I am leaving for Rourkela tomorrow morning and I must admit it that though I am excited but today, for the first time, I got the feeling inside me that I am going to miss home once again. Though this time, the magnitude of nostalgia will be of course less but still that will persist for some time.
Yes, one more thing is that I don’t know if I would be able to blog from Rourkela. Though Internet connection has been provided for each student in his or her rooms, but I am not taking a computer this time as I will not be needing it intensely this year. I don’t think that we would be allowed to blog from our lab-it’s for studying not for blogging! I will be taking a computer next year and then I can continue posting-but still will try to post whenever I get an opportunity.
I came to know from one of my senior that classes will be from 8 in the morning to 5 in the evening with just a one-hour lunch break! God! But yes, there will be a 15 minutes break after each class. Well, for the first I did shop for some formals to wear to college- I hate wearing formals- I am always in my favorite jeans ;-) I wonder if we have to wear formals to college for 4 years or it is just a rule for freshers made by the seniors!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
A Wild Post!
This post is about nothing specific. It’s about many things at the same time. Basically it's about the events happening.
24th July is nearing and my excitement heightens as approaches! College life will be commencing soon. But somewhere there is also a nervousness-ragging! Want to see what this “ragging” is all about that it’s so much talked about during the pre-college days.
Learning C! Studies begun before the college has started. I always thought that learning a programming language was boring but learning C is really interesting- though not very easy!
Missing friends! My friends who had come during their vacation are now back as their classes have started. And I am getting bored alone at home. No more roving on bikes till late nights, no more masti hanging around. Sometimes I feel I am alone in I this world. Especially missing Deepak who is now in Bangalore. Deeps, I miss you!
Very few days left for staying at home and then a new life-lets see how it goes!
24th July is nearing and my excitement heightens as approaches! College life will be commencing soon. But somewhere there is also a nervousness-ragging! Want to see what this “ragging” is all about that it’s so much talked about during the pre-college days.
Learning C! Studies begun before the college has started. I always thought that learning a programming language was boring but learning C is really interesting- though not very easy!
Missing friends! My friends who had come during their vacation are now back as their classes have started. And I am getting bored alone at home. No more roving on bikes till late nights, no more masti hanging around. Sometimes I feel I am alone in I this world. Especially missing Deepak who is now in Bangalore. Deeps, I miss you!
Very few days left for staying at home and then a new life-lets see how it goes!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Mumbai- the rudest city?
I was going to Rourkela in train when I grabbed a copy of Reader’s Digest (July edition) and turned to read the article about politeness and according to Reader’s Digest (RD), Mumbai is the rudest city in the world! It had conducted a survey in some of the major cities in the world and had concluded that Mumbai is the rudest city.
It tested about politeness in three different aspects- a “thank you” said by the shopkeepers when they bought something, helped by someone on dropping a folder of papers and keeping a door open for someone entering a shop by the workers. And they complained about everything in Mumbai.
When being asked by a sales-man why he didn’t say a “thank you” when the man bought something, he had replied that he smiled and asked if that was not enough? Not enough for RD. For you? For me a smile is worth more than a “thank you”- a person giving you a smile is more polite than someone saying “thank you” without feeling it-at least for me this holds true. I have encountered both the situations and I am likely to visit the shop again which returns me with a smile- I do so! But RD has “strict rules” and doesn’t count it for politeness. But RD doesn’t report how many people in New York (labelled as the most polite city) said “thank you” with actually meaning it!
RD doesn’t stop here. It went on. More on labeling Mumbai the rudest city with all sorts of examples.
Now after the Mumbai blasts, I think RD should re-consider what it had written. The way people helped others was really awe-inspiring. After the blasts instead of being in their homes in safety, the people were geared up to help in any way possible. Now this is what is the spirit, the real picture of Mumbai- not what the RD had portrayed and put into words.
Then after this, RD had also written about the brighter side of Mumbai- and had written that the young were found to be more polite than the elders and so the future is bright. RD claims that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world and why can't it take as it had written? What does writing about the brighter side mean? Just to appease the people? No need of that, RD! You have done much favour. Thank you. I was just polite.
I think that RD instead of publishing an article has done more a “lawyer” kind of job and “played” with words.
