The Annual Literary Magazine of IIM Bangalore, 2013-14

The Annual Literary Magazine IIM Bangalore 2013-14

PROSE

A Flower bud for everyone -

Sonali Jain, PGP 2013-15

Its spring time! And we look at the blooming flowers. The botanical gardens flocked with blossoms. The green leaves and the bushy trees. But do we look at the buds? The answer is NO! The young buds get lost somewhere in the search of the big flowers and juicy fruits. There is never a wait for buds to shoot up. But their turning into flowers is always awaited.

Why am I talking about buds? Because they are the life givers. A source of hope that seeds will germinate into fruits and flowers will bloom. So the buds symbolize ‘hope’ in life. All of us including you and I have some source of motivation which inspires us to achieve the unachievable and fulfil our desires and dreams. Just imagine what shows you light in the wake of darkness. Think about what is HOPE for you.

For some it may be the ‘words of their parents’ while for others it may be the ‘smile of their children’. Some of us stay positive just by thinking that ‘better times will follow’ while the rest of us may get hopeful by thinking that ‘this time will pass away’. A faith in your abilities, a thought that you will definitely do something good out of your life, learning from those who never gave up, passion to achieve your ambitions and a feeling that YOU CAN DO IT can bring waves of hope and aspirations in one’s life.

Optimism ensures that pessimistic feelings are routed away and you are left with peace and gaiety. A single ray of hope in the form of a thought makes you say- ‘Every dog has his day and I will have mine too!!’ You might be frustrated, you might be dejected, but one star in the cloudy night, one tree in the vast sand dunes, one boat in the deep blue ocean fill us with hope. A hope that it is not the end! A hope that things will get better! Every gloomy dusk is followed by a glowing dawn and every misery by a shining chance. Hope is the dream of a soul awake.

Someday everything will all make perfect sense. So for now keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason. Smile through the tears because not everything that is faced can be changed. Enjoy this process of confusion, despair, and trying as something will never let you give up; it will always say try it one more time. Remember if GOD takes everything away we are to seek Him and hope in Him. That is why; we are not looking at the flower. Flower is the fruit of all the efforts. But it is the bud that will keep us going to get that fruit! All of us have a different bud. So go and recognize yours so that you never let it go and always stay hopeful!

Flickering Light -

Sathyanarayanan R, PGP 2013-15

I was walking swiftly on that dimly lit deserted road. The salty Chennai breeze swept my face not helping my case of perspiration from carrying my travel bag which only got heavier with

each second and every step I took. Already irritated by the bumpy ride and the filthy share auto crowd, I strode on hoping to make it in time for my train.

While walking, my mind took a short journey of its own to my hometown crossing hundreds of kilometres in a second. Delicious aroma of mom’s cooking wafted from my imagination into reality. Being in IT field one learns to live off scrounging poor hotel food most of the times. All the pampering, attention I used to get at home when I return from city for weekend after a long time made me feel slightly elated.

A distant street light from main road flickered casting its feeble light, making the street glow in a mild yellow shade. It is uncommon for a Chennai street to appear this deserted on an 8p.m. night, but this street served as an exception mainly because of the inaccessibility to it by any four wheeler and not so uncommon power cuts . Pushing away the mental images from scenes of a previous nights’ horror movie, I valiantly marched on towards the main road carefully jumping and avoiding the numerous potholes that pockmarked the street.

I heard a faint set of footsteps and looked ahead to see a middle aged man with striped shirts and cargo trousers entering my road with a carry bag in his hand. Busy talking with someone over his phone he didn’t notice me and he continued walking ahead. I was trailing a few yards behind owing mostly to my bag’s weight. Suddenly, a shuffling movement from under a tree caught my attention.

I hadn’t noticed that tree until then mainly because it was on a particularly dark side of that street. But now three figures emerged from under it. Silhouetted against the street light I could see four figures now. The man with the carry bag, following him closely were two short lean shadows. Following slightly behind was a slightly taller but stumpy man with shocking mess of a ragged hair.

The shadows of the short ones looked excited, almost maniacal with a kind of restless energy that even the poor lighting couldn’t veil. They moved fast towards the man but stopped short when he slowed; again speeding up when he walked. The stumpy shadow seemed like shushing the shorter ones and walked in a controlled steady rhythm. They were silently closing in on the man who was still chatting away nonchalantly in his phone.

My heart beats raced and I fastened my steps to warn him. At that exact moment the man with the bag seemed to slow down at a corner. The short ones went too close to him and they didn’t stop this time. The stumpy one quickened his pace as well. Adrenaline shot through me and sensing immediate danger I broke into a run ignoring the weight of my travel bag. Just when I reached close enough to shout a warning, the man with the carry bag turned and walked not breaking a step, away from the corner Confused and out of breath from running I tried to get a better look at the corner and abruptly power came on and lit up the whole street. The short lean ones were a girl and a boy of about 7 to 10 years each. They had a filthy piece of clothing covering them, torn and dirty. Their faces were covered with a mixture of mud, soot and nasal mucus. They were reduced to their bones by malnourishment. They had the carry bag that seconds before was with the man they followed.

Having taken it out of the corporation waste disposal container from that corner, they were searching for anything remotely edible.

“Appa ithula konjo idly irukuppa, Amma kitta sollunga”(Dad, Tell mom that there are some idlies in here), shouted the girl in joy having found her prize in that fly infested, rotten smelling, urine soaked container. “Seri Seri neenga rendu paerum sanda podaama sapdunga” (Ok fine, you two share and eat without fighting) replied the stumpy man who reached there finally.

He turned slowly towards me and smiled awkwardly showing his brown tobacco greased teeth with two missing in the front. I, for my part, just stood there dumbstruck at the horror and misery an everyday street light can unveil.

Did you smile today?

-

Rupali Jain, PGP 2013-15

Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you. ‘Smile’ the five letter word never seemed so important to me than the time when I tasted failure. It’s difficult to smile when you are defeated. It’s difficult to laugh when you could not meet your goals. Every day we are faced with some problem or the other but then does it mean that because of those problems we forget to smile? We must not forget that every night is followed by another day. But do these motivational quotes find relevance when we are sad? Are they just a thing to quote but tough to apply? Similarly asking everyone to smile even in the face of difficulties is also doing the same as above. I don’t want to do that. Let us look at it through a different way.

Look at the poor and downtrodden around you with no fan to give them the cool in hot summer noon and no blanket to give them the warmth on a chilly winter night. Yet whenever they get something from the rags they ‘smile’. That is ‘their’ happiness. But on the other hand, we have everything in life and still we hesitate to ‘smile’. Is frown bigger than joy? Is dejection bigger than optimism? So I would not ask you to smile when you are ill, rather smile for what you have lived!

With 19 variations of the smile, including 16 produced by enjoyable emotions, smiling is an incredibly important part of our lives. Even if you're feeling a little blue, insert happy thoughts into your mind. Let other people know that you're prepared to be open to them, and that you're willingly agreeing to set things right where needed by adding that smile. Life teaches us every moment. Why not give it back with a ‘smile’?

Your ‘smile’ can make your parents satisfied and relaxed; your ‘smile’ can motivate your children; your ‘smile’ can make your friends giggle; and your ‘smile’ can also keep your enemies wondering what you are up to! Think about how you feel about a person who is frowning and a person who is smiling – who tends to be the better looking? Remember that

people seldom notice your clothes if you wear a big smile. So who would you like to be with? Of course, with the one wearing a smile.

So let’s not smile to appear strong during tough times. Let’s smile for facing the problem , let’s smile for we are not put into a much bigger problem , let’s smile for being blessed with this life, let’s smile for being what we are today! We don’t know what life has in store for us. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, did you smile today?

The End -

Vaghul Rajan, PGSEM 2013

“I love you honey!” said she, gently patting me on my cheek. From the way she looked into my eyes, I know she meant every word of it. We were sitting in a public park in the shade of huge banyan trees. The sweet creaking of birds, mild breeze from the trees, a distant sunset and a lovely girlfriend is all a man could ask for in a perfect date. Holding each other’s arms, we were lost in a world of our own. I always liked to play with her long and silky hair. She in turn loved to rest her face on my shoulders.

Amidst my insistence that we stay for some more time, she would normally say “Dear, I think I should leave now. It’s already late. Come on! Drop me at the bus stop”. Knowing that she would win her argument as always, I was about to leave today too when she stopped me saying “Let us stay for 10 more minutes. I feel I am going to miss you”. I couldn’t believe my own ears. Was she the one saying this? But I agreed to this heartily and we spent another 30 minutes in each other’s company.

After seeing her off in her bus, I drew a cigarette from the pack and lit it. I had a quiet and peaceful smoke, with a kind of fulfilment in my heart. She scolds me for this one habit, but has never forced me to stop it. This is a rare quality in her, which makes her so important to me.

After the smoke, I went to the gym and spent a good two hours of work out. Towards the end of my session, I get a call from my friend, “Some bad news, Dude. She’s been in an accident…Hit by a truck while crossing the highway…Am afraid she is dead...”

