So it happened!

I am here at Stony Brook and would be doing my MS in CS starting Fall 2007. The university is great and it certainly sometimes reminds me of those beautiful years of BITS, Pilani.

So it happened finally! On Sunday, August the 19th, 2007, me and my fellow batchmates here visited the NYC. It should be the most wonderful city on earth. The most-efficient subways, the ferry ride to Staten Island, the never-trembling traffic and the excited visitors blessed my day. Everyone who visits the city for the first time is awestruck. How can they build such a city? The planning is foolproof, the architecture is amusing and the extravaganza is worth watching. The subway build underground, beneath the running city epitomizes the technological advance.

The Statue of Liberty standing proudly marks a grace. The Empire State adds every visitor's respect for NYC. Our trip highly economical, did not allow us to go to the 82nd and 102nd floor of Empire State, but as and when our pockets are warm, we definitely are going to go for it. The Times Square, the NASDAQ, the company edifices at the Wall Street, the posh complexes give the world's financial capital its true adornment.

Walking on the same path which SRK strided during Kal Ho Na Ho or KANK made me feel that a reel is rolling behind me.

The Apple showroom near the Central Park is a must watch for every tourist. With its amazing architecture and its location among the skyscrapers makes us believe..Apple is different!

I am pretty sure that I would be going to NYC again but this first visit was a lifetime and a memorable experience.

India Shining!

Saturday...I was reluctant to go out even for dinner. In fact, I was busy watching back to back and overlapping episodes of Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, MTV--On the Job and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and was awestruck with the response each of these shows received. After all they provide both fame and money.

The awareness for talent search in the entertainment sector has suddenly risen to a new scale and the opportunities are flourishing. Where MTV -- on the job awards internships for the future RJs, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa provides a platform for the next-gen playback singers. When we blame the media for their news-mastication, the same media has produced numerous employments for journalists, cameramen, hosts etc. A decade back we wouldn't have even in our dream expected the jocular vein getting this amount of publicity. Laughter Challenge has set the acclivity for the comedians.

No wonder there is an exaggeration in everything. With a layman getting a chance to be a crorepati in an hour, we are being pulled away from the reality. Are we tempted towards this easy money? Is this easy money really easy? When millions apply for the Indian Idol only one achieves it. When millions call SRK, only a few get more than a million. What we see is very much the superficial layer where the funniest Raju Srivastava entertains the crowd. But can we see for how many years was he struggling to get such a platform. Yes, nothing is easy but atleast today, we can think of achieving it, which was considered as impossible a decade back.....we need to very much stay on ground though.

The IT sector is booming, the fashion arena is crawling, small-scale industry is protruding its head. There are equal chances in every field. With great diligence and perseverance, not only in the entertainment world but also elsewhere, we can definitely find new careers, new roads to success. A better life is waiting for the new generation.

Just read it!

I recall myself penning down "Books are our friends" essay during my school days. I feel writing it again.

Books bring with them love, compassion, wit, humor, hatred and what not. They take us to a new world away from our predicaments. They teach us to hope, to persevere, to sustain. I find solace, peace with books. Whenever I am depressed, I long for their company...and always get comforted with them.

Once during my summer vacations, I was at my grandfather's house. As usual, I searched his cupboard for an unread book. And I found an old tattered but hard-bound edition of The red hibiscus. I was so moved by it that eventually I burst into tears. It was a story about a bengali girl and her maid. Their lives were extremes, each one had their own impediments to cross. But they had this peculiar thing in common, they both liked to put a red hibiscus in the hair. Such a simple story but emotionally touching.

Another one worth mentioning is the eye-watering The kite runner by an american-afghan, Khaled Hosseini. I read this book on a cosy sofa in an air conditioned hall...in Crosswords! ...thanks to its unavailability at the street vendors. I really would like to extend my warm regards to these guys...who have saved a lot of money for me over these years.

And then my favorite ....Shantaram. This is the best one so far. Though the publisher has selected the minutest of the fonts, the author has claimed his supremacy on the paper. He makes you feel his torments, his passion, his apprehension. I was amazed with his observation of Mumbai city. He creates that sense of visualization....which many books lack.

