Navratri 2022 in Bilaspur

One of the fondest memories from my childhood involves Durga puja in Bilaspur. The city almost transforms into another world. 'Metaverse' is the closest which comes to mind if I have to describe it using the latest vocabulary. As we go into last 3-4 days of Navratri and the sun sets, the city starts getting ready. People gather around pandals navigating traffic and chaos in the narrow lanes, sound of songs celebrating the goddess and smell of dhoop overpower all the cacophony.

I am at a stage where I have spent more than half my life outside my hometown Bilaspur, this realization itself brings a lot of mixed emotions. I left this place to pursue higher education and career aspirations and since then I am a confused soul who doesn't know where he belongs. Every time I come, I invariably try to find memories which take me back to younger days and festivals tend to be the easiest memories you can recollect.

I do come for every Diwali except for few due to unavoidable reasons. But Diwali is a festival which I associate more with Home and Family, not necessarily with the city. The lights, decoration, markets buzzing with people do add an argument but still Diwali is a more personal and intimate festival for me. Whereas Durga puja is all about outside environment, the city is an integral part of it. 

I was in Bilaspur for Durga puja after nearly 2 decades. I was here last year but 2 years of covid had sadly taken everything out of festivities and the celebrations were lukewarm. This time, it looked as if the flavor and fervor is truly back and it was time to go out and experience it. So I did !!

And it brought so much of nostalgia. Good old times when we used to do a city tour in a rikshaw, eyes wide open, filled with excitement and having a great time looking at all the 'grandeur'. I put grandeur in quotes because becoming older and wiser, seeing a lot more places and things has put things in perspective. I admit the charm is not the same but still, hopping around durga pandals took me back to those younger days which in itself is something to be thrilled about.

So all my younger friends, if you are having a good time, be there and cherish it. As the Japanese say "Itchi-go-itchi-e"

Simplicity is a virtue !!

There are times when i start quoting people, sometimes it makes sense too :). 

This was was surely one of those times. The scenario was, when my friend sent me link to a photo-blog and we started discussing which one looks beautiful and it led to some interesting philosophical conclusion.

 

me: yes.. totally

4:43 PM actually i think we look at the pic differently

  you look for the visual apeal

4:44 PM i look for ... what does it convey to me

  in many cases..they are interrelated offcourse

4:45 PM Tipu: yaa I look basically at the prospective and the tones of the pic

  along with how the photographer has made the pic dramatic

4:46 PM me: true.... i basically don't think in that direction

 Tipu: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79754672@N00/2331025108

  see this for example

  can you guess how he has done that

4:48 PM me: point is , i don't care how he has done that

  because i don't know

 Tipu: hmm

  fair enough

4:49 PM so basically to you the pic should look beautiful... but you shouldnt have to reason it out why it is looking beautiful

  it should come without any reason

 me: precisely

4:50 PM Tipu: that is the definition of beauty i would say

  that it is actually undefined

 me: yes, it lies in the eyes of the beholder

4:51 PM Tipu: I somehow constantly try to find out a form or an element that is there is something beautiful I see

4:52 PM any way.... I guess the reall good pic will the one which can enchant both the point of views

4:53 PM abstract enough to be appreciated by technical ppl and beautifull enough that it can be felt

 me: yes

4:54 PM i believe, that making an art abstract for the sake of critical aclaim does not make it good

  simplicity has its own charm

4:55 PM and as Mr. Hrishikesh Mukherji says.... 'it is so simple to be happy, yet it is so difficult to be simple'

 Tipu: they somehow render their art difficult for normal ppl to appreciate and they somehow loose the sense of beauty in art

  yes I too... thats the reason I hate all the modern artists
they somehow render their art difficult for normal ppl to appreciate and they somehow loose the sense of beauty in art

4:56 PM me: and as MPD says... 'any tom, dick and harry can design a complex circuit. It needs a sound designer to build a simple circuit'

4:57 PM Tipu: lol

4:58 PM me: i also smiled at first (lol in front of MPD is not possible)

4:59 PM but look at the deep meaning. I agree to the enhanced version, that is not limited to circuits... let it be any product

 Tipu: yaa

Another Beginning

In the last two-three months or so, i have gone through several emotions, as my life has turned upside down; but there is a peculiar aspect of my personality that, i behave as if i am not affected by any of those changes at all.

The first change that happened was leaving my college. I spent 5 wonderful years of my life in that green and luxurious campus of IIT bombay. Luxurious in the sense, that i had opportunities to do anything that i liked. Its totally a different thing that i chose not to pursue many of those likings and just sat back and enjoyed most of those 5 years remaining idle. But that also added some new dimensions to my personality, which i can not explain in words. The feeling of becoming an alumni from a student did not sink in when i was leaving. But when i attended my convocation and i was handed over my degrees, I realized that i have achieved something, because my parents said it was a very proud moment for them.

Then, i came to bangalore for starting a new phase of my life called as job life. I realized that i no longer have the services of the safety-net that i used to enjoy in college. Now, i have to worry about details of daily life, electricity bill, water bill, grocery for the kitchen, cook, maid, and so on.. I was on my own in college also, but the feeling of being an independent person came here only. And it did not took me too long to get used to of home-office-home life. Lots of people have asked me ...what next now? I really have no answer what the future holds for me. I will cross the bridge when it comes, React to the present and see how it goes. For the moment, i am enjoying my life the way it is :).

