The Story of My Marriage...

Boy loves girl, Girl loves boy. Their families are against their marriage, Ultimately, love overcomes all hindrances, they get married. Sounds like a cliché Bolly plot? Not quite, although practically the only catch being, they bring home the bacon without eloping or being estranged to their families. Right from page 1,rather from preface,well actually from the page before preface(i don't know what u call dat..!!) its riveting. He magnanimously dedicates this book to his in-laws(probably the 1st ever..!)Even his disclaimer reads.'You only make digs at people you care for’. With this, he subtly takes the liberty to make mirthful jokes of everything ‘Tamil’. It actually has glimpses of 'Five Point Someone', thrown here and there..prof's daughter..scandal in IIT,..Girlfriend's Dad's nightwear(In this case 'lungi':P)..missed previous convocation etc. Although Bhagat requests this book be treated as fiction he admits this is inspired by his own experiences.
The story moves at a brisk pace.The main protagonist's (Ananya and Krish) entire IIM career is done in about 36 pages. Needless to say it involves sex, sleepovers, studies and a self-satisfied solitary existence. The story then oscillates between Delhi and Chennai, so expect a lot of local jargon from these two states. Of course like all his rest of the novels this too has a happy ending (he could have tried something better here though..).
Amidst all this there is a healthy dose of colloquial humor. For instance: Krish, on visiting Ananya’s house for the first time, asks for Ananya and describes her father’s look “As if I asked him where he kept his porn collection.” In another scene, after making out and being asked by Ananya about future he writes "It is amazing how vulnerability in a relation shifts from boy to girl after having sex". He rightly states "In India, you don’t marry the guy (or girl for that matter), you have to marry the family. In fact, Krish does get 4 gold rings made to propose girl’s entire family!" Sounds cheesy ? Besides this he also puts light on some truths of life ,through his own witticism. As in the beginning when a prof humiliates Ananya, Krish consoles her by saying "Wont you hate an eleven year old if he earns more than you?"
Many people don't quite have a high opinion of this book, saying he has been exaggerating, he's being predictable in all his writings, he doesnt go into the nitty gritties of writing styles, rhymes and aliterations etc.Hell..who cares as long it can keep u engrossed. His words are simple, and his characters very much identifiable and they talk, just like the way, you or I speak. he has this wonderful 'out-of-the-bed' kind of writing style, which helps him connect to the readers instantaneously. Moreover he never claims to be a gramatically correct or writing a life changing novel.So, whats the big fuss about?
Well, Critically speaking(just because some bad points needs to be written too, I am doing this) I feel its written keeping a movie script in mind, and not a novel(not that this takes away his credentials..!!). His routine love making descriptions are like "Here comes the item number of the book"..And yes I can certainly see that the sequel to '3 idiots' is already set up(Not to mention his one liners can surely draw a huge lot of 'seetis' from 1st row )
To sum it all up, its a merger of the Alpha TV with the Sun Tv, a book worth spending 95 bucks. and I would personally suggest you to grab a copy and read it at one go. But then, thats just me...

Signing off
Nirvaan

The year that is...so far

As always..its been yonks i've explored this dimension of my self, blame it on..mmmm..well this time 'Sorry blame it on me..'(I luv this song;))This has been a very consequential year by far...Some highlights are 'The rise of a leader in the likes of Rahul Gandhi who single handedly led the UPA govt into a formidable position, The Commercialization of the Brand Called Cricket and Cricketers..How about a 'Sachin Pepsi Tendulkar' or say a 'Swapnil Nano Asnodkar' in the form of IPL..oops IPL2'.No wonder toddlers wud sun b taught 1,2,3,4,5,DLF Maximum,7..:O. Around the same time The Zoo Zoo effect caught the nerves of the Indian audience.If Hutch made Pug the ‘national’ dog, Zoo Zoo’s became the new youth icon - one that was truly missed after IPL’s grand finale. The undercover SouthAfrican svelte belly dancers compelled the viewers not to fiddle with their remote controls even during commercial breaks..Not long after was the disappointing Budget 2009,leaving the general public lamenting.After all it was the first budget post recession and too much was expected out of it(We hate Pranab Mukherjee..X-().However there was also a somewhat consoling Railway Budget(at least for Bengal)..God Bless Mamata...!!

