I forgot David Bradley’s name in a quiz. Again. And just so that I don’t forget the next time, Linus works for Transmeta Corporation
In totally unrelated news, we won the quiz.
August 14th, 2008 / 6101 Comments / Tags: quizzing, iimc / TrackbackDue to the fact that we had “Management Games” all of last weekend, we’ve been effectively operating for two weeks in a row. That means that this weekend is especially precious for anyone who needs a break. i.e me!
Samhar 2008
But there’s no break for the 100 people from here have descended upon the IIM Bangalore campus. They’re there for the third edition of “Samhar”, the annual IIM-Calcutta vs. IIM Bangalore Sports meet. This is a one-on-one competition with the two colleges competing in various sports for an overall trophy. A few of the games would be the usual suspects like Football, Basketball and Cricket – with others like Tennis, Chess, Volleyball making up the numbers. There are a bunch of separate events for the women’s teams too. People here are of course hoping that we get the trophy, that we lost last time. Apparently it was a pretty bad thrashing – something people here hope to correct. I for one, don’t care that much. I’ve asked all my friends who are there to have fun – and if possible visit Purple Haze and get me some first hand reports.
Maiden Visit to Park Street
Today, after the last class – there was a impromptu plan to go raid the KFC at Park Street. Park Street is the standard place for anyone looking for a good time to go to – and I had not been there in my first 6/7 weeks here. So with bags and books in tow we decided to head straight for the place. Autos here are shared and run point-to-point and are easily one of the quickest and cheapest methods of getting around, provided they ply on the required route. We took two autos to get from Joka to Tollygunge metro station, and from there we got to Park Street metro station in the comfortable 10 min. train ride.
KFC and Forum
12 pieces of Fried Chicken, 4 Zinger Burgers, 4 fries and 8 large glasses of Pepsi later we found ourselves gut-burstingly full and facing a sudden torrent which made the street look pretty in a way that only fresh rain can. We somehow got to Forum, the main mall in these parts and whiled away an hour(arguing over Manchester United T Shirt designs, congratulating a Chelsea-fan-friend for winning the “runners-up” treble last year and suchlike). The wait was for a 7:10 movie that we had tickets for in the INOX in the mall.
Why you should watch Singh is Kinng
The movie was of course, the newly released Singh is Kinng – and my aim was to keep up my record of watching big budget Anees Bazmee films after repeated rewatchings of No Entry(that दास्तान-ए-दर्द is for some other day) and being tricked into watching Welcome. So with no expectations of any sort of coherence, sense or for that matter sanity – I stepped into the hall. The unfortunate part was that the tickets were 250 bucks a head, and that would seem a bit excessive for a film we were there merely to make snide remarks about. As it transpired, we did in fact have a lot of fun.
The movie has everything from outrageous non-sequiturs, the same song-disco-rap setting four times over, a K3G / सूरज हुआ मद्धम ripoff and of course a Katrina Kaif who finally completes the fun by being allowed to use her own voice (and hence accent) and repeatedly keeps saying “मेरे जैसी लड़की”. There is usually one awesome joke in Anees Bazmeeimovies – and the one is about how a particular guy is so old that “birthday पे cake से ज्यादा candle पे खर्चा होता है”. The evening was complete after a longish cab ride back home, involving a hilarious incident with the cab driver – something for another day.
La Ning and the Flying Runner
I’ve watched every opening ceremony since Atlanta, and the memories of 2000 and Cathy Freeman and the waterfall flame will always remain as one of the iconic moments in Olympic history. Hence there was particular curiosity as to what happened this year. I missed the live telecast of course, due to the aforementioned trip – but have just returned from catching a glimpse at the 30 minute highlights programme on DD.
I would rate the actual lightning of the Olympic flame pretty highly. That event is undoubtedly the highlight of any opening ceremony, something most people would take away and cherish – and the success of that event would define the success of the games to a certain extent. It has to satisfy a few criteria
1. It has have drama. The cauldron is often hidden, and its actual form and its position are the first “aha” moment of the event.
2. The next is the lighting. How does the athlete get the flame to actually light up. This is usually done via the fuse, or by directly touching the torch with the flame. ’92 Barcelona of course had the archer, which many people will remember.
3. The build-up has to be not only melodramatic but also artistic. This is the longest part, the “waiting with baited breath” part – where music, aesthetics and grace and poise play a defining role.
4. And there are of course points for something “extra” or special that you can add. Can you design the cauldron to represent something? Can you do something even after the cauldron is lit?