My head went for a spin and for a moment I felt that the world had come to a standstill. The news was such a shock that I couldn’t actually feel its impact. After a couple of minutes, tears started flowing and my heart skipped a beat or two. I kick started my bike and rushed for her home. All those sweet memories kept running through my mind and I reached her home in no time.

There was a big crowd gathered outside her home and the moment I stepped in, a chill went down my spine. There among the flowers, lay my beautiful girl with a thick bandage around her head. Amidst all this chaos too, there was a kind of calmness in her face almost making one believe that she was only sleeping. I knelt next to her and slowly caressed her face. All my happiness and joy had come to an abrupt end and there was nothing left for me in this world.

With tears pouring from my eyes I bent down and kissed tenderly on her lips. I looked at her

closely and whispered “Good bye honey. I love you”. What a tragic end to an extremely passionate love story.

As I stood there like a statue, I heard the voice. “Cut. Shot Ok.” I looked at my director. He looked a happy man. He had completed his shot. And I had just completed my debut film.

Langkawi -

Hitesh Agrawal, PGP 2012-14

Do you like exploring? Do you like beaches? If answer to both these questions is yes, this article is written for you.

It was a fine Saturday evening of last year and 3 of us were getting bored of the routine life, my idea to keep the routine from causing you a nervous breakdown is to break it. So we decide to go somewhere, and guess what, the place we chose was Langkawi.

By name it sounds like Lanka of Ramayan, so I was wondering what kind of place is it, although it has been called the jewel of Kedah, as it boasts few of the finest beaches in the world. So we departed believing the recommendation of friends and “the nickname”. I was not very hopeful of very good experience initially as it was not in the list of “25 must see places” of rough guide, which I followed for touring around SE Asia. Least did I know, I was in for a sensory treat.

We took a flight from SG to KL, and then from KL we boarded a bus to Kuala Perlis. From here we took a boat to Langkawi. If you don’t mind spending much, there is also a direct flight from KL. Once you reach you are welcomed by a giant statue of eagle, the guard of Langkawi, A nice spot for taking pictures. We checked into our hotel, and another surprise in the store, it had private beach and big rooms. The money which we had paid for that wouldn’t buy half the size room in Goa. We hired a car for touring around, that’s the best way to roam around the island as there is almost no public transport. Considering petrol prices are dirt cheap in Malaysia, it will be easy on your pocket as well.

We started as soon as the slowest person came out of his room, refreshed, we decided to start exploring. First destination was Telaga Tujuh,(water fall), as it was dry season, the waterfall was not in its full bloom but still a good view. Then we went to the hanging bridge (a must visit place, to watch sunset). The views from here are simply spectacular. Once you are here trust me you will wish there itself to come again. We spent hours there until it was well after sunset, and boarded the last cable car to go down. The lush green hills, standing in the blue waters, which were turning golden as sun was setting, the whole place seemed heavenly. Do you sometimes wish to stop running in this busy schedule and sit quietly at some place far from all the mortal objectives, and just appreciate the beauty of nature, Bingo!!!, you are at the right place.

Next day was more active compared to the leisurely moments earlier. In the morning we had fun in our own private beach, then we went for island hopping, saw “the pregnant lady” (it’s an arrangement of different hills which look like a pregnant lady from a particular angle), did some swimming in fresh water lake between the hills, and finally enjoyed the water sports. A tiring day it was, so in the night we went to the bars along the beach. They offered perfect dinner and

drinks to combine with cool breeze from the sea side. You get plenty of vegetarian options in Langkawi, so no worries even if you are vegetarian.

Nest day was our last day, it was hard to leave the place but that’s life, we took a ferry from Lnagkwai to Penang which was another beautiful ride, and then from Penang to KL flight. So that was a short description of my experience, following gives you a formal guide about the place.

A short introduction to the place: Langkawi is a cluster of 99 islands located in Andaman Sea. The largest of them is called Pulau Langkawi (Pulau means island in Malay). It is in Malaysia and close to Thailand border.

Why Langkawi?

It’s a hidden treasure, unlike Maldives or Mauritius, it’s not as crowded. You can enjoy private beaches, great sunsets, exciting night life and all kind of water sports here. As tourist inflow is not that much (although in recent years it’s increasing exponentially) the prices are fair. For all the ladies out there, Langkawi has tax-free status so you can also do some shopping there.

Accommodation: Lot of good value hotels are available. We stayed in Langkasuka Resort; other options can be found at following site: http://www.langkawi-resorts.com/ How to go: Air Asia operates dirt cheap flights (if booked early), for Kuala Lumpur from various cities of India. After reaching KL, you can either take another flight to Langkawi or catch a bus or train.

While coming back you can take a ferry to Penang, (1.5 hr by sea; highly recommended) and a flight from Penang to KL, which will cover one more city in your trip. Langkawi to Penang is an amazing journey to be done by ferry; ferry timings are such that it shows breathtaking view of sunset on the way in open sea.

The same ‘TIME – But through a different eye -

Dipayan Sinha, PGP 2013-15

A word which boasts of a whopping twenty – seven different meanings in Merriam Webster‘s lexicon – a word which science has failed to bind within the geometrical constrains of the English language. The elusive word in context here is ‘TIME’ – an enigma in itself. My objective here is not to add to the existing list of definitions and hence, contribute to the confusion, but to analyse, perhaps visualize and eventually attempt to realize what time actually is. I solemnly confess that my approach is neither inspired by Hawkings’ perspective, nor is it Newtonian in method – but is rather oriented towards the Shakespearan, the Freudian, or maybe even the Kafkaesque. Philosophers & scientists both have understood and believed that time is stretchable – indeed, it stretches from the alpha to the omega. It stretches from the severing of the umbilical cord of a new-born to the time when he has his ‘time’ up in this mortal world – and

in between, it encapsulate joy, sorrow, anger, jealously, sacrifice, love, and every other emotion humanly possible.

There is a time to be born and there is a time to die and in between is the time to shape life. We may not have much of a say as far as the former two are concerned, but the latter is what we have in our hands. That is why it takes a ‘lifetime’ to make something of life itself – a perpetual workin-progress! Here, I am suddenly reminded of John Quincy Adams’ ‘The hour Glass’:- “Alas!

How swift the moments fly! How flash the years along! Scarce here, yet gone already by, The burden of a song, See childhood, youth and manhood pas, And age with furrowed brow; Time was – Time shall be – drain the glass – But where in time is now?”

Toru Dutt, in her much-acclaimed poem, ‘Our Casuarina Tree’, personifies Time as a thief. It silently creeps up to us and steals our loved ones, only to never give them back. But it is the same time that heals wounds that it causes. How often do we hear, “Give it some time and you‘ll be alright again!” At some point in life we have all faced a crisis, and witnessed the words being mouthed to us with all due sympathies, and coming out of the afore-mentioned ‘it’, we have all acknowledged that the words in the oft-quoted clichéd sentence run much deeper than the way they sound.

Next, as we adjust the eye-piece of the telescope and zoom in closer on our lives, we stumble upon how time creates strife in relationships. A dedicated mother is heartbroken when she asks her headstrong teenage child to run an errand, for she is almost immediately greeted by a nonchalant, “I don’t have ‘time’ for it Ma!” Lovers part ways as the spouse or the fiancée does not have enough ‘time’ to invest in the relationship. It is amazing to observe that years ago William Penn had voiced, “Time is what we want the most, but use the worst”. It is only when we are done hurting others do we realize what blunt douches we have been. All are prayers then being to sound like, “God, if only I had ……..” – but almost immediately life repartees and teaches us an invaluable lesson – You can do whatever you want to now, but can never go back and do it again differently. Elizabeth Allen in her ‘Rock me to sleep’ had earnestly wished, “Backward turn backward, O Time in your flight, Make me child again just for tonight!” But alas all such whims and fancies have remained confined to the pages of poetry books, and are yet to see the light of day. Time has always been a one-way street and so far Physics has not given us much hope to believe that it is going to be something different anytime soon.

There is a time to speak up, and a time to remain silent. A time to learn and a time to teach. A time to listen and a time to be heard. A time to lose and a time to gain. And for all these things, the time is NOW! And depending upon what we make of ‘now’ do we have a missed opportunity, a lucky break, or a beautiful serendipity. As my soliloquy draws to a close, and I ruminate about the seconds which had transformed into minutes, which in turn, had metamorphosed into hours, and had flown by me in the bygone years, nothing makes more sense than the celebrated lines from Pink Floyd’s psychedelic composition ‘Time’: “Tired of lying in the sunshine Staying home to watch the rain You are young and life is long And there is a time to kill today.

And then are day you find Ten years have got behind you

No one told you when to run You missed the starting gun.”

Just Another Weekend -

Nalin Goel, PGP 2013-15

Some gentleman famously said, “Do what you love and you don’t have to work a single day in your life!” But ironically the day you know you are working, that visceral interest/passion is gone. Every time the same question: What’s next? And then again, a chain of thoughts and you end up feeling oblivious about your future.

