...

Now as I write this article, I'm still getting an entourage of thoughts varying from our ongoing intern right to my attempt at writing fiction some time back, as one of my FB notes. As I try to put a bunch of weird and unrelated stuff together, which I'm hardly sure why I'm doing, I realize that sometimes we might go through so much even without stepping outside the limits of our house, that its mind boggling!...

From tomorrow, the same office routine starts again, and I wonder if I'll ever have such a mentally strange day again, when all the doubts accumulated in our minds for weeks at a time, come boiling over at the slightest hint of idleness!...

Life At KCTI......!

Just in case you're wondering what KCTI is; it stands for Kalyani Centre for Technology & Innovation. Its the place where my friend and I have been assigned our core project from Bharat Forge Ltd. Its a newly built campus full of greenery, on the outskirts of the city and has a charming feel to it. Its scarcely populated with just a handful of people in the three labs and the administrative office, making the place all the more peaceful!...

Now, how often is it that a summer trainee gets to do something which has never been done before, on a machine which has been imported fairly recently from the United States of America, which is still awaiting its first ever specimen to be tested? Whether it was our college name or something else, in either case we have become the only students this summer in BFL, who have been granted the privilege of developing the testing procedure for this brand new machine for creep testing. Thus, our project would not only benefit us, but would also help the company tap into the growing demands of this newly developing field. After our project is done, Bharat Forge will become one of the only companies in Western India to have successfully implemented a creep testing facility, which has already received standards and customer specifications from major companies in India including giants like BHEL!.....

The centrally air-conditioned building and the state of the art research library, which quite frankly looked more like an executive lounge, were a pleasant change compared to the heat treatment furnaces and the other challenging and physically exhausting work environments we'd visited in the company plant so far. The library had books, research papers and articles varying from the tiniest details of fracture mechanics right to recent developments made in aerospace engineering, automotive parts, etc.

The canteen was awesome too! Today was the first time away from home that we feasted on such quality rice as is only found in high standard hotels, which is the least expected from an office mess. Quality sure increases with decrease in quantity! With the number of people lunching there limited only to about twenty, we took several helpings of that delicious cereal and chatted for a long time over our luncheon.

If only KCTI wasn't located in so isolated a locality so far from our houses, it would have been the perfectly ideal work place for would-be engineers like us. In fact, the Research & Development Centre has been so recently developed that it did not even properly feature on our GPS devices. The rocky terrain which needs to be traversed every day to reach the place causes a back-breaking journey, but it pales in comparison to the excitement of our project ahead.

But all said and done, working here is a treat! Taking our time to understand the machine and getting familiarized with its working, with no signal in our mobiles to distract us; and with so much being expected from us by the company, that its even ready to provide us with vehicles for our transportation, its a whole new level of professional work experience.

So, I hope this wonderful and enlightening project of ours goes through without a hitch and meets with the best end possible, with us developing a tried and tested method for creep testing, that can be used with minor modifications in future tests as well. Wishing everyone all the very best for achieving all their future goals, until next time, take care!!!...

BE THE FORCE!!!...

Harnessing The Power!!!...

Life can sometimes change at the drop of a dime! A new professional workplace with new people from all over the country is the perfect medicine for revitalizing oneself. It's an exciting time with people from our college still getting used to being regarded as IITians!... In college we are just normal guys, competing with people who are at least as good as we are or are, many a times, better than us. But it's surprising to see the number of accolades we carry outside the IIT campus!

On the very first day of my intern, who would have thought that I'd end up meeting a senior, Himanshu Singla, from our own college, in so far a place? I had seen him on countless occasions before but this was the first time that we formally got acquainted with each other. There were also two other guys from NIT Raipur and some MBA final year students, one of whom was from IIT Roorkee. Not to brag but it pleases me to think that the first thing the HR officer, who conducted our introductory session at Bharat Forge, said was that she needn't give us the normal advises as the names of the colleges were already 'so big'!...

This was the first time I was getting a proper industrial exposure, and I must admit a sweet one at that. On top of this, in spite of being the junior most in the group, I was happy to have been given the responsibility of getting our training papers signed by the concerned people. It was an extremely minor thing but it gave me the first taste of holding some actual 'position' in an organisation.

We successfully finished our three day induction programme, which had left us battered having to walk more than ten kilometers every day to visit the various shop-floors situated at different ends of a widely spread out plant. We submitted our report and were again showered with compliments like 'well-compiled' and 'nicely done'!...