Sydney did well on all four counts, with the fourth one being “Now that the flame is lit all around Cathy, how does she get out of there?”. Beijing did well on three, although I feel they could’ve done more with the actual design of the flame. Also the spectacle relied heavily on the projection behind La Ning, something a lot of people will evaluate to digital trickery rather that good old-style art. But that is what you expect when you put a famous film director in charge.
Tomorrow is a big day for India. I predict two medals overall, both coming from shooting. And as we know shooting always happens in the first two/three days. My prediction is for one medal in Clay Pigeon Trap (probably Manavjit Singh Sandhu) and one in the 10m Air Rifle for Gagan Narang or Abhinav Bindra.
Now that I’ve stuck my neck out, all that remains is to wait and watch! All the very best to the sherwani-clad men in Beijing, the tracksuits-sari-dress-as-you-please women in Beijing and the all-in-one-uniform men and women of IIM Calcutta in Bangalore!
EDIT #1
I had to put this in after reading Rediff’s review of Singh is Kinng. Sample this for rotf hilarious.
“But to see it [the song Bas Ek Kinng] on a big screen with the music blasting (as it always happens with Bollywood films), is a treat.The quick edits, flash of lights reflecting in a set of the mirrors in a night club, the slow motion shots, […] all add to a quality video – Bollywood at its technical best.”
And this is PFC’s scathing review of guess who?
August 9th, 2008 / 0 Comments / Tags: olympic, samhar, iimc, iimb, forum, singh is kinng, movie, travel / TrackbackAs I write this, I have just started my fourth week in college. Of course much has happened – which is the reason why this clog did not get the deserved attention!
Anyway, we have settled into some sort of a routine I guess. There is a certain degree of “relaxation time” that all of us get, and those periods are usefully employed gulping down Kamal-da’s Maggi, while discussing something arbit. that came to someone’s mind.
Discussions I feel have been the highlight of my stay here so far. We have discussed psychological motivations and other factors that include placement, the oedipal and the electra complex, why Queen as a band is gay(with vehement protestations) and more importantly scene-by-scene recounts of famous dialogues and scenes from movies.
Apart from that the class timings are usually from 8:30 to 4 with one or two gaps in between. Early morning starts usually means groggy students, and the coffee outside the classroom complex is the standard solution for most people here. I for one, always miss my breakfast – and the “patty” and the canteen there has become a staple.
Which brings me to the food. There are 3 messes here, one for each hostel. I can only talk about my mess – but I hope to experience the others soon. Firstly, there is always a lot of food, with enough variety with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Breakfast has eggs, bread, jam, toast apart from the dish of the day. Meals may include everything from Chole Bhature to Manchurian Chicken. There is nowhere this sense of getting “bengali food”. However, one minor complaint I have with it is that its just too rich! I would prefer plain daal-chawal some day. But as they say, what to do?
The BC Roy Library, named after the legendary doctor and politician is truly a place of solace and comfort. It is sad that the place is not frequented as often and as frequently by students as it should, but those who go there will find a sense of calm that only libraries can bring. There is this periodical section which subscribes to every magazine of note and interest – and is well equipped with wi-fi and working tables. The books are arranged in really really long sections, and finding them without the OPAC is a challenge! I so far have read Lyne Truss’ “Eats(,) Shoots and Leaves” (finally!) and Ben Gurion and the Birth of Israel. The latter I found to be a bit biased and hero-worshippy while Lyne Truss is a delight to read and follow! Absolutely splendid. Currently sitting in my bag is Erik Eriksson Gandhi’s Truth.
Another delight has been the exposure to Psychology and Behavioural Sciences. One of the oldest profs on campus, Mrs. Leena Chaterjee is brilliant at the subject. Muchos Gracias and all that is flowing already.
Apart from that, there is nothing much to say.(have I not said enough already?). Its been raining like crazy here, and one thing we need to get right is to prevent water-logging in and around the hostels. Its not just the inconvenience, but the pests and mosquitoes and the disease are penalties no one should have to pay.
Cheers, and till next time!
July 15th, 2008 / 2 Comments / Tags: long, iimc, mess, library / TrackbackJust finished my first week at college. There is a LOT to tell – and I am at a loss of words wondering how to tell it. So I shall take the simpler route. Choose the things I want to talk about and skip the rest.
So I’ve decided to talk about the academic schedule. We have a bunch of subjects, of which we have had about a couple of lectures so far. Enough for me to guage what its going to be like in each of them. So here goes.
