My mind tricked me...

My head was throbbing and my nose was choked...these two conditions are very irritating when they hit you simultaneously!!! I even had a bit of fever.So I decided to tuck myself up and go to sleep. Mom saw me getting into the bed. She came to my room and switched off the fan! Now its a bad habit of mine that I cant do without at least a fan while sleeping, however cold I might be.So I mumbled,"Mom please switch on the fan...". My request seemed to dwindle in substance towards the last as I expected a tirade from mom!! But surprise surprise! She looked at me, switched on the fan,went to the cupboard and brought me a blanket!! Wow! Felt so cozy in there! I went off to a dreamless sleep and when I woke up, I felt a bit better. Mom came and sat beside me. She ran her fingers through my hair and felt my forehead for fever. Her touch was so soothing! I suddenly had a wish to drink soup( I love soups!)....I opened my mouth to ask mom to make some...but before I got any further,she said,"I have made some soup...shall I bring it for you here?" I could just nod my head and grin.There's nothing better than motherly love to cure your illness!!! Mom went to the kitchen and suddenly my phone blared loudly.I was startled! I picked up the phone with closed eyes and said,"Hello!"........."How are you feeling now son?",came my mother's voice over the phone.I was confused.Why would mom call me on my phone from the kitchen to ask me how I was?? I opened my eyes...and the spider-webbed ceiling of my hostel room came into view.The fan was switched off (must have been my roommate....he hates fans),there was no blanket on me and there certainly didn't seem any chance of some soup coming through my door! I was a bit dazed and asked mom to hang up...I would call her later. I got up and was about to call mom for some water( I was still sleepy I guess!), but it suddenly hit me that I was in my hostel...no water would come to me unless I walked the distance to the mess and filled up my bottle myself...and not surprisingly,the throbbing in my head came back....

Complicated!!!

Did we ever bother to think when we were kids that life is so complicated?? That life, in all its complications, is perhaps the most diffficult subject to understand rather than Maths or History!! Relations didnt matter anything to us then. We didnt have the required acumen to understand the workings of any relationship (thankfully!!). Life for us then, was all about games, TV, tasty food, clothes and fights with friends and siblings for dominance! But now it seems an enhanced acumen that comes with age is nothing less than a curse. Talking about myself, I know how much I hate taking responsibility for everything that concerns me. Sometimes that makes me feel lonely...Parents are the best blessings that God has given us. But it is now, when we stay away from our parents, that the concept of 'Friends' takes on a new light. Friends no longer stay those buddies with whom we play in the evenings and exchange books or toys, rather they become those with whom we actually rely on and trust. They become those with whom we blast our worries and woes! They become our family away from home. And this is when a lot of other problems arise....The family at home is easier to handle coz whetever you do to anger them, they pardon you as they are vastly more experienced than us (and they dont have any other choice!). But the family away from home is the sensitive one coz each one has the same experience in life and the same amount of tolerability. The same position that we give our friends is also applicable for us from their point of view! And thus we start learning how to adjust and adapt to varying situations. We calmly do the things for which we would have thrown a fit at home. And this is what we call life. This is what we call growing up. With growing maturity our role at home changes too. We are required to reciprocate the love that we had been showered with since we were just tiny tots! And we need to take responsibility for quite a lot of things too. Sometimes, when I realize all of this, I miss my childhood days very much. I crave for that carefree attitude that I had come to be very comfortable with!! ;-) But its no use living in the past. Life moves on and so we need to move on too. But we can surely do one thing. We can learn from our past experiences and try to make a better and simple future for ourselves as well as for all those who are yet to join us in this world!!!

Where the F*** have I come???

What the f*** is going on? And what kind of a place is this(Rourkela)??? I dont mean to hurt the feelings of the unfortunate inhabitabts of Rourkela but even if they are hurt then I dont give a damn.Just two days back I kept shivering in the cold even during the afternoons and here I am today sitting under the fan even at night.God forbid anyone from having to experience this kind of awful weather.Morning records below 10 degrees and the same afternoon soars to above 30 degrees.Either Rourkela is somehow a disguised alien planet or some serious climatic abnormality.In any case there is something terribly wrong with the system and I am at a loss how to find my way out of it...

Experiencing love!!!

Its funny how everyone talks the most about love during Valentine's Day(me included :-D) but I guess its an appropriate time to let that special one know exactly how special he or she is.
Its my misfortune that yet again I failed to meet her.I would have so liked to look into her dark eyes again and be able to inhale her sweet scent.I would have literally given anything to have been able to see her blush again when I let her know how much I loved her.To have held her hand and let her head rest on my shoulders would have been pure bliss.To have listened to her mellow voice and feel the warmth of her closeness would have been the ultimate happiness for me.To have listened to her thoughts and felt her feelings would have been the greatest comfort.To just have spent those few golden moments together that would have given me the strength to bear the trauma of separation ahead....
But I guess that was not to be and I am still waiting for my first chance in two years(and counting!) to just put my eyes on her.Still I am ready to wait as long as it takes coz I know that when I finally see her again it will be worth the wait...