Today while returning from work, staring at those ever so familiar streets of Pune through the dark car windows, I had a flash back of the day when I'd first traveled those very streets almost two decades back, trying to get admission in the kinder garden of the Bishops' School. Man-o-man! Haven't we come a long way? Life's come a full circle; completing my schooling here, having to leave home after getting admission into IIT and then returning to my hometown as a Summer Trainee in Asia's largest forging company! Everything just seems to have passed in the blink of an eye!...

Now, Himanshu bhaiyya and I having been allocated the same department of MQC (Metallurgical Quality Control), are looking forward to our main project in BFL. But all this aside, I feel like something inside me has drastically changed this summer. Even my neighbors have noticed the topography of my face being much more relaxed than usual. It may be because in the past year, I've let out everything I had built up in my soul since a long time. I've done everything that I wanted to do and have tried to prove everything that I wanted to prove. I feel absolutely free, strong and focused on my future.

As usual there are a lot of mountains still left to climb including my preparation for the Common Admission Test (CAT), which is supposed to be one of the toughest exams in the world, and obviously improving my academic pointers, along with winning some extra-curricular activities! There is also the question of next year's intern, but that's a long time ahead. As far as CAT is concerned, I'd heard people say the same things about IIT-JEE being tough and nearly impossible to crack, but some of my friends and I did it and proved everyone wrong, didn't we?!!...

So, it's time to harness the power and the true potential of the human mind because now there's fortunately nothing holding me back, and I refuse to be judged on anything else other than my true credentials. So, when all of us meet up again at college this July, with the experience of various research centers and companies like BFL, SAIL, BARC, HINDALCO, HZL, etc. behind us, I'll ensure that I remain in the same state of mind as I am in right now, relaxed but confident. Signing off, I'd like to say my patented million dollar statement once again:-
                                                 

  BE THE FORCE!!!...

No Place Like Home!

You may enjoy hogging the limelight at your workplace or spending quality time with your friends in college, but at the end of the day, there's no other place as tranquil and soothing as those familiar walls between which you grew up!... As another grueling semester ended, I was on my way back home, tired and totally exhausted. But the closer I'd get to my destination, the lighter my feet would feel. It's amazing how the simple thought of returning home can cure those heavy eyelids, which had been caused by a countless number of sleepless nights before the end semester exams!...

I wished that our flight could land on the roof of our very house, troubled by the thought of having to spend another half a day to travel from the Santa Cruise Airport in Mumbai to my home in Pune. I was being accompanied by my father and nonetheless, we boarded a Shivneri Volvo bus bound for home. The joy I felt when the bus hit the Express Highway, was simply indescribable. That six lane road, which had been witness to so many great adventures we'd had in the past, flooded my mind with fond memories. It's distant curvature seemed to be welcoming us like how the Spartans used to be welcomed back after winning a fierce battle!... 

We finally made it home and what a great feeling it was to see our family greet us with their ever so serene but excited smiles!... That same old shoe rack, which I had pummeled with shoes for almost a decade, the same red and black carpet, on which I had spilled tea on countless occasions in the past, all the familiar paintings which adorned the walls, with some new additions, and most importantly my own room, with the same custom bed and study table, which still bore some of the pen marks I'd left on them a few months back; it all gave me a feeling of nostalgia like I had never had before! I just hugged my mother and granny, took a deep breath and sat down .....!

After ages, we had finally got the opportunity to sit around the same round table and have tea and snacks together, just like the good old days. My mother asked me if I was beginning to miss college already, but what she failed to realize was that all I'd been thinking for the past few days was about that very moment, when the whole family would be reunited!...

No matter what we do and where we're from, there is truly no place like home. At home, we live within the love and happiness of our family members, not having to obey the boring college and office timings. We make our own schedule and catch up on things we like to do. We get a little time of serenity and true peace, to regroup and recapitulate everything that has gone down in the recent past. We reflect on our past actions and decide what is to be done further ahead. But most of all, we get to eat all our favorite stuff, meet up with old friends from all over the country and get loads of sleep, which had been unkindly snatched away from us in college!...

Luckily, my summer intern is in my hometown itself, so that now I can look forward to spending the next two months with my family and friends, living at home! I'm happier than I've ever been, having handled all my business successfully and returning home with a clear mind. The last semester was the most eventful one for me yet, in which I had taken part in almost every fest, officially completed two extra-curricular projects, worked hard towards my academics, had my summer intern granted pretty early on, and it ended with an explosion of emotions with our institute finally being converted into an IIT, after a long and difficult political struggle, in which all the students and professors had played a pivotal role!... It couldn't have ended in a better way!... So, until the next academic year guys; happy holidays!!!...

