Then... and Now!

Some time ago, several news channels in the country flashed the so-called breaking news: “First case of Swine Flu confirmed in India”. The news went largely unnoticed as no one cared to attach much importance to it. However, this did not go down well with the H1N1 virus and it decided to stay put. It was determined to garner the attention it so deserved. And so, the news channels continued to flash the ever increasing numbers of the piteous victims.

At college, the director was flooded with calls from anxious parents. What was the college doing? Were the students safe? And it wasn’t long before the students caught the fever too (not literally though!). A meeting with the concerned college authority was convened and the students requested for the premises to be shut down. Of course, it was met with refusal. The students’ concern was genuine and even before we knew it, we were wearing “masks”. They seemed to be our sole saviors. No one dared to venture out into the city, lest they would unknowingly befriend and play eventual hosts to the dreaded enemy! The mavericks, who did dare to do the unthinkable, on their return to the campus, were looked at suspiciously. Even a gentle sneeze raised a storm! The fever was catching up! The state govt. decided to come to the rescue of the hapless students. College was declared closed for a week which was further extended by a week.

A month later, students have returned to the campus (sans all the paraphernalia – the masks, sanitisers etc). The news channels still continue to flash the ever increasing numbers of the ill fated. But surprisingly, the picture on the campus has changed remarkably! The sneezing and sick students do not as much as attract a second look. It’s time to write an obituary for our ‘once upon a time’ sole saviors – the masks! If you confine yourself to boundaries of the campus, you are a bore!

I wonder with amazement at the speed at which the picture has changed! From “Mujhe bhi hai kya?” to “Mujhe nahi hoga”. My only concern – ‘How will H1N1 react to this? Will it just walk away to capture another terrain or will it strike back with a lot more might?’

All's Not Lost Yet!

The last couple of days have been a complete nightmare. First I lose my favorite pair of jeans, only for a day though, as it mysteriously finds its way back into my room. But before I could really begin to celebrate, my cell phone goes missing! Well that was my fault though I guess. I went shopping for my Dad and when I found something really nice for him on one of the shelves, the excitement kind of led to a swap – the cell phone goes onto the rack and the kurta into my bag. Its only when I get home, I realize, I don’t have my cell phone. And though I did rush back to the shop, hoping for the impossible, the effort’s all but rewarding. So I come back to my room and start packing as I had to leave for home the next afternoon, only to realize that the worst is far from over. I couldn’t find my digi cam, my first buy from my first salary, and a gift to my mom. I searched in every possible corner but to no avail. Haven’t been able to sleep since then! It’s going to be almost 48 hours now! Wait, there’s more to come. On my way to the station, the cab breaks down. The driver tried to repair it but I somehow knew what was coming. Called for another cab, and reached the station just in time. For once, I was glad that the Indian Railways is more often than not, behind schedule! I am sure I’ll have a lot more to share very soon and continue this article! A lot more additions to what’s gone missing! Coz as they say “All’s not lost yet” and I still have many more things that can be taken care of!

Testing Times :)

Have been away for quite some time now...

Courtesy examinations!!

And like any other sane human being... I have no love lost for the examination system!!

I haven’t slept for days together... coz no matter how much you prepare well in advance, there is always something that remains!!How that happens is still a mystery though... And in my case it only gets worse coz I am not one of the "study well in advance" kind of students!! :)

Long never ending queues at the Xerox shop... notes being Xeroxed for the entire semester mind you, mad rush to the library to issue the relevant book at the last minute (and it’s not an easy task to locate one with only a few copies left... especially considering that these last minute shoppers haven’t the faintest idea of what the book looks like!),Night outs, hunger pangs in the middle of the night satisfied by Maggi (thank god they invented Maggi, else I really don’t know what would have happened to the entire student fraternity!!), coffee/tea (anything that can murder sleep ruthlessly)...

And this is only the preview...

The picture sets into motion only when the already sapped student steps into the examination hall... And believe you me... The fear and dread conveyed by his countenance is reminiscent of the look of horror etched on people's faces when they watch a truly shivery flick... But wait... that's not all... The examination paper is distributed... and well it turns out that the horror flick is a Bollywood make... coz it’s really a comedy of errors... But the real tragical comedy happens when the results are declared... well comedy because looks like some of the examiners were comical to the hilt (how would you explain a score of 80 in a paper that was a complete mess and a minimum passing score in another where I expected to come up with flying colors) and tragedy because the comedy intended and enacted by the examiners turns out to be a catastrophe for the hapless students!!

And I can’t believe that a large part of how my future is going to shape up depends on how successfully I scrape through all of this.

Well before I wind up, I just want everyone to know that this post was intended in good humor. And essentially, is not to be taken too seriously.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn...

"Green with envy" "Seeing Red" "Black as Sin" "Monday Morning Blues"

Wondering why these expressions have been cited? Did you take note of the element that binds them?

I am talking colours!! Well, ironically, all the expressions above have a negative undertone. And yet, to me, the very word "COLOURS" itself holds a completely different meaning. I would rather see the “Love in Red”, the “Peace in White”, and the “Harmony in Green”… I would rather see “Yellow” the bright and sunny way…

I would RATHER let optimism lead me to a realm of humongous possibilities than follow pessimism into a dungeon of dismay and despair…

All in life does not happen as anticipated or planned. But if all we plan (and at times plot ;) ) falls in place, life would be like a soft drink that is sweet but sans the fizz! If all goes well, soak yourself in revelry. But if it doesn’t, question WHY and still rejoice… Because everyone knows (or at least claims to know! ) “what to do “ but learning “what not to do” (sometimes by means of experience), is also of paramount importance. Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

As a toddler, if the first few wibbly-wobbly steps followed by the tumble had deterred us, we would have never been up on our feet! As a 1 year old, I had never read any of the countless motivational “Don’t Give Up” books, and yet the falls (the literal and the not so literal ones ) did not lead me to paint a black picture of what life possibly held for me. The fault is not in failing, but in thinking that I’ll fail. Coz if I think I’ll fail, and I do, all’s fallen in place and I will not introspect and question – “Why?” And the opportunity to learn an important lesson has just slipped by.

The least each one of us can do is to infuse positivism into our lives… think “YES”… Or let me put it this way: If James Watt had given up, I would have been writing this article in candle light!