NITK... 1st sem, part 1.

It's been quite a while since my last post. I was pretty apprehensive about my blogs, but thanks guys, for all Ur encouragement. I was wondering what to write on, and even though nearly all my batch mates' blogs have a post on our first year there, i thought of putting one up myself. Here's what i thought of My first year at National Institute of Technology Karnataka.



First Sem:

Finally into college!. after two years of preparation, two months of exams and two days of counseling, i landed up at NITK, Surathkal... supposedly one of the best colleges in the country, decently good infrastructure, brainy dudes all around, a good mechanical dept, and best of all, a beach! I'd heard about the legendary mangalore rainfall, and therefore made it a point to carry an umbrella. The first day at college was a dampener, quite literally, as was counselling. Getting off at college in torrential rain (to put it very mildly!), my dad and me soon realized the futility of having umbrellas there. It was simply of no use. The rain was coming down in near horizontal sheets of water! so much for umbrellas!

Anyways, settling into college was pretty boring for me. Since i was the only one from my school in chennai to make it to NITK, i was pretty bored and devoid of decent company. College began very auspiciously for me, i bunked the orientation session ("one of my seniors told me it was useless" was what i told my mom. the real reason? i had my friends b'day bash in mysore on that day! :-P).

Classes were decent. No, don't get me wrong, i meant the classrooms were decent. the classes themselves sucked! sure there were a few decent lecturers, but on the whole, i expected something better. i guess all of us did. After all, its NITK! But, i was soon brought down to earth by a few hilariously stupid sessions. I'll try and give you a brief summary of each, one by one.

• Dr Shankar : Math lecturer. An amazing teacher, and an amazing person! One of the most enjoyable classes that most people used to look forward to. He's got this style of teaching that most of us instantly took a liking to. Just the sight of him striding into class, top button open, laloo-prasad haircut, and with a Kreyzig and a schaumm series book in hand with a couple of chalk pieces, can make u stop whatever u r doing, and listen to his classes! He's even got a couple of quotes that are world famous in NITK! Check out chit's blog for them. And the best part?.. He almost never took attendance!
  
• Rifat Ara: Our electronics "lecturer"..ahem. I just dunno what to say about this creature. I need to warn you that my opinion may be ever so slightly biased, i never could stand the sight of her, and we had quite a few run-ins! Initially, i was genuinely interested in her class. It was electronics after all, and i wanted to know what exactly the geeks of every college learn! :P But when she started saying stuff like "see this fliss floss hair" (read "see this flip flop here" for those geekily oriented) things started getting too pissing off. she made absolutely no sense most of the time. And save the first bench guys, nobody could hear a word of what she said. One fine afternoon, I'd decided that i needed to show some amount of respect to the course and i was dutifully taking down notes (for a change). For more than half of the class she was going on and on about the "freakency" (frequency) of something. i had no clue what that something was. And neither did chaitu, anees(who was intently msging someone) , toma (whom i had to wake up to ask), chit (who was also sleeping like the rest of the class). I decided things had gone too far, and raised my hand to ask her. I stood up and asked her what frequency she was exactly talking about. She was pretty pissed i suppose. Her face turned a surathkal-beach-sunset red and she glowered at me and shouting out some stuff which i managed to decode into what i thought was "when the others know, why don't u?" I promptly replied saying no one in my vicinity knew about it. (I guess this was where most of the rest of the class woke up!). I don't exactly know what she said next, but chaitu also stood up and came to my defense, saying he dint know what she meant either! Now, that certainly pissed her off and she started into a speech that would eventually take up the rest of the hour. It was quite good fun actually. She left college after the first sem. I feel truly victorious!
• Dr. S V Kamat : He taught us engineering graphics. Pretty good lecturer, only thing was it needed every ounce of our energy to stay awake in his class. But once that was accomplished, it was pretty enjoyable.
• Dr Satish: Chem prof number 1. for half the sem. Total time pass character. Probably watched a lot of KBC. He resorted to "audience poll" to figure out the structure of a few compunds! I heard he got his Ph.D and fled the college immediately, before they set him a test in "elementary theories of bonding"!
• Dr. R C Bhat: Chem prof number 2. A hitler if there ever was one. Everyone dreaded the flick of the right hand fore finger dismissing one from the class ! come late to class, stare dreamily into space, talk, nay, just look away from the board towards someone, and you run the risk of being banished from class. I'd once forgotten to put my phone on silent in his class. Halfway thru class, he's giving us cell equations and it starts ringing! SHIT! once I'd managed to get the ring under control, i look up to see him staring at me as though I'd killed his brother or summat! one days attendance gone, i thought as i prepared to get outta there. but incredibly, he dint banish me!. he said "first and last warning.. blah..blah..blah" and actually let me stay! He used to teach well, though and was pretty systematic. Anyway, I'm happy i never have to sit in his class again.
• Dr Nityananda Shetty:Chem prof number 3. He was the HOD of the chemistry dept. He was pretty good as a teacher, but for the fact that his voice was somewhat like trelawneys (of Harry Potter). Cant say anything much about him, I'd have to ask someone who actually managed to stay awake!
  
