Trouble in Paradise...

I was thinking of writing about my current favourite TV series 'The Big Bang Theory' but something much closer to my heart and frankly a bit disturbing has come to my notice.

I have to warn you that this is a rather topical serious post and not funny at all. So you may want to get your laughs elsewhere this time...

As many of you would know, I studied for my undergraduate engineering degree at Delhi College of Engineering (DCE). It is one of the top engineering colleges in the country and I am genuinely proud to be an alumnus of the college. And this is not just a jingoistic 'my college' syndrome. I have seen people's eyes widen and a drop in the volume at which they speak to you when they realize you have a strong undergrad degree from DCE. I know for a fact that the college and it's reputation have opened opportunities that would certainly not have opened up otherwise.

More importantly I have had life lessons there which have moulded the person I am and the way I think and react. I have made some of my best friends there and it is something to say that these friends are still going strong 7 years after we graduated. I have seniors who I still go to for any advice pertaining to professional or personal life.

But there is trouble brewing in paradise.

A year after I graduated a new principal joined DCE. He had been the principal earlier but was coming back from retirement. Since he came some amazing things happened for us alumni. We were seeing excellent news coming out of the college. Students were doing dedicated research, writing papers, media was covering students' participation in conferences, building cars, experimental submarines, bio-fuel etc etc. I was extremely happy to see this because if there was something missing in my four years it was this quest for creating something new.

Visiting DCE during this phase was a bit disturbing though. Hostels had sign in- sign out times, the campus buildings were off limits in the late evenings, students were not expected to move around too much, the baba with maggi outside the hostels was closing down at 10-11 as opposed to 2-3 am like he used to, students were roaming around with books even when there were no exams in the offing, and there was even an unsaid rule against girls and boys hanging out on the legendary road outside the girl's hostel.

But maybe these were acceptable changes. Discipline was certainly required to guide the students towards engineering excellence, except the girl-boy rule - that's just stupid, and the results were showing.

But now things are changing in a way which I feel could be detrimental to the institution. There was a rushed bill passed, allegedly without a lot of discussion with either the faculty or the students, for the conversion of DCE to a state university called Delhi Technical University. There are wide scale protests against this by students and faculty members, the details are at :

http://unitedfordce.blogspot.com/

This may have some hysteria and name calling but this one is pretty clear about the concerns which to me seem very genuine:

http://unitedfordce.blogspot.com/2010/03/students-appeal.html


My opinion on this entire issue is that DCE needs to remain DCE. It has an established reputation in the industry for a reason. You cannot make getting into DCE a piece of cake by increasing the number of seats (I heard numbers like 10,000 seats - that'd just be crazy). This cannot be made a place to just churn out engineers - it has to be a place where there are adequate resources for path breaking stuff for the smart people who are passionate about engineering and not just looking for a job in a bank!

I also think that if being a part of Delhi University is holding it back then the only logical path for an institution of it's calibre is to make it an IIT. I don't know how easy or difficult it is to do that but really a move downwards would be extremely disappointing.


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Techno Trip Two...

As a vast majority of my readers know, the best trip I've ever been to was to Manali in my final year of engineering college. (This was the 'Techno-trip' and comprised of people who had been involved with organizing an event called Technodrome in college. I made some very good friends while working for this event.) In fact it had such an impact on me that I've actually written two posts about it. Here you go: http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2007/05/greatest-nostalgia-inducing-trip-of-my.html and http://swappinglives.blogspot.com/2007/05/manali-trip-2003-contd.html .


As a minor digression, do you sometimes go back and read some stuff you've written earlier and absolutely cringe at how badly you've written. And then cringe some more that you thought it was a epitome of awesome writing at the time of writing it? It happens a lot to me. And these two posts are definitely prime examples of this happening. I couldn't bear to read these two posts in their entirety.

Anyway, coming to the crux of this post, we're doing the Techno Trip again!!

This idea came in when I was visiting Delhi over my birthday in August. Sitting together at R's place PS, R and I decided that we HAVE to do another trip in which all of us from the original Techno trip will go on one more trip. Now i'll be frank with you, i wasn't expecting this plan to go anywhere. Getting 5-6 people from across the country to come together, get leaves and generally take a break from their lives is a bit difficult. But the desire to relive the DCE trip days was too strong to resist. In just over a month the dream is being realised!

Ok so the plan post all iterations (which included Mumbai, Murud, Jazeera, Kashid, Coorg, Ooty, Goa and even Singapore) is that we meet at the Delhi airport tonight and drive to Kasauli (350 odd kilometers from Delhi) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasauli )and vacation there till Saturday after which we go back to our dreary lives with some more glorious memories.


Its been so long that the entire gang has been together without any timelines or other engagements that it seems a bit unreal that this plan is actually going through.



I wouldn't like to raise your hopes, but there is some talk about making this an annual affair. I shall update you as more details trickle in...

My Beautiful Eight Hundred...

Ok boys and girls, lets have a quick quiz. All those who learnt how to drive on a Maruti 800 raise your hands (er..em..click your mouse)...

I was sitting in office today and as is wont to happen on a Friday afternoon after a heavy lunch, the mind, er, it starts to wander.

Reminiscensing about by illustrious past life I remembered my old car. Its a car that holds great emotional value for my entire family. It was, I think, the first car bought amongst any of my near relatives (yeah, my Dad did quite well for himself - and don't even get me started on how early in his life he started saving money. I look at my bank in-out and I bow my head in shame).

One of my childhood memories (I was 8) is when the car was delivered to our home. I don't know why but the image transfixed in my head is family, neighbours gathered around it and dad demonstrating the windscreen wipers, and the super cool water jets that came out to clean the windscreen.



