General Buzzi...er..Musing.

To be Regular - A buzzed Fortnightly Forecast for my near (?) and Dears (??!) at NIT surat

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Aries: This is it. This is how it will end. As an aftermath of you approach on the 14th by now you mst have been pepper-sprayed upon. Lonely, cribbing, crying. All you have to yourself now are these crappy 1st internals. Break a leg. Njoy.

Taurus: You will begin as a motivational speaker for the aries losers but end up as a certified nag. And hence, getting pepper-sprayed yourself. Keep away from awesomnessing at all cost. It just is NOT your thing. Peace out homies.

Gemini: Your persistent pursuit of landing free food will lead you to a mousetrap. Quite literally so. All your pricey possessions are right now been eyed upon and await only your inevitable execution by the hands of a frustrated cancerian.

Cancer: Some things are best kept between you and the neighbors. Like a fence. Your try to go past the elusive ‘other side’ can , and ….uhh.. WILL get you in trouble. And, as mentioned earlier, make you strangle a Gemini making you a legal felon and informal loserly.

Leo: You guys actually ARE libra. Yes, mommy lied to you to get you admitted in a decent school as your 3 year old ass couldn’t tell an apple from a ping-pong ball. GO cry.

ahem ahem
Virgo: Apart from the fact that you ARE awesome. Great things like a 76% return on your recent investment, a cliff launch for a bungee jump, couple of dates with supermodels are aplenty in forecast for you guys. You have been/are/ will always be the CHOSEN one. (this has nothing, NOTHING to do with me being a Virgo. #Truth)

Libra: The universe continues it’s Love-hate relation with you. And let’s just say the better half of it will remain pointing to the ‘Hate’ end. Unsolicited questions by you will get you into deep red soup which would, strangely enough, taste like Musli Power.

Scorpio: You have been in limelight for your darkside. As big an irony that may be, it cannot surpass the fact you like INDIA TV and people no more really want to be with you. And time has come that you stop being seen around with people who pee in the street. Period.

Sagittarius: The only reason as to why you still are present on the face of the earth is that there still remains a great deal of stand up comedy to be delivered. Being used as a tool is something you by now are privy to and more of it this fortnight awaits. Njoy, no seriously i mean it.

Capricorn: The fact that you guys even ARE a zodiac sign is unsettling. You are what Chem dept is to NIT surat. No one really knows where it is or what the heck is it for. This congenital redundancy would resurface to kick you in your nux. Beware.

Aquarius: Nobody is perfect. Especially you. You would want to emulate the awesomeness of the Virgo but fall face firsts doing so. Always remember, somethings are better left for the Big Dogs. You, on the other hand, are advices to keep yourself engaged in productive activities (cough) like making rubber-band guitars and other (lame ) stuff you can excel at.

Pisces: Forseeing for this huge bunch of really good for nothing has made me dog tired and hence, i would pass on you. Moreover the crystal ball is lost too. Go figure your fortnight out yourself. But remember - Gravity never loses. The best you can hope for is a draw.

Buzz Out.

'LOVE' isn't a four lettered word.

I’m nervous, nervous writing this piece. Nervous as a mailman in a dog show maybe. What do I pen that hasn’t already been penned? What would give my write up an edge over the other six hundred and forty eight articles that have bang landed in my inbox demanding to be printed in a 20 paged newsletter that won’t ever get made from here anymore?  I am nervous...I am nervous. And you know what I do when i am nervous. Well, I freaking launch an offensive on anyone and everyone in proximity. Be it physical in nature or literally-comprehending one as in this case. And you know why it would be contextually justified this time? Because you suck.

Yes, you do. In fact we all do. All those among us who have scandalised the idea that is ‘love’, do. A relentless unsaid, unspoken, agenda to make it branch out, cornered out, held hostage by, kept in seclusion furthered by you which, well, has conditioned it to such an extent that it becomes necessary for a 3900sq inches sized mirror to be held up in front of you to make you realise that you have royally screwed the idea up. A primal instinct rendered victimised, an intuitive reaction set to die in the arms of pre-conceived protocols and self-wished-for misunderstandings. A lovely flow of thought of care and concern, overshadowed by a mind numbing myth of fear.

