Black, White and Moron

NOT FOR SALE OR INGESTION

KMC MANGLORE, OCT-NOV-DEC 2011

VOL. 01 ISSUE 04

Ganesh Chaturthi: The Road Taken

- Surabhi Uppal and Sagnika Ukil (09)

After last year’s hugely successful event which saw a massive turnout, everyone eagerly anticipated with bated breath and on tenterhooks (yeah...toning down the excitement now...) for what this year would bring.

But come 5pm on the ordained day Mangalore in all its traditional glory didn’t fail to ‘shower’ us with its blessings.

And so it took off as a nagging doubt in everyone’s minds- ‘Would the rain end up being a wet blanket?! Well literally.

But come rain, come shine : the indomitable spirit of KMCites to have a good time remained unquestionable.

At the college after the pooja, the idol was placed in an elaborately decorated float. And so Ganeshji started out on the last leg of his journey escorted by the KMC family unified in its diversity by the orange headbands. And well a handful of blue ones.

As the pulsating mass traipsed out of the ‘campus’ , shadowy figures in the crowd threw unidentified flying particles at us which can at best be described as eosinophilic and granulated, which as we would eventually find out would take up temporary residence in our scalps for the better part of the week. (Evidently pink is the new black).

On humanitarian grounds we had to stay true to the tradition of dhols by making do with an evanescent DJ. And so the downpour, scattered colours and resounding drums saw KMCites hit the floor erm...streets with an unmatched fervour to the reverberating chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa !Moriya!’.

Just as our feet started to protest against the major change in lifestyle (walking as opposed to the usual, cushy, sedentary one we our used to), the refreshments stall loomed ahead, calling to us parched souls, where yummy Vanilla Milk awaited us.

Rejuvenated, we plodded on towards the temple at the entrance of which we were regaled by a wondrous display of fireworks, lighting up the night sky. And as we watched mesmerised , the DJ, who hither to had been conspicuous by his absence made a small re-entry. A handful followed the idol to the temple tank which would be its ultimate resting place. The idol was gently lowered into the placid waters of the tank and the final farewells were bid.

As the night drew to an end ,mixed feelings ran amongst the crowd of died down excitement mixed with latent thoughts (or in some cases not so latent) of appeasing our growling stomachs. And so everyone bundled up into the buses which would take us back to our respective abodes.

All in all it was a festive, fun filled, fulfilling night and we guess all that’s left to be said is‘Til next year then!

Q: You’ll soon be completing 2 years as the DDSA. What all matters do you have to deal with, under this post? How has the experience been so far?

A: Since I‟m the Deputy Director of Student affairs for the entire Mangalore Campus, I have to deal with all student related affairs of KMC, MCODS and MCONS. We deal with policies regarding ragging, substance abuse, psychological counseling, disciplinary actions, etc. The most important part of the job is to be approachable , so students and parents can easily share their problems and we can direct and help them.

Q: You’ve had 2 student councils under your guidance so far.

How has that experience been?

A: Both the councils have been excellent, have brought about a lot of positive changes, and organized all the events really well.

With the 2008 council, Flava was introduced, and this newsletter was started. The new council has

Dr. B. Unnikrishnan :

An Interview Jayati Dureja (08)

followed up with all traditions of the council and I‟m eagerly waiting to see what innovations they will come up with, next year.

Q: You were recently appointed H.O.D. of Community Medicine. How has it been so far?

Isn't it difficult juggling 2 posts?

A: Being the H.O.D. has been fun, gratifying and an incredible experience so far. The entire department is young and enthusiastic, dynamic, always coming up with innovative ways to teach and conduct research. Delegating responsibilities to such a team is simply great. I‟d hardly call it juggling 2 posts, since Community Medicine deals with the community, and students are a part of the community; being the DDSA along with this post is easy and complimentary.

Q: As far as research related information and help is concerned, you are famous amongst the students to approach. Tell us a bit more

about your work and Medical Research in general, and any advice you’d like to give students regarding it.

A: I guide the students about the pattern of writing a research paper, motivate them and help them when required. It is only the Mangalore Campus of KMC which has mandatory research in 4th sem. Com. Med postings for students, and this gives them an exposure like no other place. I want the students to show a genuine interest in research as it is very important for one‟s future career, and personal and professional growth. It is an extremely rewarding field. The most important advice I can give them though, is to not let their research lie on some bookshelf after completion. Publish, present and make it known! The students can also apply for funding from ICMR, Dept. of Science and Technology, Dept. of biotechnology, Manipal University Research Grants.

Designation : H.O.D. Community Medicine since April 2011, DDSA since February 2010 Hometown : Kerala, but born and brought up in Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) Education: Schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya (Bhilai), M.B.B.S. from Govt. Med. College (Raipur) and M.D. from KMC,

I‟ve currently received 2 grants for projects under NIH, one in collaboration with the Univ. of Alabama, and the other with Univ. of Arizona. KMC Mangalore‟s Com. Med. Department has been chosen as the technical team technical advisor for a district level household survey being done for the entire state of Karnataka, by the Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) , which is an honour.

Q: A few words on behalf of the Community Medicine Department..

A: Enjoy the subject, and apply it when you‟re practicing someday. In fact, Preventive Medi-

cine is the most upcoming trend in all fields.

Q : Tell us some of your favourites: Food: Home-made dal chawal and aloo sabzi Restaurant: The Village Hobby: Sports

Manipal.

Teaching: since the last 11 years, starting as an Assistant Professor in 2004,to becoming a Professor in 2010.

Family Life: 2 sons (6 and 3 years old) and wife, Mrs. B. Reshmi, is an assistant professor at Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences, in Manipal.

Gurpurab Celebrations -Sonia Kaur Singh (11) A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step said Lao, and so my spiritual journey at Mangalore commenced with a Gurpurab.

Gurpurab is a holiday that commemorates the birthday, inauguration, death or martyrdom of one of the 10 gurus of Sikhism. A Gurpurab is observed with festivities which last for 3 days. These include an Akhand path which is held in a Gurudwara and a large procession or Nagarkirtan with a mock battle using traditional weapons. Sikhs also perform ‘seva’ which is voluntary service.

Gurpurab was celebrated on 18th September this year and was organized by the KMC and MCODS students of batches 07, 08 and 09. It began at 10am when the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib was brought into the hall for prayers. This was followed by kirtans (singing of hymns from the holy book) and Ardas, which is a common prayer, wherein everyone stands up with their hands folded, facing the Guru Granth Sahib. The prayers ended with the distribution of Karah Parshad (halwa). The langar began at 12:45pm, during which Punjabi food i.e. chapatti, dal makhni, aaloo gobi , raitha and kheer was served to all people along with bottled water. Around 400 people attended the Gurpurab celebrations, including our associate dean, Dr. MV Prabhu, various staff members, students from both Manipal and Mangalore campuses, interns and local Punjabi families. As a part of the ‘seva’ many students voluntarily participated by helping out with cleaning of the utensils for the langar as well as cleaning of the kitchens and eating halls.

The celebrations evoked a feeling of spiritualism and it brought immense peace to those present.