There are lots of books to talk about, The sands of time, The monk who sold his ferrari, The namesake, The Afghan, Five point someone, The inscrutable americans and many many more.
How can I forget my own marathi literature. I have read dozens of english translated marathi novels too....one of them is Lajja by Taslima Nasreen. The language could vary....but the impact remains the same. Maharashtrians are fond of Pu La Deshpande. He creates an inevitable humor, but it is has a tinge of black comedy. So much was this literary genius loved that when he passed away, many of his fans including my mother actually cried.

I cannot imagine myself in a bookless world. This is the most altruistic invention of mankind for mankind.

RandomBots

My blog would have been incomplete without the mention of randombots.
Gaws, Joe, Sikki, Bond, Jammy, Naidu, Shank, Raju, Thool, Mare, Dhoke, Tapar, Ricky, Bachha and myself....we found this group in the third under-grad year.

When others were busy extolling their wingies in the BITS annual magazine writeups, we proudly did the other way. It was a derogatory affair altogether. I am quite sure that none of the randombots would ever read aloud what has been written about them in public. Having said this, some randombots would definitely come over and claim to do that. But let me tell you this i don't care about others nature is purely superficial.

Numerous incidents spur up and add to the nostalgia. That unending RHTDM show, the longest AOE match ever played, cnot-garden, batch-snaps, exam-eve gossips.....this has to be noted that we used to put a lachha only on an exam-eve. Where I ceased being a gamer just after the disastrous 2nd yr- 2nd sem, most of the randombots have spent most of their time gaming.

Why did we choose this name is a tricky question...may be because everyone is highly unpredictable. You cannot find any similarity between any two members of this group. On the contrary, till recently we did share a "single" adjective in common...here the pun is intended!

Even after the golden bitsian years, randombots are very much alive thanks to Google. Randombots also flashed a special appearance on wikipedia. But sadly and rightly, the wise-wiki guys have removed the good-for-nothing article.

Every persona here is unique. Even with such segregated behaviors, there is a string which binds us together -- the string of friendship....and I hope it continues forever.

Crossroads

"Now you have to cross the road and turn right"
"But there is a vehicle coming...", i replied.
"then it will wait for you to cross", replied my driving class instructor.

Driving always adds that extra-bit of thadi-ness. Bound to that two-wheeler habit of turning the vehicle without disturbing the pedestrians...it takes some time to make a way by blowing horns just as lord krishna did through the flooded river ganga. But then time teaches. Today I am no more a fledgling.

One cannot resist imagining oneself as the king of the road especially when, one brings the car to a halt on a busy square. The car and of course the novice driver suffer severe denigration from the traffic. The panicky driver shuffles through the gears, but the instructor is as cool as buffalo on a road. He advises to start the car and raise it slowly. This exemplifies the quality of keeping cool in tense situations.
Such a thing happened with me too.....I was like....tell me now what to do??!!....the car isn't starting...!!, the traffic police is looking at me!!!....the behind-cars are blowing incessant horns!!!....what to do!! ...
But at the same time, my instructor the coolest fellow on earth said....arey don't worry,main hoon na!

It has been a great experience for me with my driving class..... especially the early morning driving sessions. I certainly dreaded the afternoon traffic sessions, but then they come as part and parcel of driving :) .

My instructor has the peculiar quality of pricking me with his sarcastic comments.

"Haan...this is not our car. This means that we do not have to put brakes before a speed breaker".
From this I had to interpret that I am traveling at a high speed from over the speed breakers.

"Haan....I will put on the indicator every time...you don't worry".
He meant.....put on the indicator dude!

But then the next time I turn or the next time I confront a speed-breaker, I always remember these comments.

Cash Couple!

The biggest wedding of this year ... the most eligible bachelor weds the most beautiful woman. The Abhiaish couple has been the cynosure of media tamasha over the past few weeks. Jalsa and Prateeksha were converted to impenetrable fortresses. Paradoxically, the "highly private" marriage was talked about by almost every Indian. Even, I wasn't an exception....n why not? It is India's one of the most glamorous pairs.

