Open to Interpretations!!

After having Pizza and Coke we headed to Central Campus for the midnight celebration. Me, Anish, Rohit, Vaibhav, Vineet and Yash with Yash having the control over the steering wheel reached central at around quarter to 12 (without taking any repetitive U turns or changing 2,3 lanes in one go). After having a tough time finding parking, we finally got one at some place which I don't know!!

As decided we headed to Grizlly's Peak Restaurant and Bar to see and be a part of the New Years celebrations. The restaurant was closed and bar was storming with people. Screens were put up which displayed live celebrations going at Times Square, NY. With a glass of beer in hand and chatting in a group of few, everyone was waiting for the stroke of 12, to see the famous ball drop, and to get insane in welcoming the new year.

It was going to be 1-1-11 within a minute and everyone including us started screaming the countdown. 5-4-3-2-1 and that was it! The ball dropped, couples kissed, singles danced, sane people became insane and drunk became the eye-catchers. The whole country and hence each and every single person at the bar welcomed the new year with immense enthusiasm! Music was put on, floor changed into a dance floor... and we, a group of 6.. stood in the corner and watched people!

And there she came, a blonde, not-so good looking, but.. guys.. a blonde! She approached us greeting.. "Strangers.. Happy new Year, Happy New year!!" We greeted the same adding to her enthu!. Then she directly approached one of us... aur uske balon se khelkar usko personally greet kiya... Happy New Year!!!! ...Wow!! Now that was unexpected.. we all were stunned and looking at that guy and imagining ALL what could have followed IF he had not jus stood there smiling! Bolta hai... "apna culture abhi tak bhoola nahi hu!"

This was not all. We came out. We were deciding.. Now where? She was there, that same gal, in a corner. And she approached us again.. Looking straight into the eyes of the same guy (I guess he is the most good looking amongst us!) she asked him if he had a lighter! He, along with one other guy.. smiled and said.. NO, we don smoke!!

She went away, opened her purse, pulled a lighter and lit her cigarette!!

We looked at each other, we looked at that guy, we smiled.. Happy New Year 2011.

The Graduate Student Dilemma: Part1

This is an interesting phase in every graduate students' life I guess. When we apply to universities for grad studies in the US we have no clue what we will be getting into. What we learn in the process of getting our prestigious degree named Btech or BE or BE(Hons.) we feel we have every possible knowledge of the respective field. Then we look at our projects and we mention that field in our SOP in which our maximum projects lie and quote names of some professors and a couple of their research papers (which sound interesting by reading their name!!). We get an admit, we feel we have conquered the world.. and we come to the US!

After coming here, everything is different! Professors are big shots in their field and batch mates range from people like us to married people having few years of industrial experience (in short Uncles). Seeing the variety of courses offered we get confused as to what to take and what not. Mostly in first sem we take courses that have funky names.. advanced powertrain controls, mechatronics and what not. During the course we get to know its nothing but math, only math: matrices, numbers and differential equations and ex tensive use of MATLAB!

Towards the end of first sem, we are in a process of selecting our next semester courses, and unknowinly we get our nam

es: controls guy, fluids guy, design guy etc. I am a controls guy! According to what kind of guy we are (which has nothing to do with bachelor's education ..gone are those days.. move on!) we start taking courses and start searching for internships for summers. Grad education suddenly feels expensive when we have to pay second sems tuition and we realise the fact that we got admit so that PhD students would get funded!! The "conquering the world" state of mind slowly fades away.We take up independent study projects with the sole hope of getting money some day!

Up till now we hardly know what we want to do. Seniors say, if you want to do a PhD, its better to stay and work for a prof in summers. If you want a job, get an internship and convert it. We say.. I don't know.. Let me keep my options open!