Fear, fear of being the first one to ask. Fear of being the first one to respond. Fear of being ‘committed’. Fear of being ‘over-indulgent’. Fear of being ‘seen-together’. Fear of being vulnerable. Fear of ‘digressing from the track’. All of you – Watchers, doers, self assigned judgement giving honchos and the other rather passively accepting all this shit, lovers. All of you suck. Look what you have done to it. Look and realize what you have done to ‘love’. It has cease to be an idea and rather metamorphosed into a capitalistic cash register working overtime on Valentine’s Day, a ‘power game’ involving who messages second and who says ‘good night’ the first, an arcane musing of ‘setting it up’ with someone, a stupid propaganda to let everybody know that you have an Attention Deficit Disorder situation going. It has stop being an unconditional idea. Thank you for choosing fear over love. Really, THANK YOU.

 

So if it isn’t a four lettered word, then what is it? Well maybe it is what makes us a part of this bigger, infinite wisdom. It is maybe that frankness which makes us vocal right at the onset of it. It’s that enigmatic feeling, of a sudden realisation when every name around you convergences into a single garb, maybe it is what keeps us alive, eating, synchronizing, running, communicating, sharing, healing, feeling together. An unconditional smile in the watery eyes of your pet, a secluded glee in the eye of an urchin who just got a balloon from you. A twinkle in eye of right out of labour mother holding her child up...for the first time. It is maybe this unremitting, insistent ever present aura of inter-dependence in nature. Maybe it is....oh screw the ‘maybe’ . It is.

Though, what made it digress then? Was it the fact that whenever your ex girlfriend told you “we need to talk” it was never about high speed car chasing on AXN or say football. Or was it that overkill usage of the “Move On” phrase; which, seriously, is it a subject-verb disagreement case or something? Or was it this innate and congenital conditioning that 'Divide' has to be celebrated. Was it one of it....or all of it?

Love, if considered from a purely ‘our age’ perspective which has almost a whole music industry at its disposal, is made to be some sort of a taboo. With rampant gender divide and lift off from its sexuality based placid platform just to conform someone’s self assigned moral high ground, it has gone to be a ‘game’ being played with rules and very lame and dishonest mind tricks. Unfortunately for the buzz killers, not all is lost.

There still sometimes comes a manifestation of this emotion surpassing all. Towering others, it sometimes stands. Gives a country a reason to stay together among the other times, lets you just be what your were meant to be – A simple, smiling, energy-to-mass-to-energy converting contraption set out to figure stuff out in this love filled universe.

It’s everywhere, just take a look around. Love is all that there is and perhaps all that will be ever. It almost has a thermodynamical proof to it.  A famous poet once said “Even after so many years, the sun never turns back and asks the earth “you owe me one”. Look what happens with that kind of love, it lights the whole sky up”

So let’s think up, people. Let’s be honest to ourselves the next time we start having ‘that’ feeling for someone. Let’s keep nothing inside and let our guards down for if all be vulnerable then there IS no vulnerability. Let’s just let it fall in us to rise and transcend us above and out of this freaking rat race. And if, say, it doesn’t ‘work out’ then let’s have the courage to speak out “ you were a burp on the buffet of my life”.

The idea that is love is for yours to behold, for yours to be loved.  Go embrace all forms of it. Perhaps it will be the biggest favour you would ever do to your parents for having conceived you someday.

Let’s make the choice now – Smile over Smirk, Talk over Cold Wars, a Yes over No, a Hand over a Cold Shoulder... a choice of Love over fear.

Love, and all of it.

Renesa, the idea.

Below, is the first mail ever sent in regard with RENESA and the change that accompanied it. From me, to my team members.

Some got executed. Some didn't. Behind the scene account. Sent on 4th Aug 2009.

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Hi there people, welcome on-board. Further down, this mail will list the things that RENESA wishes to do and be this year and beyond.