Moving on to some International NewsMakers..The Death Of MJ(Is it a he..?Is it a She..?No..its Michael Jackson:P) and the rise of Swine Flu clearly steals the show in terms of Popularity..:P.The mysterious death of MJ triggered an outpouring of grief around the world, creating surges of Internet traffic and causing sales of his music to soar,even the likes of Obama and Manmohan Singh(I doubt he had even heard his name before..:S) couldnt help offering their condolences .On an even sadder note the H1N1 virus really spread like wildfire,affecting almost all the nations across the globe.A more personal setback was that our trip to Agra was called off.(I hate you filthy,stinky pigs)After national and International highlights moving on to some local news..The construction of Jinsi nala Pul is finally complete(frankly speaking I never expected it to run atleast until my postgraduation or shud i say Integrated Post graduation:P) and our very own DDmall is meliorating day by day(the ladies in there 2;))Oh how could i forget the Mafia Mania which has about 25 million active accounts on facebook itself leave aside, myspace and yahoo..Very few could escape this mafia mania in our college too with 'help Don X with this job' and 'Help Don Y to gain these articles' becoming a regular on facebook walls(u dont bliv it..jst chk ur wall i bet u wud;)).There are no more cases i find worth a mention here,and so its a gud bye 4 now...
Signing Off-Nirvaan

note:this blog is penned as i was afraid my grey cells wud get damaged in these 4 days of unending, draggy, and most importantly irksome hols,and yes here i wud lik to thank ma frnd,who actually exhorted me into this lucubration called blogging:)

Choice...A Consequence of Conscience....

Its been a long time and i owe this delay to my training period. However, it's better late than never. Surviving the hot days of summer in the pink city, a week in 'the Scotland of the East' was definitely refreshing. Now that I have some time at my hand, it's back to blogging. During childhood we were taught a numerous things ; mannerisms, etiquette, discipline all forms the backbone of our life and we took them to be the pedagogues of a blissful life.
How to talk, how to behave, how to sit, how to eat, what to eat, everything. "beta don't do this, beta don't do that" and we assumed whatever we are told is correct, believing them blindfolded. Now that I have gained conscience and matured a bit, thankfully I find most, rather all of them (of course we can't do away with the exceptions) to be very true. The 'for' part being done with, lets talk about the 'againsts'. First of all the eating habits. We were (am sure most of us were) told by our elders that fruits, green vegetables are good for health, but according to us these are the things of the past, and we the so called Gen X, feed and grow on soft drinks, chips and pastries. Things which were not talked about at home, i.e. we learnt from magazines or newspapers or our beloved friends, is automatically believed to be a taboo (although we all practice them). The adolescent talks that we find very exciting are not to be discussed in family. We have grown up with these morals flowing in our veins. If we keenly observe, it's a universal rule - anything that excites us and is not told by our elders is forbidden. (I wonder why the greatest of scientists and psychologists never figured it out!) Right from the day of our birth the mantra of "Early to Bed, Early to rise, makes one healthy wealthy and wise" has been crammed into our minds. And most of us did follow it until a certain age, however once we grow up and gain conscience there are very few left to preach this mantra (pardon me if m being a bit stereotypical, but this is what i see around me) As we grow, our choices change, the same denims that we once kept for occasional wears bought on our birthdays by our parents, now seem out of fashion, in fact they are not worth wearing even at home. Now we only want  branded clothes (how much we can afford is a different conversation altogether). This is the very consequence of our maturity. We all know that smoking and drinking is injurious to health and have grown up hating people who exercise these acts, but now many of us have ourselves started them completely aware of how fatal it can be. Who can we blame it on other than our own conscience. To sum up, it's not a moral speech or lecture i m delivering its just a thought I had a few days ago and wanted 2 share.

Signing off

Nirvaan

Standing Tall...

