It started off like any other usual sleep-over night. This time my friends Swathi and Shruthi were coming over to my place. They turned up at around half past nine, armed with a bag of junk food and a hard-disk full of movies. This was one of the rare sleep-overs we were having where none of us needed to wake up early the next morning to attend lab, internals or a debate! So we were taking things slow and chilling out. We lazed around in my room for a couple of hours looking at some of my old photo-albums and slam books while we waited for my parents to turn in. Shruthi lazed around a little too much and almost fell asleep!
The layout of rooms in my house needs to be understood before I continue this tale. Opposite to the front door is 'Room1' which has the computer, a table, an old bed and various articles- both big and small- that have no place of their own in other rooms. To the right of the main door is the entrance to the living room. The first right from here leads to my room, and the second, my parents'. Mine is an old house (re-painted very recently) and still has double doors at the entrance to every room. It isn't very sound proof.
At around 11.15 pm we came toRoom1, shut the door and switched on the computer. My dad had gone to bed. We picked out a movie to watch ('I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry', which sucks). Just as we settled down to watch it, we remembered we hadn't made popcorn. So we got up and I pulled the door handle. It didn't open! Because the door had been painted recently, it fit rather too snugly in the door-frame. The second door couldn't be opened until this one was. We pulled and tugged and yanked in vain! The top part of the door was literally stuck to the frame while we could see a small gap in the bottom part.
The sudden realization that we were actually stuck there without food or water (that we'd conveniently forgotten in my room!) sent us into peals of laughter!
"S*** we're actually stuck here without food or water!" I said. "Or beds and pillows!"
"Forget the bed and pillows, we're stuck here without a bathroom Rashmi!" shouted Shruthi.
"Oh ya! Well I'm going to be fine. I went already!"
(More laughter)
"There's a window in case you really can't hold it in" said Swathi.
(Uncontrollable laughter following a joke about windows and urination that cannot be mentioned here!)
Once we regained compusure, we went back to the problem at hand. All of us tried in turns. We couldn't stand in front of the handle and pull it, as the door would smack right at our faces if it opened! Considering the very TV-show-like situation we were in, that seemed quite likely! And the handle coming right off the door was possible as well! Meanwhile, the ordeal was creating a lot of noise and I worried my parents would wake up.
"That might actually be a good thing, considering we're stuck" said Shruthi.
She was right. I decided I'd better give my dad a call and wake him up myself. Rather now than later I thought. Funny how we forgot food and water, but had our cell phones with us! Just as I was about to call, when we heard sounds from outside the door. We realised its my dad and pounded on it. He pushed it open from outside. (Pushing the door open from outside is easier than pulling it from the inside as the handle is not involved!)
We were relieved at being 'set free' and started explaining what happened. We were still laughing when my dad said he'll show us what to do in case it happened again.
"NO! Don't shut the... "
SLAM!
"... door"
Too late. He had closed the door again to show us how to open it! He realised very soon though, that the reason we were stuck was not because we were too weak to open it, but because it couldn't be opened from inside! Now were all stuck. AGAIN! We burst into laughter yet again, this time joined by my dad!
Finally, my dad used a screw-driver he found in the sewing machine toolbox and somehow managed to wrench the door open. We got out and decided to leave that door open at all times!
The door turned out to be the star entertainer that night! Not only did we have a lot of laughs, but we also figured out what wakes up a very sleepy Shruthi!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Misadventures on Avenue Road
Almost month had passed since the new semester started, and I hadn’t purchased text books yet. Plans of going to Avenue Road to buy them had so far been thwarted for some reason or the other. For those who come in late, Avenue Road is a market that engineering students throng to sell their old text books and buy new ones. The place offers the best discounts on new as well as second hand books. From the street sellers to bookshop owners, each man tries to convince you that he offers the best deals around. And these largely uneducated folk seem to have great knowledge about the subjects in each branch, the different text books available, local and foreign authors, which are the best books etc!
So one fine day, I decided I just HAD to get my hands on the books (Purchasing text books gives me some kind of satisfaction. Studying them is a different story entirely!) .
It was already around 4.30 in the evening. I convinced my friends Swathi and Shruthi that it’s not going to be a problem even if it’s late and that we should go. So we met up around 5.30 and took an auto to Avenue Road. We’d just about gotten off and paid the guy, when it started to drizzle!
“You wore THE pants!!” shouted Swathi. I’d forgotten that the pants I was wearing that day are cursed. It ALWAYS rains when I wear them.
“Its ok, it’s just a drizzle”, I said. And sure enough, it started pouring that very moment. And yes, one of us was wearing white!