A Brand New 'IIT'ian!!!...

  

Aahhh!... Let me think... In spite of more than five years having passed since the day I had first dreamt about IIT, its mere thought has kept my memories from being blurred. Every second of my life in these past few years has quite literally, been burned into my brains permanently. But this epic odyssey has finally reached the best end possible!

The very first article of this blog clearly portrays that it had all started with this very dream, or more appropriately 'mission', the achievement of which would lead to the opening of countless gateways in the future. It had been hanging in the balance despite of me having cracked IIT-JEE twice and having gotten admission into one of the topmost colleges in the country IT-BHU, as it 'was' called until a few days back!

But now, all my internal demons have been put to rest as I, along with all the others from our institute, experience a level of happiness, peace, rightfulness and most of all, pride to finally have that extra illusive 'I' in our institute's name that we so richly deserve. While many of my friends started out their careers by walking into the famed gateways of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), people from our institute have the unique pleasure of watching and experiencing the hallowed portals of IIT, being built all around us, while we sit in the very center of it! It makes me really happy to think that we'll be the only handful of students in the country who have had the privilege and the honor of being in one of the topmost universities in India, inheriting the legacy of the Banaras Hindu University, and are now also an integral part of the brand-name that is, IIT (BHU) Varanasi!!!...

We don't have to carry the burden of being a 'pseudo'-IIT anymore. It surprises me to think that after all that I've been through, with all my possible choices having fallen just a little short of their mark when I was struggling to get into IIT a few years back, and the only thing that I could have possibly had in a so-called core IIT being an Integrated Masters Degree in some science subject like Economics, instead now I'm finally doing a Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) course in a core engineering branch from a core IIT!!!...

Everything amazingly fell into place and it's only now that I'm truly beginning to understand what Steve Jobs meant when he said that: "You can only connect the dots looking backwards!" So many other things could have happened just by making a slightly different choice at any of the countless junctures encountered in the past, but everything just seems to have fit in perfectly like a complicated jig-saw puzzle. These are the only times that even atheists might have the feeling of divine intervention!

So, after all the controversies and criticism that I've been through in the recent past, reality finally takes a sweet turn!... There have been so many times when I've felt like showing the finger to fate, but I'm truly grateful that things have finally taken a measurably fruitful shape. We have all tirelessly worked very hard for achieving our goals and I'm not sure if this is fate's way of rewarding us. So, in any case, if there is indeed such a thing, I'd like to thank 'fate' from the bottom of my heart for helping us get something which was so dear to us, that it modified and affected every step we took!...

I've waited for ages to witness this day and now that it's finally here, it's a wonderful parting gift that we got before this year's summer vacation. And, on a personal note, this truly is the beginning of a new era in my life, and I take a solemn oath not to waste this opportunity which has been given to me in the form of the highest graduating platform available in India today! Right from this moment on, irrespective of the past, I'll only be working towards the future. I've always been kind of a rebel in my ways of doing stuff, but now I can finally forgive, forget and move on, as a brand new "IITian"!!!... So, a very hearty congratulations and all the very best to all my fellow IITians for a bright future ahead! Good luck and take care!... 

'ANVESHAN'

Another festival to cap off this already illustrious year for me : This time its 'ANVESHAN', the Metallurgical Engineering annual festival of our college!... Its a fun filled extravaganza which gives us the opportunity to participate in a variety of academic and non-academic activities like 'CADENCE' (the literary event), 'PRASHNA' (the event in which we are given an industrial problem, and the best answers are selected for the finals), 'SNAPSHOT' (a 'not-so-orthodox' photography competition, in which we are supposed to submit snapshots of metallurgical operations being performed on day to day objects, for example, 'machining', when we shave a pencil), etc. Thus this fest is a true test of innovation, fortitude and confidence, which inculcates in us, an unstoppable drive to win!... 

But one of the most important events in 'ANVESHAN' is 'RICERCA', the poster and paper presentation competitions. It is one of the only events in the whole year, which demands both knowledge and spontaneity! So, besides participating in 'CADENCE', I also decided to make a paper presentation on 'Fuel Cells'!...

I prepared for a few days, determined to win something, I had never tried before. D-Day arrived, and I dressed up in our new college blazer and tie for the first time. Formals were not a must, but I wanted to carry the whole thing out to perfection. Although I had a teammate, he was busy with other events and didn't have time to prepare; so it was decided that I would carry the whole presentation on my shoulders.