‘Wahe guruji da khalsa, wahe guruji di fateh’

U.P. MEET -Vyom Agarwal (11) The first ever U.P. Meet was held on the evening of 10th September,2011 at Summer Castle, Malabar Gold Complex. The Event was chiefly organized by ‘09 batch and in attendance were over 100 people from ‘06 batch to ’11 batch. The event comprised of an ice breaker between students, followed by a fabulous buffet, songs and a few scattered witty performances. People stepped up to shake a leg for the DJ as well. The highlights of the evening were the gracious presence of Dr. Prateek Rastogi and Dr.Tanuj Kanchan of The Department of Forensic Medicine, the mimicry of Nana Patekar, a Bhojpuri song and DK Bose performed by the ’11 batch. The Organizers expressed their gratitude at the extraordinary display of support by one and all. Everyone attending felt reluctant to end the fun and frolic as the clock struck 9 30, but left with memories to cherish their college years forever.

BIHAR MEET Karnataka meet September 10th, 2011 was a -Akshay Sethi (10) normal, monotonous, boring day like any other. Until, of course, all the Kannadigas, people hailing from even the remotest part of Karnataka, people who knew how to talk in Kannada AND a few people who wanted an evening of fun, met up to have a "Karnataka meet". People with different levels of qualifications were present. Yes, including interns and PGs. The meet was held at the Saffron hotel in Hampankatta.

The evening's proceedings started off with the incoming batch of soon-to-be doctors introducing themselves. The batch put on a wonderful show of their extravagant talents ranging from singing, dancing, sketching and even performing street magic! The batch of 2011 having thoroughly entertained the crowd, the batch of 2010 showed everyone that they weren't far behind. They danced to popular Kannada tunes like 'pankajaa' and got everyone ROFL-ing with their comical mad ads.Though these performances were all noteworthy, the highlight of the show was most certainly the dance floor, every square inch of which was covered by the party enthusiasts.

A tiring yet fun filled evening concluded with something as worthy as it was- Good Food. With all stomachs satisfied (topped with an amazing dessert), everyone got their money's worth.

As Shakespeare has rightly said, "The sauce to meat..is ceremony".

-Vyom Agarwal (11)

On the evening of 11th September, 2011 ‘Prathik’ at Maya International, Balmatta witnessed the first ever Bihar Meet

by KMC students. A total of about 59 people including some 11 juniors and 48 seniors from batches ‘07 to ‘10 attended the event. Beginning with an auspicious prayer in Maithili (a folk language), the event stretched on to offer its participants an informal introduction of the newcomers, scrumptious food, songs by both seniors and juniors with ‘khalutirangagoriya ho fad ke’ in Bhojpuri echoing loud, and dance performances. Dr. Pankaj ,Senior Resident, Forensic Department, and Dr. Rakesh, PG, Department of Anaesthesia, attended the event to further boost the excitement.

The evening served as a much welcome break with everyone shaking a leg on the dance floor. The juniors expressed their gratitude towards the seniors for having taken the initiative of organizing such an event, while the seniors thanked everyone for turning up in good spirits.

ONAM CELEBRATIONS 2011 - Swati Ravindran (08) Onam is a festival celebrated to mark the joyous occasion of the return of King Mahabali to his kingdom, Kerala. KMC and MCODS celebrates it with enthusiasm every year, and the event this year was organized by the batch of 2009 at Sri T.V. Raman Pai Convention Centre. Inaugurated by our Dean Major General Rajagopal and Dr. B. Unnikrishnan, the program went on to display a variety of talents, from singing to dancing, to the artistic welcoming rangolis. The unique cultural dance of kerala, Thiruvathira, was performed by the batch of 2011, followed by a colourful mixture of western as well as Bollowood-themed dances to keep the audience entertained. Noteworthy amongst these were the contemporary renditions of Kathak and Bharathnatyam styles to the beats of salsa music, by 2010 and 2011.

Contemporary folk songs were also sung beautifully by these two -Sujay Prabhath (08) batches, and even a parody skit put up. Giving an interesting twist to The Telugu meet 2011 was organized by the batch the usual Onam celebrations was our very own KMC band singing Malayalam songs in their own rock’n’roll version! Another highlight of of 2008 in keeping with the long tradition. Conthe day was the women’s Tug –of –war between the batch of 2008 sidering the large number of people who show up and 2009! Not to forget, the Ottamthullal by the batch of 2011. All every year, the venue had to be a appropriately these events of fun and frolic were followed by the traditional Onam spacious, and finally, lobo's river view was decid- Sadya– a grand lunch consisting of a four course meal, served on a ed upon. The evening commenced with the 2011 banana leaf. This year’s truly successful Onam Celebrations ended the batch performing a song and dance. The 2010 way any celebrations should– with Payasam! Hats off to the organizbatch organized a quiz show which everybody ers and the participants!

Andhra meet

enjoyed. The highlight of the evening was Dr.Anil Seshu’s impressions of some of the great cricketing stars and had everybody in splits with his spontaneous humour. The boys of 2008 conducted a Telugu movie quiz which was very well received by the PGs as well as the UGs. Around 110 people turned up for the fun filled evening, including a good number of pgs(about 45). The meet ended with some crazy dancing after which everybody dispersed, a little content after feeling a bit at home, away from home.

KMC Traditions lived on; and customs were fulfilled on the 04th of October 2011; as the 2011 batch freshers came together with the student council to organize Sea-nergy (deep blue sea themed synergy). After many rescheduled dates and schedules, the sight on D-day was one to smile at as students and spectators dressed as pirates, sailors, surfers and more , assembled in the Mangalore Town Hall by 6 pm. The show kicked off once everyone had been seated, lazing around in a beach-like fashion. The Associate Dean of KMC was welcomed aboard and Sea-nergy was officially in progress. Hosted by Abhishek Tandon and Eisha Gupta, the proceedings began; with a group song involving different Hindi songs led by Abhilash and his group. The crowd enthusiastically sang with the group on stage; with loud cheers and claps also echoing off the walls of the Town Hall.

After the group song; the senior council members took the stage and introduced what is one of KMC’s special tradition: the Mr. and Ms. Freshers' awards. The selected people were asked to give short presentations of some talent or the other, and were also judged on confidence levels and personality. The hall buzzed with anticipation and excitement; as Abhishek started off with a great singing presentation; followed by the two Siddarths who let it all out with their guitars; then came Surya who showed off his great violin playing talent; then Hussein who decided to rap and lastly Gaurav finished off with another singing performance. The ladies were then called up; Parul sang a song; Sonia showed off her rapping skills; followed by Sharlotte and Eisha who both gave dance performances. The crowd was ecstatic; although the performances were accompanied with some playful boo’s and jeers from the seniors; contributing to the fun part of the event.

While the participants waited for round 2 to start, Latika mounted the stage to send the crowd into waves of pure delight with her amazing singing. Round 2 consisted of a QnA session by the Associate Dean, Dr. M.V. Prabhu, who also tabulated the overall marks and announced that there was a tie for Mr. Freshers between Abhishek and Hussein, thus, a sudden death round involving opinion based questions were asked. Hussein was crowned Mr. Freshers and Eisha Gupta, Ms. Freshers.