To begin with, sorry for the debacle of a meeting that we had today. I, more than you, would not want such a thing to happen. Though, to ascertain, meetings are necessary, and so is discipline to run such a thing. And I hope that we, henceforth, be on same page regarding this matter. k?...ok, thanks

Alright then, to set the mood, let me begin with listing the objectives that we wish to uphold

1) To be an unbiased press-establishment/mouthpiece of the institute. A Fourth-Estate in whole sense of the word.
2) To report general college happenings in a fun, witty yet substantial sort of a way. Where 'Information' always precede 'Opinions.' 
3) To bridge the ever growing disparity and information-gap between the college junta and the authority to facilitate a better abd fruitful co-existence.
4) To execute the above mentioned point by reaching out to the bottom of each and every decision, event, affair taken/made and understand the reason behind it, and then follow Point-1.
5) To report and highlight, a certain breed of student or a group of such; who all are engaged in activities that can serve as a source of encouragement for others.
6) To encourage the "What-Else-Can-I-Do" philosophy and life-ethic.
7) To encourage the concept of Leisure Reading and Writing.
8) To present and portray the stories and events in a youthful, fun and interactive sort of manner with which the students can relate to.
9) To create mini-celebs in the institute.
10) To, perpetually, work towards achieving these objectives. 

Now, to start with the content zone. we woud like to divide the issue in two halves 1st- Regulars 2nd- Special

Under the 'Regular' Umbrella:

1] College Buzz

      -Where in, each every little, innocuous, simple, complex, significant, earth-shattering news gets reported. Modus Operandi: keep a mental log of all that has happened during the day.

2] Hummara Papu Humari Munni!

      -Where in, every month we select one guy one girl, who have done something different something quirky and something exceptionally productive. Modus Operandi: srat in the look out for such people, there many more around than you could have possibility imagined J

3] College band

     - Where in, every month we select one of the college band, give them a page and print their profile, their genre of music, and their future plans if. Modus Operandi: what modus operandi? You know what to do..lol

4] Interview with the portfolio holders

      - Where in CHW, DOSA, Dir and any of the many post holders would be interviewed. This section falls under the execution scope of the ‘Impact team’. Modus Operandi: Try and brainstorm, within and outside the team the team, whatever questions that you may want to ask. Then the final list will be prepared and scrutinised by the final yearites, and the interview would be scheduled.

5] Senior Watch

       - Where in, we tracj down the lives of our pass out seniors. A comparative table depicting four compartments. Each signifying an area viz MS/Mtech, MBA, Job, Something hatke. Modus Operandi: Emails, what else?

6] Reviews

      -Where in, a music release, movie release, book etc would be taken up and reviewd. And not only good reviews even bad reviews would find their place in this section

7] Tech Chasing

      - Where in, tech related stuff would be touched. And not in the old monotonus way. This section, will in particular, have a high utility factor.

8] The Op-ed Page

      - To be written by any opinionated person outside the team. Must contain high pabulum value and stark and fiery expressions. Or else it just wont make it to this page. This one will be the most sort after page.

9] Forum Watch

      - Basically a update page, reporting the general events, winners of those events, and experiences of those events conducted by the forums up on the campus 

10] Outside the walls

    - Where in, the life outside our campus would be taken up. Say for instances a review of Klassic, the update on the upcoming flyovers, or say the lovely calmness of the ONGC bridge.

11] View and Counter View

     - Where in, as the name suggests, a literal debate would be seen. The topic would be hot and the writers will the best in the field.

12] Tit-bits

       - Where in, small stuff like scaning someoe’s wallet and writing what interesting you found, or a person with 2000 msgs in inbox, or say the month in numbers section, or say 10 weird words that got into dictionary recently. Anything on these lines. Light, humorous, breezy, fun. That’s it.

13]Chai Time kinda page

        - Sudoko, crossword, games, contests etc would rest their rears here.

14] Lolz

         - Humour, satire, fun, nonsensical, kickass!

