Whispering Shadow

Look at the life of an average MU engineering student. The year is basically divided into 2 parts, when you have preparatory leaves (PL) and when you don’t have preparatory leaves. The former is the most boring and for some, the most daunting prospect anyone could face while the latter is always the ‘most-eagerly-looked-forward-to’ part of the academic year. Having just completed one more PL, I realize that at the end of four years of my engineering studies I would have spent effectively only a year studying. The 12 months are formed by adding up roughly one and a half months of PL for each semester. I had this SMS forward which read, “4 years, 40 subjects, 400 practicals, 4000 lectures, 40000 submissions and roughly 400000 rupees, that’s what engineering is all about.” I couldn’t have agreed with it more! Yesterday, at the post-exam chill-out session, my friends and I were discussing exactly that. Seven semesters into engineering and we really haven’t progressed much beyond our junior...

I happened to catch up with “I am Legend” today. There are many movies which have captured the doom’s day scenario, but this one particularly got me thinking. Imagine being the only survivor in a city like New York, where the only companion you have is you dog. Imagine having lived like this for almost three years. And when you think things can’t get worse, imagine, living in the perpetual fear of mutated zombies. The movie highlights the catastrophe playing with the human genome can bring. In the wake of finding a cure for cancer, a virus is created which in the movie, goes on to bring the human race on the brink of extinction. The mutations of the virus cause the subjects under test to develop initial symptoms like those of rabies which with time create a full-fledged disorder in the host’s physiology to create cannibalistic tendencies. Again, it is likely that the movie brings to life a far-fetched thought, but it is definitely a possibility, no matter how small its chances are. The...

I am generally not interested in what our dear politicians do, but the desperate campaigns both the chief parties, that is, the BJP and the Congress have had these elections have caught the attention of a lot of people across the country including me. On one hand, is the saffron politics of Mr. Modi. He has achieved iconic status in the state. Sometimes, you wonder whether he has become bigger than the party itself. Moditvas- the new term coined by the media for his remarks while addressing rallies- have taken the state by storm. When his campaign started, I was initially glad that he has kept his speeches free from the communal tones. But I guess the joy was short-lived because the true colour of the person resurfaced in his sermon in Godhra. Isn’t it disgraceful that you have the Chief Minister defending extra-judicial killings in front of 10000 people? Moreover, his whole defence was on the basis of him wiping out terrorists of the state. His use of the phrase ‘desh-drohi’ was such ...

I wrote a similar one before the vivas and I am writing one now, the motive being the same - To vent my frustration. I have this paper called Filter Theory and Applications (FTA) the day after. Don't gauge the level of sophistication of the subject by the big names used. Or hold on, may be the subject is highly conceptual in reality. However, the way the university papers are set, any one without an engineering background can make it through if he can mechanically absorb a lot of formulae and algorithms and put in some practice in perfecting these. The worst part is that the amount of portion incorporated is so vast that you don't get a chance to work on the finer details and learn everything superficially. Part of the blame lies on us because we don't start early, but we are proud to take consolation in the fact that the student needn't be perfect if the system itself is faulty. I think I should stop cribbing now. I am taking a break and will not spoil it discussing Mu...

We all love our social networking sites. Why won't we? They are a great place to catch up with new friends and find long lost ones too. But on the flipside, there's this whole menace of despo's scrapping. Being a guy, I don't bear the brunt of those scraps, but I have seen a lot of those in the scrap books of some of my female friends. Here're are some (marked in bold) I found from one of the communities against desperados for everyone to have a good laugh. I have supplemented them with replies of my own. u are so beautiful.....it must have hurt falling down from heaven! Yeah, pity I'll have to go back up there after reading this.I don't have any plans of falling down again. You look so soothing . Do you really soothe others ? Man, where did you see that side of me? Genius. I thought only my husband has experienced that bit. U n I have the same b'day. Ummm Lets find out what more we have in common than our horoscopes. Hmmm. Yeah despo scraps. U write the...

