Superstar Rajni waxed eloquent about this tribe in one of his superhit flicks.He goes about extolling the virtues of the autokkaran of Chennai.His cronies dance with wild abandon and sing along with him , probably shouting for an encore.In fact in his first few lines he claims to be a good singer.I dont second his views and I am pretty sure many of you will assist me in directing a stream of invective towards these guys.I do agree that they are good singers.They seem to be huge fans of Eminem as our guys also can sing rap songs{or crap songs?} with generous amounts of swear words thrown in.
I have been fleeced royally almost every time I took an auto here.I am particularly sad at my inability to reach at a favourable price even after minutes of haggling with the autowala.They are adept at using the choicest of Tamil expletives,obviously aimed at your immediate kith and kin.I dare not scold him in return as I am aware of the fraternity and camaraderie existing among them.The Hyd autowala is also equally adept at usage of expletives which often revolve around parts of the human anatomy below the abdomen,both posterior and anterior without any bias.Dont be surprised if you hear many of your relatives being called names in different languages.Poor guy,spits and wastes his 5 bucks worth paan just to tell you few of your body parts.But still the Hyd guy is better than the Chennai guy,atleast he sticks to the meter.
My experiences in Chennai with the autokarrans have been horrible to say the least.What would have costed me 15 bucks in Hyd costs me something around 30 if I catch a moving auto and 40 if I hire a stationary auto outside the IIT gate.He does take you on a ride!Cant understand why these static guys demand more.Invariably he demands 5 rs extra on reaching the destination.It is somewhat like "You wanted me to take you to Y on X road,this place is Z which is quite a distance from Y".This "quite a distance" is generally about 200-300 metres.There is also a worst case scenario- Z does not figure on X road at all and its 10 Rs extra.Any hour of the day apart from 10am-11am and 6pm-8pm is "untime saar" for our guy.He uses this word pretty often.Another handy crib is that the petrol prices were raised just a few days back.He predicts a traffic snarl on every main road through which we'll be passing .Is this guy any VIP with a convoy and Z plus security???
I do not wish to restrict myself to the autokkaran alone.His baap,the taximan surely deserves atleast few lines here.The biggest pain in life is when i disembark from the Chennai express which arrives at around 6 am,which is obviously "untime saar" for the taximan.Even at 6 am you can see our man very fresh,vermilion and sacred ash smeared along the forehead and the divine aroma of incense sticks in the auto/taxi.Dont get carried away people,beyond the saintly God-fearing exterior is a pertinacious guy who can extract any amount he wants despite stiff resistance from your side.He never pulls back even if you are in numbers of three or four.Hats off to your determination machi! I always arrive the day classes start and since we have to reach by 7-30 there is no time for the haggling .We pay him an outrageous figure which is delta less than what he demanded,he asks 25 more for the luggage,hostel security guard intervenes,usual expletives follow {there is one particular word used for the 1st few customers of the day who crib a lot and dont pay},we end up paying that extra 25 bucks,he elated,we fuming,the end.
All said and done this autowala certainly is an integral part of our lives,especially for me in Chennai as i do not have a vehicle here and my cycle wont take me beyond the gates.Read that as-I am too lazy {also a bit afraid}to ride a bicycle on the busy Adyar road and so take an auto even for short distances like Shakes and Creams.We just cant do without him and we are at his mercy.I will be happy if he atleast reduces this blatant exploitation of the weaker sections of the society{Yeah in this case we are weak}.Any tips from experienced customers on how not to get fleeced are welcome.In the meantime let me think of cheaper alternatives.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
EK HAZAAR :)
Yipee!!! The counter says 999 and since this is my blog i wanted to be the 1000 th visitor.A refresh would have done so but i thought writing a small post would be better. :)
I thank all the readers for this .Surely for a novice churning out sub standard stuff having so many visits is an achievement.Thanks a lot people .Do read and voice your opinions.
PJ-- A woman saw her daughter-in-law at a restaurant with another man.She was shocked on seeing this.She saw the same pair again another day holding hands and eating ice cream from the same bowl.But she chose to keep quiet.Why??
"KYON KI SAAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI" !
I thank all the readers for this .Surely for a novice churning out sub standard stuff having so many visits is an achievement.Thanks a lot people .Do read and voice your opinions.
PJ-- A woman saw her daughter-in-law at a restaurant with another man.She was shocked on seeing this.She saw the same pair again another day holding hands and eating ice cream from the same bowl.But she chose to keep quiet.Why??