• Mrs Ambica Mallya: She taught (more likely, tried teaching) us professional communication. We assumed it would be decent fun and time pass. Until she started lecturing us on "methods of communication" and "roadblocks to communication" and so on and so forth. we needed something to spice up the class and that's exactly what chit came up with. A couple of (pointless) group discussions later, he was the commander-in-chief of all anti-mallya forces! Just try convincing chit about something that he doesn't believe in, and u'll know what i mean. He just would not agree to mrs mallya's opinion. And watching the two battle it out for supremacy was the ultimate time pass for those who weren't as inclined towards slumber as certain others! Usually no conclusion was reached, which was perfectly OK by all of us. Chit started wearing kurtas to classes as a symbol of "I DON'T AGREE"! subsequently chaitu, anees (who according to her resembled her son) and i(who according to her resembled her husband (?!?) ) joined the kurta gang.
  
• Dr. A C Hegde : Chem lab in charge. good teacher, I'm told. Again, i cant verify these claims. Toma and i usually spent these classes trying to wake each other up all the time. Needless to say, neither of us succeeded.
  

• Alex D'Souza : workshop in-charge. Maniac of the highest order! His reasonably good competence and knowledge of the subject were overshadowed by his eccentricity. No idea whom he's trying to kid. He comes through as an over enthusiastic and overzealous teacher at first. But his classes become truly hilarious when he starts reeling off his "experiences". I simply cant resist listing a few!!

1. Once, an old student of mine requested me to help me. he said "Alex sir, I'm stuck in a problem. The girl whom i loved has taken my money and now wants to leave me. Help Me!!!" I said "Dont worry, Alex will take care". I spoke to the girl and her parents for just ten minutes and she agreed to marry him!. That boy then called me and thanked me profusely. He is today in Tirupati doing pooja, thanking god. He asked me also to go, but i dint go. do any of you know why?? do you know?? because i told him "My dear friend, i can come, but i will not, because i have the workshop class for first year, mechanical students! i can't miss their class!"
2. (continuing in the same context) Have any of you been to Tirupati?? (Few people raise their hands). Have you seen the Hanuman Statue there? When i had gone there, even though I'm a christian, i sat there near the statue and meditated! God came and told in my mind "Alex, There is a small shop at the end of the row of shops. I have kept an item there for you. Take it, and I'll always be with you" so, i went to that shop and took that item. So, even today, i can talk to God!!
   

I can go on and on and on... Unbelievable?! Believe it!

That covers all the first sem teachers. I'll cover the second sem teachers the next time around! so long folks!

Music

It's one of the few aspects of life that we are exposed to, whether we notice it, and want it or not. It's everywhere. Almost any shop you enter these days has the latest regional music blaring out. Any hotel, any function, any get-together almost any happening is accompanied by some form of music.

But why am i suddenly expounding the omnipresence of music? Its because i'd like to point out the difference between merely "listening" to music and "knowing" it. Any Tom, Dick n Harry on the road will listen to and tap his feet to the beat. And it would require true genius to compose foot-tapping music. But between these two, there is this (reasonably big) group of people who are neither here nor there. It's this group that intrigues me, and hence , this post.


There are budding amateurs, millions of them, who find themselves reasonably talented at singing, or playing any any particular instrument. Then, there is this group of people who are keen listeners of music. All that's good. But, its pretense that kills everything. I must admit, i'm no great student of music. I belonged to the first group that i talked about in this post for many many years. I used to listen to any kind of music, and enjoy it. And then, college happened. People always say the first year of college always changes something about you. Well, in my case it was my outlook to music. Thanks to chaitu, bhejafry n ani (fellow madcaps from college), I started listening to music more keenly, with a view to understand and soak in the euphoria that (i slowly discovered) music provides. Listening slowly led to inspiration to do something myself, and now i find myself learning the basics of drums. All that is very good.