What's wrong with the world mama? People living like aint got no mamas I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And if you hatin you're bound to get irate Yeah madness is what you demonstrate And that's exactly how anger works and operates You gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all People killing people dying Children hurtin you hear them crying Can you practice what you preach Would you turn the other cheek? Father Father Father help us Send some guidance from above Cause people got me got me questioning Where is the love? It just ain't the same all ways have changed ...

There are different reasons why people smile- a dish well cooked, a painting beautifully coloured, an exam written successfully, an imminent threat averted and many more. For me, however, there are two things which can give me an immense amount of pleasure and satisfaction, more than any other possible. The first is writing, the second photography, not necessarily in that order. Of course, there are other momentary delights too, but then the two I have mentioned here are generally independent of factors(barring the laptop and the camera) around me, which makes them special. I will give priority to the photography in this blog entry though. I love the digital camera. I could not have imagined clicking so many pictures of objects of nearly no consequence if I still had a film-based camera. Many professionals might think otherwise, saying no digital camera can match a film camera in performance, but then, photography was only revived because of its digitization. Now you can not only prese...

I eagerly look forward to Diwali, the festivals of light. It is an occasion where the entire family gets together to welcome the goddess of wealth into their homes, so it naturally gives you time to catch up with each other amidst the otherwise hectic routines. The shopping, sweet and savouries, candles and diyas and gifts are all an added bonus. Who doesn’t like such happening holidays? But then that’s not exactly the reason I connect with the whole affair. I love the shadows. Ok, I am sounding very abstract, so let’s analyse this a little further. Ever wondered why I named my blog Whispering Shadow? That’s because I am enchanted by the concept of a shadow. I beg to differ from the entire community who use shadow as a synonym for darkness. With the poetic license perhaps it is acceptable to do so (read ‘Blame it on the Shadows’ on this blog), but in reality I take a different opinion on the issue. How can something whose origin itself lies in light be compared to darkness? Their can b...

The word 'dummies' in the title is aimed at two kinds of people - those who don't know what a viva is and those who have been proven to be just that (i.e. a dummy) by the end of a viva. Instead of bragging on and on about the dire situations we students are put in, I thought why not churn up a mock viva right here right now, hoping to arouse some sympathy in the hearts of those who don't face such misery. The Background: A pair of class three students, hereby referred to as, Defendant 1 (D1) and Defendant 2 (D2) sitting in front of the teachers, who will be further known as Prosecuter 1 (P1) and Prosecuter 2 (P2) for an General Science viva. P1 is the external while P2 is the internal. Act One and Only, Scene One: P2: Please be seated in this order, roll number 3 on the left and roll number 4 on the right. P1: Which are the five constituent gases of the atmosphere? D1: Air, Gas, Oxygen, Smoke, and... P1(to D2) : Can you give the answer? D2: Yes sir, oxygen, nitrogen, wa...

By now, I should have stopped cribbing about the routine of engineering life. In fact, I should have become comfortably numb. My feelings for vast portions of what comprises an MU students life are anaesthetised. Whatever agony remains is stimulated by a fine mix of incredulous ideologies of college and an ocean of endless submissions. My college has been special at times, bizzare at others, when it comes to taking policy decisions. The so-called 'think-tank' thinks and also apparently makes decisions for the betterment of students, but the most unfortunate part is that it is in the wrong direction. The whole thought process is progressively degrading. The kind of trust, or rather, the lack of it, in the college's students has grown over the past 3 years and has reached titanic proportions this time on. There is no emphasis on students' feedback. The measures which have been taken so far have only estranged students further from the idea of discussing their problems wit...

