First Year In Himadri

As you enter the gate, a majestic tree greets you. As you look up, you see a blue board that says, "Himadri". As our first year at IIT draws to a close, to us it reads, "Home".

Himadri has truly become our home away from home. And right in the first year itself, we've had a blast here...

I remember my first day in hostel, when I met my roomies, unpacked and settled down. And then came my first night in hostel, when I couldn't sleep all night because it was so hot!

As days passed, I got to know each one of my 'batchies', and further as weeks passed, I got to know them better and better.

Initially it was our seniors who came and gave us 'funde' about batch unity, but soon it developed in our batch.. We named our balcony "Khandala" and it became the place for batch meetings.

Hostel life began in full swing. We all went for the street play auditions, and put up funny skits in groups. Many discovered their acting talent that day, and even those who didn't, had a great time.

Then came the informals. Our theme was "Starry Nights", and on that starry night before the event, we all sat in Khandala making the beautiful backdrop. The next day, we all dressed up for the evening and had a merry time dancing and meeting new people. And of course, then came photo-sessions which are a must after every event where we dress up.

Speaking of dressing up, the STIC-D's were the days we all took out our Indian suits, and welcomed our Profs to Himadri. We performed songs and dances, and then played Dumb Charades with the profs. And we discovered that most of our profs had never played dumb charades before in their lives!

Some of our most memorable Himadri memories have been of birthdays of our friends. We secretly bought cake and gifts for our roomies, suprised them at 12 o' clock with the whole batch at their door singing "Happy Birthday to you!!!" Of course, as soon as the cake was cut, everyone would take their turns doing 'make-up' on the birthday girl's face and then when you couldn't recognize her at all, we'd take a pic that would be up on Facebook the next day!

Then we'd give the gal birthday bumps, and then her roomies the 'roomie bumps'. Her Dep-mates would also not be spared. After that, everyone would go crazy and the Street Play Janta would sing songs and... Oh, have I forgotten the cake?

The best part about birthday cakes is that even if you think you've handed everyone a piece, there's always someone saying, "I didn't get one!"

And so we all have gorged on extra pieces of cake this year, have celebrated most of our batchies' birthdays together and have suddenly found a new family.

A family of friends, with us 24X7. There to give a hug when we miss mom, there to 'Ooh' and 'Aah' when we talk about our crushes, there to blame the prof when we get a bad grade, there to watch stupid movies with after the minors.... And best of all, they'll be there for us for a long, long time now... Together, as our batch in Himadri..

DCE or DTU?

The pleasant month of March has been, so far, quite an unpleasant month for the students of the Delhi Technological University (DTU), previously known as the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE).

A massive protest has been taking place, involving both the students and the faculty members. These groups are against the conversion of DCE to DTU. DCE, an institution affiliated with the Delhi University, became DTU, a state university last year after a bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly. The students and faculty members feel that the reasons given by the authorities for carrying out this conversion are not justified. They support re-affiation of DCE to DU.

The protest started on 4th march, when the students boycotted classes and shouted out slogans in college, in the form of protest. Subsequently, two students were rusticated for sloganeering, inciting other students esp. juniors to participate, and for using abusive language within the college premises. In the following week, there was a protest at Jantar Mantar, a candlelight march in the campus, and the protesting students have been boycotting classes.

The faculty members have also expressed their dissent over the conversion of DCE to DTU, by refusing to take classes, and even through a hunger strike in one particular case.

DU has filed a case against DTU for converting to a state university without the consent of the Central govt., which has its hearing scheduled on 14th April.

This entire protest has created an atmosphere of tension in DTU. The students have lost out on valuable time for studies, and their mid-semester exams are around the corner. The students are uncertain about what will happen next - whether they will finally call themselves students of DCE or DTU.

The Theory of Love at First Sight

Love at first sight. At the outset, let me say, this is a concept that all of us have heard of. Boy sees girl (It could very well be girl sees boy, but here in IIT, the B/G ratio is as skewed as it can get, and so I can safely write this with my protagonist as a boy) at the railway station/at the movie theatre/a friend's birthday party/the morning MAL class. And there and then, he knows that she is the one for him. That's the classic definition of love at first sight. Falling in love with someone you hardly know. And that love would, in time prove itself. That love needs no reason, that love comes straight from the heart. Not a calculated step, a natural instinct. A truly romantic concept - love at first sight.