The weekends actually pose this type of so called existential crisis in front of me. Being a non conformist by nature, I ask myself a lot of questions and then in an attempt of not to be naïve, I really behave skeptically about my own hypothesis. Yes, you are right there my boy! I am a confused sperm. So let me make this confusion an epidemic (just trying). Some questions that bother me (not only me, I believe most of us. Sorry if some enlightened souls were taken for granted): 

Why am I running in the so called race of growth, money, recognition etc.? Do I really need anything more than a 12X12 ft room with some basic amenities and love of my dear ones? Am I earning money so that I can impress another Jack & Jill in Public or Office or neighborhood with my brand new iPhone 5 (Sorry if I got personal with Apple. Hope they won’t sue me!) or the new gizmo car?



Why should I follow the Maslow’s Pyramid? After all it is just another clichéd theory that will soon be replaced by another. My life, my rules! Why do I need approval to my actions from society that’s very nature is misleading. Their thoughts based on prejudice, they think alike, they act like a mob.



What is the thing that I actually want to do? Am I just blindly following the crowd or am I living the life the way I wanted to?

Believe me life is not a Tom Sawyer’s story where after a whitewash you realize the essence.

I am still waiting for the answers or rather enlightenment. But seems that it’s late now! Sunday is about to end. Let’s sleep. Have to continue the same race from tomorrow else I will be left behind in such a fast moving world!

Project Mankind -

Vaghul Rajan, PGSEM 2013

Brahma was sitting in his cubicle staring at his monitor. The project deadline was nearing and work load was so much that he couldn't even find time to have a clean shave. Stress lines were clearly visible on his face too. In the next cubicle, Vishnu was typing an email, with a cigar in his mouth puffing out clouds of smoke. Being an experienced designer, he has never seen such a

complex requirement. But he doesn't have much choice. By HIS order, the design should be ready in a week's time. Shiva was sitting next to Vishnu, watching every key stroke of his and with the other hand playing with his pet snake. Being a team leader, Shiva was nervous too. But he didn't want to make the situation worse by panicking.

All three of them took a break and filled their cups with hot amrita, from the newly installed vending machine. They stood at Vishnu's desk and sipped their drink in utmost calmness. “What about our stress buster party?” asked Brahma, breaking the silence. “I have dropped a mail to Entertainment Department's Group Head Miss. Menaka to give us an available slot this week.

Hopefully Ramba and Urvasi might also join. I will keep you guys updated,” answered Shiva.

Vishnu took the requirement document in hand and said “This requirement is funny. The subject should have minimal physical strength but fight an army of soldiers. He should be unarmed and all his enemies should be provided with heavy artilleries. He will get his things done not by fighting but by fasting. Yet he should be considered a warrior. He should be a simple man but not a saint. He will have a wife but will follow Brahmacharya. At last he should be killed by his own man. Funny isn't it? Why does HE want such a release now? Is it some kind of a joke?”

“Come on Vishnu, HE is our client and do you think he will joke around with us. HE insists on this release because HE feels it's high time we send some message to other existing releases.

Once this release goes live, we may need to work on other dependent packages as well. But that won’t be much complex.” said Shiva, with the authority of a leader. Again silence surrounded their ears.

“When is this release going Live?” asked Brahma, keeping an eye on the hissing snake.

“Whatever happens, this should be deployed on October 2, 1869” answered the Destroyer.

42 weeks Then, and Now -

Hitesh Wadhwa, EPGP 2013

It was a hot summer afternoon in April 2013 when a bunch of totally clueless but highly aspirational leaders landed in Ajmera, Bangalore. Excitement had a different meaning then- a new randomly allocated fully furnished apartment, new faces, new goals, a new cool evening breeze that you rarely get to see in the suburbs of Delhi, a lush green confusing campus, a pampered paparazzi experience and a black backpack loaded with some heavy spiral binders.

Friendship was un-biased and group formation was a non-trivial thing. The energy levels were high, so was the attendance at the midnight birthday parties. The walls between the Ajmera apartments were thin, the goals more congruent and beer parties & rides between Ajmera to Campus less planned.

And then life took a gradual sharp turn. Bags became heavier, sleep cycles were disrupted, electricity bills went up, and so did the trips to library and the chai sales at Prabhakars.

Nonetheless, the EPGP junta did learn how to make arbit 2x2s, how to fill answers sheets endlessly, how to wrap up a 6 weeks project in 6 hours, and how to screw up in the exams and yet walk out with a smile. Something perhaps that did not change was spirit to go on, the courage to ooze more gas and the consumption of alcohol, of course.

Now, a wave of nostalgia has started to sweep over everyone. The friendships have become stronger, within the thick walls of Ajmera. Academics have taken a backseat and all that people aspire is to join the ‘out-of-the-process’ bandwagon. The study groups no longer carry the serendipity tag. The potluck dinners happen more often. The goals take a new meaning every night, based on the JDs that land up in the email box. The midnight birthday wishes are counting less and jobs letters are counting more.

A flashback today into the past months is short but more profound. All you smell is the countless caffeine inhaled day and night, all you walk are the countless steps between the corridors of P-11 and the EPGP lounge, all you miss are the countless dusk-to-dawn parties, all you have learnt is how to survive and confront, all you read 24x7 is the WhatsApp chat, all you hear are some MBA jargons, frustrations with things-that-aren’t-perfect at IIMB, some stories of those long nights spent in Singapore, a lot of arbit gyaan and some wicked laughter from those selected Ajmera balconies overlooking a far away calm lake, with ash of smoked weed in the air burnt over 23.82 lac rupees.

RTI – the journey so far and the road ahead…

-

Saravanakumar M, PGP 2013-15

The great Indian post-Liberalization growth story has done its bit to deepen the unequal distribution of the generated wealth. Despite our best efforts to promote legislations that promote inclusiveness and redistribution as a right, corruption has become rampant in those public services like PDS, health-care which directly impacts the poor.

The role of the civil society having reached greater heights after being involved actively in providing inputs to frame legislations from the RTI to the MNREGA through the National Advisory council, the onus and stakes involved with them have increased multi-fold. The media’s role as a watchdog is questioned once too many in recent times citing ethical fronts. The RTI act has the ability become the lynchpin for these institutions to function effectively if the following issues are addressed.

1. The Information Infrastructure – The Indian public services by their inherent nature are devoid of any infrastructure to disseminate information and not yet organized structurally or functionally to complement the RTI act.

2. Path dependence – The ‘red tapish’ mind-set of the bureaucrats has only worsened RTI’s implementation. The officials are only conditioned to answer the RTI application, they need to be trained and encouraged to make a conscious effort to move on from the socialistic era.

3. Plug the loopholes – There is still a lot of grey area over the purview of the act including debates over the inclusion of several bodies and over the type of information that can be sought.

4. The public perception of the act - The public has started to perceive RTI as a means to redress their personal grievances in a pension or EPO office rather than a tool to access information that is hindering progress.

This would provide more teeth for the act over a range of issues like ensuring delivery of public services, bringing in accountability, and mobilising the poor to fight for their rights.

Road Rage Swami -

Amit Rao, PGP 2013-15

Conductor. It was only when I was in the fourth standard, did I realise that it was the copper wires that my teacher was referring at when she pointed upwards, and not the khaki-ed dude I saw in the bus. I always wondered how he could carry so much 'electricity' in his bag and too on the floor above ours. Weird.

This particular incident happened when I was in college. Surathkal or rather Mangalore redefines the term 'road-rage' to a whole new dimension. A place where the public bus transport system is controlled privately, everyday is a fight to carry as many passengers as possible and to make maximum out of it obviously. The buses start on the third gear and set records when it comes to the braking distance.

Overtaking? Naansense.

It’s more of Why-isn't-the-dumdum-not-going-faster? Or What-if-there-is-a-cow-in front? And to top it all, If-there-is-enough-space-to-walk-then-its-enough-for-the-bus!

But I happened to meet Mr.Rajkumar (They were playing the great actor's hit number 'If you come today, you're early' on the radio) on a lazy Sunday afternoon on my way back to the hostel from the city. Being an April afternoon, when the temperatures soar to an alarming 40 degrees, the bus wasn't as crowded as it usually would be. I took my ticket from RK and jumped onto a seat 3 rows from the driver's, plugged on my earphones and let my mind drift.

Half way through my ride, I glanced at the driver and saw that he was driving rather strangely and to top it all, RK dancing around him, in hips- don't- lie fashion, clearly excited about something. I first thought that it might be a new kolavardi routine that I wasn't aware of. But then I saw a plastic bottle being flung from the opposite truck and BAMMM! Right on the driver's head. The truck driver and his cleaner hi-five-ed and sped ahead.

Now, this is not normal.

This is R.O.A.D-R.A.G.E. Action. I remove my earphones and I was taken aback by this sudden blast of cacophony. Being a kannadiga, it is 'assumed' that I understand the local language there but when Kannada goes

slang, it’s no different from Japanese. But from the body language of the passengers I figured that the truck driver and our bus driver were not in the best of terms.