Ailments are many, but none trouble you as much as the simplest of all, yet the one with the potential to cause the maximum disruption in your routine – cold. There were many things happening around me last week, which I felt I should write about, but my incessant cold has beset me to such an extent that it demands the priority. I have had two kinds of problems with this intriguing common cold virus. First of them is the sneezing fit, which I attribute more to my hyper-allergic nature than the virus itself. Staying in an environment which Mumbai offers only makes things worse. Second is of course, the issue of a blocked nose. You feel choked, heavy under and above the eyes, and are often left gaping for reasons not worth it. Worst of all, there are no medicines which guarantee a cure for cold, except time. As the adage goes, “If you take medicine, your cold will cure in a week, if you don’t it will take 7 days.” Now I have no intentions to explain what Wikipedia can about common cold. ...

There used to be a time when the word ‘teacher’ used to evoke a sense of admiration, respect as well as authority. Even now, it brings to mind the same emotions, but the trouble is that you don’t find someone worthy enough to call a ‘teacher’. On this teachers’ day, I pay a tribute to some of the wonderful people, who have entertained me during the three years of my engineering, who at times have made life miserable for me, and who in this process, have always tried to ‘teach’. I’ll call them teacher here on, just because of the status attached with their job and not because I associate any of the above mentioned emotions with them. I will be doing great injustice if I say the same things for everyone. It is only fair that I categorize my teachers before talking about them. So here goes: 1>Dedicated teachers who know their subject and how it is to be taught: This is the rarest of the rare breeds, almost nearing extinction. Out of the 30 some teachers that I have had, barely 2 qual...

There is rarely a time when you hear the alarm ring at 4:00 AM in the morning and wake up to do something more than just turning it off. At least for night birds like me, it is pretty close to impossible. Exceptions to this case are times when you have something extremely exciting up your sleeve and the thought drives all the lethargy and sleep away. On last Monday, it was truly the latter because on that day, Matheran beckoned. Yes, I was up and raring to go at the break of dawn. Ting-tong, "CST se Karjat jaane waali 5:53 ki dheemi local platform kramank ek par aa rahi hai." In no time, we found ourselves at Ghatkopar station, waiting for our train. Wait, when did I become we? My bunch of trekkers included a geek G, a topper T, a bubbly chirpy animal (strictly metaphorical) B, the youngest youngling Y, the mean M (Hindu astrology) and a makeshift Supandi that was, S. Here on I will only use the alphabets to refer to my fellow trekkers, in case I am forced to, not for rea...

We reached Dasturi chowk , the entry point to the hill station. Whoever told us it was 6 km should have been shot dead because the sign board there showed Neral was 9 km downhill. We were so hungry that at that time, the only thing that was on our mind was lunch, so we delayed the shooting bit to a while later. We found a reasonably decent restaurant and got ourselves something to eat. Dal fry and jeera rice never tasted so good before. All the time we ate, we had to be on the lookout for the monkeys, because they were all over the place and trying to find a way into the restaurant. We were over-conscious after having under-estimated Mawali. With our stomachs full, we reconsidered our plans with regards to what were we going to do while in Matheran keeping in mind the time we had on our hands. We decided we will walk it up to Charlotte lake which was another 4 km from where we currently where. This time we took the mini-train track leading to bazaar peth and from there on the jungle...

The age of 60 is when most people retire in our country. It represents a change in life from the 9-5 routine to the 5-9 routine. Nonetheless, in the current context, when I say 60, I am not talking about the age of an individual and when I say retirement, I don't mean to imply retirement in the true sense. I am referring to the age of an independent India and the withdrawal of the rusty mindset that chains dynamism and the progress of a budding nation. The average age of politicians in India is way above the world average. Yes, we have a stable government, unlike majority of our neighbours and we are a very strong democracy, but is the current governance truly the epitome of the axiom ‘of the people, by the people, for the people?’ We still have politicians who came first on stage during the freedom struggle. With all due respect to their efforts, the big question remains whether their vision is still coherent with the needs of a rapidly developing economy. We are taught the new e...

