This one sweeps all the Reservation issues to the background... Life at stake!!

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=179502 This one story beats all reservation issues.. and what's worse.. this was told to me by a German... i just can't believe the fact that an IIT Almunus was involved as well. The most horrible thing that i have ever seen. Actually when i was discussing with my friend on this issue, i was saying "God knows what they'll do next...prob some Agni Pravesh or something...!!! " .. and you know how my friend reacted to this. "about that walking on fire...if you were to insinuate that this were a necessary step to clearing iit-jee, junta in andhra woiuld readily consign their children to the flames, if needed " Well I guess that "Andhra" was just to share his thoughts.. no personal mockery meant.. but I some how feel that statement was true (neglecting andhra)..anyways..Although the article states that no parent was involved in this.. I am sure... many would take a cue from this and go on.. and make their children do the same..God save them.. !!! poor pple.. What's next !!! ???

My first experience of "GETTING UP IN THE MORNING TO FIND A MONKEY IN MY ROOM"

Ya.. I seriously mean it.. Ever had such an experience.. I don't know what IIT Madras has in store for me.. But this is certainly exciting (slisha scary as well) TJ woke me up at 6.45 on this beautiful day.. I had just finished 2 exams yesterday.. And Venkattraman was to come to my room only at 8.30 am.. so I thought I'll crash for some more time .. so where's the mistake. ?? I left my door open.. i.e I didn't latch it.. I never realised that 45 minutes passed away so soon.. I got up to some noise inside my room.. TJ generally has the habit of checking mails in another persons room.. and I saw some vague figure near my comp.. I just thought it must have been him and woke.. and lo and behold..!!! I had my "ancestral relative" sitting right in front of me.. (you expect me to take a pic and show you in this situation.. NICE TRY.. my life at stake).. It was coolly sitting in front of the comp.. (i dunno lokking for what.. I had no edibles in my room..!!) I gave it one look.. and I don't know what it's look at my eyes meant.. ( I mean never before have I seen a Monkey sit on my chair.. !!!!!!!! ) I just rushed outside only to find another one.. and this time giving me scary looks.. and opening up it's teeth..!! Gosh !! I was at my wits end.. !! I just came back into my room.. went behind the door (obviously keeping it open expecting the monkey inside to get out).. and thankfully.. it did what I expected.. Whoah..!!! my legs are still trembling !!!! This was indeed exciting but a bit scary.!!! Hush..!!! Don't tell this to my Mom.. I told her in January that I have been chased by them atleast 5 times. From the time I got my mobile ..she has been calling me every now and then.. just to verify that nothing untoward has happened.. If I tell her about this incident.. then what happens next .. well I myself don't know what's gonna happen. .

Reservation issues

This piece (from Nanopolitan ) hit me like hell !!! I never thought along these lines before..!!! Some of the television anchors have started off on `preserving the brand equity of the IITs' angle. This is an argument that I always find infuriating. All these decades, while the government went about funding the IITs and the IITs went about their business, nobody took any major notice of the IITs. Suddenly, in the era of L-P-G (liberalization, privatization, globalization), when it is established that here is a GOVERNMENT institution that did exceedingly well (for whatever reason), the private sector boys would like to claim it as their own. The brand equity argument is one way to do it, denying the public institutional character of the IITs etc., treating them as if they were some private sector enterprise, that set about achieving some corporate mission. None of them would ever have had the patience for anything like the IITs or the IIMs. In the case of the IIMs, matters have been pushed to a point, that their corporate interests on their boards, is virtually trying to takeover these institutions and subvert their public character. True... I didn't realise this because I was on this side .. I feel like I have been enlightened or something !! But does that mean IIT's give up what they have been and behaving like other PSU's ??? A debatable point.. but certainly not by me !!!!! I am not talking on this.. as long as I don't get a concrete idea as to how people are suffering under discrimination...How many people are affected by this ?? and it's effect..!! If my own friends (Aswin and Kmap ) can't stand what I have been blabbering all along (more due to wrong choice of words though), I wonder how would I have escaped hurting others.

Quotas in IITS !!!!!

I was bit by this in Anna Univ.. escaped it when I wrote the JEE.. (yes the reservation for SC/ST's did exist.. about 22% ..but unfortunately..or fortunately.. not many came..atleast that's as far as I know ) Now... for OBC's.. BC's.. the figure rising to a staggering 50 % and what's worse.. from what I see in the media.. caste based reservation for Profs..!!!!!!! Gosh..!!!!! .. does Arjun Singh have anything inside his brain.. or is it all just mud.. or is he being compelled..Don't they like anything good surviving for some time.. Arey IIT's are not Oceans.. where you put any kind of junk.. and it'll still not make a difference..Even Oceans will react after some limit... See Prof. P.V.Indiresan reacting here. A TOI post here.. whoever wrote it.. and this is the most frightening.. it says the law could have been modified to accomodate the reservations the upcoming academic year itself.. An recent IBN Live post here.. Reader speak at IBN LIVE - here and here I accept again.. large scale politics and economics still doesn't make sense to me.. I'll never be able to understand the basic requirement for reservations.. and probably it does make sense on such a large scale and is helping people out there.. but my personal experiences have been otherwise..Most of whom I have met from the these castes have never shown an interest in Academics.. (not to mention many from my own..so am not differentiating or discriminating anybody here) So my whole point is make it just merit based.. and as some body pointed it out in IBN Reader speak.. spend the very same money that the government plans to spend here on improving infrastructure in the primary and secondary levels. I personally feel the basic difference between the IIT's and the other colleges.. is it's faculty and students.. basically the people who run it. The moment you spoil that.. the quality is sure to come down.. already the faculty are complaining as to the reduction in the quality of students who are being admitted.. we are all exam trained.. have absolutely no interest in Academics.. (except for a select few. and I just hope I am one of them) and want to get work done without putting in effort.. which is equivalent to violating the second law of thermodynamics.. just not possible boss..etc etc etc.. and I feel many of these arguments are valid.. you can't expect them to teach some body who is not interested in learning .. And here in IIT Madras.. gult gumbals, tam gumbals, northie gumbals are already taking shape.. though there is some cross interaction.. these gumbals are beginning to affect our lives more deeply.. be it the politics of student elections.. or the ever popular Shaastra and Saarang Core and Co-ordships.. This will only add to the fire.. and it's very easy for a politician to catch up to this discrimination which is bound to happen some where or the other.(no system is perfect).. and make a big hue out of this. And finally.. if Prof. P.V.Indiresan feels reservations are not correct.. then I feel happy that my view is not likely to be wrong.. though the reasons given may be different or outright foolish.. !!!!!

Some cartoons that I liked in the Hindu

Two of the cartoons that I liked in the Cartoonscape section of The Hindu.. The list is very short because I don't read it everyday.. infact rarely.. This one was on the state of the members in the LS and RS !! http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/18/stories/2006031899991200.htm And this was todays cartoon on the Nuclear Deal and the US Law makers trying to change the course.. !! Dunno if really represents the situation.. but this was just too good. http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/01/stories/2006040199991000.htm And talking of cartoons.. I am reminded of this particular one.. though it's not a cartoon.. Aswin introduced me to this site bushcalendar.com ..It's a series of famous (or infamous as you may like to call it ) statements made by bush during his term.. They are available as a calendar (infact there are apparently 7 of them) and can be purchased... so that you can wake up daily to one of those quotes..Those quotes.(No I seriously mean it .. they don't deserve any lower status) !!. ha ha (sorry still can't stop laughing !!) simply too good..(LOL !! The best one is on the front page) Don't miss the opprtunity to go through the sample pages whenever possible..