What makes one wonder is where this pair would head for their honeymoon!.... (these are not my words...all news channels say this :) ).....n i would say they surely have landed up in a dilemma.

A special report "Aish saying -- Sajna Chalo!" said that the pair has been receiving endless offers from companies for sponsoring their honeymoon......sponsoring what--honeymoon??

man! had heard of sponsoring education...but sponsoring honeymoon! wow!!
they do not have to spend even on their honeymoon? can it get better than this?

its like....getting the best returns out of your mutual fund investments...like... harvesting a cash-crop!
But I am very much certain that this couple would not succumb to any of these competitive offers and epitomize their own brands!

chakravyuh

People who follow indian mythology would be well aware of chakravyuh...during which a noble child pitted himself against mighty warriors.
well... what do i have to do with a chakravyuh? for that you have to read this blog.

recently, i had an interview for a scholarship..it is given by a foundation for higher studies abroad....here is the metaphor - me in a chakravyuh!
very much like abhimanyu's chakravyuh, you know how to enter an interview room but do not know how to come out of it...it depends on the interviewers and of course your performance!

after waiting for 2 long hours the moment popped up..(during the 2 hours, i resisted every attempt made to make me eat samosas, pastries...)... it was like feeding a goat before taking it to a butcher!..well, the interviewers proved no less than butchers....
i have faced several interviews till date but this one was unique.

i entered the den replete with confidence and enthusiasm. warm, wicked and plastic smiles floated all over (even on my face)...

the first question shot ->
interviewer: anurag .....?? ...
me: ambekar..
interviewer: hmm, ambekar....why ambekar?
me: may be my forefathers were mango traders ("ambe" means mangoes)
interviewer: hmm....could it be related to goddess amba?
me: yes, even thats possible!
interviewer: you seem to say yes to everything...
me: i am just accepting a possibility.
no response!

we used to do this during our school days...tear apart the names & surnames, badger the cynosure and gloat with that vicious laugh! you never know when life can exhibit analogies!

for one hour i was captivated by rapacious scholars hungry of information. i was defending myself from all the 10 directions...n the worst part was neither did i have a sword nor a shield!

how will you solve the ICICI credit card fraud (here i was assumed to solve a problem worth crores in few mins) , what can you deduce if you know that on fridays diapers and beer are sold together (the expected answer was customers are IT-professionals!!), you have answered why you need not use clustering .. can you tell me why you should not use clustering (highly inscrutable answer).

while applying, in the abstract i had written..i prepared for rigorous interviews...
so the question arrived what are these rigorous interviews?....i expatiated on NTSE, MTSE, SSB interviews..the subjects i had to study, the preparations i had to undergo....contributions of my friends/relatives for the interview questions, googling net for the interview tips....
i had to even quote some of the interview tips (and comments came for the same)...
1) keep smiling ---- hmm thts why you are smiling
2)answer confidently ---- hmm so that you can answer blunder?
no sir, so that you would know that atleast some part of that blunder is correct
3)hide your indifference --- isn't that what you are doing?

i did get a chance to talk about the scholarship foundation history...and to my surprise all the information was novel for the interviewers! i feel here...they tried to hide their ignorance and the agape expressions....its amusing to watch the interviewers baffle :)

these were just the highlights and so you could never ever imagine my torment.
it was a great experience overall and it seldom happens that you suffer knowlingly!

results aren't out yet and its always good to say that with such a great experience it doesn't matter whether you get the scholarship or not...but the fact remains -- jo jeeta wohi sikandar!

It all started here......