15] Rumor Mill

Specials

1] Whistle Blowing

       - Where in, very subtly, we will report what all is bad in and around

2] Guest Articles

        -Where in, renowned authors, anchors, jurnos, intelligentsia etc write for renesa exclusively. Modus Operandi : If you to approach anyone for this, do so with a fixed channel and let whole of team know. So that the person don’t get mailed again and again.

3] Articles from Faculty

      - There are great thinkers and writers in our faculty community. We tell them to share.

There are many more things that can yet be appened. But they have to come from you guys. And come in relentlessly and how!. Think out-of-the-bi\ox and throw in your suggestion. Remember, everything is worth trying.

Also, mail me back AAP, where you see yourself doing most justice> Choose your area of intreset and stick to that sector. Not mutually exclusive but you will be responsible and accountable as hell for that part of renesa to reach to the design team when asked for.

I don’t want to scare you guys even a bit, but get this as straight as you can. RENESA, form now on, would regardless of anything come out on the Monday of the Third Week of a month. Whosoever acts as a motion impeder will face the music. And damn well you will. There is a strict punishment protocol and mechanism in store which applies equally to you and me. Period.

Also, make it a point, to understand that this team is huge. And if mathematically divided all of the job can be done in not more than 2 days. Provided, the tasks are mathematically divided among everybody. I won’t like to see a scenario where one person busts his ass and someone else not even as much as gives a rat's fart to things. No, that ain't gonna happen. If you feel cramped and stiffeld by these rules let me know ASA you can. You'll be set free.

Ok then, i guess you know deep down what you need to do. Start executing your plans quickly. Am attaching you the sample cover page of RENESA. It isn't to be FWDed, or even as much as to shown to anyone outside the team right now. Do go through it, and suggests some changes, if you may feel like it.

Ciao.

Formal Resignation from 'Renesa' - Institute Newsletter - NIT Surat

Hello Pretty Party People.

This current one, is about what you all must have heard is happening. 

Scroll below to have a look into the mail sent to our truly great faculty advisors of renesa. This is a personal resignation and there is no such thing as "Renesa Going Down" . 

I felt it as my moral obligation or some such shit to send this to you. 

I cannot thank you more for the times you have flooded our hotline number with your feedbacks and brickbats and all that in between....I didn't know that the energy which got sent out from a minion-like burst creates such a huge bullwhip effect at the receiver's end.

An idea, conceptualized ensuing a personal existential crisis at some place in ahmedabad combined with this awesome pile on of lovely team mates which I got a chance to work with and scream at and shout with ...or the other way round...was well, clearly the best days of my short life on this planet.

Thank you again. For all that you are.

And, please let's remember that 'to think is to be' ...let's not be sheeps of preconceived notion or a covertly propagated agenda with arcane angles. Thinking combined with a lil zeal to gather information plus a relentless approach to understand and never let 'communication gap' cause havoc....is the way in which we could enjoy the most. And let's put all our energies into enjoying and loving unconditionally. This universe is a lovely place to be...and lovelier it is when love conquers fear.

Though, why the hell am I saying this right now?

All my sorrys, thanks yous to you.

Love.

( The one that could have been - here )

(Sent to the Faculty Advisors )

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Respected Sir,

This electronic mail, in continuation to our talks earlier in the day, must be treated as a formal resignation placed on the table by me, Nijeesh Padmanabhan from the capacity of 'Editorial Consultant and Chief Designer' engaged on roll since July '09 for the academic year 09-10.

The resignation would rule in w.e.f from 6-2-2010/ Saturday. With the last issue being Renesa- January that would see me engaged in with the banner - "Renesa" 

This has to be registered very clearly that this decision is totally personal and has no group think or an higher agenda involved to it's causality handle.

The reasons for this step is two folds

1) A personal disjunct with the facilitator's idea of an 'newsletter' and and that of mine.

2) A sort of over-indulgence in it's operation rendering me helpless to give proper priority to my studies as mending issues for the first point requests a lot of time to be put in.