Another memory is when in the beginning my Dad didn't know how to drive so he used to go practice at ungodly hours in the morning when there'd be no traffic. It used to be an awesome treat to go with him. And the image I have is when my Dad, Sis and I got lost near some obscure field while driving around (I've inherited my lack of direction sense. And just WHEN are they getting a freakin' GPS to India?).

Its the car which my Dad, my Sis and I took our first baby steps while learning how to drive.I learnt how to drive in my first year college (ok, ok don't look aghast. I know you've been driving since you were in your diapers ...bleh) and got my license in my second year (2000).

But better things were to come. We bought a second car towards the end of my 3rd year of college and I got the car to myself!!

Oh, what fun it was. I think it succeeded in making my college years absolutely brilliant. I can't even recall how many times all 11-12 of us got my car, all available bikes etc and drove out after eleven to go all the way from DCE (Rohini) to Green Park to sit at the Barista till the wee hours of the morning. There was never any question of ordering anything at the coffee house because we were all stone broke filling petrol in our car and bikes. We used to come back at around 4 (By the way, I passed infront of my house once while going and while returning on all these midnight excursions, but officially I used to go home only every 2-3 weeks) and after a few days the guard at DCE used to recognize us and open the gate without hemming and hawing.

And of course Transport Nagar :). Around two in the night, all of us feeling hungry, What to do?
What else, drive down to Transport nagar in the old faithful and a couple of bikes to eat paranthas (Paranthas at 3 am taste absolutely divine). Oh, that was an awesome day. Cops caught us and gave us a dressing down about being about at that hour. Well, we got our paranthas and returned and ate them while sitting on the road just after entering DCE. Ah, memories.

Then of course my car in IIFT helped me quit the mess and go regularly to JNU - they have a canteen called Tefla's which has absolutely awesome food.

Sadly, the old warrior was almost 17 years old, and when we got a good offer, we sold it.

And now that I look back, I don't even have a picture of it.

I'll make sure I have a huge album of the first car I've bought (A Palio. Thank you, I know I have great taste). You do too, because I'm sure a picture of the old warrior could really bring back memories.

A Rainy "Knight's" Tale...

Hehe, I thought I'd come up with a profound and intellectual post to commemorate 50 posts on this astounding blog. Instead, I heard an incident from a friend that I just HAD to share! Its hilarious AND has a moral to it! (yeah, yeah, I know, to better mankind is a responsibility that falls upon great men like me. And then its upto us to shoulder up to this immense load, forget our own discomfort and make our sacrifice for the betterment of the human race...).

Warning: Certain details of the below story have been subjected to prose-license to improve overall impact.

Moving on, heres the scene...

Delhi, that Goddess of all cities...
Late night, say around 1 in the night...
Torrential rains lashing the city. Brilliant flashes of lightening...
Two old friends sitting on stairs leading upto one's house. Nostalgia hangs clearly in the air...
The glow from the cigarette one of them is smoking flickers, brightens, flickers again and then dies out...
Both look up with a start.Both are transported back from the ethereal campus of DCE that they were talking about, to the current cigarette less state they are in...

Two choices, abort the conversation (Afterall one of them has a flight to catch in the morning). The sensible thing to do, you'd say.

So, Of course they decide to pick up the car and go hunt for a fag(er...cigarette).


And now the real story begins -

So these two guys are cruising along the road in search for the elusive cigarette and they see a weird scene infront of their eyes.

A hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress brushing off water from her self while a bike lies sprawled on the ground and a guy having a heated quarrel with a cyclist. The girl asks the guy (presumably [hopefully] her brother) to desist. The guy acquiesces.

The protaganists (My friends), eyes popping out of their heads (did I mention the hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress?), parked their car, got out with their most macho swagger.

"Is something the matter? Need any help?" (Aimed at guy, eyes strictly on the hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress)

"No, we're fine, just a small accident. No problem. Thanks"

"Hmm..ok..bye"

Both climb into the car and move...slowly. The car seems to be resisting all attempts on the drivers part to accelerate. Both look towards each other, understanding shining in their eyes like a bright streak of lightening on a amavasya night (no-moon night, for want of a better english translation). This is too much like destiny. Straight out of a movie. A damsel in distress, how could the knights just leave her like that, lonely, forlorn, a tear in the eye. It just isn't what knights in shiny armours do, it just isn't cricket!

So the car, accepting the acceleration much more heartily than before, took a screeching U-turn. Racing back to the place where destiny was waiting for them with open arms and a joyous heart (Ok, a little explanation about a question that must be breeding in your mind - why was there no competition within the protagonists, even when the prize is so desirable, i.e. hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress. One of them has already found his destiny and is engaged to be married. So his role was of the loyal sidekick, the supporter who draws together and helps the hero overcome all odds to reach his destiny, i.e. hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress).

eeehhhnnnhhh, the car screeched to a halt. What was that?!!

Let us recollect the scene as our hero and his loyal sidekick had left sometime, nay, a few moments ago. The hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress, the potential brother, sprawled bike and a fast receding cyclist.

AND now:

Two cars with 2 to 3 guys each parked around the bike as the brother-figure tries to start it. All of them vying with each other to 'help' the hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress 's brother/boyfriend start the bike!

HEHE, our heroes took a deep breath and proceeded again on their quest for a cigarette...

MORAL: If you come across a hot-little-girl-in-a-little-hot-dress needing help, DO NOT let the opportunity go! There are always another 3-4 guys waiting around the corner to steal your 'destiny'!!

:)

PS: My lips are sealed about the identity of the protagonists!