We started making our way through the crowd. There was a bus stop, and people everywhere! Not to mention fruit sellers with their fruits spread all over the place. It wasn’t that easy lugging around a huge bag of books in the whole mess. We were walking the rain looking for shelter and I was yakking away to glory all along. I barely noticed the huge cow coming towards us. Now here’s the thing about cows. They’re thick skinned and they don’t really care about objects smaller than them. If perhaps a dog or some other animal finds a hurdle in its path, it goes around it. But cows? Nooo. They simply walk into it! I had my back slightly turned and was busy talking to Shruthi. She warned me, but it was too late. The cow bumped into me from behind and continued walking as though I don’t exist! It was hilarious! I stood there in the rain and laughed my guts out. So did my friends and the shopkeepers who saw it happen. But I was too busy laughing to feel embarrassed!
We soon found a shelter and stood under it for sometime. The intensity of the rain reduced after some time and it was starting to get dark too. We decided it was really time to get a move on. The auto driver had brought us in a different route and we were at the opposite end of avenue road. Our task now was to find ‘Vishwa Book House’, a small and insignificant shop. Only two of us had seen the shop before and it was pretty dark already. We figured we would find it up the road and started walking swiftly.
Most of the buildings there have long pipes jutting out of the roof to pour out rain water. Quite a stupid idea really, for the dirty water falls straight on your head if you’re walking under it! We walked along avoiding the water, vehicles that insisted on trying to kill us and creepy looking people; jumping across pot holes, mud and slush and loose drain covers. Monsoon trekking right here in the city!
We finally found the place and unloaded our books, some of which were now wet. We sold off what we could and got new ones. We laughed about everything that happened on the ride back.
Now that I think of it, I’ve always ended up having fun on the days I’ve worn my cursed pants!
So one fine day, I decided I just HAD to get my hands on the books (Purchasing text books gives me some kind of satisfaction. Studying them is a different story entirely!) .
It was already around 4.30 in the evening. I convinced my friends Swathi and Shruthi that it’s not going to be a problem even if it’s late and that we should go. So we met up around 5.30 and took an auto to Avenue Road. We’d just about gotten off and paid the guy, when it started to drizzle!
“You wore THE pants!!” shouted Swathi. I’d forgotten that the pants I was wearing that day are cursed. It ALWAYS rains when I wear them.
“Its ok, it’s just a drizzle”, I said. And sure enough, it started pouring that very moment. And yes, one of us was wearing white!
We started making our way through the crowd. There was a bus stop, and people everywhere! Not to mention fruit sellers with their fruits spread all over the place. It wasn’t that easy lugging around a huge bag of books in the whole mess. We were walking the rain looking for shelter and I was yakking away to glory all along. I barely noticed the huge cow coming towards us. Now here’s the thing about cows. They’re thick skinned and they don’t really care about objects smaller than them. If perhaps a dog or some other animal finds a hurdle in its path, it goes around it. But cows? Nooo. They simply walk into it! I had my back slightly turned and was busy talking to Shruthi. She warned me, but it was too late. The cow bumped into me from behind and continued walking as though I don’t exist! It was hilarious! I stood there in the rain and laughed my guts out. So did my friends and the shopkeepers who saw it happen. But I was too busy laughing to feel embarrassed!
We soon found a shelter and stood under it for sometime. The intensity of the rain reduced after some time and it was starting to get dark too. We decided it was really time to get a move on. The auto driver had brought us in a different route and we were at the opposite end of avenue road. Our task now was to find ‘Vishwa Book House’, a small and insignificant shop. Only two of us had seen the shop before and it was pretty dark already. We figured we would find it up the road and started walking swiftly.
Most of the buildings there have long pipes jutting out of the roof to pour out rain water. Quite a stupid idea really, for the dirty water falls straight on your head if you’re walking under it! We walked along avoiding the water, vehicles that insisted on trying to kill us and creepy looking people; jumping across pot holes, mud and slush and loose drain covers. Monsoon trekking right here in the city!
We finally found the place and unloaded our books, some of which were now wet. We sold off what we could and got new ones. We laughed about everything that happened on the ride back.
Now that I think of it, I’ve always ended up having fun on the days I’ve worn my cursed pants!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Unreasonable
An incident that happened recently got me thinking about how students have no rights in some colleges. Sometimes students are wrongly accused of things, and sometimes it is possible that an incident is not entirely the student's fault (I admit that the chances of such an event happening are low, but it isn't nil either). Yet it is the student who has to bear the consequences.
The student is not given a chance to explain himself. Even if all the students unite and decide to voice their opinion that what happened to their classmate was unfair, it might bear no consequence. On the other hand, it might simply invite the wrath of other authorities as well. If they are angry enough they might even unjustly reduce the scores of the student in exams, or take other actions having similar effects. It is not certain to happen, but a possibility that the students cannot rule out as it would affect their future. The higher authorities give no assurance to the students that they will discuss any problems the students may face impartially. Thus the students are helpless and end up having to endure what they feel is unjust. There could be several problems that students might be facing, but cannot approach a lecturer or authority because there is no assurance that the problem will not worsen.