The hosts then introduced the first dance group which danced to different songs; including Akon’s famous Chamakh Challo song. Next up, a group of very able freshers came on stage and displayed their instrumental skills, such as the traditional tabla, the flute and the violin; conducted by Abhishek, Siddarth and Surya. This was followed by Muralidhar singing ‘When September ends’. Anjali and her dance group came next and shocked everyone with their contemporary dance concepts. After a band performance, the show had come to its final event: The fashion show.

Displaying couples dressed in different attires related to the theme, it showcased beach wear, pirates and sailor garbs and traditional fishermen (machi wala); Rose and Jack from Titanic; and an illustration on Hawaii. With this, the hosts called the event to an end. All in all, it was a great opportunity and experience for the freshers ; a fun and exciting event that left smiles on almost all faces by the end.

- Hussein Karim (11)

The event was the Annual Christmas Concert, organised by the staff and students of KMC and MCODS. As usual, our event heralded the beginning of the christmas season.

'All things bright and beautiful', the first carol of the night soulfully rendered by the choir, evoked the joys of christmas and set the tone for the night to come. Performing to a packed hall, the staff and students gave their best both in the skit and in the choir. The skit was based on Leo Tolstoy's play, " Where love is God is" . The play depicted how a lonely old man found god by performing acts of kindness to strangers. The cast did an exemplary job and it was ably directed by Akshay Sethi and Shireen Rachel George. The choir, led by Dr Sourjya Banerjee performed all the favourite classics with great energy and feeling. The 'La Folia' performance by Dr. Sourjya Banerjee, Dr. Denver Steven Pinto and Mr. Oscar Weltha left us all entranced. Dr Maria Kuruvilla organised the whole event and tastefully incorporated the choir into the play. The nativity scene, depicting the birth of Christ and the arrival of Santa was greeted with excitement by the kids and the young at heart in the audience. Ms Chandni Pinto, the MC of the evening conducted the whole event effortlessly.

One of the highlights of the event was the party hosted by Dr Thangam at her residence for the performers. It was an immensly fun evening where games were played with much gusto and laughter. It was nice getting to know our teachers on a more personal level away from the classroom atmosphere.

It had been a great couple of days where for a little while we forgot all our exam woes and the unfinished assignments and got together with goodwill and cheer to celebrate the magic and spirit of christmas.

- Punya Suvarna (11)

The Magic of Christmas at KMC

Independence Day Celebrations A unique experience in KMC

- Sonia Kaur Singh (11)

Diwali Celebrations At KMC Rutajeet Chatterjee (11) On the 24th of October, KMC Students’ Council organised ‘Deepotsav 2011’ which is otherwise known more fondly as the annual Diwali party. Held at Attavar greens the Diwali party had its usual share of food stalls (courtesy Rinku Punjabi Dhaba) and game stalls set up by various batches. The event started off with the traditional Interclass Tug-of-war. Sadly shortly after the marvellous fire cracker display all hell broke loose when it began to pour with rain. This dashed the hopes of all those who were eagerly awaiting the popular Dandiya around the bonfire. Even though each stall was flooded and the field was muddy, the credit for salvaging the party goes to the crowd’s festive spirit. Despite the prevailing storm everyone came onto the dance floor and enjoyed themselves thoroughly (myself included) and managed to convert a wash out into a memorable ‘rain-dance’. At the end of the day when all were drenched and the all the complementary chaat was eaten, everyone went back having enjoyed an exhilarating evening, which though might not have captured the ethos of Diwali, was still an immense success.

On Diwali day Kaprigudda hostel warped into a very different avatar. The corridors shimmered with diyas, the entrance greeted you with large lanterns and right in front of the mess laid a large and radiant rangoli with the seasons greeting inscribed below. At night all the inmates of the hostel got together and distributed sweets, burned fire crackers (some of which ‘accidently’ went off in the direction of other blocks) and danced! All forthcoming exams were forgotten and everyone immersed themselves into the spirit of the Diwali, which is to enjoy and celebrate in harmony.

As per KMC tradition, the batch of 2011 was taken to Sneha Sadan, a centre for treatment of people who have been diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS, a day before Independence Day. It was our first trip as a class and as future doctors. Sneha Sadan is a Christian missionary centre which was set up in 2001 and is currently run by by Father Joshy. It provides patients with a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment which helps them regain their health and dignity.

We were introduced to a set of children aged between 4 and 18, all HIV positive. It was heartbreaking to see such bubbly and adorable children affected by the disease. Our batch-mates had a cultural programme lined for them which included a dance and a few songs in different languages. Some of the children started to dance along with some of the songs as well. With the funds collected, chocolates and snacks were bought for the children and distributed by the student council. Games like musical chairs were also organized which the children seemed to enjoy thoroughly.

We interacted with the children for a while which was an opportunity for some of our classmates to pick up a few words of Kannada. I personally felt sorry for the children, for they were so innocent and unaware of what had befallen them.

The flag hoisting ceremony on the following day was a new experience for those students from other countries. Many students turned up in colours of the national flag. The hoisting of the flag was followed by the singing of the national anthem which always brings a sense of pride, a lump in my throat and deep love for India.

An interview with Chetan Mandelia, 2012 ISCOMS ambassador for India and former ISCOMS awardee

Interested in attending ISCOMS next year? READ ON !

5. Who is a passive participant? They are people who attend to get a feel of the conference, but don’t present research papers themselves.

They also participate in the workshops and the social program.

1. Can you give us an overview of what ISCOMS is? It’s the International Students Congress of Medical Sciences. It is held in June every year and has been taking place for the past 18 years. It is one of the world’s largest students’ Biomedical Congress held in University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, Netherlands. Last year more than 550 students from over 40 countries participated in the conference. Two Nobel Laureates, Professor Sir Tim Hunt and Professor Harald zur Hausen, also attended the conference. You can present your research, attend interesting key note lectures, interact with lots of people from various corners of the world, go around the university and see labs and other things, and get plenty of ideas about research.

2. When does the application process start? For 2012, the abstracts can be sent from 14th November to 17th February. The deadlines are not extended, so please be cautious about it!

3. Did you have any problems in submitting the abstract/ any pointers? Specific guidelines for the abstract are given on the ISCOMS website, which should be adhered to. No other documents are required for the application process. Basically, the abstract format, which we have been taught in community medicine, is adequate. All 7 students from our college who submitted abstracts last year got selected.

6. Do we have to submit any other documents with the abstract? No, nothing along with the abstract. Once your abstract is selected for presentation, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for your travel and get a visa. They send a letter to the embassy, which eases the process of procuring a visa.

7. What are the expenses? Are there any grants that we can avail of? I got a travel grant from ICMR and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. They reimburse the entire airfare, visa fee, and the registration fee.

Application procedures for these grants are available online on their respective websites. Names of those who have been awarded the grant are announced one month before the conference. Besides, ISCOMS also offers a limited number of travel grants, for which you can apply after your abstract has been accepted. I would suggest keeping alternate options for funding available (e.g. parents!) in case you don’t get the grant. There is also the grant of Rs. 5000 that our college gives to all students attending research conferences. The total expenses depend on how much you spend on travelling & sightseeing besides the conference. We visited 4 different countries, so spent close to Rs 1.5 lakhs, of which about half was covered by the grant.