Finance : This apparently is one of the two so-called ‘tough’ subjects. It’s basic accounting really, with stuff like balance sheets and P&L accounts. I’ve had in total about 5 hours exposure to this, counting classroom time – and so far it has seemed fine. But when people say it is tough, you usually take heed. So I do.
Statistics: This is the other so-called “tough” subject. I can see why this will be tough, and I think it is a subject that I will have to work at. Basically its a lot of math, and there is a certain basic level they expect you to be at, and that itself can be quite tough for people who do not hit the ground running.
Indian Politic and Economic History: I expected this subject to be the most interesting of all. But am quite confused as to how it will unfold. For now it has been mostly “story telling” on part of the prof, and though quite a few perspectives have been thrown in, it still seems a bit confusing and “globe”.(that is the term here for anything that is in some measure nebulous)
Marketing Management : This also has been pretty globe till now. Mainly seems to deal with the professor’s personal inputs. I’m guessing I’ll get more “concrete” theories once I open the textbook. Incidentally, one of the authors of the textbook is Kotler and I’ve always been really wary of these “3P” and “5C” types gyaan. It all seemed like anecdotal knowledge to me and it pains me to think that I might have to “study” this. But then again, I have to start studying.
Behavioural Sciences : This also has been quite globe so far. It seems to bring in inputs from psychology and I have read the textbook for this one. Nothing exceptional, expect that its not that bad. Again, I believe such things are learnt more from experience and self-theorizing.
Economics : This has been disappointing so far. Arijit Sen, the faculty for this one is supposed to be a really awesome prof, but I have not the got the feel for this so far. Kunal who took an introductory course in college, to his credit, was a lot more engaging. But then again, its been only two lectures and I’m being unfair to our prof because in one lecture I accept that I was really sleepy.
All the other profs here are awesome though. I have met the ones who engage our courses of course, but have also listened to a few others on other occasions. Even though it is true that an inordinately large number of them are from this region and are bengalis, they are not bengali by “characteristics”, if you know what I mean. All of them have an awesome outlook towards things – and bring interesting insights, and are like most people say here – “god level”.
That is all I can think of for now, now I need more sleep!
June 29th, 2008 / 1 Comment / Tags: iimc, academics / TrackbackGot to Calcutta after the long (33 hour) train – The Azad Hind “Super Fast”. It was 3 hours late, but I’m guessing it was better than landing here at the unearthly hour that it would have normally.
Got to the campus via a Sumo (Satwik and Yusufi got on at Nagpur, an I thankfully had some company.) The boot was reekingly full with luggage, and it was raining like crazy. The poshest areas, the driver remarked with some glee, were the most under water.
The first view of the Howrah bridge came unexpectedly quickly, and it was much much larger than what I thought it would be. But you dont really “see” the bridge while trvelling on it. I still need to get a proper view. The first view of the Eden Gardens was excellent, and the Victoria Memorial areas were very very nice. Reminded me of the Vidhan Soudha area in Bangalore.
I guess I did not really see the “bad” Calcutta that people had warned me about, but then as the driver said, while it is raining, most people including the thugs, perfer to stay indoors.
The first view of the campus gate is not the greatest, with a smallish concrete rectangle greeting you. I had seen how the entrance looked, so it was not so bad. But once you get in, I personally found it extremely pretty.
They tell you about the famous “7 lakes”, but forget to mention that 130 odd acres is not really that big, and the lakes are literally next to each other. In fact it is not uncommon that a particular road is flanked by lakes on both sides. And since it has been raining here pretty hard, nature’s green is particularly cheerful – and out in full force everywhere you look.
The room allotments etc were very peaceful and devoid of any sarkari-ness. Apart from that, there is not much to do here apart from lounge around. LAN connections are not supposed to be used due the ban from the “LAN Squad”, a nomenclature I find extremely amusing. I’m writing this from the Computer Centre, which inexplicably has very few PCs that work and I have had to lug my Laptop all the way upto here.
Two more days will be relatively peaceful before the 20th when we have a day packed with activty, ending with the fresher’s welcome by the chairman of Procter and Gamble India. Should live up to the reputation of being a Yawnathon as most such functions go.
Here is Video goodness for all of you. The IIMC Room Tour (with White Noise in the background.)
UPDATE: Apparently I was not allowed to upload vidoeos of college. Something which I find extremely frustrating. But what to do?
More observations soon!
June 17th, 2008 / 0 Comments / Tags: iimc, firstday, calcutta / Trackback