I find myself asking
1. Isn’t it unfair that students are helpless?
A rhetorical question, as I believe that it is.
2. Would it work if an impartial body is set up in colleges that can address students’ problems and also decide on suitable punishment based on the gravity of the mistake and previous records of the student?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Flashback>>>
I have so many fond memories of my school days. The one I’m recounting here is just one of the many that happened on the bleachers opposite the swimming pool.
Once Anusha and I were bored and decided to pick on somebody for time pass (don’t get me wrong, it was all in jest!). We had a free period and most of our classmates were hanging around in the field. Anusha and I went up to Amulya and told her we had something to talk to her about in private. Then we drew out our ‘knives’ which were actually the paper cutters that came with the nail cutter! (Why we had nail cutters? Because we had ‘no time’ to cut our nails at home!). The following conversation went something like this
Anusha (in a mock rowdy voice): Ay, come with us! We’re kidnapping you!
(I bite my lips to keep from laughing!)
Amulya (in utter disbelief): What?!
(A giggle escapes Anusha’s lips)
Me: Don’t think we’re joking ok. We mean business!
Amulya (smiles): I know you people don’t mean it.
Anusha: Don’t make us hurt you!
(I brandish my ‘knife’!)
Then we couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer and burst out. Amulya gave us another strange look and went away. We both spent the rest of the period laughing. Amulya didn’t believe us for a second, but the look on her face was just priceless! (Amulya, if you ever happen to read this and remember the incident, I’m sure you’ll agree that it was real funny!)
It seems very silly right now, but those were the kind of things we used to pull on others to keep ourselves and everyone else amused!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tryst With Destiny
Yesterday was Gandhi Jayanti. I usually just treat it like any other holiday, but this time I thought I should at least refresh my knowledge about our country’s freedom struggle. Nothing in detail, but just the main stuff which every other Indian but I probably remembers. (I unfortunately tend to forget every fact that I think is worth remembering [:(] ).
The British East India Company first came to India in the mid 1700s to trade. But very soon the Battle of Plassey followed and they set up their own tax rules in Eastern India. Their next victory was the defeat of Tippu Sultan in South India, who was killed on the battlefield after a brave fight. This gave them control over the whole Deccan plateau region.
Almost a 100 years later in 1857, the Indians decided to fight back for the first time. But unfortunately the Sepoy Mutiny was thwarted by the British.
Moreover, the Sepoy Mutiny probably made the British realize that Hindus and Muslims were united in their struggle for freedom. So they launched their famous ‘Divide and Rule Policy’ and once again ensured that they had complete control in the country.
Fresh attempts were made in the late 1800s to free our nation which continued till we got independence. The Indian National Congress and the Home Rule League were formed. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Dadabhai Naoroji, Annie Besant, Ram Prasad Bismil, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and scores of other Indians were instrumental in making the almost impossible task happen.
It was a historic event when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was initiated into the freedom struggle. He was a strong believer of non-violence and truth and his Satyagraha movement, Civil Disobedience movement and the Dandi Salt March achieved their goals with no violence involved. It is easy to shoot and kill people, but to adamantly tolerate suffering silently can only be done by the bravest people is what he said, and very rightly so. And it compelled the British to sit up and take notice too.
Gandhi also tried to bring about social reforms in the country. He was strongly against the practice of untouchability and also believed in equality of the sexes and all religions. He included women in all his discourses and movements and condemned child marriage and sati.
The one thing that is said against Gandhi is that his mild nature resulted in the Partition of the country in 1947. After the Quit India Movement in 1942, the British finally conceded in 1947 to leave the country. The Muslim League, led by Mohhammad Ali Jinnah however, demanded a separate country for the Muslims and it was granted. Many blame Gandhi of being too lenient when talks for the creation of Pakistan were being held. Some people were so strongly against him for this reason that a young man Nathuram Godse went to the extent of assassinating him in 1948.
People still have diverse opinions on Gandhi. As for my own, I don’t think I know enough about him as yet to form an opinion.
The British East India Company first came to India in the mid 1700s to trade. But very soon the Battle of Plassey followed and they set up their own tax rules in Eastern India. Their next victory was the defeat of Tippu Sultan in South India, who was killed on the battlefield after a brave fight. This gave them control over the whole Deccan plateau region.
Almost a 100 years later in 1857, the Indians decided to fight back for the first time. But unfortunately the Sepoy Mutiny was thwarted by the British.
Moreover, the Sepoy Mutiny probably made the British realize that Hindus and Muslims were united in their struggle for freedom. So they launched their famous ‘Divide and Rule Policy’ and once again ensured that they had complete control in the country.