8. What is the ISCOMS research fellowship? After the conference, around 20 selected participants had the opportunity of participating in research for two weeks in different departments of UMCG. You need to apply for this after your abstract gets selected. You can choose which department you would like to work with. A bio data along with a letter of recommendation and a statement of purpose have to be submitted by interested participants.

4. What happens once the abstract gets selected?

Four, out of the 7 students from our college who attended You’ll be given either an oral or poster presentation. Sub- ISCOMS last year, were selected for this fellowship. I choose ject specific sessions are conducted so for each session 6 Nephrology. My project was on Post- Transplant Diabetes abstracts will be selected for poster and oral presentations. Mellitus. I had to analyze a data set and conduct a literature For example, 6 oral presentations and 6 posters for Cardireview. I spent a lot of time in their library and discussing ology. Last year out of 900 abstracts that were submitted, the subject with the Professors. At the end of 2 weeks, eve300 were selected and there were about 250 passive parryone makes a presentation of this short term research and ticipants. a certificate of participation is given. You can also possibly Several hands-on workshops are conducted during the get it published. They also provide a stipend of 100 Euros! congress. Once the abstract gets selected, participants The IRF gives you a chance to experience the life as a Dutch have to register and sign up for the workshops they are medical student/researcher. The three days of the conferinterested in. I attended a workshop in trauma care and ence is a mad rush, but you really get to explore the Nethanother one on heart dissection where we were actually erlands and get a feel of the Dutch way of living during the given bovine hearts to dissect. The workshops are really 2 weeks of the fellowship. Staying in the hostel (co-ed!!) interesting and well conducted. There were about 20 such was an enjoyable and a completely different experience for workshops to choose from. us. The only problem is that this will prolong your stay there and it comes very close to 8th semester sessional

- Aaron Mascarenhas & Riddhi Joshi (08) examinations. But if you have studied regularly, you don’t have to worry. The college management was very supportive and we were given attendance for the period that we were in Netherlands.

9. How was the overall experience? To sum it up in one word – Awesome. The congress is really well organized, with interesting lectures, workshops and presentations, and provides a great platform to meet some of the brightest people from all around the world and exchange ideas. I won the best paper award for my presentation in Public Health session, so that made the experience even more memorable.

Besides the incredible learning part, the Congress is a fun experience. The ISCOMS body itself organizes parties for participants every day after the conference. On the last day, a Global Dinner party was organized where delegates cooked the delicacies of their nation and dressed up in traditional attire. It is a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world and make friends.

It was my first overseas trip, so I was really excited about it. My good friend, Yashasvi and 5 others from KMC, also attended the conference so it was a lot of fun being together in a group. We planned our trip with other participants from India by interacting online so it was about 10 of us together. We visited various places in Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany just after the conference and on the weekends during the fellowship period.

The grants that we got from the Government of India required us to travel only by Air India (Yashasvi Chugh also got a grant from ICMR & was also a session winner). We got lucky, when Air India messed up with one of our flights, so they had to put us up in a great hotel in Frankfurt, sponsored our accommodation & food, and we got a day of unscheduled sightseeing trip around Frankfurt!

10. Any tips/ suggestions to aspirants: The presentation should be in the prescribed format. Keep it simple and make them understand your work. Be confident that your work is good enough for any competition. Finally, any presentation is a good presentation, as long as you enjoy it!

I am one of the ISCOMS ambassadors for India this year. Therefore, my job is to disseminate information and help people participate in the conference. A webpage, I.S.C.O.M.S.-promotion in India (www.facebook.com/iscomsindia) has been created.

Anyone who is interested can join the page. For any help, you can contact me or post queries on the facebook page.

Final words: The ISCOMS experience is totally worth it. Give it a shot!!!

India : An International Student’s Perspective In this small and dynamic world, people move from one end to the other in search of education, better living standards, jobs and erm, love. KMC Mangalore, every year, gets a selected number of international students, being one of the most recognized medical universities in India; and amongst the batch of 2011; I was lucky and honored to be one of these selected few.

So, after all the hustle and bustle of procedures and requirements was over, the thoughts and plans began to formulate. A mixture of fear, excitement and anxiety combined with the shadowing thought of “OMG it‟s MBBS!” started creeping up on me. As I boarded my flight from Tanzania, flashes of what different people had described India as crossed my mind: from my father, who himself has a Bachelors from India, to Russell Peters!

Having studied in Malaysia for a year before this and having lived around the world for small bits of my life, it was my second visit to India and it‟d be a long one this time…very long to be precise. I found myself surrounded by people of different natures, attitudes, names, religions and most prominently, accents.

It was quite tough adjusting to new customs and ideologies, new beliefs and traditions, and most importantly: new mannerisms. The initial weeks saw cultural clashes and ideological differences causing a few minor conflicts and misunderstandings here and there. My dressing, thinking, behavior and style did, or still does, tend to stand out; but then again, besides a few people who snicker and giggle, I found people quite friendly and social as I got to know them. Here‟s what iI love about my Indian colleagues: they are very social.

Beside the selective few quiet ones, and the selective few who have issues with anything or anyone different due to some sort of phobia for change, the rest were very friendly and immediately a number of solid bonds kicked off.

I got involved in the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and a number of other events, including the Indian Independence day; where they sang the National Anthem, an anthem that has inspired me and touched my heart since the release of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. I found happiness in adapting to different cultures and getting to know of the lives of different people here; their stories, their origins and their „zindagi‟s kahanis‟ as they say.

In academics, it was difficult understanding some professors in terms of their accent and methodology of teaching. Being a new system of learning, we in time got adjusted to it , or fell asleep in class.

The most noteworthy point about this country is, in my view, the beauty in the richness of culture. Only in India will you see such culturally devoted people; who when it comes to religion and culture, give their all. On the other hand, the driving and the cleanliness was a rude shock I don‟t want to dwell into; as it is apparent that excessive hooting is polite.

Also, battling away some homesickness was a huge thing; as was the adjusting to the weather change. We were forced to swim to class a time or two, and if caught out without an umbrella, which I wasn‟t too used to carrying around all the time…well, it just aided the dhobi in his job. The food is definitely something that a normal foreign student would require to adjust to, especially the amount of spice used in some restaurants! It is now obvious we use water in the washrooms instead of toilet paper, in fear of it catching fire!

Of course ask an Indian about India (trust me I have) and they will go on ranting about India‟s negatives, especially politics related. But for an international student coming here, ignorance is truly, bliss.

- Hussein K. Manji (11)

Weekend Getaways -Jaini Gala („10) After a grueling week at college, you get the best of what a medical student could ask for—a weekend off, but don’t know what to do with it? Here’s a guide to my favourite weekend destinations—the perfect places to bring that camera out and capture some good times with your friends!

Dr. Ajay Kamath’s :

TOP 5 Books You Must Read In Your Lifetime 1. The Golden Rendezvous by Alistair Maclean Alistair Maclean was the first ‘adult” author I read when I was eleven. There was something thrilling about his very British adventures- the hero was always good, the villain was bad and good would triumph. I loved him. MacLean loves the sea and writes brilliantly about it, and The Golden Rendezvous deals with the theft of a missile, the horribly handsome scoundrel Miguel Carreras, the indomitable First officer Johnny Smith, the delectable Elizabeth Beresford and the delightfully named Dr Slingsby Caroline, who, together weave a wonderful story on board a ship. Skip the disappointing movie but devour the book.