Uncannily and uncomfortably riding a bicycle, wearing our suits, we made our way to the lecture theatre, where the event was being held. We entered the hall and the first thing to grab my attention, was the girl whose thought had haunted me for quite some time (or may be vice-versa)! Looked like we were two of the only teams participating from our college. The facial features of the strict judges looked as if they had just taken a heavy dosage of quinine!!!...

Well, jokes apart, I was fortunate enough to have gotten rid of any stage-fear, right since my early days in school! I took off the sweaty blazer in the burning forty degrees of Varanasi, and looked forward to the challenge, anxiously awaiting our turn. Our names were announced and we firmly and confidently walked to the podium. I did my best, describing each slide to the best of my knowledge and oratory skills.

The judges' expression didn't change as they kept looking at our presentation with a cold glare! Suddenly, I was interrupted by one of them and after all our efforts, the best thing he could tell us was that we were losing marks for exceeding the given time limit! I was a little frustrated for him not letting me finish, but there was more to come! He sourly reprimanded us for all the references we had provided, and started asking questions on related stuff, we'd studied one year back, which we were struggling to remember. After a few minutes, he simply told us to 'leave', without a single word of encouragement or any future advice, which is the least I'd expected, after all the work I had put into it!!!...

Obviously, things didn't turn out quite the way I had expected them to, but it became another valuable episode in my life's chapter. Life goes on, and about a week from now, are the exams which might play an important role in shaping my very future, as can be well understood from my last article! Looking forward to new challenges; at this juncture, I'd like to wish everyone the very best for their future endeavours!!!...    

A Bitter Pill...!

Just when I thought, things were beginning to look good for me, with the year shaping out exactly the way I wanted it to, with successful completion of various projects and my summer internship granted, out popped our dreaded last semester results, and judging by the title of this article, it should suffice to say that satisfactory would be an over-statement for mine, at least on the scale at which I usually judge myself. Now, although this was our first departmental semester which probably required a much different approach and an in-depth knowledge of the core subject as compared to our first year in college, the actual difficulty of venturing into the unknown couldn't have been fathomed. 

Mistakes happen and they're usually not a very big deal if the right lessons are learnt, but the problem arises when all the possible kinds of mistakes are committed simultaneously. Lack of awareness about the branch, projects and other extra-curricular activities taken too seriously, and unfamiliarity with the new subjects and correction pattern plagued me and caused my college academics to hit a temporary but sour low. And it's always difficult for someone in such an institute, having cracked one of the toughest examinations on the planet to get into it, having always been one of the topmost in school and elsewhere for most of his life, to swallow such a bitter pill... On the flip side however, almost everyone's results showed quite a variation compared to the year before, with the majority drastically screwing it up! 

Anyway, I've faced a lot of uncanny and stressful situations in my life, but as always it takes time to sink in and adapt to, learning from it and moving on a better and improved man! Moreover, with an already ongoing exam, wastage of time pondering about the past can scarcely be afforded, which is exactly where a never-say-die attitude comes in handy. I know that performing really well in the current semester is a must, especially for our overall second year result to be somewhat decent, but we cannot let such facts burden us to an extent where we lose focus on the things at hand.

And although unpleasant stuff regarding our results can already be heard doing the rounds, what is really important is how we look at ourselves and assess our own abilities. No one knows us better than us ourselves and living up to the title of this blog with due vigor and pride, is something that I've always taken earnestly. Every challenge thrown at us can be overcome and there's a solution to every problem encountered on the way to becoming successful in life.

I'm writing this article as more of a reminder to myself of who I really am, and the greater the number of stepping-stones one overcomes in a lifetime, the greater the person becomes. I'm not sure where I'll be about ten to fifteen years down the line, or whether at the end of the day my life will be a tragic or an inspirational tale but rest assured that I'll do everything in my capacity to tip the balance towards the latter! I've always been one of a kind, achieving things in my own unique ways and one wake-up call is more than I needed... Huh! I may have spilled the milk, but I won't spill the cappuccino which is on its way!

BE THE FORCE!!!...

Exams Yet Again!!!...

Just back from home a week ago, and its already time for that periodic trauma once again! Man! It just feels like the day before yesterday, that our previous exams had gotten over! Its that time of the year, when people are seen flocking to the xerox shops across the street, in groups larger than herds of grazing cattle, hoping to gain something out of the traditional last-minute study! Its hilarious to think that we've spent the last two precious decades of our lives, mostly in giving exam, after exam, after exam!..... It makes us wonder whether these skills, for which we're being examined will actually ever be put to some real use! There seems to be no end to exams!!!...