It would be a pure case of added verbosity, if i were to mention the obvious - "I loved being a part of it". Right from my first year, I have been an ardent reader of this mouthpiece and also been a contributor to it's perpetuation with whatever capacity I could. I have seen it go from strength to strength ever since my first copy landing pat in my hands when later i went around asking "Whom do we pay for this awesome thing?". Every issue has had something pertinent to it's characteristic and so very refreshing. 

With me holding the charge along with my friends this year, we thought of bringing in some modifications to the garb as well as the insides of this newsletter. The changes, some magnanimous viz Guest Writers like Dr Shahshi Tharoor, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam , Mrs Rashmi Bansal, Dr Richard M. Stallman, Kavi Ambrish Srivastav, Dr Kumar Vishvas penning exclusively for us while others small and simple though sweet like a better alumni weight age , more college activities related reporting etc. What surpassed all this was a better and more conspicuous faculty involvement. Where they were approached to share their take/view/preferences etc so as to let their voice be heard by the students and thereby, comprehended.

After all said and done, sir, I personally believe that a newsletter must voice the concerns and happenings of the most essential adage of an 'institution' - It's Students. A huge mass of 3000+ , 18-22 years aged populace who are at the end of the day, separately taken, all an individual. And a newsletter, alongwith the legislature ,executive , judiciary body is always considered the fourth pillar of a democratic setup. Which i am told that this system should ideally be. And so goes the Disclaimer by Renesa with every issue published. In my personal view, a pseudo system cannot exist masquerading as something else altogether, Coz, if it does, then the students involved in it's functioning out of hobby and personal interest end up getting churned in bad within the competent albeit bureaucratic web. Whose presence indicates a clear lack of trust on the part of the governing authority towards it's students. And, i joined this institution to become an engineer and not a formally employed event manager. And when something begins to cut into my face-time with my books and reading then i feel the need to let go off a certain involvement. Thus re-enforcing that this decision is personal.

I have had a great mentor and a philosopher and friendly/frankly discussing elderly in your form. And i am indebted to you for your time. Also, i would like to extend a full blown fluffy hug to all my team mates. Juinors+Battchies alike. They all are people driven with their creative juices and idea powerhouses. I can only see all of them scaling multi-tudinal heights in whatever path they choose to tread on.

I hope, the decision that ensues the mail from the DSW office, will be in the best interest of all the stake holders of the SVNIT family. With a sense of understanding that to stifle an arbitrary opinion for just that 'time being' may set in a 'forced semblance' but at the end of the day treating a symptom is an attempt in futility unlike asking the core questions to reach at the correct answers. And i am fully aware, sir, that you do believe in same.

Thanking you for everything. 

Hoping our personal rapport stays intact as it was and has been until now.

Yours Sincerely

Nijeesh Padmanabhan

Btech Final Year

Student, SVNIT Surat

Regarding the Days Cancellation

Hello Pretty Party People

This is not just to inform you that already underway Days Celebrations Stands Cancelled for now and indefinitely postponed. But also to tell you as to why. 
I have personally, again witnessed a great deal information disparity between the facilitators and us the students, and under a constant relentless attempt to breach the static friction and bridge the gap...this mail will kinda be a lil big one. Bear with me.

As students Saw it/See it :
Hundreds of students after getting flyer alerts and messages are all equipped with the idea of moving around in commotion, creating a racket, enjoying what their personal definition of freedom is. They climb trees, ride around triples on a bike, click pictures, and a again shout a wee bit more to release themselves of some thing that's been bothering them, to celebrate regardless of the surounding with their friends which in some case, will not be with them after 3 months, or just to pure fun...which they truly think they deserve.

Best groups are been selected, there's arrangement for music, chocolates are flowing around like river water, new relations are been made...you see where i am going with this.

All in all an awesome atmosphere where a person aged between 18-22 smiles without a reason, dances without any inhibition....purely, innocently celebrating life. That's it....well,if there's more to it...feedbacks welcomed.