Current Affairs

I have not updated this blog for a long time. not that i am busy and all. In fact, when i look back at these days... i am not busy at all. i have all the time in the world to do so many things. I have watched infinite movies ( infinite is used too frequently in my college lingo, don't go by literal meaning), finished reading books that were on my to-read list- shantaram, one night at call center etc. etc. read fountainhead again :), and after putting a fight for what seemed a lifetime, i have learnt swimming. Not a professional, but i can swim at least :)
current to-do list has.... to watch: namesake, black friday, to read: to kill a mocking bird, to do: learn skating :)
In between, there is my project work which went at a sluggish pace in that period, finally my guide had to say... "vivek, frankly speaking, i am disappointed man. you should not take this long for such well defined problems". i can't disagree with him either. lets see how i do now, when he had expressed his feelings.

currently listening : papa kahte hain bada naam karega.........

Lonawala trip !!

I don't know.... how the idea originated, but someone said chalo lonawala chalte hain at 5 pm and 5 of us on 3 bikes were on our way to lonawala 1 hour later. And after some 4-5 hours of journey, which included .... riding on endless highways, dusty and crowdy roads of panwel, food and special chai at a road side dhaba, dangerously curvy roads, a thrilling tunnel on mumbai-pune express way ..... we were in lonawala.

it was 12 - 12:30 at night and everyone with whom we discussed our options, suggested against our idea of going at the peak of lonawala in night. But .... we started for it.. then after some time.... we decided to wait till the morning. now, the question was how to spend the night.... we managed to find a roof for us.... where a guy allowed us to stay, he also gave us bedsheets for the night.... god bless him !

And finally.... we saw some daylight and started our journey for lions point. That was one of my most memorable experiences. The clouds were such, that we could hardly see anything 10 meter ahead of us.... actually we were riding in clouds. And when we reached there.... the air and the rains literally swept us of our feets..... and to our delight there was a chaiwala who made pakodi and chai.... that was the high point of the journey in every sense !!!!!

Then after some more sight seeing and riding across natural beauty, we were coming back. Just when we thought that all the thrill is over, we were crossing Airoli bridge through the sea, and first time in my life, i saw the power of air, for a moment i thought it will take us with itself !!! but nothing of that sort happened. and we reached the insti safely... totally wet... thanks to the continuous rain, which was our companion throught the journey. It was one of the best outdoor trips i have had. here are all the pics of the trip.

What i had to say ..........

The stage was set. It is perhaps the only opportunity one gets in IIT, when you can mention the people close to you, thank them, and make them realize how much they mean to you. Off course no one can stop me from doing that personally, but to say that in a public forum is different. But since it was too late and first time in my life I felt emotionally towards persons other than my family, I became a man who is short of words. All I could say is that everybody who is there at 7:00 am in the morning after a sleepless night are all close to me, basically I love u all… and I feared taking names, ( what if I forget someone? )

But after sulking for two days and nights in the feeling…. I decided that I can not keep it to myself anymore… there are few names, if I don’t mention; I will regret all my life. How can I not mention M. Anirudh, who has been there beside me selflessly…. If I say he was my lifeline in Banglore, I will not be exaggerating. How can I not mention my first year room mate KK whom I admire for all, which he has achieved given the difficult circumstances? How can I not mention the two persons Patodi and Diggy, whom I have taken for granted, and they never complained and always helped me, whenever I needed them, How can I not mention Ayush, whose optimism shows me hope in the most difficult of circumstances. How can I not mention Sagu, who has been a friend in spite of the fact that both of us do not share a single trait, How can I not mention Manish K Singh, who showed me the lighter side of IIT life. How can I not mention Rajwade whose simplicity and friendship crosses all bounds…? How can I not mention my department, where I had almost nil interaction … but each of the EE02 has taught me something at some point of my life? How can I not mention my hostel mates? They can certainly give lessons to the world that how to live life. Last but certainly not the least, how can I forget my wingies? They have been members of my second home, right from my grand seniors to grand juniors; I have smiled, cried, danced and had fights with them. They were always there or me.

There is still a chance that I forget to mention some persons who have been an integral part of my life in my stay in IIT. I will cherish all the moments I have spent with you people. All I want to say is that someone sitting in the heaven is extremely happy with me, that he has given me this life. If any point in life I can be of any help, I assure you, I am just a call away. Thank you guys!!! I hope some years down the line, I will say:-

Remembering my batch mates after few years,
My eyes were filled with tears,
Everyone now is busy a lot,
No one escaped destiny's plot.

Saw the girl whom once I thought will be my friend,
Oops! Today she is somebody else's girl friend,
After months, remembered about her for a little while,
Heard she is happy, that made me smile.

Project reviews to campus interviews,
Nicknames to last bench games,
Cultural rehearsals to love proposals,
Short term crushes to class room blushes.

Everything is fresh in our mind,
Wish life could just rewind,
Let's laugh, play and rejoice,
Once again become college guys.

Chatting and laughing. We all were in elation,
Till the painful moment of separation,
When it was time to part,
We returned with a heavy heart.

Today life is full of commitments,
And too many worries,
But those cherished moments,
Will live forever in our memories!!!!

Traditional day

These are the pics from the traditional day of EE.

Look look look !

This is how i used to look when i was a kid.....people used to say his head and eyes are too big for his age.what do you say :)