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie Easily the most brilliant and, dare I say, devious book written by the undisputed queen of mystery writers. Critics reckoned that the good Dame played a trick on her faithful readers by giving them an unsolvable mystery but no reader would complain as the plot builds and builds to the devastating denouement. The faithful Hastings is replaced by Dr Shepherd as Poirot’s chronicler and the Belgian egghead is in fine form in this wonderful mystery.

3.Young Men in Spats by P.G.Wodehouse There will never be another P.G.Wodehouse and nor should there be, for he deserves to stand alone…the finest writer in the English language, Evelyn Waugh called him and who am I to disagree!

Jeeves, Bertie Wooster and Lord Emsworth are his unforgettable characters but P.G. had a deep and abiding love for golf, which is why I have put his collection of golf stories in here. Read the first tale, The Clicking of Cuthbert and don’t blame me if you die laughing.

4.Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane Read everything that Dennis Lehane writes- you wont ever regret it. Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island have all been made into excellent movies. He writes gritty detective tales with an abundance of snappy dialogue and wonderful characterization. His lead pair is Patrick Kenzie and the beautiful Angie Gennaro, who bicker, sulk, curse and love each other –and, incidentally, solve mysteries . His best work, however, is Shutter Island. You’ve probably enjoyed the movie but the book is a tour de force, with twists and turns and the final shocking climax, which stayed with me for days.

5.The Charm School by Nelson De Mille Another of my favorite writers, who brings out novels with strong plots, stronger heroes and terrific wisecracking dialogue. The Gold Coast, Nightfall, Spencerville and Upcountry are some of his other outstanding books. The Charm School was written in the Cold War era and Colonel Sam Hollis, an American embassy employee in Russia, gets drawn into a labyrinthine and frightening plot. Read everything De Mille writes, for he can turn a phrase. The Charm School could have happened… maybe it really did.

Nestled in the valleys of the Western Ghats, it is appropriately known as the Scotland of India. This hill station offers breathtaking views, lush forests, acres and acres of plantations and the perfect weather to enjoy it.

How to get there: Madikeri, the headquarters of the Coorg district is about 130km from Mangalore (a two and half hour ride). The best way to get there is to hire a taxi, but buses ply regularly too.

Where to stay: There are many budget hotels located in and around Madikeri, but a home stay is the ultimate experience- accommodation and food wise.

What to pack: This time in Coorg means medium rainfall and cool weather so light clothes plus a sweater will do, and don’t forget that trusty old Mangalorean Umbrella!

What to do: There is something to do for everyone in Coorg: For animal lovers: You should not miss the opportunity to visit the Dubbare elephant camp. It is an island in the Kaveri River where you can watch the elephants go about their daily routine and even give them a bath- scrubbing their backs and behind their ears! The island is reached by a 20 rupee boat ride and the ideal time to visit is in the morning.

For adventure lovers: Coorg offers it all- thick forests, scenic views, sloping hills and trails from the easiest to the most arduous. Trekking expeditions can be arranged alone or with a guide. The best time for trekking is between October and February. River rafting at Barpole River is also very popular.

For nature lovers: It is home to some of the most wonderful waterfalls. A must visit are the Abbey falls, located 1 km from Madikeri. The falls can be heard from the road. A short walk leads to the falls and they appear quite suddenly. Coorg is densely covered with coffee, pepper and cardamom estates. These estates on the steep hills of Coorg make an interesting walk.

For culture lovers: The Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement is one of the largest refugee camps. The change is surreal- with colourful flags strung around everywhere, the Buddhist monks everywhere on their bikes and the splendid monastery- with a 50 feet tall gold plated statue of Buddha.

Talacauvery is the origin of the Kaveri River on the Brahmagiri peak. A small enclosure covers the spring, which leads to a pond and thereafter the river flows underground for about a kilometer. There are three holy shrines and a breathtaking view Yes, you read it right. Napoleon's loss in the Egypfrom the top. tian campaign was one of the biggest turning points of Indian history. A little hard to digest?

Well ,read on then.

The Siege of Acre, the Battle of Nile and the Battle of Abukir brought an end to Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitions in Egypt. The losses also brought an end to the existence of the Mysore Sultantate headed by Tipu Sultan.

Among many of his politico-administrative virtues, Tipu Sultan's greatest strength was diplomacy.

Being a visionary, he saw through his military weaknesses and realised that he would not be able to resist the British for too long. He sent embassies to the Ottoman Empire and France to help forge alliances to drive out the British.

The British themselves were wary of Tipu, he had humbled them in the first Anglo-Mysore War (this was the last time an Indian king dictated terms to the British) and had stubbornly resisted their full might in the second and third wars, even though It is a town situated in the foothills of the Mullayanagiri range. It is known for its he had lost a lot of territory. The use of rockets coffee and tea plantations. The first coffee in India was cultivated here. (for the first time in the world) and the training of How to get there: It is about 160km from Mangalore and the best way to go is to hire a taxi.

Where to stay: Chikmagalur is famous for its homestays but there are budget hotels located in and around the town.

What to pack: Now is the ideal time to visit, the rainfall is light and the air is cool.

Light clothes will do well.

What to do: Chikmagalur is a calm and peaceful place—the best to unwind in. It is mainly for the adventure seekers and nature lovers. For starters, visit a plantation.

The area is famous for its coffee and has estates in large numbers. There is a lot to see, from the estate itself to where the coffee is collected and processed.

It also has many spots for trekking. Kemmangundi is the most famous- which has jungle trails to explore and peaks to climb. Mullayanagiri, which is the tallest peak in Karnataka, is about 16km from Chikmagalur and is mostly famous for its sunset points. To get to the peak, one has to trek uphill from a halfway point. On clear days, the Arabian Sea can be seen from there.

The Bhadra wildlife sanctuary is situated around 40km from the town. One can see animals like the Indian bison, elephants, tigers, panthers, sambar, spotted deer, porcupine; birds like the peacock, parrot, partridge, pigeon, and reptiles such as cobra and python. The Bhadra River flows through it.

The Hebbe falls are 10km from the town. Water gushes down in two stages to form the Dodda Hebbe and Chikka Hebbe falls.

All in all, these places make for the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of college. so grab a couple of friends AND head off to one of these places!

Napoleon's loss: India's misfortune

History Diaries

- Sujay Iyer (06) his army by French officers were the reasons for his tenacity. The British in 1798 were in talks with the Nizam as well as the Marathas to once and for all destroy the Sultan of Mysore.

Napoleon's main objective in conquering Egypt and the Suez Canal was to check the British dominance of India. He had received embassies from Tipu and had decided to help the Sultan. Napoleon wrote to the Directory, "Having occupied and fortified Egypt, we shall send a force of 15,000 men from Suez to India, to join the forces of TipuSahib and drive away the English."

The victory at Nile would not have let the Duke of Wellington (who ironically, was the only General who had comprehensively beat Napoleon at Waterloo) travel to India and siege Srirangapatnam, and the reinforcements would have been decisive in Tipu Sultan's last war as he was outnumbered 3 to 1 against the Iron Duke, the Nizam and the Marathas.

Alas, this was not to be, Tipu Sultan perished defending his capital and there was no stopping the British thereafter.