In school, our parents would make us study, encouraging us to do better. Then, after passing out from school, we realized that life was a bit more important than all fun and games, and had to battle it out, to get into the right coaching institute to help us shape our future. This in turn led to even more exams : ..... The 12th Board's Exam; engineering entrance exams like IIT-JEE, AIEEE, BIT-SAT, etc; also loads of other people appearing in various science, medical and commerce entrance examinations!... The list goes on!!!...

Now, after all these years, after making it through all that cut-throat competition, after having to unfortunately step on so many people's toes to achieve our dreams, to get into the college of our choice; ironically enough, nothing has changed! A few days from now, our sessionals will start, and its the same as always!..... Scouring for study material, trying to get better grades, in order to pursue future ambitions, on the way to giving even bigger and more important exams!... Its like a never-ending cycle!

Now, despite the so-called 'great philosophical men' of our world having left us quotes like, "Few minds wear out, but most rust out.", "Strength of the mind is exercise, not rest.", etc.; at times like this, I seriously feel like doing something a little more constructive than mugging stuff up and puking it all out on the exam paper!... But, I guess it's pointless arguing and complaining. After all, the reason we are doing all this is to have an opportunity of following our own dreams in the near future (which, quite frankly, doesn't seem to be as 'near' as it sounds!).

So many examinations left to give, and with no end in sight, what choice do I have but to say the regular? :-
                           

ALL THE BEST!!!...

Stop The Waiting Game!.....

Every second, every waking hour of our lives is a 'waiting game'! We live every minute waiting for things to happen or take shape! Hopes, dreams, ambitions, expectations!..... Its all a part of it! With so much on the horizon, and so many important things yet to happen, wonder how life would feel without 'The Wait'?

My life's always full of it!... Whether it be the impending political issues of our engineering college or the pending exam results of the last semester, which I can't exactly say I'd like to see; there's always something or the other to have my attention pinned to it! I always think about how to deal with such uncertainty and anxiety, as sometimes it might become too much for our nerves to take. Wouldn't it be much simpler if we could just numb our brain and let nature take it's course? I guess it would! But as always, its easier said than done.

An ideal life, with everything on track, without either fears or ambitions, is not only boring but also impractical. Every time you think you've 'seen it all', something pops up, which forces you to start over, and rethink everything you had known so far! But whatever happens, good or bad, there's one thing that always holds true, that I've learnt from personal experience, over all these years! "We" are pretty darned resilient!!!...

No matter what happens, we always figure out a way to live through it, and build on it, with nothing less than a smiling face! We take pride in our successes and failure in our stride! That's how we have managed to come so far! And that's how we'll manage to get further ahead in a world full of infinite opportunities and dangers!...

So, we should stop waiting and start acting. Whatever happens in the future will be a result of what we do now! Things which have happened or are about to happen as a result of past events, are quite frankly, not under our control and we can take solace in the fact that at every stage of our lives we have striven to do our best, to the best of our knowledge, taking decisions which we deemed fit at the time! I mean, obviously, no one's going to do something intentionally, if he knows for sure, that it might have some unpleasant repercussions in the future!...

So, we should be happy with what we have done and avoid blaming ourselves for things which could have been done in a better way! We should take a lesson and move ahead, not pitying ourselves in any way! Our brains have an amazing faculty of coping with situations; and I feel that people of my age group, who are at the beginning of their careers, need it the most, stepping out into a whole wide world of professionalism, not knowing whether life's going to treat us like a kind mother or like a b***h!!!...

So, let's all gear up and face life boldly! After all, we're giving it all we have and that's all that should ever be expected from anyone!!!!!.....
                                                             

   BE THE FORCE !!!...

Rare And Precious Pearls : Friends!!!...

I think it was just the day before yesterday that I'd said I wouldn't be writing another article for quite a while, but here I am at it again, energetically punching in the keys of my laptop! So, what's it about this time? Well, I guess the title is a sure giveaway!... 

Most of us get so entangled and preoccupied with this whole issue of living life - our careers, jobs, parties, night-outs, about being successful and making new connections, and a myriad of other seemingly important things; that we begin to get swept away from our very roots and from the most valuable people in our lives : "Our Friends!" So, I'm taking this time to step out of the shell of my own life, and focus on those very people who made it worth living!...