Payback. Now it was RK's turn to show his jalwa. As soon as the bus was close to the truck cabin, RK began his volley; which ranged from bottles, caps, broomsticks, scrubbers and even one of his slippers. (His dedication is commendable, isn't it?) When he finally exhausted his missiles he resorted to the age old master technique that never fails to piss a person off; The FingerTM! People say love crosses all borders and boundaries, I, however, beg to differ. Try The FingerTM. It will always work.

Scene. Coming back, we have both the vehicles now heading neck to neck. Surprisingly, NH17 was empty (or probably cleared out for our two heroes.) RK was now leaning out of the window trying to smack the driver of the truck; this was followed by frantic yelling and screaming of a female co-passenger sitting next to me (for a very small personality she had a very shrill voice.)

SLAAAPP! RK was successful in hitting the driver right on his bald patch before he was pulled inside by the passengers inside. But he was not yet content and pleaded for another chance but the passengers didn't give in.

Comeback. It was the truck's turn now. The cleaner also started catapulting everything he could find in his cabin. Unlike RK he had a secret weapon, his cleaning bucket, which still had some dirty mucky water inside. The cleaner very brilliantly emptied the bucket on our bus driver (I speculate to cool him off). Didn't work. When RK saw this, he was more than furious. He leaned out of the driver's window and pulled the bucket from the cleaner's grip and flung it back on the driver, leaving the cleaner dazed. The truck sped ahead.

Before the scenario worsened, the passengers overcame the driver and forced him to stop on the side and let the truck pass. RK was not happy with our low zeal.

We had disappointed him.

It’s not every day that you get to be a part of such an exciting though suicidal contingency.

All satisfied with my monthly quota of adventure I started walking toward the hostel.

Agnostic Viewpoint -

Akanksha Mittal, PGP 2013-15

“So you believe in God, eh?”

“Uhh…umm…Yes…No…umm…I don’t know!”

But, what I do know is that I don’t know who is God. Or, what is God. Perhaps It is a belief that justifies our existence and the occurrence of every event. Perhaps, a concept that our superhuman ancestors cooked up so that they could weave innumerable stories around it about hell and heaven and morals and ethics. Perhaps He is a super-human Himself who controls each of our actions like a puppeteer would do. And, why exactly am I using “Him”? “He” could just be a “She” or perhaps just an “It”. I choose not to discriminate and shall use “It” for any further reference.

So, we have never seen It. But, we had occurrences which are mysterious to us. And, so we think It is there. Where? We don’t know! To avoid any hurt to people’s sentiments that I may cause by my rhetoric statements, I shall now only present My Agnostic Viewpoint: I think and choose to believe that t is really just about Faith. Faith in something, anything that lets you believe things will be fine. There are people who trust a small coin more than their lives and think that it is this coin which will solve their problems. Hindus have faith in idols, Muslims in Allah, Buddhists in themselves, and Chinese in the Universal concept of equilibrium.

Essentially, all of them lead fulfilled lives, as long as their faith is strong. It is not the coin or the idol or the Universe that does people’s work. It is Them who do it! They are the centre of their own universe. But, to be able to take charge of their lives and not be bogged down by problems, all they need is faith. Anything, anybody who helps them draw courage from within, and helps them realize that they are the sole owners of their lives. There is no one pulling strings from the heaven. We are the puppeteers who pull at the strings of our life!

However, most often what we end up doing is placing the object of devotion on a higher pedestal than us. Something Above us, instead of Within us. Hence, when we have problems that we cannot find a solution to, we pray. No, we beg! We kneel down in front of something that we do not even know if it exists and beg for our own lives! Not too difficult to really look for a solution from within ourselves, I say! Here, it is worth mentioning and I hope we will agree to this that, sooner or later we do find a solution to our problems. It does not come from thin air! No superhuman comes inside our head to plant those solutions there. It comes from us. It is that simple and that complex!

My livid mind cannot help but begrudge all those people who take this faith of others for granted. Trying to show someone a better way of living by introducing them to a philosophy/object of devotion that has worked for you is really different from forcing them to do the same! But we are Humans and not God (pun intended) and so we fall for the trap. We fall so deep in it that we donate all our life savings to a piece of stone and beg for the same thing again!

If stones could get us what we wanted, money growing on trees would not be difficult to believe!

No religion propagates killing. It is the concocted interpretations of religion by some ill, powerseeking minds that do that! Somewhere, in the quest for power, we have forgotten that Religion was meant as a quest for God, which I interpret as the quest for one’s own self! You don’t credit for the number of Jews you killed, in the “house of the God”, if there is any. But it sure helps you gain power over the scared minds of the survivors! You do not invoke the anger of Gods by shouting out one odd anti-Hindu slogan. But, you do invoke the wrath of the conniving Hindu Parties that would love to have some cheap publicity and sway the crowd with their Communication skills!

Taking a detour from preaching, it is important that I mention the concept of Karma, as known in a few religions. For those readers who are followers of a different philosophy, trust me, you know about it too. Your “religion” says the same thing, perhaps in a different language! Quoting from Sri Guru Granth sahib, “As she has planted, so does she harvest; such is the field of

karma.” While the cycle of rebirth and death is something that I wish to stay miles away from discussing, I think this concept perfectly fits even if we are talking about one single birth. If we are all believers in Religion and God, why is it so difficult for us to believe in this simple concept of doing well for others! Now, it is nothing but unfair to follow sayings that suit us and not follow which don’t! A lot of Religions regard intake of Alcohol as unethical. How many of us believe in it? Yes, I tried counting and the numbers really don’t seem to end!

Cutting it all short, here is what I do not believe in- Religion. Here is what I believe in- Faith. I have no reason to believe in God, but then, I do not even have a reason not to.

Spider Bhai -

Vaghul Rajan, PGSEM 2013

I was an adventurous kid by nature. Adventures like putting my father’s signature in my report card etc. I don’t play much of outdoor sports as there is no place in Mumbai for kids to play. So I was a champion in video games and would be involved in video games the whole day so much so that my waist size was 36 at the age of 12. In short, I was an absolutely normal Mumbai kid.

Then things changed when I was 14. One day I was down with heavy fever and my concerned parents called for our family doctor. The moment he suggested an injection, I ran away from the room in search of a hiding place. Unfortunately there was nothing in the house that could hide me completely. So I entered the Aisle and hid myself behind a big box.

I was very quiet, waiting for the doctor to leave. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my buttocks, much more severe than a normal injection. I shouted at top of my voice and was surprised to see that a spider had stung me. Out of fear, I sat on the spider itself and seconds later I fell unconscious.

That poor spider was dead but in turn a new super hero was born. The spider’s DNA mixed with mine. The mixture was so strong that I even started giving passes to female spiders. My glasses went away and the extra flab turned into rock solid muscle. My reflexes grew thousand folds and I became sensitive to my surroundings. I started spinning webs and I could even climb buildings upside down. I am “Spider Man”.

I purchased a spider costume from Shopper’s stop and took an oath in front of Hanumanji’s photo, to save my fellow Mumbaikers from trouble. But I didn’t know where to start from. There was crime everywhere. During one mission in a local train somebody even pick-pocketed me, when I was busy saving people from falling. Mumbai’s pick-pockets seem better than me. But I stuck to my goal and soon became very famous. I started attending Page3 parties. My photos appeared in Bombay Times and I even judged a “talent hunt” show for STAR. People welcomed me everywhere and children shouted my name, whenever they saw me.

But on the personal front there was no income for me. The government promised many rewards but none came. My meal reduced to twice a day and hence I became tired too soon. I sat down to look at my life and purpose. After thinking for an hour, I took the phone and dialed the local

contractor’s number. After much thought, my lips uttered the words, “Apun Spider Bhai bol reyla hai …Dho peti bhej! Protection money...”

Jargon Management: The Management of Internalization -

Surya Lakshmi Chellapilla, PGPPM 2013-15

An Amma’s Child had just spent a month in a reputed management institution. Amma wanted to find out how her Child was doing. So, one Sunday evening, Amma calls up her child and this is how they conversed.

Amma (A): How are you, Child?

Child (C): Fine, Amma.

A: How is the weather there?

C: It’s uniformly pleasant. I can say that the standard deviation from the mean temperature is hardly one or two. Meaning, it shows a high measure of central tendency. Since you have a high sensitivity to weather changes, I strongly recommend that you come over here to enjoy better health.

A: Ok...ok. Let’s see. What about you knowledge level? How are you coping?

C: Thanks Amma, I’m coping fine. Did you know that the smile of Helen of Troy launched a thousand ships?

A: What are you upto? Reading Iliad or what? Better study well!

C: Amma, come on! You needlessly doubt me. This info is found on page xix (Preface) to the book on Public Policymaking in India written by Dr. R.V.V Iyer and published in the year 2011,

by Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. A: Oh! Don’t bore me, Child! Why do you have to waste time on these trivia?

C: No Amma, this is not trivial. We have been taught the need to reference correctly in the class on plagiarism!

A: Oh,ok. Tell me, how is it going otherwise?

C: I recently shared your ‘Bottom Solution’ insight with Ankita, my classmate.