As the Facilitators saw/see it:
(we must include here that the concerned faculty in this case wasn't properly informed about this event at a proper time. The consensus was reached just between the student members of CHRD and other portfolio holders as that's way it was always been done. There has been no formal 'permission letter' signed as this even required no financial assistance. Though there were some expenditures, it was been paid by my wallet which later would have been reimbursed.)
They wake up to a morning of bike riders with placards at almost breath taking speed. An almost accident event from yesterday has made that idea to enter into the mind as not a very tough case thing to happen. Students shouting while some of the classes are still engaged in the department. A disturbance created beyond control. jeers and cheers of students reaching the nearby in campus resident PhD researchers, Mtech students in labs and STTP attendees from all over the country. And mind you, they still don't know as to what are we celebrating here. They, as the rule book says, come to ground zero and  ask around for the noise to stop and for the hooliganism to end. They confiscate photo cameras and other mobile phones with just one intention that the posers may then leave. Also, with the current 'bad' time situation of our insti being in media due to some other very sensitive reasons....photos of triple seated bike riders in front of ADM hall with placards and slogan...well, just ain't what the doctor ordered for maybe. The ethos of an engineering institute stands a wee bit different from  that of art and commerce institute.

And hence the event is stopped and people sent back to their quotidian. Period.

Now, as this mail is being addressed to you the student. I understand that nothing right at this moment could disturb you more as you were just "having a good time, why send in security members to to forcibly vacate the place? isn't it like the canteen where i am right now?" And this perception holds true as long as you keep yourself confined to the idea that Sound wave is YES a laser beam and propogates in just a single straight line. hmmm, well...nada that aint how it happens. For the aforthmentioned "facilitator's perspective" you are right now disurpting the general functioning of an academic institution. Which YOU know, you aren't.

Understand one thing...let's all do it. That lack of information breeds intolerance. And that thing has the capacity to snowball into something wee big. And this applies both ways.

The two views shown above are nevertheless describing the same event...just that they are seen from different angles.

The cancellation of the said days, i know will leave you all high and dry and a bit frustrated. But the higer agenda here is to understand as to WHY did it happen so.
Some points that come to my mind, maybe can be:

1) Unaware of this "engineering Institutes Ethos"
2) Unaware of the unawareness regarding this event with the faculties itself
3) Misinformation/miscommunication between the team me, the chrd guy and the facilitators due to whatever reasons
4) Your idea of 'Fun' and 'Freedom' as an individual in direct contradiction or a subtle indifferent from that of institutes founding members or current governors.
All four points suggest as information gap.

Also. why am i makng such a huge deal (read: lousy mail) of this thing? I, being whatever minion in the pyramid, just suggest you all to please realise that information and communication gap cause havoc.

And also, no 'havoc' is havoc worthy. Everything is a contingency effect and things spral out of hands to take some totally different form It's the charateritic of life in general.

So to all, lets work in accordance with what rules we sign up for when we join this institution. Also, first, if you havent yet...KNOW what these rules are. And if you believe that these 'rules' 'restriction' et all are complete balderdash then please feel free to convey this message to respective authority. It is only through official feedbacks and constructive suggestion making that emergent and symbiotic system would evolve. And not at all by endlessly cribbing about "oppression and suppression" in a la landord-peasant setup in your hostel rooms.
Please, let's think....let's all think.

So to put it objectively:
> The days Celebration have been cancelled.
> There will be, as I have been told, an Institute Disciplinary Committee meeting held where the student incharge + concerned faculty meet and decide the course action to be taken.
> CHRD goes out of picture , and the next set of days if planned would be with the discharge of effort from Social and Cultural Committee.

So please continue with your classes and other fun stuff. Always remebering that enjoyment isn't in bondage with the happeneing of something external. But a cool and awesome inner happiness...which can exist even if there exists zilch of all.
I know i know...a 1000mg philo dosage right there. :)

Any more clarification sought? You may please direct your mails to Dr G.J. Joshi :- gj@ced.svnit.ac.in . He would like to respond to you personally.

Any other clarification needed from my side? Mail me, call me, meet me at the canteen/classes/mess catch hold of me during anytime of the day. Talk to me. Only after voluntarily deciding to get bored to death :)

Love you all
Take care

Enjoy.

--Nijeesh Padmanabhan
Student, SVNIT Surat.