Trips to the dentist can be rarely classified as happy memories. I have had many experiences on that ominous mechanised chair, but few match the gory nature of the one which follows in the coming lines. Read further if you don't mind it getting a little disgusting at times, but then I have spiced it up enough to make it entertaining. There are a few things, looking at which, you can't help but ask yourself the question - "What is the reason for its existence?" A Wisdom tooth is definitely one of them. What's the wisdom behind having a tooth which serves no real purpose but adds to your agony (not always though in most cases)! To top it all, you don't have one, but four whole wisdom teeth. Besides, a completely unrelated query comes to my head when I write this. Does any one know why it is called a 'wisdom' tooth out of all things? Mine too had been contributing to my share of problems. Mine was indented beyond repair, so it left my dear dentist with no...

It was the day every Potter fan was waiting for - 21st July, release of the seventh and last installment of the series which many in our generation have grown up with. Having read the book now, I would like to issue a warning that this blog entry might turn out to be a bit of a spoiler, so go further if you don’t mind bits and pieces of the story being thrown open to you. Jo Rowling couldn’t have thought of a better finale than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The entire story is so well narrated that you really can’t let go off the book once you begin. Unlike the previous books, this book as expected, is darker and moves at a expeditious pace. I made my share of predictions in the Potter-o-logy article. Introspecting on where I went right and here I went wrong, here’s a brief summary: 1>Harry is the chosen one and he survives. I was on the spot there.. 2>The Horcruxes were pretty much on target, except I missed out on Ravenclaw’s Tiara and Harry himself. As far as the latte...

“’cause I want to live like animals Careless and free like animals I want to live I want to run through the jungle The wind in my hair and the sand at my feet” When Savage Garden came up with this song, I really am not sure what their inspiration was. But yes, the song makes you want to break free. No, unlike my last blog entry, this time I don’t want to be an animal. Through this, I pay a tribute to all those people who epitomise the spirit of this song. It is a result of efforts of these people that we still have a lot of creatures walking with men into the 21st century in spite of man’s mindless and self-centred growth. Yes, I am talking of the wild-life experts, film-makers and environmentalists. Personally, I was not as much a nature lover till I got hooked to all the channels which showcase riveting documentaries. A lot of time I spent in front of the idiot box is with the Irwins, Corwins and Attenborroughs. Perhaps, in this case the idiot box proved of a more productive use than...

When you were one, perhaps the only thing that mattered to you was a nice siesta. All you had to do is just sleep, eat, and then sleep again. Say a little bit of dida and momma in your tongue and not bother about the syntax of the language. A little later, the latest toy became the obsession. You then moved on to school. Education then was a lot different than what it is now-a- days, whether you coloured the giraffe purple or green, it really didn’t matter. There was no protocol to follow, not many rules to abide by, except the rationing of the television viewing time, based on intense negotiations with mummy dearest. Most young lads would express their desires to become pilots by profession when they wrote their first few compositions and they had the belief in them that it was a realistic goal. You could cry when in pain, without having to feel embarrassed about it. You could dance in the rain and you would not have to straighten up, when you see a pedestrian staring at you. You coul...

“Sir, would you prefer a window or an isle seat?” the lady at the check-in desk asked me, and a smile crossed my face. “Window,” I said. I have flown so many times before but the silly fascination of sitting on the window seat watching the action out of those tiny vacuumed glass cubes remains unchanged from what it was when I took my first flight. An airplane always brings back the kid in me. I especially was not going to miss this opportunity because, it was late afternoon, and this is the time when you get the best view. After the security checks and a cup of coffee, I boarded the plane. As always, I was as eager as the maintenance engineer to find out what was happening in that open turbine cabinet and the hydraulic shafts and kept catching glances from the corner of my eye. I so hate waiting in anticipation of a good co-passenger. So far, on most occasions I have been unable to find that vivacious person with whom you can strike an interesting conversation during the course of the ...