Upcoming MARVEL Comic Films:

Greetings superhero fans! It’s a great time to be a comic book junkie, as this year is hot with new superhero movie releases.

Movies such as Thor, X-men: First Class and the Captain America were rocking the Marvel side of the fence. DC comics fans had to contend however with the flop movie release that was Green Lantern. This will hopefully be remedied with the upcoming Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Lets take a look back at superhero films through the years, as promised! Sweekar Shenoy and Vikhram Sarat Chandran (09) explore this genre in issue4. Feel free to shed a nostalgic tear, if, you know, you’re emotional like that.

Avengers Captain America,Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Sergeant Fury, Loki and Black Widow all form part of the Superhero group “The Avengers”. A movie for this is set for release next year as the superhero group assemble to fight an unexpected enemy.The enemy for the movie has not yet been announced but there is a high chance that the story involves Hulk going berserk due to the interfence of Loki and how the team is assembled to stop him.There is also rumors suggesting that the enemies could be an alien race known as “Skrulls”.

SEQUELS : X-Men Originals, Thor, Iron Man –3,The Amazing Spiderman

First up, lets inform you about the Upcoming DC Comic films:

Marvel :

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): The Sequel to Dark Knight. It is being directed by Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman. This is one film to look out for. Have your tickets booked early people.

Superman: Man of Steel (2012): A reboot being directed by Zack Synder, with Christopher Nolan assisting in production. Hopefully this film will finally give Superman the movie he deserves. With Nolan on board, nothing can go wrong , right?

Spiderman (Peter Parker) I think this one superhero I’m sure everyone has heard of.Famous for swinging around New York city fighting crime and also surviving in the big apple as a photographer for the Daily Bugle.

Year created: 1962 Creators: Stan lee and Steve Ditko Mutant power due to : Bite from an Radioactive spider Powers: Superhuman strength and speed with accelerated healing. Spider-sense with augmented reflexes and ability to shoot powerful spider-web strings. Ability to cling onto most surfaces along with increased agility Movies :Though there were countless comics, Tv shows and cartoon series released for the hero over the heroes, the first film was released in 2002 followed by two sequels with the latest one released in 2007.The triology featured famous supervillains like the Green Goblin,Doc Ock,Sandman and the sinister Venom. The board has decided for a reboot of the series focusing on the younger days of Spiderman as he develops his powers in college and also his love interest during that time, Gwen Stacy(The Amazing Spiderman).

And now,lets take you on a trip down memory lane…

Superman(Clark Kent) Superman was born as Kal-El on the planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father Jor-El, moments before Krypton's destruction. Discovered and adopted by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent and imbued with a strong moral compass. Very early he starts displaying superhuman abilities, which upon reaching maturity he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity.

Year created- 1938 Creator- Jerry Siegel Powers- Flight, Heat vision, X-ray vision, super strength Movies-Superman: 1, 2, 3 and 4 (1978-1987):Starring Christopher Reeves as Superman, this series chronicles the adventures of superman as he romances reporter Lois Lane while battling the evil Lex Luthor. For your superman film fix this series is the way to go. This movie is a sequel to Superman 2. Starring Brandon Routh as superman, it tells the story of Superman’s return to earth , only to find his love interest Lois Lane has moved on. Meanwhile Lex Luthor is plotting an evil scheme. Receiving generally positive reviews, this film still pales in comparison to the 1st two Superman films.

Batman (Bruce Wayne) The caped crusador, The dark knight, whatever your preferred name, one thing is for sure: Batman. is. Legend. Billionaire Bruce Wayne was left orphaned after his parents were brutally murdered at the hands of Joe Chill. After growing up, he dedicated his life to fighting crime under the guise of Batman.

Year created- 1938 Creator- Bob Kane Powers- Intellect, martial art skills honed to perfection, awesomeness MoviesBatman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992): Directed by Tim Burton, these two films starred Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, with Penguin and Catwoman making appearances in Batman Returns. Batman (1989) was the 1st film to feature a dark take on the character as opposed to the campy 1960s Batman Tv show starring Adam West. Before Dark Knight, these were the definitive Batman films.

Batman Forever (1996) and Batman and Robin (1997): Directed by Joel Schumacher, these films are known for taking Batman back into the campy lighter territory.

Batman Forever, stars Val Kilmer as Batman as he teams up with Robin against both the Riddler and Two Face.

Batman and Robin stars George Clooney as Batman and involves the rise of Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy. Batman Forever received mixed reviews while Batman and Robin is widely considered to be one of the worst films of all time. And really, its no surprise with the introduction of eye-rolling concepts such as the ‘Bat- Credit card’ along with cheesy ice puns from Mr Freeze. Dispose of these films with fire, holy water and garlic.

Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008): The Batman film franchise was rebooted in 2005, with Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale as Batman, this series featured a gritty realistic take on the character. A sequel, The Dark Knight was released in 2008 and was widely acclaimed with many considering it to be the best comic book film of all time. It also featured a memorable performance by the late Heath Ledger as the psychotic Joker. The rebooted series gained favourable reviews even from persons ordinarily uninterested in superhero films. See? Now who says superhero flicks are for geeks!

Green Lantern Hal Jordan, a test pilot discovered Abin Sur, a dying alien who crashed landed on earth. Sur gifted Hal with a magic ring. The ring was to be given to ‘ The one utterly honest and born without fear’. Upon receiving the ring, Hal became a member of the Green Lantern corps, the police force of the galaxy.

Year created- 1940 Creator- Bill Finger Powers- The ring on his finger gives him the ability to create any shape or form he desires Movies-Green Lantern (2011): This film stars Ryan Reynold as Hal Jordan. It was released in theaters last month. The movie is an origin story for the Green Lantern character and received extremely poor reviews from critics all across the board. Perhaps a reboot is in order?

Captain America(Steve Rogers) Captain America is super-soldier created during the world war by infusing an experimental serum into a weak young man turning him into the perfect human with superior abilities.

This character was a patriotic character with his costume bearing the motif of the American flag.

Year created: 1941 Creators: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby Superpower due to :Experimental infusion of modified serum Powers: All human abilities pushed to the limits making the Captain America faster, stronger and smarter than a normal human being. An indestructible shield use which can be thrown and used as a weapon Movies :As with spiderman countless number of cartoons and comics were released for captain America.The first film was realeased in 1990 featuring the WW2 veteran frozen in ice and revived again in recent times to protect the President.A new film for the superhero released in July 2011 featuring the origins of the superhero.

Iron Man(Tony Stark) Ok, This guy has like everything. Fame, Looks, Intellect, Girls, Cars(really fast ones) and is the owner of a multi-billion dollar company. Perhaps , this in a way, led to his downfall momentarily as he was kidnapped and suffered a severe chest injury following which he built and escaped using the first prototype of his armor. He later makes different versions of it, such as the Stealth armor, Hulkbuster armor, The Bleeding edge armor. The Bleeding edge has parts stored in the hollow space of his bones and appears around Stark when he wants.It is also connected to his nervous system. This suit also makes him into a sort of cyborg.

Year created : 1963 Creators: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby Superpower due to: Desigining an armoured suit to escape from captivity after being kidnapped.

Powers: Special flight-enabled armor with in-built weapons such as missles, lasers and guns.