Fresh attempts were made in the late 1800s to free our nation which continued till we got independence. The Indian National Congress and the Home Rule League were formed. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Dadabhai Naoroji, Annie Besant, Ram Prasad Bismil, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and scores of other Indians were instrumental in making the almost impossible task happen.
It was a historic event when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was initiated into the freedom struggle. He was a strong believer of non-violence and truth and his Satyagraha movement, Civil Disobedience movement and the Dandi Salt March achieved their goals with no violence involved. It is easy to shoot and kill people, but to adamantly tolerate suffering silently can only be done by the bravest people is what he said, and very rightly so. And it compelled the British to sit up and take notice too.
Gandhi also tried to bring about social reforms in the country. He was strongly against the practice of untouchability and also believed in equality of the sexes and all religions. He included women in all his discourses and movements and condemned child marriage and sati.
The one thing that is said against Gandhi is that his mild nature resulted in the Partition of the country in 1947. After the Quit India Movement in 1942, the British finally conceded in 1947 to leave the country. The Muslim League, led by Mohhammad Ali Jinnah however, demanded a separate country for the Muslims and it was granted. Many blame Gandhi of being too lenient when talks for the creation of Pakistan were being held. Some people were so strongly against him for this reason that a young man Nathuram Godse went to the extent of assassinating him in 1948.
People still have diverse opinions on Gandhi. As for my own, I don’t think I know enough about him as yet to form an opinion.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Passing Thoughts
Tuesday, September 11, 2007. My clock reads 3:47 pm. This one is definitely not an entertaining blog. I don’t even know why I’m writing it. Oh well, nobody reads my blog anyway! It’s been a week since college started. I was supposed to start studying today, having finally run out of reasons not to. Well actually I still have a cold and a slight head ache, but if that’s not stopping me from sitting in front of the computer, it’s definitely not stopping me from studying! Yup. This is when I stop kidding myself. Everyone says that it’s just these 4 years that we have to study and then we’ll be free. Hell, they’ve been saying this since the past 10 years! But this time, I’ve got to do it for myself. Aiyo I’m going to stop lecturing myself, I hear it from enough people to be hearing it from myself now!
One of my teachers said something interesting today. He said when we listen to a lecture, often we listen a little too much … as in, we just assume things that may not really be true. It’s like after a while, you stop listening to the teacher and start listening to your own brain! And based on these assumptions you feel you’ve completely understood the concept, that’s when we misunderstand things. Now if you weren’t listening in the first place, you wouldn’t have that problem would you?! Well, that was the only thing that I heard him say in the entire class. That’s because he was teaching basic stuff like ohm’s law and I’m too fed up to listen to it. I wonder if that’s being over-confident. But I just can’t help it. It was too boring.
But my attention span today was much better than the past couple of days. We had 2 classes of math, which generally doesn’t put me to sleep; 1 hour of physics which I quite like; and 1 hour of basic electrical engineering, BEE which was when my mind decided to go on holiday.
Well, its 4:09 pm now. 1 hour left for guitar class. I suppose I can still get something done. Depends on how many messages I’ve got.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Of love triangles and generation leaps
Sounds like I’m writing about the ‘Queen of Soaps’ Ekta Kapoor doesn’t it? On the contrary this is actually about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the latest installment in the Harry Potter series. It’s not really a book review but a mention of the one thing that I disliked about the book. Watch out because it contains spoilers.
I must say that I’m a huge fan of the series and have longed to know the ending for a long time. Many theories that my friends and I came up with turned out to be true so it wasn’t as big a surprise as it should have been I suppose. For instance, we had predicted that Snape was in love with Lily Potter, Harry would be one of the horcruxes, the story would fast forward to 20 years later etc. But we dismissed these theories, especially the last one because we thought having grown up on a regular diet of Bollywood and glimpses of the omnipresent K-soaps had influenced our thinking. But imagine our surprise when we saw that the last chapter was actually called ‘Nineteen years later’ and spoke of all the principle characters being married with several children! It sounded straight out of an Ekta soap to me. I was honestly disappointed with the epilogue. I have, in a way grown up with the Potter books. I remember when I was in the tenth standard the fifth Potter book had released and the characters were preparing for their OWLS while very similarly, I too was preparing for my board exams. In many other ways as well, I identified with Harry, Ron and Hermione all through the books. Perhaps that is why I’m finding it hard to digest that suddenly they’re all 36 years old and responsible parents. I also find it weird that Harry’s children are named after his parents and mentors. Its common a thing to do in other parts of the world I suppose, but I can’t imagine calling your kids by your parents’ names. In particular, I found the name ‘Albus Severus Potter’ both hilarious and weird.
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