It tested about politeness in three different aspects- a “thank you” said by the shopkeepers when they bought something, helped by someone on dropping a folder of papers and keeping a door open for someone entering a shop by the workers. And they complained about everything in Mumbai.
When being asked by a sales-man why he didn’t say a “thank you” when the man bought something, he had replied that he smiled and asked if that was not enough? Not enough for RD. For you? For me a smile is worth more than a “thank you”- a person giving you a smile is more polite than someone saying “thank you” without feeling it-at least for me this holds true. I have encountered both the situations and I am likely to visit the shop again which returns me with a smile- I do so! But RD has “strict rules” and doesn’t count it for politeness. But RD doesn’t report how many people in New York (labelled as the most polite city) said “thank you” with actually meaning it!
RD doesn’t stop here. It went on. More on labeling Mumbai the rudest city with all sorts of examples.
Now after the Mumbai blasts, I think RD should re-consider what it had written. The way people helped others was really awe-inspiring. After the blasts instead of being in their homes in safety, the people were geared up to help in any way possible. Now this is what is the spirit, the real picture of Mumbai- not what the RD had portrayed and put into words.
Then after this, RD had also written about the brighter side of Mumbai- and had written that the young were found to be more polite than the elders and so the future is bright. RD claims that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world and why can't it take as it had written? What does writing about the brighter side mean? Just to appease the people? No need of that, RD! You have done much favour. Thank you. I was just polite.
I think that RD instead of publishing an article has done more a “lawyer” kind of job and “played” with words.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The Reservation Saga Continues...
During my counselling at NIT, Rourkela this reservation thing again popped up among the qualified students who had attended the counselling. This was because we came to know about the students (the SC & ST candidates) who were allotted seats the previous day. We saw the list of students who were allotted seats in the various institutes along with their All India Rank (AIR). Clearly it was totally obvious that these students were the under performers in the AIEEE exam as was apparent by their AIR.
The starting rank for the ST candidates was 56241(at this rank a general candidate is ineligible for counselling but the ST candidate secured a seat in NIT, Rkl in Electronics and Communication Engineering-the most sought after branch) and the highest rank for the SC was 18446(he secured a seat for Computer Science in NIT, Surathkal and a general candidate can’t think of securing any branch in NIT, Surathkal).
The next day when our admission list was released, it left many students fuming and speaking abuses against the system and it was totally justified. The starting rank was 615 and the last rank was 9939 and all good branches in all the good NITs were filled up in the first day itself and counselling will be continuing till 6th July! As on 4th July, I have found out that nearly all the seats have been filled up and the students who will be counselled further can only expect to get a seat in any college-or I must say not even that!
[Anyone wishing to check about the correctness of these figures, click here.]
There were discussions among students concerning this thing and separate discussion among the guardians as well relating to the same issue. I also got to meet some reserved category students, who had come to collect their admission letters, but didn’t had a chat with them-or I must say didn’t wanted to. Nor for that matter did anyone else! I was just thinking that how is it possible to cheat students so openly and no one even opposing the system!
Discussions were going on in small groups and I was also in one of these groups. Someone said that what was the guilt that we have done that we receive such treatment? At this, I said the guilt is that we are born in a family who does not belong to reserved category. At this someone else said that this reservation system is similar to the situation as giving a “four runs” on hitting a boundary while to some other hitting the same shot is awarded with “six runs”. We laughed with gusto at this joke!
Now is this system itself not a joke? Should we laugh at this system? Or should we laugh at ourselves? Has the quota protests died forever? And are we contented as to what will happen?
The starting rank for the ST candidates was 56241(at this rank a general candidate is ineligible for counselling but the ST candidate secured a seat in NIT, Rkl in Electronics and Communication Engineering-the most sought after branch) and the highest rank for the SC was 18446(he secured a seat for Computer Science in NIT, Surathkal and a general candidate can’t think of securing any branch in NIT, Surathkal).
The next day when our admission list was released, it left many students fuming and speaking abuses against the system and it was totally justified. The starting rank was 615 and the last rank was 9939 and all good branches in all the good NITs were filled up in the first day itself and counselling will be continuing till 6th July! As on 4th July, I have found out that nearly all the seats have been filled up and the students who will be counselled further can only expect to get a seat in any college-or I must say not even that!
[Anyone wishing to check about the correctness of these figures, click here.]