It might sound illogical to some, but it's possible. After all, haven't we met couples who say they knew that they were meant for each other right from day one. Of course, there are an equal number who didn't, and discovered somewhere during the course of their friendship, but let's leave those aside.

I present "The Theory of Love at First Sight".

So let's consider a hypothetical situation. Raj, a regular party go-er, goes to a party. He meets 8 different girls (at 8 different points of time in his life). Let's call them 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. (Not to say that these girls didn't have a personality of their own, only for the sake of convenience.)

So, when he sees her for the first time, his hearts skips a beat. Oh, she looks pretty, she's talking with great enthusiasm about something, smiling and laughing in between.(This happens when he sees each of the 8 girls) He feels a surge of emotions. He can't get his eyes off her. Somehow, he knows, she is the one.

Girl 1:

He keeps looking at her throughout the party, goes home and dreams about her, and by morning she's forgotten in the drudgery of daily life. End of Story.

The remaining 7:

He looks at her for sometime, then asks the host who she is, and gets introduced to her. He goes up to her and talks to her for a while.

Girl 2:

She puts him off completely. Oh my god, she is so irritating! She keeps cracking poor jokes and bragging about herself. He walks away after a while. End of Story.

The remaining 6:

He enjoys the conversation. She's funny, smart and fun to talk to.

Girl 3:

He learns she already has a boyfriend. End of Story.

The remaining 5:

She tells him about her hobbies, he tells her about his love for music and photography. They really seem to strike a chord. He takes her contact number before leaving the party.

Girl 4:

He has a very busy week at work. He keeps thinking about her, but doesn't find the time to call. When he does call, he doesn't manage to get through, after trying repeatedly. End of Story.

The remaining 4:

He calls her a few days after the party, and they begin to have regular conversations. They seem to have so much in common! A new friendship develops. They decide they want to meet again. The begin meeting each other once every few weeks.

Girl 5:

She moves away to the other side of the country after a few months. They stay in touch, but it's not as regular as before. She's busy with her exams, and then with her own life in a different place. In a year, they are merely Facebook friends. End of Story.

The remaining 3:

The friendship grows stronger and stronger. They meet every other day now. Raj takes the plunge. He tells her about his feelings for her.

Girl 6:

She tells him very politely, but firmly, that she doesn't feel the same way, and never will. As they talk further, he realizes that she isn't all that he had thought her to be. Why, she says she doesn't even believe in love! Unbelievable for die-hard romantic Raj. However, they continue to be friends. End of "Love" Story

The remaining 2:

She reveals that she has a soft corner for him, too. Raj's happiness knows no bounds. He knew it, he knew it all along that she was the one, and look, she loves him, too!

They begin spending even more time with each other, they can't spend even a day without meeting or talking.

... a few months later

Slowly the sheen wears off the trophy of their relationship. The fights begin, the clouds of unpleasantness casts themselves over them.

Girl 7:

They begin to realize that they have irrepairable differences in opinion. They decide to call the relationship off, and try to move on in life. End of Story

The remaining one (Girl 8):

They both try hard to sort out their differences, make compromises, and slowly but surely, they learn to respect each other even more. Now they do argue once in a while, but they can manage to solve their problems, their love for each other, stronger than ever.

They get married, tide over the rough times together, bring their children up. They both have good days and bad days, but they are always there for each other, and are an epitome of true love.

Now, when anyone asks Raj, "Was it love at first sight?" He beams and says, " Yes, from the moment I first saw her, my heart skipped a beat. I felt a surge of emotions, I couldn't get my eyes off her. Somehow, somehow, I knew, she was the one."

Hey dude, forgot 1,2,3,4,5,6,7? Didn't the exact same thing happen when you saw them for the first time?

"There is no such thing as love at first sight".

Hence, proved.

The Man Who Thinks He Can.

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
For out in the world we find
Success beings with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are:
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

-Anyonomous

Heaven's Grocery Store.

I was walking down life's highway
a long, long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read,
"HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE."
As I got a little closer, the door opened wide,
and I found myself standing inside.

I saw a host of ANGELS.
They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said,
"My Child, shop with care."

Everything a human needed
was in that grocery store.
And if you couldn't carry it all,
you could come back the next day for more.

First, I got some PATIENCE.
LOVE was in the same row.
Further down was UNDERSTANDING,
you need that everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of WISDOM,
a bag or two of FAITH.
I just couldn't miss the HOLY GHOST,
for it was all over the place.

I stopped to get some STRENGTH and COURAGE
TO HELP ME RUN THIS RACE.
By then my basket was getting full,
but I remembered I needed some GRACE.