We fight, we attend career fairs, we apply to companies on the job portal and finally sooner or later we secure internship. Some profs tell their students to do a PhD and they will pay them.. such get converted into a doctoral student. Others fly to their respective company towns. (Some face a problem in their background/ DNA checks due to insufficient sample of hair etc, but even they fly one day! :P)

We say after internship, after getting some experience in the company/in a university lab, "I will be in a good position to decide what to do" and with this notion we start our third sem. Many people turn their heads off the PhD option as they either have converted their internships to full times or do not consider themselves as "PhD Materials", or have a greater vision of "starting up" something, or the sole reason is monetory. Some people like me are still confused and say.. PhD karni hai yaar, agar accha project mila to! Job as a back up to rakhunga! Ghanta backup! Excuse for having no vision in life!!

Coming next..... This decision / confusion phase comes from intense discussions on telephones during the summers! What happens next.. Stay tuned!

(*pics taken from PhD comics)

Dasvidaniyan!!

Though its said that the "church is still there.." the life has to go on.... There has to be some day when we have to take a step ahead. For me it was this friday.. my graduation day. Four years before I embarked on the engineering voyage and within no time I made it as a successful (??!!) Mechanical engineer. The years passed like minutes and there it came.. the Friday.. where I bid adios to my undergrad engineering and took a small step ahead. Today when I sit and close my eyes I feel there has to be something dedicated to all my PS mates at Merc, for all the fun that we had, for all the 'phattas' and 'pulling of each others legs' we did and for all the emotional sentiments we exchanged... This is it.. cheers guys!!

It all started from my birthday. It was the very first time when we all went out together.. and since then some sort of wierd and unusual things have occured. Latchumi turned nonvegetarian on my birthday treat. We had heard that she was famous for her monologue "I will kill you" when someone would really really irritate her.. Last sem I guess it was for Sankalp after three months... Suyash (which was later famous as the BAD BOY) made her to say it within seven days!!! :D. and then it repeated nearly everyday :)

Next was Chaitanya.. with his Titanic story. On his birthday he narrated the whole story of how he proposed his girlfriend..rather how SHE proposed HIM over a titanic movie! It was so unique and unusual that he filed its copyright. We were listning to his story outside foodcourt where Alekh got a grasp of my cell phone and called a girl from my list which he declared as my girlfriend!.. LOL!!.. Latchumi coined a name for me based on her (not to me disclosed here!!! :D) and the very next day it was printed on my nameplate, written on white boards and told to all of my mentors.

First couple of months was the time fo MS/PhD admits. I remember Suyash comming and telling... "Abbey UIUC aa gaya!!". We congratulated him.. then he went to his place.. refreshed his inbox.. again came back.. "Abbey Wisconsin aa gaya!!... Wow.. 2 admits in one shot.. The next day he got Purdue.. and we had treat slots getting booked for weekends. Poor Mayank, who had applied for MBA, used to google "MDI Final 2009" atleast twice a mintute for all the five months. Finally in the month of may he got an admit from MDI. \m/

Our day used to start over a coffee at 10 in the morning. Next we used to meet at 12 noon for lunch. Then after eating handful of sauf.. which according to Latchi we (boys) shouldn't because of some reasons :D :D, we used to go for a walk. First month we used to get out from the service entarance, but it seems that management came to know about this and they stopped us from using that way. Now we had to 'sign-out' and then go. It used to be "a walk to remember" where generally only Latchumi and Vaishnavi were heavily teased by me Mayank, Suyash, Vivek and Chaitanya (Sorry di, for all that :) ). Hmm.. some of Latchi's secrets were leaked when Vivek read all her cell messages..and told everything to us.. without she even knowing it!! (ye padhne ke baad vivek ka kya hoga!) A walk till the church and back was really some of the great times which we spent together. Our days were full with lots of weirdo incidances. Once over an afternoon coffee Suyash told the story of how he conveniently fooled one of his friends by telling him that Vivek is filing a patent. Now Vivek, as we know him for last four years, filing a patent was a BIG thing. We pity that poor fellow who still belives that it was the truth :D :D... Hey but guys.. hold on.. It can be... Vivek is really on his way to file one.