"KYON KI SAAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI" !
Saturday, January 07, 2006
IN THE LAND OF BIRYANI-RELOADED
After spending about 10 days "studying" for GATE in the hostel it was back to Hyderagood.Those 10 odd days were absolutely awesome!I had absolutely nothing to do.The very fact that I did not have to attend classes at 8 am inspite of being in hostel was the icing on the cake.I purposefully set the alarm at 7-45 am.On blaring ,I switched it off,pulled over the blanket,uttered a few expletives directed towards to the alarm piece,showed it my back and peacefully slept.I seemed to derive some great pleasure in that.Anyways left for Hyd on 14th for a 17 day holiday and should say it was pretty decent.
A new 5 storeyed apartment has come up exactly opposite ours with the balconies of all the flats facing our entrance ,cutting down the sunlight.I hope the balconies offers some other " colourful light" in the colony which has been quite "dark" for 20 years ;).Reminds me of the title song in that 7/G flick.There seems to be a marriage whenever I am in Hyd and this time it was my friends sisters wedding the day i landed and the entire iitm gumbal was there.We had a great time there.The first few days were spent in the usual fashion -meeting old pals etc,eating out ,returning home after 11pm ,scoldings from mom ,promising her not to repeat it and doing the same after 2 days.
Visits to the movie theatres in my holidays seem to be ritualistic .The count has been increasing in some arithmetic progression.It was 3 in the winter and 7 in summer in 1st yr.4 in winter and 13 in summer the next year.This winter it has been 5.The Hindi flick "Bluffmaster" was the pick of the season.Wanted to watch "Aaru" only for Trisha but could not do so due to lack of company.Later heard that it was pathetic ,so no regrets.
I had about 4-5 novels with me and have not completed any of them as i was very busy eating,sleeping,watching TV,roaming etc.There was a new Honda Activa and so there are 3 non-geared vehicles in my house now,one for each of the permanent members.I too have a non-geared vehicle though,my Hercules AXN bicycle.Activa seems pretty good,much better than Kinetic and except for a poorly designed rear view mirror{I use this mirror only for seeing the vehicles behind and not for any other purpose} it was quite good,esp the pick up which is lacking in kinetic and most of my roaming was done on Activa.Dad seemed to be in a pretty good mood as he allowed me to take out the car{Not some posh Lancer or Mercedes,a chota Maruti} on more than a couple of occasions.In return I had to wash it the next day and I accepted the offer gleefully.
It was pretty cold in Hyd,esp for someone who has been in Chennai.The mercury dipped to 9-10 degrees in the last week and my best friend "cold" had already embraced me by then.Cold is my trusted life partner,it will surely never ditch me or leave me under any circumstances.I hope someone creates a rift in this friendship.31st night was also spent with the same old best friend,a hanky and flipping channels till 3 am.A few relatives of my best friend also visited me the next day namely fever and headache.They were so kind,they accompanied me on the train to madras and slowly left 2-3 days back.
It is a new year and a new sem and I dont have any resolutions.The subjects seem to be better than the previous sem,only hope the grades are also better.
A new 5 storeyed apartment has come up exactly opposite ours with the balconies of all the flats facing our entrance ,cutting down the sunlight.I hope the balconies offers some other " colourful light" in the colony which has been quite "dark" for 20 years ;).Reminds me of the title song in that 7/G flick.There seems to be a marriage whenever I am in Hyd and this time it was my friends sisters wedding the day i landed and the entire iitm gumbal was there.We had a great time there.The first few days were spent in the usual fashion -meeting old pals etc,eating out ,returning home after 11pm ,scoldings from mom ,promising her not to repeat it and doing the same after 2 days.
Visits to the movie theatres in my holidays seem to be ritualistic .The count has been increasing in some arithmetic progression.It was 3 in the winter and 7 in summer in 1st yr.4 in winter and 13 in summer the next year.This winter it has been 5.The Hindi flick "Bluffmaster" was the pick of the season.Wanted to watch "Aaru" only for Trisha but could not do so due to lack of company.Later heard that it was pathetic ,so no regrets.