Genius level intellect using which he enhances the suit and weapons, Supersonic flight and superhuman strength through powers of suit, The Bleeding edge armor due to the CNS involvement also gives Stark increased reflexes and senses.

Movies:Iron man has three movies to his name including one animated movie.The first live action movie has Stark inventing the suit and facing “The Iron Monger” piloted by Obidiah stain. The second film has the hero facing another supergenius nemesis in the form of “Whiplash” but this time with the help of his friend “War Machine” piloted by Rhodes. The animated film has Stark pitted against “Mandarin” who is another super-genius who uses 10 mystical rings to fight. A third live action film has been planned for release in 2013 with the antagonist being Mandarin.

X-men In the X-men universe, mutations in genes actually have a big impact to one’s abilities. Although characters like Wolverine, Cyclops and Nightcrawler have made the series really popular, the series is also popular for the villains who have a deep background story and role in the universe like Magneto, Mastermind, Apocalypse. Due the mutant theme itself, the Xmen universe has quite a lot mutants with various powers and stories which are all unique.

Year created: 1963 Creators: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Powers due to: Mutation in gene Powers: . The X-gene mutation gives the mutant powers varying from powers like teleportation ,superhuman speed, Magnetism Manipulation, Weather manipulation, Telpathy, Ice manipulation, Superhuman reflexes and healing and various other powers.

Movies: The X-men series has triology released during 2000-2006 which majorly dealt about the issue of humans and mutants co-existing together and the civil war amongst the muSo, one day Dave Stewart (British musician, song album, Miracle worker, speaks for itself and has a One side is lead by Professor X who believes that mutants should co –exist with huwriter and song producer known for his work in loveable chirpy tune. The tracks ‘Satyameva Jayate’ tants. mans whereas Magneto, the leader of “The Brotherhood of mutants”, believes that mutants eurhythmics) wondered if one could bring a couple and ’One day One night‘ scream A R Rahman and a superior race. A prequel was released in 2009 focusing on the origins of Wolverine and of world class musicians together to form a band his magic is heard in other tracks as well. All in all, are his past before joining the X-men. Another prequel was released this year called The X-men: and deliver ‘world music’ that was truly global. He most songs on the album sound good with amazing First class which dealt with the younger days of Magneto and Professor X and the formation contacted Mick Jagger (lead vocalist and guitarist vocals from Joss Stone and Mick Jagger. I think of the X-men.Both movies are set to have sequels with First class being the first of a trilogy from the Rolling Stones) and the rest is history. simply enjoying the music should be first priority. and another one-off released for more details about origins of Wolverine. Another origins In May 2011, Mick Jagger announced the forPersonally I’m looking forward to what these guys movie is also planned, this time focusing on Deadpool. A magneto origins movie is also remation of rock super group which would also income up with next time, and am waiting to be sur- ported in works.

Music Review : SUPERHEAVY

clude prised.

Damian Marley (Bob Marley’s youngest son and renowned reggae artist), Joss Stone (English soul singer-songwriter) and our very own, A. R . Rahman.

Individually, each one of these artists’ work has been equally praised world over, however, whether they would work well together remained questionable. The band’s first album titled SUPERHEAVY has silenced all critics, topping music charts world over.

So what makes Superheavy different from other collaborations between other artists? Well firstly, even though there is that unmistakable Rock n’ roll sound going on in most songs, a strong reggae influence can be felt (Damian Marley in the house, lol). So much so , that when I’m listening to them I don’t know whether to get out my dreadlock wig and salt shakers and boogie to Jamaica, or just head bang to a great rock riff. The single from the

Hulk(Dr.Bruce Banner) Hulk is the Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde of Marvel comics. Bruce banner is a quiet and calm individual who then transforms into the giant humanoid monster when angry, which causes Banner problems due to his inability to control this form.

Powers: Infinite strength, Accelerated healing and tremendous jumping ability due to Exposure to rays of Gamma bomb invented by him in the laboratory Movies: There have been a number of TV series and cartoons released for Hulk but the first Hulk movie was released in 2003 with the Hulk facing his own father David Banner ( The Absorbing man). A reboot was released in 2008 where the Hulk faces off against his father-in law Thunderbolt Ross .

Thor(2011) Thor is the Thunder god of the Norse mythology who is the future king of Asgard. He charges right into battles with his hammer Mjolnir which gives him additional powers. He also has a brother Loki who is the God of Mischief who always puts his brother into dangerous situations.

Powers :Superhuman strength, Immortality and increased reflexes due to the Golden apples .Additional abilities like Weather control, Flight and Thunder manipulation are due to the magic hammer, Mjolnir.

- Aaron Charles Lobo (08)

INTER MAHE SPORTS MEET 2011 The Inter-MAHE swim meet was held on 29th and 30th of September at MIT, Manipal.KMC Mangalore won the overall championship after 5 years.

This meet was a special one, the reason namely being it was Hemanth Kumar's final outing at the tournament. The last time our college won the overall championship was when he joined our college, in 2006 and so it was only fitting that he won the Men’s individual championship with 6 gold 4 silver and 4 bronze, crossing the 100 mark tally of medals of his swimming career. He has also won the gold medal in 50m butterfly at the national level.

The girls team gave stiff competition to their opponents as they placed in every event and won the Women’s championship by a staggering margin! The addition of some brilliant first years (Dulakshi and Shivani) along with Renu of 09 (who is a part of the Indian water polo team) made a huge difference.

The highlights of the tournament were the 100m & 50m butterfly events in which KMC Mangalore secured gold

finally, making up for the controversial loss last year.

Even though we were placing in every event, we were still neck to neck with MIT for the overall championship and in the end it came down to the final 3 events which would decide everything...so we decided to give it our all. The first event was the 100m medley relay and KMC Mangalore managed to take the gold away from MIT, for the first time in 5 years . The last event was the 50m freestyle, which ended with Dulakshi bagging a gold , helping KMC Mangalore win the overall championship.

The prize distribution was followed by a moving speech

by Hemanth Kumar, as he remembered some of the yesteryear swimmers and thanked everyone. We let ourselves loose for a photo session with our personal cameras then, determined to catch the spirit of this achievement. Here's to the guys— Lokesh, Sushanth and Joel, the future of the Men’s team and Renu, Shivani, Dulakshi, Kashvi, Devika, Purneeta and Kriti, the girls team you have to watch out for! Special thanks to Pradhum Ram for being our team manager.

BASKETBALL :Swish! The basketball fell through the hoop at the KMC basketball court, Manipal. It was InterMAHE time again, October 1st- 3rd, 2011, hosted by MCOAHS. Initially we were disheartened by the fact that it coincided with the 2007 Batch Socials, which meant most of the core team would not be able to make it, but after making some calls and pushing timings around, we reached Manipal on the 2nd, in full force.