There were discussions among students concerning this thing and separate discussion among the guardians as well relating to the same issue. I also got to meet some reserved category students, who had come to collect their admission letters, but didn’t had a chat with them-or I must say didn’t wanted to. Nor for that matter did anyone else! I was just thinking that how is it possible to cheat students so openly and no one even opposing the system!
Discussions were going on in small groups and I was also in one of these groups. Someone said that what was the guilt that we have done that we receive such treatment? At this, I said the guilt is that we are born in a family who does not belong to reserved category. At this someone else said that this reservation system is similar to the situation as giving a “four runs” on hitting a boundary while to some other hitting the same shot is awarded with “six runs”. We laughed with gusto at this joke!
Now is this system itself not a joke? Should we laugh at this system? Or should we laugh at ourselves? Has the quota protests died forever? And are we contented as to what will happen?
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Travel,NIT,Rourkela...
I had my seat allotment procedure (counselling) which was conducted by the Central Counselling Board (CCB) this Friday and Saturday. It turned out to be great as I got a seat allotted for studying Computer Science and Engineering in NIT, Rourkela (NIT, Rkl)
I had my counselling in NIT, Rkl itself and reaching the place from my hometown, in itself, is an enormous endeavor indeed! No direct train at a proper time of a day (trains available only at late nights for both to and from journey) and the ten-hour bus journey is a Herculean task because of the hilly terrain throughout the journey.
But once you reach Rourkela it’s fantastic! Clean roads, greenery everywhere, well planned town planning and no traffic problem, no dust and pollution in spite of being the steel city. The city is divided into two parts by a hill-range. On one side is the steel plant with all the pollution, dust, and bustling city life and on the other side just the opposite- pollution free environment, well planned roads, much less traffic and above all greenery-I loved it! The hills dividing the city into two parts blocks all the dust and pollution and so this side is paradise! Anyone wanting to get rid of the busy city life and wants peace has a fantastic option to live for a few days in the residential area of Rourkela.
The National Institute of Technology(NIT) is situated away from the city and so its vast campus provides a serene look and a decent life at the NIT. I was totally amazed by the beauty of the campus- incredible!
The counselling procedure was long and boring but found some of the Bansalites(students of Bansal Classes) whom I knew and so it was not that bad. Also made some new friends who would with me in college-it was a good experience meeting so many students sharing a common temperament. I was pretty sure that I would be allotted a seat in NIT,Rkl in Computer Science, so there wasn’t any sort of thrill regarding this. But there was the excitement of seeing my future college but I had not thought that the campus would be such a pleasure to see and Rourkela such a fantastic place.
I have again to visit Rourkela on 10th July for the college admission and the classes will be starting on 24th July-want to visit Rourkela again but the journeying……
I had my counselling in NIT, Rkl itself and reaching the place from my hometown, in itself, is an enormous endeavor indeed! No direct train at a proper time of a day (trains available only at late nights for both to and from journey) and the ten-hour bus journey is a Herculean task because of the hilly terrain throughout the journey.
But once you reach Rourkela it’s fantastic! Clean roads, greenery everywhere, well planned town planning and no traffic problem, no dust and pollution in spite of being the steel city. The city is divided into two parts by a hill-range. On one side is the steel plant with all the pollution, dust, and bustling city life and on the other side just the opposite- pollution free environment, well planned roads, much less traffic and above all greenery-I loved it! The hills dividing the city into two parts blocks all the dust and pollution and so this side is paradise! Anyone wanting to get rid of the busy city life and wants peace has a fantastic option to live for a few days in the residential area of Rourkela.
The National Institute of Technology(NIT) is situated away from the city and so its vast campus provides a serene look and a decent life at the NIT. I was totally amazed by the beauty of the campus- incredible!
The counselling procedure was long and boring but found some of the Bansalites(students of Bansal Classes) whom I knew and so it was not that bad. Also made some new friends who would with me in college-it was a good experience meeting so many students sharing a common temperament. I was pretty sure that I would be allotted a seat in NIT,Rkl in Computer Science, so there wasn’t any sort of thrill regarding this. But there was the excitement of seeing my future college but I had not thought that the campus would be such a pleasure to see and Rourkela such a fantastic place.
I have again to visit Rourkela on 10th July for the college admission and the classes will be starting on 24th July-want to visit Rourkela again but the journeying……
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