I had about 4-5 novels with me and have not completed any of them as i was very busy eating,sleeping,watching TV,roaming etc.There was a new Honda Activa and so there are 3 non-geared vehicles in my house now,one for each of the permanent members.I too have a non-geared vehicle though,my Hercules AXN bicycle.Activa seems pretty good,much better than Kinetic and except for a poorly designed rear view mirror{I use this mirror only for seeing the vehicles behind and not for any other purpose} it was quite good,esp the pick up which is lacking in kinetic and most of my roaming was done on Activa.Dad seemed to be in a pretty good mood as he allowed me to take out the car{Not some posh Lancer or Mercedes,a chota Maruti} on more than a couple of occasions.In return I had to wash it the next day and I accepted the offer gleefully.
It was pretty cold in Hyd,esp for someone who has been in Chennai.The mercury dipped to 9-10 degrees in the last week and my best friend "cold" had already embraced me by then.Cold is my trusted life partner,it will surely never ditch me or leave me under any circumstances.I hope someone creates a rift in this friendship.31st night was also spent with the same old best friend,a hanky and flipping channels till 3 am.A few relatives of my best friend also visited me the next day namely fever and headache.They were so kind,they accompanied me on the train to madras and slowly left 2-3 days back.
It is a new year and a new sem and I dont have any resolutions.The subjects seem to be better than the previous sem,only hope the grades are also better.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
DO YOU KNOW ME?
So you people still do not know me completely.Here I come to post the "about me".It was the flavour of the season a few months ago.I know I am quite late in this aspect,however better late than never.I was in fact waiting for someone to tag me so that I could come up with mine.My first experience with tagging was horrible,which was reflected in that god-damn-awful short story and I have tried not to goof it up this time.I was tagged by Naren.I will slightly deviate from his "about me".Lets start the journey-
Three names i go by-
Rajeev
Desi {My nick in IITM which i acquired during the ragging session}
Raj {Most of my cousins/family members call me }
MoBo meaning Mottai Boss {Orkut gumbal calls me that}
Three screen names-
rajeevhere
rajeev_raghu
iamrajeev85
Three names i was given-
Badrinarayanan {Pseude name.. I like that}
Rajeeva Lochanan{dont like that. yuck:P}
Rajeev {I am not a fool to say i dont like this name}
Three phsyical things i like about myself-
My smile {Giving Shah Rukh and Preity Zinta competition for dimples}
Decently built{Yaa self-proclaimed}
Chubby cheeks {:P}
Three physical things i hate-
Obviously my height {Shortie..may be one of the reasons why i like Sachin}
Capricious nose which sends out hurricanes by the dozens. {Guess its sinus problem or some cold related stuff.Have to consult the doc.}
If the above thing does not qualify as a "physical thing" i will say -Not so strong legs.Fluffy types.
My hair is a mess
Three parts of my heritage-
Kumbakonam{Born there,my granny lives there}
Hyderabad {Brought up there.. spent a major chunk of my life. close to 18 yrs}
Chennai {doing engineering here}
Three things that scare me-
Street dogs.. Bloody dawgs {Had a tough time during my pre JEE days when i had classes at 5 am and had to encounter many barking dogs which chased me like a cop running behind a thief.. its better now out in Hyd.. }
Exams used to scare me but not any more as I have got used to getting screwed.Still failure in exams does worry me.
Human anatomy {Just cant imagine how medicos cut and examine}
Three things about opposite sex that appeal to me-
Nice colour,need not be snow white.{Ok now dont start things like due to morons like u the multi lakh "Fair and Lovely" industry is thriving}
Good conversationalist and a decent sense of humour{She need not evoke wide guffaws but i Just cant tolerate senti}
Chubby but not obese{mebbe like jyotika but not mumtaz/shakila :P} and obly not so tall
Three things i want in a relationship-
Mutual respect
Freedom to do what i want
Love {obviously}
Three places i want go for vacation-
New Zealand {LOTR effect.Wish I could go to all the places where that movie was shot}
Badrinath,Kedarnath and surrounding places around Ganga{had been to those temples.. more of a pleasure trip than a pilgrimage}
England {sit back and enjoy cricket at Lords}
Three all time favorite movies-
This is very difficult.I cannot answer this question.. so pass
Three of my everyday essentials-
Internet
Watch and cell phone
Shower
Three things i am wearing right now-
A gold chain
Imported shorts gifted by cousin,Sparkling white Crocodile vest{Ping me if you want further details :P}
Titan fast-track Watch {Passionate about watches.Will surely blow up a fortune on them once i start earning.}
Three things i want to do before i die-
Have a good collection of best-sellers and read all of them
Watch either Sachin tendulkar or AR Rehman live in action
Learn my mother-tongue Thamizh well and be able to read/write and speak fluently {Though i know tam reading and writing my tam sucks... of all the 4 languages i know i am least proficient in tamil.I am not at all proud of this thing}
Three reasons why i am posting this-
Naren tagged me
My blog lacks an intro
Naren tagged me
Three things i wish to change about myself-
Do away with the "lazy" tag
A care free I-care-a-damn attitude and have a direction/goal and make my life more organised
Improve my communication skills.