I really wish that I could pick out each one among the hundreds of friends I have, and personally sit down to have tea with every one of them, recapitulating everything that's gone down in the past, but alas, I guess such nostalgia is a far-fetched dream. Right from the friends I had in school and all the friends I had during our preparation for IIT-JEE, to all the friends in college now; it's like a vast, never ending treasure-trove of jewels!!!...

All the moments we had together; the casual discussions, the mind-blowing parties, the serious study sessions and of course all the little fights we had, on the silliest of issues imaginable; it all comes back in a flash, and I can only but smile, thinking of years gone by! All of us want to move ahead in life, but we can't really leave behind our past, can we?.....

But, there are some moments, which are really special, which get permanently etched in our minds! These memories come back to us every now and then, and give us a moment of heavenly peace and relief from the daily hustle-bustle of life. I've had such moments too..... I remember the time when some of us from our JEE coaching institute, went over to a friend's house and rain-danced, without a care in the world; and we had to attend that day's three hour session with the same wet clothes!... I remember erupting in a roar of laughter, on the stupidest of jokes cracked by some of my friends... Then there were also events, like the one outlined in the article "A New Lease Of Life", where all of us literally owed each other our lives, for managing to get out of that treacherous water fall alive!...

Such memories are all that remain, to connect us to a world gone by! But we must hold on to these threads of fond memories, as they may define our very existence! Although all of us have chosen different paths, and will probably end up in different places across the globe, I hope that we can always remain in touch! And who knows what might happen in a few more decades?....... Hehe, maybe someday I'll meet a long lost friend in some random supermarket, as they show in the movies!...

Well jokes apart, however things may turn out, I know one thing for sure and that is, I've been blessed with a bunch of the most amazing friends one could ever wish to have! It is said that "The most we can do for a friend is to simply be his or her friend!" And trust me, that's the only thing one ever needs to do! Isn't friendship divine?.....!!

So guys, let's all saver this one moment on 'Mahashivratri' in memory of all the rare and precious pearls we've ever had in our lives, in the form of friends, because some people may 'go to priests', 'others to poetry', but 'I to my friends'!!!...

CHEERS TO LIFE!!!...

  CHEERS TO FRIENDSHIP!!!...

  

Double Bonanza!!!!!

Now, referring to my previous article, if a "Project in SAIL" sounds great, then what would you call a "Project in SAIL + Summer Intern in Bharat Forge Ltd."!? Man!!! This year keeps on getting better! I know that this sounds like beating my own drums, but somehow I just can't resist sharing my excitement with some of my closest friends! Inspite of 2012 having the nickname of 'Doomsday Year', with the Mayan calendar ending on the 21st of December, 2012; this year has been anything but doom for me!...

Bharat Forge Ltd. :-

• The largest exporter of auto components from India.
• The leading chassis component manufacturer in the world.
• A technology driven global leader in the manufacture of a wide range of highly engineered critical and safety components for countless sectors including Automobile, Oil and Gas, Rail and Marine, Energy, etc.
• A customer base that includes virtually every global automotive OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and Tier 1 supplier!
• A capability to offer front line design and engineering, dual shore manufacturing and full service supply!...

What more can I say about this highly esteemed organisation?! The statistics speak for themselves.

Doesn't it feel great when things turn out exactly the way you want them to? It's really ironical to think that the same guy who didn't have the slightest clue of what he was going to do at the beginning of this year, has got simultaneous opportunities to work for two of the biggest technical giants in India, SAIL and Bharat Forge Ltd.! Its amazing to think how far a little determination and perseverance, on your part, can take you; and how a bit of persistence can work wonders for you!!!

Another one or two dreams fulfilled, and this year'll mark the beginning of a new and epic journey in my life. Other than my personal efforts, I also feel deeply indebted to all those people who helped me grasp these opportunities, with a special reference to Ms. Shobha Ronimath (HR Officer, Bharat Forge Ltd.) and my father, Mr. T.K.Dev (Dy. General Manager, SAIL).

It always feels really great to know that your course of action for the next few months has been decided and your time will be well-utilized. Its a refreshing change for me, as its totally different from the monotonous college routine, and it will give me the exposure of working in a world class professional working environment. I'm currently completing my project with SAIL and I eagerly look forward to working with BFL! With college exams also approaching soon, it's going to be a busy but exciting time, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write another article for quite some time now! So, until then, see you, take care and of course:-

                                                 

ALL THE BEST TO EVERYONE!!!