It all started here...the indiranagar double road princeton review center always used to catch my attention..good lord...save me!! so many ppl going to US (as the princeton review ad suggested)....i too had to catch the train.....n the hardships began!!
die-hard srk fan as i am..."zindagi mein pyaar sirf ek baar hota hai...aur shaadi bhi ek hi baar---aur apping bhi ek hi baar"!!
<- yahoo ps-ii



bitstomsphd--the egroup started by bitsian seniors was of key importance now....i was starting from the a for alpha...

ps-ii weekends in yahoo! were exploited for univ selection, gre, toefl...plethora of stupid questions were flooding the sent-folder.


it looked so simple- write gre, toefl, get decent scores, apply to univs and get the admits!! credit card was a necessary condition...till then..i dint have a credit card ..in fact there was no need...wht was i going to do with a credit card at a place like pilani...swiping it at skylab or vk reidi?..finally credit card ka jugaad hua n gre, toefl was booked.

gre with its non-vernacular vocab occupied all of us...ricky,akhil,cp,kallu,dallu,me....anonymous sms and orkut scraps were replete with gre words...dogmatic,bacchanalian were used freely to adorn others.....i recall one such sms for which the reply was "one who msges such things himself is a dog"...we realized the fellow doesnt know the word-dogmatic.....n there was a laughter-burst....adding to the sms rivalry...akhil wrote "bow-bow" !!...n thus was born a new word "sh****fied"

kallu who got enthused with vocab..started barrons wordlists with letter 'a'.....but his horrific ps-manager, intel validation runs over the year have restricted him to wordlist no 3. i wish somewhere down the line he would surely exhaust barrons.

now it started to look like a herculean task...the ghotted words didnt last for more than 2 days.....memory cards were a fiasco....novels came as my saviors. numerous novels...those from dan brown to dr. kalam occupied the weekend tabs.....slowly n steadily i was atleast on the right path....par delli abhi dur thi......

internship ended n i vowed to pick-up gears during the 12-days vacation....in nagpur it was me and the books....i didnt bother to get down from second floor for days.....in those 12 days...i super-read shantaram 100 pages per day...n boy.. gregory david roberts is simply superb!

i joined intel on 3rd july 2006. ..the ginger hotel which intel had provided for accomodation was spotless clean. this was my first corporate stay..n i exploited it fully!! the ac, plasma tv, fridge, meticulously put up cosy bed....the only regret was... i was alone in the room ;)....
it was high soccer time with the FIFA world cup...it was ginger where italy dusted others to claim the title....a week later ibm thinkpad arrived....my first and the only one laptop till date.
those fifteen days were the most luxurious days of my life.

the day we left ginger....our to-be house owner dinged us and we were literally on road!! somehow we managed to find another house the next day....
how paradoxical life can be....previous day i comforted in a tata brand...the next day i was a vagrant!

finally the last month of gre preps began @385 ST Bed. sats n sundays were spent at SRR intel. the pin drop silence and seamless internet were the main features....
atlast the d-day came....prayers,best wishes came all over n gre happened.
750+620...wasnt very exciting result but then wasn't bad either......

its really frustrating when 3000 odd words rattle you day n night....i was so saturated that i could feel myself breathing gre-words rather than air!
the sleepless night on the gre eve made me realize that it was the first exam after 4 years for which i had really studied the complete syllabus and revised it....in bits pilani knowing what the syllabus is, itself was an arduous task leave alone revising it.

Day: 26th Aug 2006, Place: Hyd, my Toefl center.
i still feel, i managed to gulp some of the Felix Felicis potion.
my Toefl exam was about to start at 7 pm and at 6 pm a short-circuit at the begumpet center routed all the PCs. lucky potion played its trick here and i got a seat at the much better banjara hills center. i cant help wondering-- what if the test was postponed by a week or so??

i enjoyed the test throughout. each word you speak has a value (toefl test costed me $150 ;) )

next few months i was occupied with reporting the GRE/TOEFL scores to each university, shaping my SOP, resume...all the application materials were dispatched much much ahead of their respective deadlines and i heaved a sigh of relief!

meanwhile, i joined Infosys SETLabs in the Data Mining Research Group.

dec 11 2006, bangalore:my desk
to my astonishment, one day suddenly an email popped up in my inbox! Graduate School decision has been made, please access this link to see your decision.
Trembling hands clicked the linked. heartbeat was at its peak..apprehensive eyes read the first word "Congratulations"!! ...and i knew it! my first admit!!....the deadline for the fall 2007 admissions was dec 15 2006..n i had got an admit before the deadline!