Strange Ramblings

Beauty that is Europe! My first tryst with an actual photo journal. Let's see how it pans out. Places on display: Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Cologne and around.... Manneken Pis. Literally meaning Little Man Pee , is one of the most fascinating thing that one encounters on visiting the enchanting Belgium. Look beyond the famous Belgian beers and chocolates and they are aplenty across town dressed in varied outfits. This particular one was dressed as an Indian style Maharaja. There are enough stories surrounding the myth that could keep you glued enough for hours. Well your guess is as good as mine, but this is trademark to that place, yes you guessed it correct. And if Merlin's beard (how geeky could i get ;)) you failed to guess the place then you are just not worthy enough to live. Amsterdam. Any more words would be diluting the craziness that is Amsterdam. One remark before I move on though...

'Minus 26 and still HOT' Oh Yes. It was hot. Never mind the apparent chill. And that was all about the IHD. Naah... I have been edgy to write about this ever since it got over, not that i'm going to forget anything anytime soon, but rather to make it more memorable. The issue with all of it is though that words simply aren't enough, you have to live it to know it. I had taken a liking to Finnish people from the start , and more so after the week. It was special this week. I got a glimpse into the culture that is Finn. Perhaps limited to the student culture, but nevertheless, enough to make up my mind that they all would go places. Work to Live, they value there free time immensely, and that's how it is supposed to be. I heard somethings about Finns not being happy etc, not from what   I saw, and if they believe in the philosophy, I doubt anyone could be unhappy for long. And if anyone had doubts about their work ethic, they just have to look at the IHD tea...

View Euro Trip #1 in a larger map  Take that. The itch will finally be satisfied. Countries being touched: France -> Belgium -> Netherlands -> Sweden -> Finland -> Denmark -> Germany -> Czech Republic -> Austria -> Germany -> France 31st of January -> 21st of February 2012 \m/ JOIN IN :)

Stepping into the 'developed world' for the first time definitely felt strange. I just bring that distinction out simply because it is omnipresent, or atleast made that way by plenty'a people. There is this thing that I really like to do. Always taking a detour on my way to the final destination. What ensued was a layover in Helsinki, Finland. And the view out from the plane window of the Finland landscape covered with snow and what looked like scattered pine trees, was beyond words. Glad that the city had the season's first snowfall just the day before, everything around was much brighter. The thing that struck me the most about Finnish is that they are as 'direct' people as you'd ever find, and they'd call a spade a spade with the straightest possible face. You try and bullshit them, and you'd definitely be sorry. And all this, was not just a passing observation, it's been ratified  by the few that I know out here in Grenoble. Getting back...

This is perhaps one of the strange ways in which one can blog. Chennai airport is disappointing to say the least, and here I am sitting in a dirty corner (to catch a plug point), fighting mosquitoes and sleep, to get to you an event that has been THE EVENT in these first few months of my MBA. Following events are depicted possibly with a bias and any resemblance to an existing actual event is totally intentional.. It all started with this stumbling upon DoMS, IIT Ms release for Samanvay, annual fest, on dare2compete.com, and what transpired since then has been hectic fun, as extreme on both the scales(hectic, fun) as far as you can imagine. Just to add perspective to what I want you to understand, the synopsis of the event excited me so much so that I started preparing strategies on whom to rope in to have the best possible chance. And the end result, though could have been better, does leave a sense of pleasure, a sense of satisfaction, and a reaffirmation of my bel...

Expectations. Expectations. A clash between Argentina and Venezuela was lying at the ditch near the bottom of the pyramid, and people were just concerned about one phenomenon (yes, he is nothing less than a phenomenon), the converging point of the sides of the pyramid, LIONEL MESSI. And boy, did he put on his charm and mesmerized Kolkata with his masterly, skillful display. Going Back and Forth… A transition from 4 years of my life, when high attendance was not even joked about, to a phase wherein I get confused easily between the place where I’m supposed to study and the place where I’m supposed to sleep, life has almost come a full circle. But the centre point still remains the same. Life is meant to be lived fully, taking pleasure in whatever hogs your timeline. And that is precisely what I have been trying to do with all the deadlines. In hindsight though, whatever the case may be, you never should lose sight of ‘the real stuff’. And football does offer you that kick. Even more s...