A: What’s this insight I am not even aware of?

C: Let me tell you in detail. You will remember that I told you that my room is the ‘Coffee ka sabse bada adda’ on campus. When Ankita and I wanted to make coffee one day, I put some water in the milk vessel before pouring milk. When Ankita asked for the reason, I told her that this would prevent milk from getting stuck to the bottom. It was new knowledge to her. I used that term deriving it from ‘Corner Solution’ in Micro Economics.

A: How are you coping with that subject?

C: God save me. Even if I am poor in it, I am trying to cope. I understood Demand, Supply, Utility and related concepts through an event that occurred recently. My maid was hired to render a certain service to give me a certain utility. But, due to force majeure, I did not get a cook who would have created the requisite work for the maid. So the requirement of the work of the maid grew smaller. Oh, let me be clear. For example, I expected to derive 100 units of utility from her service. Now with no cooking happening, reducing the number of utensils to be cleaned (btw, it is known as ‘Expected Value’ in Stats), the utility came down to say, 80, from 100. I thought the equilibrium was disturbed. I attempted to renegotiate the terms and conditions. She was not ready for a trade – off at all. I seriously doubted what she would do with this unearned revenue in her balance sheet. I only hope she does not make it into a scam! I felt that her floor price was so high that it lapped up most of my surplus and also caused a substantial dead weight loss. I later realised that she’s the only maid in the locality and that she wields tremendous monopolistic power!

A: You think you’re my teacher, and me, your student? Now tell me what happened ultimately?

Do you have a maid now or not?

C: I told you there was much reduction in efficiency, so how did you still entertain that silly doubt of yours?

A: Then how are you managing life?

C: I’m trying to maximize utility within the given constraints!

A: Oh, you took me deep into management. Before I forget let me inform you that Ram uncle and Janaki aunty will stay with you for a couple of days from Tuesday.

C: That’s nice. Most welcome to them. I was just thinking of how to replenish my fruits and snacks which my adda frequenters and I normally finish off quite efficiently. I’m sure uncle and aunt will visit with some exotic snacks. I’ll be off to class during the day, and they can make whatever they want. Of course resources are scarce (now it’s not out of place for me to state that Lionel Robbins gave the Scarcity Definition of Economics), but as long as there is the Akriti store with their motto of customer delight, there’s everything at the other end of a phone call’.

A: What is the gist of the story you have narrated?

C: They can call up Akriti store, and they will deliver goods at the doorstep.

A: Oh.. I’ll tell them. They were planning to take you to the MFR (Most Famous Restaurant).

You can take your friends along.

C: I agree that the restaurant enjoys a brand premium, but I don’t think I’ll derive maximum benefit if I factor in all activities associated with having food there (that’s called Activity Based Costing or ABC, btw). If I were the customer, I’ll derive very little value. So, my answer is a clear no. They are free to take my friends. My friends may agree to go if their utility baskets and value derived are different.

A: What date is Tuesday?

C: 9th July, that is nine- seven. Today is seven- seven, that is double seven. Ah, by the way, did you know that Double Seven was the government brand of cola to compete with Thums up when Coca-cola left the shores of this country? Do you know of what finally happened to the pesticide controversy?

A: Oh, hold on, won’t you? Are you having the vitamin tablets regularly?

C: Yes, I’m taking my medicinal drugs regularly. Hmm... Talking about drugs, do you know that there’s a school of thought which opines that drug abuse would have been better handled if it were treated as a health issue not a law & order problem?

A: Stop it! Can’t bear your unintelligible jargon!

C: No please. I guess I can choose my language and I have chosen the language of jargon. Who knows, it may become a game changing trend. You’ll have to wait for a couple of centuries to figure it out though!

Koo-uk...

Child hears the sound of disconnection of the phone from the other side. She did not figure out why Amma got so annoyed even as she was making a genuine effort to learn management through Jargon Management™ (!).

And so it began -

Kartik Gupta, PGP 2013-15

“Wake up, beta. We don’t want to be late now.” With these soft words whispered into his ear, his mother gently shook him up. He got up with a start from the edge of his parents’ bed. Rubbing his eyes to squeeze the stupor still filling his body out through them, he squinted up at his mother who was holding the toothbrush ready in her hand. With a quick glance around the bedroom, he saw his father in the far corner sipping his first tea of the morning.

As the young boy, barely a few months over three years, silently walked towards the bathroom, a strange unexplained dread started filling him. Now that he was fully awake, the horrific memory of events of the previous morning came back to him. He shuddered to even think about it. “What

if it happens again today?” He thought, and his whole body was gripped in consternation. “No! They won’t make me suffer like this again!” He heard another voice inside his head say. And he prayed to god with all devotion that it was right; that perhaps, they weren’t so heartless. They were his parents, after all, and from what he had heard, parents were supposed to love their children. And so he prayed hard, without knowing that his pleas were wasted on a god who doesn’t have any powers outside stories and myths. It would be many years later, and not after this particular morning, when the boy would finally realize the futility of prayers and stop believing.

His mother understood, on seeing her child’s sullen face, that she had a tough task at hand.

Having undergone the same pain the day before, she had cursed herself for putting her child through this excruciating rite of passage. But she knew that it had to be done nonetheless. She even had a plan in place to make this transition easier.

“We are going to the zoo today.” She announced cheerfully to her son.

Still not quite trusting of his mother, the boy’s face conveyed an expression which betrayed both fear and hope. Only when his mother diverted his gaze towards the fancy t-shirt and blue jeans she had laid out for him on the bed did a smile start playing out on his lips. His worries were all in vain, he thought, and swiftly forgetting the terrors of the past, he got dressed and ready just as his father finished his second tea.

Once firmly seated in his mother’s lap in the front seat of his father’s white Maruti 800, he couldn’t wait to see the cheetahs and the bears and ride on the toy-train at the zoo. “What a great start to the day!” He reflected, wondering if the tigers would be asleep at this early hour. They had been on the road for hardly ten minutes when he started feeling that something was amiss.

The same cloud of dread started hovering over him again, threatening to pour all over his happiness. And then it hit him, with all the force of a violent torrent.

“We are not going to the zoo!” he mouthed under his breath, and started grappling to free himself from his mother’s lap. As the Maruti slowly came to a halt, he could not believe the extreme treachery of it all when the damned gates of the hallowed school premises loomed up in front of him. Adept hands came down in swift motion and replaced the fancy t-shirt and blue jeans with the white shirt and grey pants of the school uniform. It had all been a part of the plan all along. If he was at home, all he had to do was shed some tears and stir up a commotion, and his grandfather would have come to his rescue. “Let the boy be. Why force him when he doesn’t want to go? He’s much too young to be going to school anyway. We’ll send him when he’s ready...” His adoring grandfather admonished his parents.

But now, he was trapped in the car. He struggled at first and put up a fight, pleaded and whined, and then resorted to crying desolately in the end.

And so it began.

Fighting Losing Battles -

Sreeram S, PGP 2013-15

What makes humans as a species stand out is the fact that our intellect allows us to meaningfully pursue what we feel is most important to us. The euphoria that we experience when we achieve what we set out to depends to a great deal on the targets we set for ourselves. The tougher the challenge, the tastier are the fruits of success. However, we often find that we aim a notch lower than what we know we can achieve. We love the warm fuzziness of our comfort zones, the safety of knowing the inevitable triumphs of our actions, continually feeding our egos with self enforced mediocrity. It is easy to lose oneself in this act of shameful self deprecation. Someday however, the banality of your meagre indulgences will dawn upon you. At that point of time, all you can do is sit idly by and watch your past metamorphosise into your future.

The time to act is now. You know there are wars you want to wage, battles that you know you have a very high probability of losing but that you want to indulge in anyway. You know its risky because now you are about to venture beyond what you know you can do, into what you can only at most probably do. This flight into the unchartered territories of what your heart truly wants often involves stepping into the realm of borderline impossible, where failure seems to be inevitability. Yet, the defeat from a struggle which challenges the deepest fibres of your capabilities is often more refreshing than crossing the finish line without beating a sweat.

It’s okay to be normal and ordinary and let logical reasoning dictate your life. But, every now and then your heart will yearn for something which will defy logic, to achieve which you must transcend normalcy. Don’t let the fear of defeat deter you from entering such a losing battle. The greatest good from being willing to fight losing battles is that it gives you courage to fight more losing battles.

Until, you finally win.

Fate is a deceitful mistress. Yet, all its chicanery will ultimately bow to the simplicity of relentless pursuit. So, stop holding back and plan to fight and win your losing battle today.

‘P’(ee) for Pride -

Amit Rao, PGP 2013-15

I have always maintained that the auto-drivers in Mumbai are one of the best conversationalists.

These auto-drivers can really alleviate the mood with their run-of-the-mill experiences. He may come from various parts of the country but there are some typical traits to his personality. With the left leg folded, the non-stop ruminating of paan and a shirt too hot to be buttoned fully; the knack of how he drives the ancient and cacophonous 3-wheeler vehicle with utmost harmony is a mystery!