We got together so well that we felt these six months as a split second. With all the outings, treats, chatting, coffee discussions and debates, which would end in the famous "Mein nahi manta" dialogue (iske age bhala kaun kya kahega!!!) from the one who has exhausted with all his points, the time went very fast. And then it came.. the last friday. We decided to gather at Mayank's place for a night out. We played cards, DumbC, watched T20 and chatted for a long time. We had planned for a ceremony, which BITS never does.. Our convocation. and hence had bought some caps. We drew a Benz logo on it and everyone signed every other cap. Then at the stroke of midnight, when all world goes to sleep, we all went on the roof (lekin ladkion ki wajah se beer ya champagne kuch bhi nahi laya tha!), toasted for our successful graduation and threw our caps in air. It was the moment when I felt that I have achieved something in life. This was the time when I realised that now I am a degree holder, a responsible person.. this life has some market value. This was the time when I felt ki ab spoon-feeding bas.. ab tum is kaliyug me akele phek diye gaye ho..and you have to find your lamp, you have to sketch your path and you have to make your decisions.

Ab DCH to banta tha.. and then at the day break.. it was the time to part. Me and mayank were leaving on the same day and Suyash on the very next. All started to leave Mayank's place by 5:30. Suyash by mistake left his file upstairs.. As someone went to collect it, he unconsciously said.. "Abbe kal diyo!!!".. but soon realised.. there was no "Kal" now. It was the time when we all really felt that its over.. we have to move on. The best part of it was that everyone had achieved what they desired... be it the admits in top schools for higher studies or jobs in various prestigious companies like Mercedes, WelsFargo or Shell. Everyone was happy, contended and ready to take the next step in life.

These past 6 months were some of the most AWESOME times that I have spent with my friends. Today for some of us, its really difficult to accept the fact that we will be going in different directions, there would be no more pulling of legs, no more "mein nahi manta" debates, no more "kya baat kar raha hai.. saale" monologues, no more "yay am back" messages and no more discussions for deciding who is the one.. Oops or Chandru !! :). But as I said.. the life goes on. Though we might not meet again (till Latchumi's marriage... apne dad ko jaldi bata de yaar!! ), still via net, gtalk we would definately remain in touch. For all my friends... ye zindagi bhale tumko kahi par bhi le jaye.. phod dena!!.. all the best and scale new heights!!!
Cheers!!

(Dasvidaniyan is a russian word meaning.. Good bye and See you soon :) )

Guns n Roses..

Disclaimer:

"In this post.. the whole applying process for graduate studies in US is compared to a warlike situation where getting shot by someone signifies a reject and getting a rose from a beautiful lady means an admit..(time frame doesn't matter). I have quoted my experience, what I felt and observed about the whole after-appin period.. This post might be more appreciated by ppl who have experienced the appin process, n more by bitsian mechites.. "

Past few months were like a battlefield, with students from EEE EnI Mech  n CHEM were on the field surrounded by the soldiers from different universities. We had our turn, and now exhausted with all the ammunition were busy in dodging the back firing from the opponents. 

It was a total chaotic situation. We could see the gun shot coming but can't really judge for whom it was meant for. Before we identified and lamented on the loss of one, we received a news of another and another n it went on... There were some instances when suddenly an apsara came and gave a rose to a student. That night generally passed in revelry, and if that apsara was an high ranked apsar

a.. then that student would generally leave the battlefield with good memories of apping!!

This continued, and till feb end all the EEE EnI guys were either dead or satisfied with one or more apsaras. Some lucky ppl also got additional cash with roses (funding).. a way to lure them to accept the proposal.  I had got one rose from Clemson, but I was still on the field. Majority of Mech ppl were still waiting for their apsaras to come. It was really frustrating for us that we waiting n waiting n waiting.. n all other guys had already finalized the university they desired to go to.  