Following a walkover given by MCON, we played a simple and quick game with WGSHA, and after winning that, began to prep ourselves up for the second match of the evening against KMC, Manipal. Their defence was impressive, but no match for the quick paced game set by Mangalore. Vasudha with her fast breaks, broke down the fortress of tight defence. MIT was up the next day.MIT had been our nemesis since the first brutal encounter three years ago, where it had literally turned out to be a battle of brute force and smart moves. We had managed to defeat them year after year, but with

each time, they became more defiant and stronger. This year we had heard that their team was equipped with more capable players, better conversion rates, and more stamina. It had instilled a tiny flame of fear in our heads, but as always, our team’s unity pulled through. By the end of the first quarter, the MIT girls had a lead in the game due to a few quick plays. A little shaken up, but not willing to give in that easily, we got our heads together and decided to give it our all. Ranjani and her controlled ball handling, assisted by Samyuktha, Suparna and Pranoti, Monica and Niveditha, along with pivot players Aaryani and Sonalinis’ brilliant rebounding and conversion, brought us up to tie. As usual Vasudha and her layups (which even a sumo wrestler wouldn’t be able to stop), in coordination with an impregnable defence, helped us climb the ladder to a smashing victory of 30-17. Four years. FOUR YEARS AND RUNNING, Inter Mahe Womens Basketball champions- KMC, Mangalore. We don’t die down easy.

-Sujay Prabhath (08), Lakshmi Jayaram (08) and Surabhi Chattree (09)

KMC , Mangalore won gold at the Annual Intermahe Table Tennis Tournament hosted by MIT, Manipal held on 18th September 2011.The girls team, captained by Archana shenoy (06) which had been runners up for the past 5 years finally won gold defeating MCODS Mangalore in the semi finals and long time rival MIT in the finals. The team comprised of Archana Shenoy (06), Juhi Dhanawat (08), Chaynika Pradhan (10) and Surabhi Chattree(09).

The boys team was captained by Mayank Jain (07) and comprised of Surag Kr (07) , Tushar Jindal(08), Sharath Manya (’11) and Abhishek Malviya(08).

VIBES 2011

Akshay Sethi (10)

Yet another academic year has begun and it’s begun with the students of KMC Mangalore showing the rest of Manipal University the excellence that they’re made of. And that was done at this year’s inter-MAHE cultural event ‘Vibes’, held from September 7th to September 11th, in the Manipal campus.

The fest had almost every event imaginable under its wings, ranging from potpourri to treasure hunt! KMC students took part in most of the events and did well in each one of them.

Sanal Fernandes, Kiran Subhash and Shaziya Kalam qualified in the preliminary round of the Harry Potter quiz and went on to win the 3rd prize in the final round! They showed everyone that it’s one thing to read Harry Potter as a hobby and a completely different thing to know it cover to cover! Meghna Machado, Sanal Fernandes and Pradhyum Shenoy won 2nd place in the Collage competition.

K Shreyas Nambiar showed-off her fluent Kannada oratory skills by winning 1st place in Kannada extempore and Shireen Rachel George and Akshay Sethi finished 3rd in the English Debate which had the motion : Man is the master of machine.

Akshay Thakur and Nitish Sharma made the audience laugh with their wit and mimicry in ‘Shipwreck’ and won 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Rahul Aggarwal, Saumya Aggarwal and Kashvi Gupta won 3rd place in the last event of vibes, the Treasure Hunt.

And as we bid goodbye to this magnificent platform for showcasing our talents, we all knew in our hearts that we’d be back there the following year, bettering our performances!

Perhaps the only good thing about the debacle that was the English tour, was that it invoked a sense of nostalgia for Indian cricket fans .For those of us who have grown up watching the cricket team of the 90s, who were infamously horrible travelers, it was a throwback to a bygone era when anything less than a thrashing was taken as a good tour. This might lead to the opinion that this present team has spoilt us by winning too much. Maybe we have started to expect a lot from this bunch of talented cricketers, and by law of averages they had to sooner or later come across such a tour.

But in reality such conclusions will just take us away from the truth, that we played poor-

ly, individually and more so collectively. Surely, if the No.1 ranked test team and ODI world champions fail to win a single game (including practice games) on a whole tour there are a lot of causes for concern. In all fairness, the biggest cause for concern is our own cricket board, the BCCI. Evidently, the players were not prepared, mentally or physically, for the tour. It’s hard to understand why for such a big tour there was just a oneoff practice match and then the players were thrown into the rigor of test match cricket without getting accustomed to the English conditions. If the BCCI really wants India to stay at the top for a considerable amount of time, the "greed is good" approach has to go.

The players were even thrown into the madness that is IPL one week after the world cup win. This overload is leading to physical and mental draining of the players. The board has to protect its players better from this drainage and plan a schedule so that there aren’t so many matches back to back. There is a need to understand that test cricket is the ultimate test of all cricketing prowess and all long term plans should centre around it instead of all the attention that the 20-20s have been getting lately.

Another cause for concern are the new brigade of players including Raina, Kohli and others who are excellent players in Indian conditions but were seriously found wanting

on seaming and bouncy pitches. It really makes one wonder where the next Dravid or Laxman is going to come from, especially with so much emphasis on power hitting nowadays. After all this, most probably on the return tour, Indians will thrash England at home and all will be rosy again. But we have been invincible at home since the longest time and the upcoming Australian tour should not be an Aussie version of the English summer we just had.

- Siddharth Singh (08)

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Burgers, fries and coke. Some say it’s the ultimate fast - Rohit Shenoy („10) food, and in this issue of BWM I’m going to take you through the best (and worst) of Mangalore’s burger and fried chicken joints. We’ll start with KFC, the food is “finger lickin’ good”, but it is a little heavy on the wallet.

Mangala Bar and Restaurant is located in Kankannady, a short walk from Kapri, and their signature burger called the “Freddie” is truly amazing. You can choose between the chicken, pork, beef and fish burgers, and yes, there is a vegetarian one too. Personally, I’d recommend the “Phat Freddie” which comes with extra cheese and bacon. At around Rs.100-130 for a burger, it is a little heavy on the wallet, but I’d say it’s worth the price. Next we have Prax, near Natural Ice-creams in Kadri. It’s a small place, but the burgers are very good. The only glitch is they don’t always have what’s on the menu. It’s light on the wallet ,at around Rs.60-70 for a burger. “Chefs” is pretty well known for their Chinese food, but they do serve up a decent burger. For those of you who love sea food, I’d recommend the chilly squid burger. Moderately priced at around Rs.80, the downside is the bun tends to be sweet which might put you off. Right opposite Nandagiri hostel is “McRollers”.

For Rs.50 you can get a burger, fries and coke which is a real steal in my opinion.

The burgers are decent, though the ambience isn’t very welcoming. ChicKing is a rip-off of KFC, located at City Centre Mall and Empire Mall. It’s just as expensive as KFC and not as good, so those of you who haven’t been there yet, don’t bother.

Name

Food

Ambience

Price

KFC

9

8

6.5

Mangala

9

8

6.5

Prax

7.5

4

8

Chefs

7.5

7

8

McRollers

7

4

9

Chicking

6.5

7.5

6.5

EDITOR’S NOTE :

A few new joints, namely HOT BITEZ (formerly Bangs fried chicken) and HOT CHIX offer KFC-like combos and chicken buckets at reasonable prices as well. I’d recommend our Bejai readers especially to try out HOT BITEZ, located conveniently behind Deepa Comforts. HOT CHIX is in Valencia and a 2 minute ride away from Kapri. Using local fresh succulent buns, they cut on the prices and give you an experience that’s relatively light on the pocket and filling.

Dig in!