One Monday evening, I came across such a specimen. The first thing he asked me was if I was an engineer. I am not sure if my nerdy spectacles or my bulky bag gave it away, actually, to think of

it every third person in India is an engineer, so I blame it wholly on demography! He started to enquire about the latest mobile phones in the market. I told him about a few features he should look for while buying a new phone. He smiled back.

Then came out the true story...

Apparently on Sunday morning, he, his 'aurat' (wife) and his mother were sitting outside this jewellery store. Sunday being the weekly holiday, he didn't have much work to do and was playing with his 5 year old son outside a closed jewellery store. The driver and his family stayed in a shanty near the store and in the scorching heat, the shanty would get as hot as a tandoor and so they preferred to sit outside. Out of the blue, the store owner came to check on something inside the store. After a few minutes, the owner came out and started peeing on the wall few meters away from the store. The autorickshaw driver's son was playing quite close by and this irked his father. The driver stood up and started screaming at the owner but the owner quietly relieved himself to glory! The store had a toilet inside and this was just to drive them out of that place. Unable to handle the insult in front of his family, he started screaming at the owner. In between the volley of words, the driver thrust his phone to his son. The son taking this as a signal from his father threw the phone, aiming at the owner's head. Amazingly, the throw hit its target and the victim went grunting back to the store, cursing all the way.

The driver said that he had never been more proud. There was a very big smile on his face.

He didn’t care that his had phone broken into a million pieces.

He didn’t care that it would cost him atleast Rs.4000-5000 to buy a new phone.

He didn’t care that he would have to work double to make up.

All he cared was that his son stood up for him.

Pride they say!

The Art of Gifting -

Sohini Sarkar, PGP 2013-15 The title is pretty misleading since this isn’t any kind of a discourse on how to go about choosing a gift for someone for an occasion. In fact, I am not interested in debating whether it is important and mandatory or not to give something physical and solid to express your best wishes or convey your gratitude or simply put across your feelings for them. It is futile.

In the age of unparalleled globalised connectivity, going to an actual shop and spending few hours on deliberating upon a piece of chinaware or a hard bound book is equivalent to missing out of on at least hundred tweets! But then, why do need to even step out of your room? Click, click, click! You have received an item from so and so, which was ordered from E Bay/Jabong/Flipkart/Naaptol… And the list is dangerously growing ever since someone added

the alphabet ‘e’ in front of the word ‘shopping’. And then, there are others who pretend to ridicule and discard gifts or presents as kiddish and follow it up with a ‘Guys, grow up!’ show off. And there are some who have just enough time to post a hurried ‘Congo’ or ‘HBTY’ (Stands for Happy Birthday To You, in case you couldn’t figure it out!) on the Facebook wall and think that’s more than enough.

Well, everyone is right and no one is wrong. But I am just different.

Gifts are an obsession for me. I gift my friends on their birthday. I gift them when it’s their big day too! I have to give something, could be anything, to that room neighbour who irons my clothes or braids my hair whenever I ask, that classmate of mine who photocopies his own notes and gets it for me, another batch mate who helps me out with my assignment a day before exams.

It is not like I don’t say ‘Thank You’ then and there. I do. But when I back it up with a small key chain/a handmade card/a bar of chocolate/a bookmark, it stays on as an adorable reminder of that fact I indeed meant it. It is like saying ‘Thank You’ in my own personal way.

However, the selection of the souvenir is not random. A certain amount of retrospection and estimation precedes it. What is my equation with the intended recipient? Is he/she one of my closest friends or just a pal or an acquaintance? The classification is important for me as it helps to prioritize on how much time and effort to put in to fix upon a decent souvenir. I certainly don’t wish to overdose some unassuming classmate with a personalised token for fixing my cycle! It will just lead pure awkwardness for both the parties.

So, what is it that I can possible give to that helpful classmate? Books and comics serve as good options. They are neutral and almost everyone reads them. However, it becomes tricky when it comes to matching my pick to person’s taste. I once gave one of my favourite books to a friend and later came to know that he didn’t fancy it that much. I am not saying that people should like whatever I gift them. They have all the right to dislike it, loathe it and turn it up in a trash. But then, if I spend some time in picking up a particular book over all others books, I better make sure that it belongs to a genre which the person generally enjoys. That’s precisely the point behind the whole thought process. The effort which you put behind choosing a gift holds as much significance as the gift itself. That shows that at least for a while, you thought about that person, his/her likes, habits, preferences, lifestyle before making your decision. You paused and dedicated few minutes of your life to that person. That itself is speaks about the worth of the person on your life.

I generally craft personalised items for my closest friends. I love doing art work and usually make bookmarks, hand bound notebooks etc. and pair it up with a greeting card. Or sometimes, I edit photographs and give hard copies printed. Photographs, I feel, are one of the simplest static memoirs and yet, they evoke the strongest and the most dynamic emotions in us.

All this while, you must be thinking that I am the one who always gives but let me tell you, I have been at the receiving end of some of the sweetest surprises. A friend bought a book which I wanted to borrow from him; another one gave me my birthday gift at 2 am in the night, 4 months after my birthday and just two hours before I left for home for winter vacations; my internship roommates surprised me with advance birthday greeting cards; my wing mates conjured a full-

fledged cake out of thin air, right after I had treated them for the same; and yet another one turned up at my internship residence, just to see me till the airport! There are many more but they are mostly gestures and actions of kindness and generosity. When someone does something touching for you, it is equivalent to being gifted, sometimes much more than that.

A gift makes you feel wanted, loved and cared for. It makes you nostalgic and fills you with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the fact that someone somewhere someday for some time thought about of you. Only you.

POETRY

Change As I sit alone in a dark deserted place, Many thoughts come in to flood my mental space.

My shell has kept me safe till now, But it’s time to come out, and fulfil my worldly vow.

I am worried about the road that lies ahead, It’s going to be extremely tough, or so it has been said.

It’s rocky and twisted and difficult to follow, At times it will fill you with joy, and at times with deep sorrow.

A small whisper emerges amid all this noise, Its change that I am afraid of, said a meek, tiny voice.

This voice inside my head was trying to make me understand, That change is something the entire Universe has planned.

It cannot be undone and it cannot be fought, The best way is to embrace it, and all answers will be sought.

-

Shruti Tripathi, PGP 2013-15

Pocket Full of Love So this girl had a tiny pocket, Smaller than the smallest bucket.

But she made good use of it, So she had no time to sit.

In the pocket she went around collecting A golden powder, always shimmering.

It shone brightly on her hands, Each time she held the powdery sand.

She loved the glittery color, She loved the subtle perfume,

She loved the powdery touch, And sometimes the bitter sweet taste.

She loved the powder so much, That she travelled till Deutsch, Assembling the powder, As her pocket grew crowded.

Always in a frenzy, She went around collecting.

One fine morning on her way, When she couldn’t find more, To add to her exiting store, She paused from her frenzy, And felt her pocket weightless.

It couldn’t be.

She had found so much of the powder And now it felt like it had all blown with the wind, Or washed with the waves, Or simply passed into nothingness!

With much anticipation and a little doubt, She put her hand Into the Pocket Full of Love.

Only to realize That there had been a hole all this while, In her pocket full of love.

Sadly, she cried and cried And swore to never love.

She blamed herself And she blamed the world.

Melancholic and distressed, She kept walking ahead.

Forgetting to look back, At the lane behind her, Shimmering with the powder That had fallen out, From her Pocket full of love!

-

Akanksha Mittal, PGP 2013-15

On the gates of Thought

An idea knocks, During silent contemplation.

जो हमारे थे पास, वो बस बात बन के रह गए

It seeks action And the thrill Of a long draught of strong Will.

बाकी

Intoxicated deeds forge, And come forth, with a potent brew.

To hew, Stones and move mountains.

To tear, Skies and reach heavens.

Play god, liberate.

Play god, besiege.

लफ़्िों के जाल हम बुनते ही रह गए

तय कर ललया था फकतना, और फकतनी थी राह बस किमों के ननशाँ हम गगनते ही रह गए

सुलझने की कोलशश में और उलझते ही रह गए ऊँचे थे ख्वाब, कम पड़ गए थे हौसले

और पार करना था जो समूंिर, उसी में डब के बह गए दिल तो बस धड़कते ही रह गए

Or...

भीड़ में बस अकेले ही रह गए

Stay sober.

Drink deep and slow.

From the stolid well of weak will.

Entomb your ideas. Still.

-

Karthik Shetty, PGSEM 2013

भीड़ में अकेला दिल तो बस धड़कते ही रह गए भीड़ में बस अकेले ही रह गए लभ रहे खामोश, नम रही आँखें और कहनी थी जो बात, वो तो कोई और ही कह गए तनहाइयों में आपको ढूं डते ही रह गए सनी इन गललयों में भटकते ही रह गए ख़त्म हो गए रास्तें , मूंज़िल फिर भी रही िर और काटनी थी साथ जो उम्र, उसे अकेले ही सह गए पीछे जजनको छोड़ आये थे, वो याि बन के रह गए

-

Kartik Gupta, PGP 2013-15

My Dream My dream is so wild, It scares me at night, It haunts me like a monster.