Three favorite foods-
This is a very difficult one for gourmands/gourmets like me.I will increase it to 5 as i dont want to do injustice to food.
All varieties of kuzhambu or sambhar with rice,spicy curry and papad.{I get to eat that only during the vacations.My life partner will surely have to excel at sambhar making}
The South Indian b.fast menu-vada,pongal,dosa etc {hate idlis though}
Many N.Indian gravies with a generous amount of paneer thrown in with Butter Naan
Another all time favorite is "chaat" in those ubiquitous push-cart stalls better known as "bandis" in Hyd.
Pizzas and pastries will occupy the next slot.
Three big time regrets-
Not continuing cricket and chess after 6-7th standard {He he.. India missed out on another Sachin or V.Anand you see .. NTPK}
Never learnt the art of attentively listening the classes.{Habits die hard.Was a back-bencher types candidate right from 4-5th}
Having studied in a boy's school {:((}
Three things i want to badly do now-
Go home {Its vacation time now and i am still sitting in IITM}
Party night long
Writing "Finish this post" is too tempting.Will change the 3rd thing to -Finish the books at hand namely-Ramayana by Rajaji,Naked Face by Sheldon,Day of the jackal by Forsyth
I have gone through many "know me" posts and its pretty obvious that some of the points have been found else where.I have tried not to use the usual cliches but could not help it on 2-3 occasions.
I hereby declare that all the above facts are true to the best of my knowledge and if found false I am liable to be banished from the blogging world and/or a fine of posting 100 totally humourous/entertaining/captivating posts.:P
Thanks for this long journey and this is an open tag to all the newcomers to post an intro.I grant all newcomers permission to use my name saying "Rajeev tagged me"!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Three names i go by-
Rajeev
Desi {My nick in IITM which i acquired during the ragging session}
Raj {Most of my cousins/family members call me }
MoBo meaning Mottai Boss {Orkut gumbal calls me that}
Three screen names-
rajeevhere
rajeev_raghu
iamrajeev85
Three names i was given-
Badrinarayanan {Pseude name.. I like that}
Rajeeva Lochanan{dont like that. yuck:P}
Rajeev {I am not a fool to say i dont like this name}
Three phsyical things i like about myself-
My smile {Giving Shah Rukh and Preity Zinta competition for dimples}
Decently built{Yaa self-proclaimed}
Chubby cheeks {:P}
Three physical things i hate-
Obviously my height {Shortie..may be one of the reasons why i like Sachin}
Capricious nose which sends out hurricanes by the dozens. {Guess its sinus problem or some cold related stuff.Have to consult the doc.}
If the above thing does not qualify as a "physical thing" i will say -Not so strong legs.Fluffy types.
My hair is a mess
Three parts of my heritage-
Kumbakonam{Born there,my granny lives there}
Hyderabad {Brought up there.. spent a major chunk of my life. close to 18 yrs}
Chennai {doing engineering here}
Three things that scare me-
Street dogs.. Bloody dawgs {Had a tough time during my pre JEE days when i had classes at 5 am and had to encounter many barking dogs which chased me like a cop running behind a thief.. its better now out in Hyd.. }
Exams used to scare me but not any more as I have got used to getting screwed.Still failure in exams does worry me.