But, coming to the pretense part of it. I have always had acquaintances who claimed they were "music buffs" and they "understood" the language of musicians, and so on and so forth. They could reel off names of famous musicians, and talk about that awesome song, and this mind-blowing solo. I must admit, I thought myself to be a small insignificant thing in front of them, as far as music was concerned. Now, when i myself am just learning to really enjoy music, i get back to them, to try n increase my music-related status among my friends. Only now do i realise that the so called "buffs" weren't so buffy after all. The more i delve, the more i realise that most self-proclaimed followers of music are just trying to be someone they are not. Even that's ok by me.

What makes me think was, why put on this act? why pretend to be this music-geek when u really are not? Seeking attention? possibly, i thought. Until spoke about this to one of my good friends, who himself is a keen follower of music. We discussed the issue and decided that it's just the outlook of the society these days. Especially among the student crowd, it's normal for people to want to be different and unique. That leads them to pretense, which kills the whole beauty of music. It is no crime not to follow music too keenly, it's a matter of personal choice and interest. But, when people try to be something they are not, just to get noticed, it sucks.


On a similar note, there is the ever present fallacy that classical music is boring, and bland, whereas rock, metal n stuff like that is "cool". Again, everyone are entitled to their personal opinion, but I feel bad for people who do not try and assimilate the beauly of classical music. I myself am no badshah at classical music, but if I myself (who has been listening to a lot of classical music only for about 4-5 months) can begin to enjoy it so much, anyone who wants to can. For those who still feel that its all bullshit, well you are missing out on a lot, my friend.


Finally, all said and done, music is for relaxation, for undisturbed joy, and ultimate satisfaction. So, anyone who hasn't yet taken to listening to music seriously, you are sorely missing something!

At last!..Kubica gets what he deserves

Montreal, Canada has always had the knack of throwing up many suprises. be it in the form of off-course excursions, pit-lane poker (as steve so aptly put it!), or thoroughly unexpected winners. And this year's edition dint disappoint! Robert Kubica became Poland's first grand prix winner. That 32 toothed smile, complete wid the bald head with a small tuft of hair trying to conceal the obvious said it all!.. Awesome result and full pionts to kubica!

Practice sessions on Friday n Saturday projected what was expected, the red cars and silver cars sharing the honours at one apiece.. Qualifying was quite an exciting session... Lewis produced magic towards the end to snatch pole from the pole, kubica, in the dying seconds! its quite baffling why heikki is struggling when lewis is so sublime in the same car!

Anyways, raceday dawned with the good news that force india would not occupy their customary place on the last row of the grid after all! (Why oh, why did Super Aguri leave :( they usually have that honour! ) some penalties and Adrain and giancarlo were spared the embarrassment. The track conditions were atrocious to say the least. A FIA Formula One race track with such bad tarmac?! unbelievable... so much so, that overnight relaying of the tarmac was necessary. The track officials are gonna get screwed for that surely!

As the 5 lights went out, all cars got away cleanly, no first conner incidents! (surprise, surprise!) but just when u think that the canadian grand prix can be normal after all, Sutil blows it. after an awesome drive in monaco, a lot was expected, but the poor old german cudnt do much!... that led to safety car period no 1... lewis' lead curt down completely... we did expect quite a few cars down pit lane when it opened, but it was quite a procession!.. positions 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 into the pits!.. talk about pit lane poker!.. the ferrari pit crew did an absolutely awesome job to turn over kimi so fast, that he actually was ahead of lewis in the pit lane! but trust lewis to screw it all up!.. the idiot dint even see the red light at the pit lane exit and ploughed right into kimi!.. nico had no option but to plough into lewis' back!.. there comes the expected Montreal-Mayhem! KImi and Lewis out of the race!..

Actually come to think of it, justice might have been served after all!... KIMI bangs into Sutil's back in Monaco, Lewis does the same to KIMI here!.. hope someone bangs into Lewis in france!.. anyway, that left the whole race in kubica's hands... Massa had to do another pit stop, which relegated him to 17th. but the fierce brazilian that he is, he fought back to 5th, in what was an astounding, albeit unnoticed drive...alonso was looking really good, when his gearbox dumped him. things just dont seem to be happening for him.

Overall, the race was exactly what the fans expected!-excitement, uncertainity, and entertainment.. watch out for the flying ferraris in France though!.. they must be smarting after they had all the bad luck in france. but with kubica and BMW doing what they did, both drivers' and constructors championships have been blown wide open!.. France promises to be fun!

Finally...

Its taken a while coming, this first post... Despite wanting to start off thruout last sem, it never actually happened... well, now that it has, alls well.....
or is it?.. er.. wait... maybe not, coz my moms cries of "Kaauuusheeekkk, Kaauuusheeekkk....." just drowned out "buffalo Soldier", so i'd better get going!... later, ppl!