People like to claim a lot of stuff. And so the name of this event was kept "Corporate" Roadies <Notice the quotes> Idea Inception Possibly from the host's particular liking for MTVs Roadies. Probably from the PDPs main "anchor" being compared to Raghu. The Auditions " You know that you are here voluntarily "  You ought to say such lines before taking one's case. One should after all know the reason of the ass whopping that one is about to receive. And that 'voluntary' just kicks off the mind games part of it all. The experience bordered on unpleasant for most of us. It was like the ragging we never had, though some of us did end up laughing their guts out at the effort it took some of the judges to emulate the real ones (Some just don't have the face, or the stomach to get ugly). At the end of it all, 8 of us were branded as Roadies. The "Corporate" Part Enough with the exaggerations. Not to forget, we were in a B Sc...

If you have passion for Movies & Music or let me correct myself if they are food for your soul.. This is the place you should breathe in. -- Saransh Goila, the Karta-Dharta, La Fearless Cinema' There are only a few things worth writing about in this world. So here goes.. Nestling in the modest Jhulelal Apartments, in the so-called less glamorous, less happening part of Delhi (yep, North West Delhi has been cursed many-a times), lies this place, which has been steadily growing in the list of my To-Go places. And the only reason i say 'steadily growing' is 'cuz its still just sinking in. Every nook, every inch. Brick by Brick. First Reactions? Whoaa. Bliss. Confusion.  Whoaa. Vibrancy of the whole package. It just hits you at that first step. Bliss. The Sound. The Seats. And the god-damn 'Avatar'. Confusion. Did he really got it done. Who fuckin' did the interiors for this place? (SG, there's always ID if you just get bored with all the cooking,...

Impromptu 10 Mins:   “ I am still a big mystery, if fact, I myself don't know wht I am capable of  http://mail.google.com/mail/e/gtalk.347 " width="14" />   You wouldn't believe when I first discussed this idea with Saransh, Chachi and Nupur di, all of 'em were like 'what? u thought of this?' and the apparently people were like 'Harshit ne socha yeh sab, baap re' Such was the built up hype.   Then all the work that I'd put in for a good part of 2 weeks, daant bhi khaayi papa se, roz ghumne chala jaata hai, wagarah, i made the card at a friend’s place, the hiccups, the tension and everythin, so worth it.   And when finally people saw, I could see them drooling all over it   we had a reading, at 12 on 12 th . I read all the cards in front of every1 in my typical delhi tone, ppl went berserk, laughing aloud, such was the effect, bade log bhi yes....   and finally, sabne mujhe 1 nahi, 2-3 baar sunaya ki how i had pulled it o...

A CONVERSATION b/w 3 kids " Pranav:  Do you know our Nana and Nani have completed 25 years of marriage.   Aarna:  What is marriage?   Bharggav:  Do you remember horse in the Zoo   Pranav and Aarna:  yes   Bharggav:  25 years back Prabhu Nana sat on the horse and played ring a ring a roses 7 times with Shakuntala Nani and got Nani with him.   Aarna:  what did they do together for 25 years   Pranav:  they did circus   Bharggav:  do you know Nani was the ring master, and Nana loyally followed all the instructions of Nani for 25 years.   Aarna:  O that is a very great achivement.    Pranav:  So lets wish them many many happy returns of the day.   Aarna, Pranav, and Bharggav:   Happy Anniversary " The Gist. And I couldn't have put it better myself. 25 years. Phew. A truly great achievement. Vrindavan and Around Detached from the usual, the ordinary, the parties, at a time when Holi is just on the horizon (there was a 'victim' in the group of the intriguing lathma...

Dt. 23rd Oct, 2010 Venue : Liverpool Terminal, Tivoli Gardens, Delhi First things first. Surely they did not come up with the name this year ;) Relegation Much. An excellent choice of location. Farmhouses are way better than Auditoriums of Halls and topping it was the weather. Perfect day for a cocktail party. Perfect opportunity to meet fellow Bitsians, most of 'em for the first time, many of 'em after more than a year. Did I have anything better to do? Frankly, OASIS, but things don't pan out always. Was the Saturday Night worth it? Totally. The Bling Shouldn't hot chicks be like the middle name for Cocktail Parties? Well everything's not what it seems. But there always is a ray of hope. Especially when you are in a cluster of farmhouses. So after a few exchanged pleasantries, and a few drinks down, we trotted towards the IIFT Fashion Show (For MBA Aspirants, like me, out there, the F in IIFT is for Fashion). Just what was needed to get those testosterone level...