Human anatomy {Just cant imagine how medicos cut and examine}
Three things about opposite sex that appeal to me-
Nice colour,need not be snow white.{Ok now dont start things like due to morons like u the multi lakh "Fair and Lovely" industry is thriving}
Good conversationalist and a decent sense of humour{She need not evoke wide guffaws but i Just cant tolerate senti}
Chubby but not obese{mebbe like jyotika but not mumtaz/shakila :P} and obly not so tall
Three things i want in a relationship-
Mutual respect
Freedom to do what i want
Love {obviously}
Three places i want go for vacation-
New Zealand {LOTR effect.Wish I could go to all the places where that movie was shot}
Badrinath,Kedarnath and surrounding places around Ganga{had been to those temples.. more of a pleasure trip than a pilgrimage}
England {sit back and enjoy cricket at Lords}
Three all time favorite movies-
This is very difficult.I cannot answer this question.. so pass
Three of my everyday essentials-
Internet
Watch and cell phone
Shower
Three things i am wearing right now-
A gold chain
Imported shorts gifted by cousin,Sparkling white Crocodile vest{Ping me if you want further details :P}
Titan fast-track Watch {Passionate about watches.Will surely blow up a fortune on them once i start earning.}
Three things i want to do before i die-
Have a good collection of best-sellers and read all of them
Watch either Sachin tendulkar or AR Rehman live in action
Learn my mother-tongue Thamizh well and be able to read/write and speak fluently {Though i know tam reading and writing my tam sucks... of all the 4 languages i know i am least proficient in tamil.I am not at all proud of this thing}
Three reasons why i am posting this-
Naren tagged me
My blog lacks an intro
Naren tagged me
Three things i wish to change about myself-
Do away with the "lazy" tag
A care free I-care-a-damn attitude and have a direction/goal and make my life more organised
Improve my communication skills.
Three favorite foods-
This is a very difficult one for gourmands/gourmets like me.I will increase it to 5 as i dont want to do injustice to food.
All varieties of kuzhambu or sambhar with rice,spicy curry and papad.{I get to eat that only during the vacations.My life partner will surely have to excel at sambhar making}
The South Indian b.fast menu-vada,pongal,dosa etc {hate idlis though}
Many N.Indian gravies with a generous amount of paneer thrown in with Butter Naan
Another all time favorite is "chaat" in those ubiquitous push-cart stalls better known as "bandis" in Hyd.
Pizzas and pastries will occupy the next slot.
Three big time regrets-
Not continuing cricket and chess after 6-7th standard {He he.. India missed out on another Sachin or V.Anand you see .. NTPK}
Never learnt the art of attentively listening the classes.{Habits die hard.Was a back-bencher types candidate right from 4-5th}
Having studied in a boy's school {:((}
Three things i want to badly do now-
Go home {Its vacation time now and i am still sitting in IITM}
Party night long
Writing "Finish this post" is too tempting.Will change the 3rd thing to -Finish the books at hand namely-Ramayana by Rajaji,Naked Face by Sheldon,Day of the jackal by Forsyth
I have gone through many "know me" posts and its pretty obvious that some of the points have been found else where.I have tried not to use the usual cliches but could not help it on 2-3 occasions.
I hereby declare that all the above facts are true to the best of my knowledge and if found false I am liable to be banished from the blogging world and/or a fine of posting 100 totally humourous/entertaining/captivating posts.:P
Thanks for this long journey and this is an open tag to all the newcomers to post an intro.I grant all newcomers permission to use my name saying "Rajeev tagged me"!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Monday, November 14, 2005
IN THE LAND OF BIRYANI-2
I wanted to have a short nap after that helluva journey and headed to what I used to proudly call "my room" .It was defaced without an inch being spared and I was shocked to see that.A few months back SRK,Madhavan,Harry Potter,Brett Lee,Backstreet Boys etc used to stare at me and now my sister probably decided that I needed some change and decorated it with teddy bears,greeting cards and also some radium stickers!I no longer call it my room lest people have wrong notions about my interests and sexual orientation.So my room in my house is practically dead.
Picture this-You are sitting in a jewellery shop with only women around on a Sunday and the saleswoman eager to show out variety stuff and the customer doubly eager to try it out.Add a heavy lunch to the above scenario!Boredom,ennui,irritation and sleep!There was no one to even "put sight" and I had a tough time keeping sleep at bay.This shopping affair was after a distant relative's marriage which i attended for the obvious things-food,meeting cousins and you-know-what!The purpose of attending it was fully served in all senses and I was yapping non stop with my cousin.I made sure I went in early in order to have both breakfast and lunch.The rest of the day was spent in catching up with a few old friends.
Diwali,for which I had gone home, was simply great.After the traditional oil bath and bursting crackers before dawn we went to a temple and I followed it up with a visit to another friend's house.Then it was the usual wishing,meeting relatives,lunch,sleep etc .I spent the entire night bursting crackers with friends and family after a gap of 5 yrs.Bursting after 10 pm is illegal but who cares!Parents being with banks does help on the sweets count as we get many complimentary festive season sweet boxes.I devoured the sweets and savouries and I am surely going to have an extra inch of flab around my tummy.