I didn't forget SALVATION,
for SALVATION was free.
So I tried to get enough of that
to save both you and me.

Then I started up to the counter
to pay my grocery bill.
For I thought I had everything
to do the MASTER'S will.

As I went up the aisle, I saw PRAYER;
and I just had to put that in,
for I knew when I stepped outside,
I would run into sin.

PEACE and JOY were plentiful;
they were last on the shelf.
SONG and PRAISE were hanging near,
so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel,
"Now, how much do I owe?"

He smiled again and said, "MY CHILD,
GOD PAID YOUR BILL A LONG, LONG TIME AGO."

-Ron DeMarco

The Song of The Whale.

Heaving mountains in the sea,
Whale, I heard you
Grieving.

Great whale, crying for your life,
Crying for your kind, I know
How we would use
Your dying.

Lipstick for our painted faces
Polish for our shoes.

Tumbling mountain in the sea,
Whale, I hear you
Calling

Bird-high notes, soaring:
At their edge a tiny drum
Like a heartbeat

We would make you
Dumb

In the forest of the sea,
Whale, I heard you
Singing

Singing to your kind
We'll never let you be
Instead of your life we choose

Lipstick for our painted faces,
Polish for our shoes.

There Is No Indispensible Man.

Sometime when you're feeling important;

Sometime when your ego's in bloom

Sometime when you take it for granted

You're the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going

Would leave an unfillable hole,

Just follow these simple instructions

And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,

Put your hand in it up to the wrist,

Pull it out and the hole that's remaining

Is a measure of how you will be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,

You may stir up the water galore,

But stop and you'll find that in no time

It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example

Is do just the best that you can,

Be proud of yourself but remember,

There's no indispensable man.

-Saxon N. White Kessinger

The Difference he made.

Amidst the morning mist of the swift returning tide
I set out on my daily run, my walkman on my side.
Lost within my private world apart from cares and woes
I ran along the moistened shore, the sand between my toes.

In the distance, I saw a boy, as busy as can be.
He was running, stooping, picking up, and tossing in the sea.
Just what he threw, I couldn't tell, I looked as I drew near.
It seemed to be a rock or shell - as I approached him I could hear:

"Back you go, where you belong. Your safe now hurry home.
Your family's waiting for you little starfish, hurry on!"
It seemed the evening tide had washed the starfish on the shore,
And the swift receding water left a thousand there or more.

And this self-appointed savior, was trying one-by-one
To toss them back into the sea, against the racing sun.
I saw his plight was hopeless, that most of them would die.
I called out from my private world, "Hey Kid, why even try?"

"Must be at least a thousand here, strewn along the beach,
And even if you had the time, most you'll never reach.
You really think it makes a difference, to waste your time this way?"
And then I paused and waited, just to hear what he would say.

He stooped and took another, and looked me in the eye.
"It makes a difference to this one sir, this starfish will not die!"
With that, he tossed the little life, back where there was hope.
He stooped to take another. I could tell this was no joke.

The words that he spoke to me cut like a surgeon's knife.
Where I saw only numbers, he saw only life.
He didn't see the multitude of starfish on the sand.
He only saw the little life he held there in his hand.

He didn't stop to argue, to prove that he was right.
He just kept tossing starfish in the sea with all his might.
So I too stooped, and I picked up, and I tossed into the sea,
And I thought, just what a difference, that this boy has made in me.


-Randy Poole

On the occasion of Mother's Day...

from "The Speaking Tree"....

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn’t let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalising others’ property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault. Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that is what’s wrong with the world today. It just doesn’t have enough mean moms!



"The only explanation of unselfishness,sacrifice,loyalty and tenderness of mother hood is love."

"Most of the beautiful things in life come in two's,three's or dozens,but Mother is only one in the whole world."

"A mother is clothed with strength and dignity,always sheltering her children."

"A mother shows so many things,opens a wide magic door,
To a big world of wonders to search and explore"

The Sun and I

Last summer when I went to the beach...
I stood on the shore..

With the wind blowing across my face,
and sand in my shoes, galore!

And then I saw a magnificent sight,
A big red ball of fire,
Sank itself lower and lower..
Till at last it embraced the sea.....

And I was no longer me..
I was lost in the sea,
The sun, the ocean and the sky......
*__________*___________*____________*__________________*


I wrote this poem in 7th grade...so i guess by that standard its pretty good...

Signing off,
rad