We started hearing in the month of March. All gun shots :(.. Irrespective of the rank of the university.. if the student is from Mech... he was fired. We were all very scared. Words like.."yaar kya hoga!, Mech walon ki to lagi padi hai bey!!... etc etc could be heard everywhere. I could see a Skirmisher coming towards me. I recognised it was from MIT. It came and wounded me on my legs... But I had expected that, as I knew I was not adequately equipped to defend myself to MIT, still had taken a chance. My legs were hurt, but I had the instinct to

 fight more. But then, it followed by my worst nightmare, I had never imagined this to be happening.. A cavalry archer from Stan came and fired a straight Head Shot.. I was dejected, thought everything is over, we have lost the battle.. 

Soon I realised that Stan had shown no mercy on any Bitsian Mechite, rejecting all the ppl irrespective of their Cg, Projects, internships and publications. This massacre continued with we getting mauled by the battalions from UTA, Ohio State, UIUC and even Purdue. But then after this vendetta, we saw some apsaras at the horizon. Hurray!! we shouted.. "Mech walon ke admits ane lage". 

Soon an apsara came near with loads of cash with her. She came and proposed not one, but three Mechites.. Vinay, Rahul and Daniel. Yes, she was from Minnesota and these three of my friends readily accepted her with her cash. Then it was Vikram's turn. He was proposed by  apsaras from Arizona and NCSU. Wow.. now that was an happy dilemma, whether to go to technically advanced NCSU or to the "land of apsaras"--Arizona!! Pagal hai ye banda.. saale ne Arizona ko reject maara!!

I was still wondering about my fate when I saw one from Purdue coming towards me. But she was accompanied by her bodyguard. I was confused, what does that mean?? The guard approached me and said, she likes you, but the king (graduate officer) has told that he would agree only if someone from his kingdom (Purdue) would recommend my name to him.(I was on waiting list!!) Now this was tough, muze aur ek fight marni padne wali thi. But I liked her, and I accepted the challenge (started mailing the profs@purdue) Meri khyati itni fial chuki thi ki muze kafi saare replies aa gaye and I could see Purdue doors opening for me.

But soon I realised, there was more for me. My dream gal was still not seen anywhere. The battlefield was nearly empty now and I could clearly see a Ford racing towards me.(Yes, Ford on a battlefield.. see how advanced they were!!). It came straight from Detroit, the Auto hub of this world. The nitro-boosters were switched off, it gradually decelerated and came to halt just few yards in front of me, after a breath taking drift. The doors slid up. Someone got down. The atmosphere was dusty and I could only figure out that it was a female figure. I was relieved. Not a gun shot again. She came closer and offered me a rose. I was overjoyed, I couldn't really express what that meant to me. It was a dream come true. Now I was not eager to hear from UTA, GATECH etc. I readily accepted the offer and left the field with her, straight to University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. 

([1] ye chitra daniel ke blog se churaya gaya hai!!)

Into the professional world..

7th Jan we stepped into ' the dark world with a bright lamp of mechanical engineering' (courtesy Srinu :) ). I am currently doing my PS2 (Industrial training) at Mercedes Benz Bangalore.. the same city in which currently load-shedding is excercised every eve.. hence a bright lamp is necessary!!

Esp after PS1, where I hardly knew anything 'mechanical', there had to be a lil bit apprehension in my mind on the very first day in merc. But work culture here, and my 'gained :)' mechanical knowledge in the junior year made me comfortable in no time. What took a lot of time is getting used to calling my mentor by his first name. In this world, its an 'insult' if you call them sir.. I liked it. It naturally reduces a formal distance, which, othewise would have been there in a teacher and a student. Unlike PS1, you are treated as employees..and suggestions and improvements suggested by you are welcomed.. which I like to give ;). Deadlines, weekly tracking meeting, biweekly reports, fortnightly departmental talks on latest research, periodical presentations, monthly bday celebrations, departmental outings (longing for this one ) and chatting on gtalk,which you are not supposed to do :).. is what makes a proffesional world different from college.

Well, two months after, I think I am enjoying this atmosphere. And with my PS mates (bitsians @ Merc), the day is totally rocking. Mercidents.. I mean 'incidents @ merc' deserves a saperate blog, which has already been created. Daily we have 'working breaks' in between our cafeteria 'discussions'.... where Literally ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN OVER A COFFEE!!!