My train to Chennai, which was on Wednesday was cancelled due to the floods and I decided to peacefully return on Sunday.I watched almost every ball of the Ind-SL matches which were being played that week and it has been a while since I had done that.My mom,needless to say,cooked some of my favourite dishes and stuff which i dont get to eat back in hostel.I hogged every bit of it.I also downed piping hot filter coffee daily{Yaa the Tam that I am,I love coffee} which is awful in our mess.I checked out a stupid sidey Hindi flick and a "once watchable" Telugu movie called Chatrapati with the "countriest" of crowds possible and IMO this is the way a movie ought to be watched.
It was a nice break from the monotonous life and homecoming was a kinda rejuvenation camp.The brief sojourn ended as I returned to Chennai on Sunday by bus.Guess what!It was raining cats and dogs when I landed in Chennai.Rain was my constant companion everywhere and if there is a drought anywhere now you know what to do!!!!!
Picture this-You are sitting in a jewellery shop with only women around on a Sunday and the saleswoman eager to show out variety stuff and the customer doubly eager to try it out.Add a heavy lunch to the above scenario!Boredom,ennui,irritation and sleep!There was no one to even "put sight" and I had a tough time keeping sleep at bay.This shopping affair was after a distant relative's marriage which i attended for the obvious things-food,meeting cousins and you-know-what!The purpose of attending it was fully served in all senses and I was yapping non stop with my cousin.I made sure I went in early in order to have both breakfast and lunch.The rest of the day was spent in catching up with a few old friends.
Diwali,for which I had gone home, was simply great.After the traditional oil bath and bursting crackers before dawn we went to a temple and I followed it up with a visit to another friend's house.Then it was the usual wishing,meeting relatives,lunch,sleep etc .I spent the entire night bursting crackers with friends and family after a gap of 5 yrs.Bursting after 10 pm is illegal but who cares!Parents being with banks does help on the sweets count as we get many complimentary festive season sweet boxes.I devoured the sweets and savouries and I am surely going to have an extra inch of flab around my tummy.
My train to Chennai, which was on Wednesday was cancelled due to the floods and I decided to peacefully return on Sunday.I watched almost every ball of the Ind-SL matches which were being played that week and it has been a while since I had done that.My mom,needless to say,cooked some of my favourite dishes and stuff which i dont get to eat back in hostel.I hogged every bit of it.I also downed piping hot filter coffee daily{Yaa the Tam that I am,I love coffee} which is awful in our mess.I checked out a stupid sidey Hindi flick and a "once watchable" Telugu movie called Chatrapati with the "countriest" of crowds possible and IMO this is the way a movie ought to be watched.
It was a nice break from the monotonous life and homecoming was a kinda rejuvenation camp.The brief sojourn ended as I returned to Chennai on Sunday by bus.Guess what!It was raining cats and dogs when I landed in Chennai.Rain was my constant companion everywhere and if there is a drought anywhere now you know what to do!!!!!
Friday, November 11, 2005
IN THE LAND OF BIRYANI-1
Prologue:
It was slightly dark in the evening and there was a chill in the air.A phone call at 4 pm brought about a lump in the throat.He hurriedly scampered out of his room to inform his friends about the shattering message he received.Their plans were in jeopardy.The chilly atmosphere and wet weather could not prevent sweat droplets on the brow.Then followed a spate of phone calls and the 3 guys set out, braving the rain and the abominable weather.With a prayer on the lips,hope in the hearts and anxiety writ large on the faces they entered the place which was swarming with over thousand people.A small enquiry generated smiles on the faces and the 3 guys were elated and it was normal again.
Wondering what this is all about? OK i give it away.The phone call was from the Call Taxi bastard,supposed to come at 4pm, who called up at 3.55pm to say that his taxi brokedown and told us to look out for alternate means.The place-Chennai Central.Most of the trains were cancelled that day and the small enquiry with the help desk said that our train to Hyd was leaving on time and hence the happiness!
The train journey was not comfortable.The train pulled out of the station on time.The start was full of jerks akin to what you experience if you release the clutch lever in an instant after applying the first gear in a vehicle.Every time the train slowed down,it generated huge no. of jerks.Only after 2 hours or so did the train pick up full speed but with infinite no of stops at every arbit station.The only consolation was that it was a new bogie and so the berths,seats,lights etc were good.There were also a couple of good looking females but had to crane the necks and change the seat for a better view to watch them and so i gave up.5 of us in 3 seats did not help either!