Ban Orkut. Ban Valentine's day. Ban this. Ban that. After all, freedom of expression is only theoretical. It's the fundamentalists who control the actual nature of our democracy. I don't think any of are unfamiliar with these agitations? Shiv Sena. Rings a bell? Even more hilarious was the recent movement to rename Bombay Blues to Mumbai Blues. Like poet's have a poetic license, entrepreneur's surely do have the right to name their ventures at least! Besides, Bombay Blues is quite a name in dining. It's like asking the Indian National Congress to change their name to Bharatiya Rashtriya Parishad. Knowing how jobless Shiv Sainiks are at present, and how much I love giving advice when it is not asked for, here are a few more suggestions to keep them busy, keeping in mind their calibre. 1>Rename Indian Idol to Bharatiya Idol. Sinful showing videsi names on national television. 2>Make sure all names are written in Marathi too on hoardings and magazine covers. ...

I am self-confessed Potter-maniac. I am obsessed with the books and am eagerly awaiting the last instalment of the series. Since anyone and everyone is making their predictions about the end the story is going to meet, I really can't keep my big long nose out of it. As far as Harry being a horcrux goes, it is improbable that Voldemort would want to kill Harry and destroy his horcrux. So far, we know about the following horcruxes: 1.Tom Riddle’s Diary (destroyed in Chamber of Secrets) 2.Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring (destroyed by Dumbledore in HBP) 3.The Locket (apparently destroyed by R.A.B – Regulus Black) 4.The Hufflepuff Cup (not a certainity though) 5.Nagini, the snake (again Dumbledore’s guess) 6. ???? Voldemort split his soul into seven parts of which the last part is still with him. At least for now we can be sure of the fact that Harry is not one of the 6 horcruxes Voldemort had created before he was banished. It is possible that he might be an unintentionally created Horcrux which...

Ever felt hungry? Stupid question that. Ever felt like eating out? It is a rarity that any one normal will say ‘no’ to that. Ever felt like eating out without having to burn a hole in your pocket? Now I know you are listening. But where do you find such a place? Is it the new neighbourhood restaurant? Naah. Or is it one of the ever increasing number of food franchises (Read McDonald’s, Dominos, Pizza Hut). Definitely not. It is what sets Mumbai apart as far as its reputation for a food lover’s paradise goes. Traditionally it was the paav vada and chaiwala stalls. With time this has evolved. Now you have cuisines from all over India and in some places, from places abroad too. The streets of Mumbai have been the residence of some of the city’s finest inventors of fusion cuisines. Thought there are many places worth a mention, this entry is dedicated to my regular haunt, the ‘ khau galli ’ at Ghatkopar. The moment the clock strikes 5 in the evening, a busy but boring street junction tur...

It has been a relatively long time since I last posted an entry on the blog. Surprisingly, I had enough to write on while my oral exams were on. Now, when I have nothing to do in the PL, I have nothing to write in my blog either. Actually it is not that I don't have anything to write, but then, the boredom is sapping away all the creativity, like a black hole. Often I have visited this page in the last few days, clicked on the create button and ended up writing a para and shortly after, pressed ALT+F4. This entry is a collection of all those random ideas put together into one long crazy potpourri. Read ahead at your own risk. The first one in the list, Unearthed , a brilliant reality show. For the first time I felt that it was something close to reality, throwing away all those glycerin bottles and sentimental prayers witnessed by the hidden cameras in the bed rooms. I am a documentary lover so this one had my special attention. It was about 6 budding wild-life film makers fighting...