Although i might be late to vociferate ma perspective on the outcome of the "BIG BATTLE"(biggest in terms of expenditures incurred)but i am not altogether amenable to this lag, my NGO is completely responsible for it(without any discretion of views:P)Still ,hoping the fever has not completely died down(as even the cabinet is not yet set up ), this is my and solely my view on the Elections-2009.
Priyanka Gandhi said it first.Her brother's gr8 skill was his willingness to "sacrifice the now for the future". Not just was he never given enough credit for this, he was often "berated" by a fickle media. Looking back ,her words now seem eerily prescient. When Rahul Gandhi 1st pushed for traveling solo in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh and when he refused to accept the piddly little offer of mere 3 seats form Mr. Lalu Yadav, there were enough sniggers some from within the Congress itself. I remember, Mr Lalu quipping on a TV show"Is Rahulji planning an election for 2014 or 2009?" But that's irony - Rahul Gandhi probably was planning a long-term overhaul for 2014 or even further ahead, and made no apologies for it. In other words lets think of what would have happened if the Congress' seats had not soared up in UP.The media that is gushing today would have swung to the other extreme and editorialized on supposed political "naivete". Every sentence uttered during electioneering would have been stomping all over the story.
It's now conventional wisdom to pitch him as the big winner of this election. But I think,the real reason that he is a victor is not so much the fact that Rahul Gandhi's courageous risk won the Congress ,the Hindi Heartland its the fact that had his party lost he would have still believed in the need 2 pursue a lonelier, but braver political path. There are very politicians who can stand up to the public scrutiny of a decision that doesn't yield immediate results.It's my guess that the 39 year old Gandhi is probably one of those few.And that's what makes him a winner. Its the willingness to divorce politics from the popularity stakes that makes Rahul Gandhi so unusual.Of course there's a difference between following your heart and mind and being entirely indifferent to public opinion, It is sometimes a thin line that separates courage from hubris. And many politicians have lost their balance in this tough trapeze walk. That's why I think, despite all the clamoring for Rahul Gandhi to be part of the new council of ministers, his instinct to stay out is probably much wiser. Not just because the party organization needs strengthening and rejuvenation, but also because its the more grounded way to climb to the top.Its a path designed to sidestep the hurdles that ingratiating sycophancy within the party can crop up. And that will be what Rahul gandhi will be most closely watched for in the months and years to come.Will he manage to live up to his word of delivering democracy within his own party?
Finally, while so many deconstruct Rahul Gandhi in terms of his father and his grandmother(his own sister said he combined the best of both politically),I think he may have another unexpected example to emulate - his mother, Sonia Gandhi, the shy,reluctant politician, permanently silenced her critics since the day she declared she had no interest in being Prime Minister.Five years later, she holds not just the party;but also the alliance together.Every time there is a crisis-a recalcitrant partner, a dissenting old leader; a sulky party colleague - it is she who is called in to apply the balm. Those who dismissed her as a novice from abroad had to swallow their words and accept that old fashioned stuff like hand power and sheer goodwill still have a huge space in Indian Politics. Its the same goodwill and simple integrity that most people associate with the Prime Minister. And its that mix of decency and humility that we will look for in the man destined to lead the Congress into its new future.

Signing off..Nirvaan

Home away from Home...

As promised m back pretty soon.... but this is just because i dint have to do anything other than Ctrl+C & Ctrtl+V in this post...:P

As for the knowledge of those concerned I wrote this article for La-Vista, but it was not good enough to be published in the magazine of that dandy stature:(

However, abiding by my statements in my previous blog(*) I have decided to post this article here

So, it goes like this:

Hostel Life-Home away from home.

One would surely swell with pride while informing outsiders of his/her admission to IIITM. So should be the feeling when 1 lays claim to be an inhabitant of the hostel. To pen down ,a day in hostel precisely would be a herculean task, for each day in this hostel sees something or the other happening, I would try to make an attempt to put forth it in the best possible way. A typical hostler's day starts at midnight and ends in the wee hours of the morning.(under special circumstances ,in SH's.) Thanks to maniacs, who don’t abide by the actual meaning of the word 'hostler', the insomniacs don’t have to take the pain of putting on their alarm clocks, to reach in time for lectures, but Alas they are still late!