It was 9 pm and we began to experience those hunger pangs.Little did we know that food would be the biggest problem in a train journey.I hog every small bit of junk that comes my way in the train but this time much to everybody's chagrin there were no vendors and thus began the vendor hunt.All the people looked out eagerly with high hopes at every station for the food outlets but the incessant rain all along the journey led to their closure.We survived on biscuits,chips and cool drinks that night.
I was immersed in Deception Point and thanks to Dan Brown the night passed away quickly ,which would have been a nightmare otherwise.The next morning was also similar and there was a huge clamour for breakfast at every station.It was exactly like a refugee camp where people jostled and pushed aside others for food packets thrown from helicopters!We got our first taste of proper food at 11am and inspite of the small quanitity it was one of the most satisfying meals in the recent times .Our train got delayed due to floods along coastal Andhra and reached Hyderabad after a cool 8 hours delay at 3pm.
I was greeted by rains once again in Hyd .That day was marred by accidents and destruction.In a few hours we got the news that shook the nation-the Delhi blasts and the train accident in Nalgonda which left more than 130 dead.The accident was one of the reasons for the delay and i thanked God profusely for being fortunate enough to escape such disasters as I myself was travelling through a rain ravaged route.
It was slightly dark in the evening and there was a chill in the air.A phone call at 4 pm brought about a lump in the throat.He hurriedly scampered out of his room to inform his friends about the shattering message he received.Their plans were in jeopardy.The chilly atmosphere and wet weather could not prevent sweat droplets on the brow.Then followed a spate of phone calls and the 3 guys set out, braving the rain and the abominable weather.With a prayer on the lips,hope in the hearts and anxiety writ large on the faces they entered the place which was swarming with over thousand people.A small enquiry generated smiles on the faces and the 3 guys were elated and it was normal again.
Wondering what this is all about? OK i give it away.The phone call was from the Call Taxi bastard,supposed to come at 4pm, who called up at 3.55pm to say that his taxi brokedown and told us to look out for alternate means.The place-Chennai Central.Most of the trains were cancelled that day and the small enquiry with the help desk said that our train to Hyd was leaving on time and hence the happiness!
The train journey was not comfortable.The train pulled out of the station on time.The start was full of jerks akin to what you experience if you release the clutch lever in an instant after applying the first gear in a vehicle.Every time the train slowed down,it generated huge no. of jerks.Only after 2 hours or so did the train pick up full speed but with infinite no of stops at every arbit station.The only consolation was that it was a new bogie and so the berths,seats,lights etc were good.There were also a couple of good looking females but had to crane the necks and change the seat for a better view to watch them and so i gave up.5 of us in 3 seats did not help either!
It was 9 pm and we began to experience those hunger pangs.Little did we know that food would be the biggest problem in a train journey.I hog every small bit of junk that comes my way in the train but this time much to everybody's chagrin there were no vendors and thus began the vendor hunt.All the people looked out eagerly with high hopes at every station for the food outlets but the incessant rain all along the journey led to their closure.We survived on biscuits,chips and cool drinks that night.
I was immersed in Deception Point and thanks to Dan Brown the night passed away quickly ,which would have been a nightmare otherwise.The next morning was also similar and there was a huge clamour for breakfast at every station.It was exactly like a refugee camp where people jostled and pushed aside others for food packets thrown from helicopters!We got our first taste of proper food at 11am and inspite of the small quanitity it was one of the most satisfying meals in the recent times .Our train got delayed due to floods along coastal Andhra and reached Hyderabad after a cool 8 hours delay at 3pm.
I was greeted by rains once again in Hyd .That day was marred by accidents and destruction.In a few hours we got the news that shook the nation-the Delhi blasts and the train accident in Nalgonda which left more than 130 dead.The accident was one of the reasons for the delay and i thanked God profusely for being fortunate enough to escape such disasters as I myself was travelling through a rain ravaged route.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
SHAASTRA AND DUSSEHRA
Shaastra is our tech fest.This time it coincided with Navrathri as a result of which i got 4 full days.Else it would have only been a single day off on Vijayadasami.I utilized the first two holidays in the best possible way- eating,sleeping,music and watching movies.I never slept so peacefully for two consecutive days in the recent past.Actually i went out to see what shaastra was all about at around 12 on the 2nd day and found out that the registration for all the events was over.So i decided to wake up early the next day, which was a Saturday.I did wake up at around 8 and was in time for a few events.I participated in "Make things Work" and the prelims was a written test which covered the fundas and basics of engineering in daily life.I teamed up with an elec friend of mine and started solving the paper.We answered a few non mech/elec questions.After hazaar brain scratching and recalling and putting pseude in the paper by writing Bernoulli's eqns i realised later that it was wrong. We gave the paper and i did not even bother to find out whether we qualified for the next round.