CONFLUENCE 2KX

The ambience created by the impending festivities in NIT, Rourkela is something to savour! And these upcoming weeks are bound to bring excitement and entertainment for all. As always, this year’s tech fest at NITR, Confluence 2KX, promises to be a congregation of some of the most brilliant minds of this generation. Scheduled from 5th to 8th Feb 2010,Confluence 2KX aims at promoting attention towards the environmental problems being faced by the society these days. Hence the theme for this year’s annual techno-management festival of NIT Rourkela is “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. Thus, espousing the idea of using technology for the fulfilment of the three R’s of waste management is the main purpose of Confluence 2KX.

The logo of Confluence 2KX signifies the true meaning of this festival; the congregation of ideas,minds and experience.To that effect,the logo consists of three wings which converge at a central point.

Lets take a peek at what Confluence 2KX has to offer.
The central events are all designed to promulgate insight into the three R’s.
1.SHOWCAZ
It is basically an air exhibition where various aircrafts will be displayed and then will be made to fly. The exhibition will comprise of various aircrafts like power gliders both i.e. engine type as well as motor type, chuck gliders, towline gliders and many other aircrafts. The show will be conducted by professional aeromodellers. Also in the show the various models and aircrafts designed by the members of Udaan club will be displayed.
2.PRIKAZ
PRIKAZ is the theme based paper presentation event of CONFLUENCE 2KX. Why are papers presented ? To gain some knowledge ourselves, and spread that learning to another lot of interested selves. PRIKAZ beckons you to enter this universe of knowledge, understand some mysteries, and unravel some.
Topic for PRIKAZ:
“WASTE MANAGEMENT:TECHING IT UP”
3.KVIZ
A quiz solely based on ‘Waste Management and Latest Technical Advancements in this field’ for the technicians and engineers of this hour.
4.ONLINE EVENTS
Stockvilla is a virtual stock exchange market where budding financialists test their mettle and pit themselves against their contemporaries.
5.X6TENSE
The event promises to enthrall gamers with challenging competitions in Counter Strike, Need For Speed and Warcraft III (DOTA).

Apart from these there are various robotics events along with departmental events too.So come over, put on your thinking caps and be ready for a breathtaking ride this spring!!!

Dr.Kalam's visit to NIT,Rourkela

Of course I had never thought that I would see the great man,the former Prsident of India,Dr.A.P.J.A.Kalam in real life.Now I am happy to say that I was mistaken.Just being in his presence was like being shrouded in an aura of vast knowledge and experience.And to my great fortune I got the oppurtunity to publish Dr.Kalam's speech in our Institute's news-e-letter,Monday Morning.The speech itself was magnificient in its exeution by Dr.Kalam but I guess I wasn't giving my 100% concentration when I was actually there.But reading the speech again in my room in leisure,I came to realize how much optimistic dedication is actually prevalent in the thoughts and actions of the great scientists of our country.I am going to quote some of Dr.Kalam's words so that you can see for yourself.

"I realized that if something is at stake,the human minds get ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold.That’s exactly what happened.This is one of the techniques of building talent.The message is that the young in the organization,whatever is their specialization,be trained to systems approach and projects,which will prepare them for new products,innovation and undertaking higher organizational responsibilities.Friends you should get ready to acquire knowledge in an integrated wayfor using multiple disciplines towards product development and its management."

"I am going to visualize the type of India in the year 2020,so that you can build the capacities to participate in this movement.
Distinctive Profile of India by 2020
1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture,industry and service sector work together in symphony.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation,which is the best destination for the most talented scholars,scientists and investors.
6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
7. A Nation where the governance is responsive,transparent and corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated,illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.
9. A Nation that is prosperous,healthy,secure,devoid of terrorism,peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership."

Introspection

Almost twenty years of life has taught me one thing.Life is all about relating to others,be it strangers or one's own kin or for that matter one's friends.Its all about how you present yourself in front of others,the relevant body language at any situation and to what extent you understand others' actions and interpet them correctly.And to be able to do so,you have to be adept at introspection.I have realized that by introspection you tend to interpret others' body language more proficiently because it helps you to place yourselves in others' situations and analyze how you would react to a particular situation.This really helps in establishing strong bonds with other people.After all its rightly said:Do to others what you expect others to do to you!!!