Getting up 10 mins before class, queuing up for loo and washbasins, skipping bath but not breakfast (the best meal of the day),sleeping in lectures forms an integral part of the day to day life. Once back from lectures you have the general 'BAKAR' session going on, where the topics range from one's exciting encounter to grave national issues. After a long ‘BAKAR’ session it’s time for gaming on LAN, a boon for all the hostlers, who cannot imagine a day without it. Our Institute boasts of campus wide networking, with the dreams of combination of the LAN networks of BH,GH and even AB being fulfilled, meaning that internet permeates the space we live in. But this calls for more problems, shortage of IP's, and messages like "Leave IP *.*.*.*." becoming a regular on Softros. One thing which displays the real passion is Gaming on LAN. During gaming hours (usually spanning for a major part of the day)you could hear abuses being thrown from 1 end of the corridor to the other, and beware, if you are a fresher, you dare not go in the vicinity of the ones having an off day on the map, you are bound to get his spleen vented upon yourself, or playing the role of a helpless messenger.

For those who are not typically gamiacs you always have our very own PMC, dedicated specially to the love birds, waiting to greet you. None can replace the leisurely walks taken from AB to GH with your companion. And who could imagine life without 'parathas' from nearby 'dhabas' especially after an intense bakar or gaming session? Finally, how could your day end (or should I say morning start..?) without a dose of your favorite Television series, or movie which you specially downloaded for this part of the day. This is how we sum up a hostler's life. Apologies to girls if you did not subscribe to some of my views, but i can't help it, that’s how life is in the Boy's hostel.

<---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I hope most of u would be able to relate with it and concur with ma feelings, (at least some...if not the whole nine yards..:P)Here i would take the opportunity to let ma readers know that there wont be any further posting by me till May as the majors are on the cards and m totally blank... :[(]

Though, don't be disheartened as its a matter of just 15-20 days...Till then

Signing off...Nirvaan

(read: this is the only space where i can wear my heart on sleeve and go about writing whatever i wish to)

Blogging...hmmm...Interesting..;)

Its been 2 days since I posted ma 1st blog....n lemme be honest, my uberexcitement over this new passion of mine is very much evident to those concerned...:P....Any new comment or follower puts me head over heels to say the least...This sounds a bit nitwit and although i was a bit skeptical about mentioning this in ma blog,i ultimately was able to cognize that its pretty normal and this is the only space where i can wear my heart on sleeve and go about writing whatever i wish to...;)
The comments received so far have been really exhorting,(although i had to literally go on wheedling most of my fainéant friends to go through it..:P) encouraging me to continue with blogging.A special mention of Mr./Ms. Anonymous... needs to be made here..ur comments were truly exhiliarating..:)....(although of late i've managed to find out who it is...:))
Anyways this blog was just out of the urge to write something, because everyone's asleep nd i hav nthin 2 do...But i promise to b back soon(If at all u 2 wud b back..:P) with some exciting stuff(hope u find dem the same ...).Till then...
Signing off... Nirvaan





p.s: I read in my 9th std, if u aren't sure of the gender of the concerned thing then u write it instead of he/she.

From cocoon to butterfly...

Blogging-the best way to let the world know about you...isnt it?
Yes, it certainly is...Well since its my 1st hand at blogging,lemme start from where it all began..err..amin from where i gained my conscience. My farthest memory goes to my 2nd standard..,nothing noteworthy though, in my school life besides my parents..(my guiding stone) realising ma potential as a bright student, very much interested in science, which obviously helped me decide my career,,it had to be engineering(as i hated bio...although i topped my school in bio in ma 10th boards;).Till secondary school, life was a cake walk, no tension,and it all went very smoothly..
After that came the most trying phase of my life(until now)..the 2 yrs @ bansal classes,Kota.I realised where i stand in this competitive world and of course as we all know, truth is bitter, the realization too wasn't any bit sweeter:P.Putting in your 200 percent and not getting the desired result did hurt,and let me tell you,it did hurt terribly. These two years were the worst period of ma academic lif,i cudn't even cut the mustard in that razor sharp competitive environment, but ..the best period in terms of experience. I came Vis-à-vis with my real self henceforth. In this period i met many people and learned from each 1 of them. So although it was not at all fruitful in terms of wat i was supposed 2 do there,but it surely was a boon in disguise,as wherevr i m 2dy its bcoz of those 2 yrs in that city of engineers.Its not that I only got a clear perception about myself but i also learned certain virtues of life, the value of money...i understood that a penny saved is penny earned....Staying there alone was a test of integrity, one had to overcome his own evil self, to liv up to your parents' expectations...and overcome many such intricacies.
So, in short, the life there taught me many things and would remain as a integral part of building the character i am today.
Signing Off..Nirvaan