Last year we did quite well-We almost qualified for the finals after clearing 2 rounds but our thing was rejected and we seriously suspected some foul play then.Last year i also solved many questions in the daily puzzle championship .This year it was too tough.There were a few lectures by eminent professors but the topics did not seem interesting.Once again a good excuse for avoiding.Only one interesting event was left-automobile workshop and i found out that the registration for that was over long ago!I did a few innovative things though- went to the daily quiz,took the paper,came to my room and started googling.Some of the events {physics quiz} started before time ,totally redefining IST- Indian Shrinkable Time.I fully participated in only one event- movie on Saturday.So another tech fest has passed away.
Coming to what i did for Dussehra.Well we had a holiday on Wednesday and i still do not know the exact dates of Saraswati Puja{i think it falls on the same day as ayudha puja} and Vijayadasami.My mom just called up and said for "us" vijayadasami is on Thursday!We are told not to study on Saraswati Puja-this thing totally beats me.Wednesday was like any other day.The only consolation-I took bath in the morning.In fact Vinayaka Chaturthi and Janmashtami were also like any other holidays.The only ritual which i still follow perfectly is the changing of poonal{the sacred thread} and the Gayatri Japam on Avani Avittam.This time I want to go home for Diwali as i have not spent Diwali with my parents and friends since 2000. '01 and '02 my parents were out of town and i was also supposedly studying for JEE .In '03 and '04 i was in Chennai where i combed the entire hostel to find a few bijili crackers{single red bombs}.The ultimate thrill lies in throwing the red bomb in the air after lighting it.
Other developments - 1)Acquired a good Altec Lansing 2.1 speaker which is awesome compared to my dabba mercury speakers.Actually my friend from Hyd who was here for shaastra purchased it in Richie Street here at a throwaway price and has left it in my room.I may have to return it in December,but will enjoy blasting music and pain my neighbours till that time!MORAL- It pays to be in touch with your old friends!2)Bought GATE form.The exam is in February and i have absolutely no idea as to when i am going to prepare for that.
Wishing you all HAPPY DUSSEHRA!
Last year we did quite well-We almost qualified for the finals after clearing 2 rounds but our thing was rejected and we seriously suspected some foul play then.Last year i also solved many questions in the daily puzzle championship .This year it was too tough.There were a few lectures by eminent professors but the topics did not seem interesting.Once again a good excuse for avoiding.Only one interesting event was left-automobile workshop and i found out that the registration for that was over long ago!I did a few innovative things though- went to the daily quiz,took the paper,came to my room and started googling.Some of the events {physics quiz} started before time ,totally redefining IST- Indian Shrinkable Time.I fully participated in only one event- movie on Saturday.So another tech fest has passed away.
Coming to what i did for Dussehra.Well we had a holiday on Wednesday and i still do not know the exact dates of Saraswati Puja{i think it falls on the same day as ayudha puja} and Vijayadasami.My mom just called up and said for "us" vijayadasami is on Thursday!We are told not to study on Saraswati Puja-this thing totally beats me.Wednesday was like any other day.The only consolation-I took bath in the morning.In fact Vinayaka Chaturthi and Janmashtami were also like any other holidays.The only ritual which i still follow perfectly is the changing of poonal{the sacred thread} and the Gayatri Japam on Avani Avittam.This time I want to go home for Diwali as i have not spent Diwali with my parents and friends since 2000. '01 and '02 my parents were out of town and i was also supposedly studying for JEE .In '03 and '04 i was in Chennai where i combed the entire hostel to find a few bijili crackers{single red bombs}.The ultimate thrill lies in throwing the red bomb in the air after lighting it.
Other developments - 1)Acquired a good Altec Lansing 2.1 speaker which is awesome compared to my dabba mercury speakers.Actually my friend from Hyd who was here for shaastra purchased it in Richie Street here at a throwaway price and has left it in my room.I may have to return it in December,but will enjoy blasting music and pain my neighbours till that time!MORAL- It pays to be in touch with your old friends!2)Bought GATE form.The exam is in February and i have absolutely no idea as to when i am going to prepare for that.
Wishing you all HAPPY DUSSEHRA!
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