No, I am not talking about the resistance and tolerance that we, wannabe engineers talk about as a part of our curriculum. Nor is this one inspired by the just concluded viva session. It is truly not something to write home about. I am talking about resistance to religious intolerance. I will take a walk down memory lane, back to my school days. I did my schooling at an Asian school in the Gulf. I am glad I was a part of the institution I was in. It wasn’t because of the teachers, nor was it the infrastructure and facilities, nor was it the amazing co-curricular and extra-curricular set-up. It was plainly because of the cosmopolitan nature of the crowd. We had people from at least 6 different nationalities, the majority being Indians, followed in numbers by Pakistanis. There were also people from possibly all the religions which are known to me today. We had friends amongst all. When we were friends, never did the question of nationalities or religion come in. We celebrated Eid, Christ...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Such a utility word. It can mean your are thinking, imply you are concerned, just buy you time, fit in anywhere you don't know what to say. It all depends on how you use it and how the listener perceives it. Perhaps the most commonly utilised expression! Today, language is filled with a multitude of such phrases. It makes the language a lot more flexible at the same time leaving something open to the creativity of the reader or listener. The F-word, for instance, is the only word that can fit in as a noun, verb, adjective, exclamation and adverb. It has all possible forms possible in English grammar. Its potential has been exploited (and abused) to the core. The only problem being it is still a far cry from the needs of formal communication. One such accepted word is "okay". Again used in a lot of places to imply a lot of things. Personally, an okay used anywhere but to suggest a tone of affirmation gives the vibes of disinterest. But imagine..Wo...

Today's headlines on Star News: Aishwariya Rai and Abhishek Bachhan to tie the knot Gere shocks the Nation by kissing Shilpa Shetty on stage Locals in a rush to drink 'miracle' water Young boy trapped in a manhole Please note, everything written above is extremely mellowed down as compared to when it is said in Hindi in the most melodramatic ways possible. Coming to the point, there are a two things ironical about what I have written above -firstly, the definitions of the headlines these days and secondly, the whole joke of calling that channel Star News ! Wonder what is wrong with the mass media of our country? By no means am I generalizing this accusation for all the news channels functioning in the country. There are few who are doing a really fine job. However that doesn't shirk off the responsibilities from any of the other news channels to not do the same. After all, they are on national television, and what they depict can have a great impact on what the people t...

Often there comes a time When you have to make the choice Between the roads that are perspicuously drawn But where they lead to, is unknown. The logic of the head The cravings of the heart Each as effortless to give into Relinquishing either is equally hard too. A path you have always wanted and deserved The one you have trodden on before Safe and sure, with no risk of getting lost But is it, once again, worth the cost? The other is a journey aboard A ship that sails in the ocean unexplored With new challenges, and greater danger Are you willing to be the intrepid ranger? The best alternative or the right one The crossroad is hazy and vision is blurred In darkness, when the sun sets For enlightenment, I look up to the stars.

Have you ever put in your heart and soul in something? Have you prayed that the means meet the end? Have you ever hoped that your hard work and efforts pay off? These are the first few expectations you have of a mega-event, for which your team and you put in more than 8 hours in a day, for almost a month. Focus '07 was all this and more and I can say with great pride that I was a part of it. The challenge was in the fact that the success of the event was not defined by the size of the audience who attend the event or whether the people were entertained. It was never meant to be that. We didn't want it to be the best symposium, we wanted it to be a class apart. "A Thought for the Lesser Tots", a discussion based on the theme of underprivileged children, was at the heart of Focus. The purpose was to spread a message and spread it right. People preach and often don't practise. You keep watching such discussions on TV, but they are forgotten as soon as the show reache...

In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Ronald Weasley made miraculous saves to help his house win the Quidditch finals. He was under the impression that he had taken a dose of the luck potion ‘Felix Felicis’. However, that wasn’t the case and Ron was under a mere illusion. He was made to ‘believe’ he had consumed the potion. It’s amazing what effect a person’s psychological state can have on his physical state. This was fiction but in the real world too, the power of the mind hasn’t gone unutilized. This phenomenon is called the Placebo Effect. It is defined as the psychological and/or physiological changes that result from the administration of a physiologically inert treatment. Placebos are most widely used in the field of medicine. It’s interesting to note that placebo in Latin stands for “I will please”. Whenever a placebo is requested in a medical prescription, it simply implies a statement by the prescribing doctor that “This patient has come to me pleading for treatment whic...