I pray, God keep my hopes alive, which will light the lamp of my dream forever.

My dream is so wild.......

My path is so long and bumpy, I do not know what is so far, I am not lonely as I am walking with my fear.

I pray, God let my dream lead my fear on my way.

My path is so long and bumpy......

My spirit is so high, But few hurdles fall in my way like a mountain, Upset me for a while, My energy gushes through them like a fountain.

I pray, God shower me with energy which can be renewed like rays and waves.

My spirit is so high.......

Let my failure be taller than my success, Let it be more rewarding, Let me win though I fail, Let me amuse though I lose, I pray, God give me strength to celebrate my defeat.

Let my failure be taller than my success.......

-

To be delusional has god picked in me a good scapegoat Finally fixing me with common folk who gloat Mercy is what I hope and pray for To resuscitate me so that I can live a life I don’t abhor Mind and body not functioning like waves striking the shore Filled with zest in a place where waking up means much more

Sanjali Das, PGPPM 2013-15 -

Borrowed Time There seems to be no zeal Little things that amused me no longer I want to feel Is succeeding really my Achille’s heel?

No, I’m really worth more than rejected vegetable peel I can no longer live in hallucination Blurred only in the past was my vision The final nails being driven on my coffin Leaves me only with a hope of a better succession When has the world ever been fair?

I deserved more love and not so much despair Living an average life is such a mundane affair A realization of my worst nightmare Is it karma settling scores of an old dispute Even my face forming for the tears a perfect conduit Happiness has always been just a pursuit A wild goose chase never bearing fruit I look around and find not many in my boat Why does exclusivity not help me stay afloat?

Shreyas BR, PGP 2013-15

Ruins of a Memory These lazy sunny afternoons ablaze, They bare their invite to temptation, To lay upon the heathen face, And share, memories of occasion.

These walls of sullen stone and grey, Weave many with an untold tale, Who bring to here, their destiny to play, And depart on wings, with dreams to sail Are we adrift, in a forlorn maze?

Riding the conceited mask of vanity, When vanished she, without a trace, Let me rest, in the ruins of my memory.

And though there be a solemn wish, To turn those relentless hands of time Back to when life be so bliss, foolish, Yet I fight to never turn behind.

As I stagger through The ruins of my memory, Each stone be a story untold.

I am the chisel, I am the stone, Let my memories, Hence unfold.

-

Vishal S Rao, PGP 2013-15

मैं प्यार मा​ाँगता हू मैं आज उस सवीश से उपहार माँगता ह । उजड़े हुए चमन का श्ग ूंर ार माँगता ह ।। टटे हुए दिलों के ललये प्यार माँगता ह ।

ननिःस्तब्ध घुूंघरुऒ ूं की झनकार माँगता ह ।। धोखेबा़ि दिलों का सूंघार माँगता ह । उत्साहहीन मनोंन का अूंगार माँगता ह- ।। बूंजर जमीन के ललये सूंसार माँगता ह । असिल प्रेमगाथा का सार माँगता ह- ।। ढहते हुए फकले की िीवार माँगता ह । शाूंत मूंि दिल का सूंचार माँगता ह ।। हताहत हृिय के ललये यार माँगता ह । प्रेमहीन मनोंन- की चीत्कार माँगता ह ।। अूंतरननदहत लशनतल्ता का उपचार माँगता ह । प्रेमकार माँगता ह-मय हृिय का कूंु भ- ।।

अपने हृिय तारों की झनकार माँगता ह । हाँ प्यार माँगता ह मैं प्यार माँगता ह ।। -

Mohit Srivastava, PGP 2012-14

There will be a moon another day There will be a moon another day, shining only for you, Tonight is a lonely one, for all the ethereal you to come true, The grey skies, hastening clouds and the breeze will take you home,

Where the mornings sing a lullaby, tender honey dew on your feet You belong within, deepened roots have the signs, no matter where, Close your eyes; it’s time to reach out to the wild, bare and numb, Unleash the fiery images, for you are already smitten by the dust There is no foot treading back, only the quiet drumming beat of the heart Perhaps, the hands of the glory is bestowed upon the other side of the world, The wine for the victorious already spilled out, you are nothing but astray, No man cries for the dead to come back, it’s only the dry wind howling the moments, Beneath the soulless tree, dissolves the soft hustle of breathe; you fly to reach miles away - Priyadarshini K, PGP 2013-15

Swan Song The still, silent night is fading away Dawn is smiling and promises day A little tree yawns and rustles its leaves A gentle draught blows and sweeps the streets A lone highway truck rumbles by The trembling road shudders and sighs A street dog barks with sleep in its eyes And circles my body and scares the flies The buzz, the stench, a severed limb A guilty letter, a bloody grim The street dog stares and twists its head Did it hear the last words that I said?

Flaps in the wind and chirps in the sky The birds are waking up now But ne'er will I. -

Amit Bhatia, EPGP 2013

Ode on a Yellow Flower

वो पछना तुझको चाय/कॉिी के ललए

I met my old passion again.

From the library with a handful of colorful notes In the girl campaigning door-to-door for votes Running near Whistling Woods from Term3

वो सोचना हर बात करने से पहले अक्सर

I saw my passion in the flight of frisbee And in the Shezwan noodles at Park & Eat And on my way to NC for a treat In the peals of laughter in the mess Reliving the last of college days And in the lustful carrots, showing her curves Project deadlines, pumping caffeine in one's nerves In birthday PPTs, L-Squares and fist-falls I saw my words clenched in bits in each stall.

From K-13, as you pierce the sky into two And grades and struggle dissolves in you Where fits for survival are broken in happiness Yes, I'm talking about this place.

Here, it is just another day, And yet special in many ways Between you and me, between us and poetry Let me fly now.

-

Mitesh Karwa, PGP 2013-15

वो ढूं डना लमलने का बहाना बार बार की त क्या सोचती होगी मेरे बारे में

वो करना हँ सी दि​िोली तुझसे हर बात में

वो करना कोलशश हर पल रहने की तेरे साथ में वो ननश्चय हर दिन की आज इ़िहार कर लेंगे वो तेरे सामने जाते ही सब कुछ भल जाना

वो फिर सोचना की आज नहीूं कल कर लेंगे लेफकन उस कल का फिर शायि कभी ना आना आज भी पड़े हैं चूंि वो मेसेज मेरे ड्राफ्ट में जो मैं तझ ु को अभी तक भेज ना पाया अब भी पड़े है चूंि शेर मेरी फकताब में

जो मैं तेरी शान में आजतक पढ़ नहीूं पाया एक खबसरत लड़की हमेशा एक पहे ली ही होती है उस पहे ली को मुजश्कल बनाती उसकी एक सहे ली होती है

अक्सर कई मोहब्बतें लसमट के रह जाती है इन मुस्कराहट के िरलमयाँ

आखख़र दिल के सूंग दिमाग़ की ऐसी क्या हिखेली होती है सोचा है इस बार अपनी इस मोहब्बत तो कामयाब कर जाएँगे

एक लड़की

़िुबान से ना सही लफ़​़िो से ही पैगाम पहुचाएँगे

वो हर रो़ि क्लास मे ननहारते तुझको रहना

नहीूं तो यह कववता शायि फकसी और के काम आ

वो चप ु चाप पलट जाना तेरे रुख़ करने पर वो करना आस की कब त िे खेगी इधर

वो खश ु हो जाना तेरी एक झलक पाने पर

होगी जो वो फकस्मत में तो आ गले लग जाएगी जाएगी -

Nalin Goel, PGP 2013-15

The Sparrow

Sometimes, I am the wanderer!

Lost in soul screening-

Will the sparrow that left the nest Finally find its way and get some rest!

Will it fly and shine to high Before the dusk engulfs the light!

You may wonder if it’s to be If it’s at all, destined to see The shimmering meadows and the lustrous greens Before the gray steals the tint Before the dark would flush the blush Before it’s late to find the path Since the difference Between black and white Is lost in the shades of gray It may falter, it might stray..

It’s said, the night is dark Dusk and dawn plays their part I wonder if it’s true Over the porch the sky is blue!

-

Avijit Dutta, EPGP 2012

Who Am I? An unanswered thought, This now comes a lot!

Challenging my own existence, My past my present!

So far I have learnt and seen, Following your gut help you win.

In times of uncertaintiesIn times of enormitiesEveryone is fighting his own battle, So refrain from judging others.

Try to look – From their perspective rather!

So, sometimes, I am the seeker, Finding life’s true meaning.

Yet I am as ignorant, As a child Trapped in illusions Innocent and beguiled Yet I wear masks At different tasks I am the obedience I am the authority I am kindness I am cruelty I am hope and despair.

I am light and dark.

Yet this enlightenment journey, I wish to embark.

It is easy to say Then to act And in trying times I fail to keep my pact In struggles of life Sometimes I doubt divine light Yet in the darkness I know there is a ray of hope.

This is clear and bright.

Ups and downs of life, Leave me confused.

Yet different hues of life, Leave me amused.

I know life is like a giant wheel, Where good times and bad, Come reel by reel.

Still, why I feel this anxiety, When dark sky hover over me?

I know my faith is sacred, Then why I feel alone?

Why I am scared?

I know you are with me there, And this wordily illusion is just another affair.

Why this faith is shaken?

Why I can’t accept with firmness your holy haven.

Thank You God, For You made me a different human being in this stereotypical world.

I need the strength To have my belief intact In autumn and spring I need this positive swing

- Surya Lakshmi Chellapilla, PGPPM 2013-15

But, how to achieve!

So that in testing times I act what I believe!

How to embrace?

So that in all the illusions I can live with grace -

Kritika Sharva, PGSEM 2012

Thankful to God I am thankful to God. For my pimpled face.

For it made me look beyond the stereotype of skin-deep beauty.

For my twisted palm.

For it is immaterial when I give something to someone.

For my crooked foot.

For it treads the untrodden path, no matter its shape.

For my weak knee.

For they are upright even if they cannot withstand my weight for long.

For my obesity.

For it has the potential to repel prospective suitors obsessed with appearance.

For my ‘non- functional’ formal education.

For it taught me to analyse and rise above pettiness.

For my belated employment.

For it keeps me out of the ‘climb-the-ladder’ rat race for sure and helps me focus on real professional issues.

For my ‘singleton’ hood.

For it ensures my independence.

नज़र फक ऩिरों से उनके हम यँ खेल रहे थे

वो पलकें झक ु ाकर मेरा इूंत़िार कर रही थी झक ु ी हुई ऩिर से वो मझ ु से प्यार कर रही थी उन्हें लगा फक हमें शायि मालम नहीूं

पर शमम-ओ-हया से झक ु ी उनकी आँखें उनके प्यार का इ़िहार कर रही थी

बाररश का मौसम था और शाम ढल रही थी पुरवाई हवाएूं अपना रुख बिल रही थी

िल सी उस ना़िुक उस कलल पर कुछ यँ खम ु ार छाया

िे ख के उसकी मिमस्त आँखों को जैसे उसपर मुझे प्यार आया ख़ामोश उसके लबों पर जैसे बरसों की प्यास थी मेरे दिल को लगा जैसे तलाश थी

मुझे कब से उसकी

खश ु ी का पैगाम बनकर जैसे मेरा दिलिार आ गया

उसकी झुकी हुई ऩिर पे मुझे ऐतबार आ गया मिहोशी के आलम में वो मुझपे कोई जाि सा कर गई

चूंचल शरारती नैन से वो मेरा

जाम भर

गई शरारत भरी उन आँखों की मुझे अब भी तलाश है

तेरी इूंत़िार में ये आँखें आज भी उिास हैं -

Sushil Kumar Gautam, PGP 2013-15

The Wavecatcher Tall and expansive, Like a huge magnet attracting, He walked on by the side of the sea.

Swaying to the music of the waves, As they splashed against the shore, Each time trying in vain, To come closer to him.

As close as they could.

He could hear them whining, Sometimes smiling, And sometimes talking to him.

Each time he had a question, He hurled it to the waves, Abide they did, To their duty of serving their master, The Wavecatcher.

Dear Wavecatcher, will you bring me that wave?

Which one is it that you crave?

That wave which is far far away, Bigger than you and I, Bigger than the sea, Behold, as it come towards you, Perhaps it grows bigger and bigger, Perhaps it just dies midway, I could never tell, But you can, can you?

He controlled them like a magician,

Creating surprises from his black magical hat.

He played with them like a musician, Each note distinct and soulful.

He adored them like a lover, Caressing the wounds caused by the shore.

But he caught them like no one else, Each wave he put in a glass bottle.

And it stayed there forever, Twirling inside it, Making patterns of its own.

A galaxy of colours that reflected through the bottles.

And he kept the bottles in his house on the beach.

Dear Wavecatcher, Won’t you tell me where this wave is headed?

Which city is it coming from?

Won’t it bring me the gift of a smile?

Or the treasures of the sea?

Or remnants of the secrets, buried deep inside?

Will it bring the tickling sensation of the sands washing past my feet?

Or the suffocating calamity of trying to swim my way through it?

You can tell me, can you?

And one day the weather was just not right, There was a growing unrest, Both on the outside and inside.

He seemed to have lost the magical touch, The same attractive force.

And the waves inside and outside, No longer cared, They wanted out, Each wave flooded its own little bottle.

Each wave lashed against the shore in desperation.

That is when he let them go, And it rained like it had never done before.

-

Akanksha Mittal, PGP 2013-15

She would never know...

What drew her cubs, Away from her Into hunger.

Sprawled amongst dead leaves,

She melted.

Flitting past Sambar woods, Deer copse and buffalo pools, Cackling monkey groves, To where the devil danced.

On the worn path, She sped To the village of the human kind.

She hungered first For her flesh And then for the poisoned human mind.

The woods thinned & the air reeked Of flesh and lust, Of tiger cubs and blood.

The village woke To find the air choked By the presence of a ghost.

Fear they sensed and they feared The hunger that it bore To rip life from hands Hands that caught and tore

Wasting away by the pool, Solitude woke her And she found Her nipples wet and cold.

A forlorn roar escaped her And she ran.

Fleeting paws fell on stone, Rotting logs and rabbit holes.

She could smell her scent On paw prints in the mud. “Hide and seek?"

But among the thorns, She merely caught A stench of something foul.

Human greed.

Human soul.

The sky dimmed, While she stood Striated and betrayed But the night was torched and The trees refused to conceal.

They watched her shadow rise From the midst of the bamboo shoots.

But they were quick to shoot and satiate, The hunger in her eyes.

She tasted lead through her head And fell to human greed.

What drew her little cubs away?

-

Karthik Shetty, PGSEM 2013

Not worth a second glance Lost in the crowd

Neither smart nor proud Invisible to everybody’s eye Calm, collected but very shy Still confused when everyone else has taken a stance She’s not worth a second glance.

एक साथी था जो छट गया

When the world is prejudiced And humanity is scarce People like her are an endangered race Heart of gold and a transparent soul Never given a chance She’s not worth a second glance.

अरमानों के शीशे टट गए

Smile on the face and frown in the heart Here, hope and faith are poles apart She’s the one who you’ll find lending a helping hand When all have gone and alone you stand Reality then strikes like a lance But you still believe she’s not worth a second glance.

Gone are the days when good triumphs over evil All that exists now is only the devil Love is nothing but a myth None can be trusted neither kin nor kith Doom is hovering over mankind, like a slow dance Do you still think she’s not worth a second glance?

-

Kalpana Varman, PGP 2013-15

यादों के गललयारे से... एक पूंछी नीलगगन में ननकला था, यािों के गललयारे से कुछ भी याि नहीूं था उसे

लसवाय फकस्मत के वारों के.

एक बूंधन था जो टट गया जो सपने थे वो टट गए अपने भी खि ु से रूि गए दिल की ना़िुक िीवारों पे

फकस काँधे पर वो ववलाप करे फकससे उस दिल की बात करे जजस दिल में इक तिाूं सा है आते जाते ़िज्बातों से आखें भी अब सागर हैं बनीूं आूंस के बहते धारों से एक पूंछी नीलगगन में ननकला था, यािों के गललयारे से यािों के गललयारे से...

-

Gaurav Pagaria, PGP 2013-15

Morning Raga Open thy eyes today As sunshine embraces thy lids Pause a moment though And dream.

Of how this day shall pass.

Hope for miracles Cause the world is just.

A mirror of your desires.

A quiet promise to your soul.

Of forgiveness of the past Empty thy worries, thy fears Smile to welcome the benign.

Live this promise each day.

Revel in the dominion of your fantasies.

And smile as reality amazes you.

Every moment. Each day.

-

Gangotri Naik, PGP 2013-15

And I surrender myself To a dreadful truth.

Friends for namesake, We are worse than strangers.

-

Why Aren’t We Strangers?

It takes just a smile And two kind words For two strangers To become friends.

For us, a borrowed pen And a couple of jokes Was more than enough.

As the sands of time slipped by, Gags were shared And secrets spilled over the brim.

But one fine day, everything went wrong.

Who was the cause? Who was to blame?

Why did we confide in each other, Everything that was concealed from others?

Why did we expect from each other, Only to hurt and get hurt in return?

Why didn’t we choose to remain Strange and aloof to each other, Exchanging pleasantries as a norm?

We fought and made up.

But the strains refused to fade away.

Now we both wear a mask.

Mask of indifference and apathy.

Our conversations are just a formality For each other’s sake.

We fall silent now and then And those long silent pauses Hit like darts And shatter my mask, Revealing the turmoil of emotions beneath it.

But you have turned your back And moved on, With your mask still intact.

I gather the pieces of my mask back For I need it again.

Sohini Sarkar, PGP 2013-15

अब

प

ईब

प

औ

ब ई

ब

अब ब

ब ब

अब ब

ब ब

, -एअब

ब

-ए-

-

Nalin Goel, PGP 2013-15