This post is dedicated to all the students who fell a prey to the contaminated sprouts. May God never suject you to such an excruciating experience ever.
Disclaimer-All views in this post are based on real-life incidents, yet merely reflect the opinion of the writer. Any facts or figure presented in the write-up are open to debate and discussion and shall in no way be binding on the writer.
The unfortunate set of students must never have fathomed that eating healthy will lead them to probably the most horrible and excruciating experience of their lives. I am talking about the recent food poisoning (read: sprout poisoning) case in a very reputed educational institute and the mere reminder of it disgusts me to no end.
About 200 people who had sprouts that fateful tuesday for lunch would never have imagined what was in store for them. People started showing symptoms of acute food poisoning around midnight and were soon being whisked away to the nearest hospital. As the numbers grew and people began to be sent to six different hospitals, different theories crept about the cause of this pandemic which was soon identified to be sprouts. It did not require rocket science to determine that contaminated mess food was the culprit and soon media and police cordoned off the campus.
It was difficult to find out who was admitted where; such was the pandemonium at campus. I wish the campus administration had acted more promptly and had done something to restore the normality at campus. Baring a faculty or two, in my four and a half day stay at Aditya Birla, I saw nobody visiting the ailing patients from the management side. You add irresponsible, provocating and absolutely infuriating comments like “The students had partied outside and so they might have got infected due to eating contaminated food there” to that and it is enough to boil anyone’s blood. Five days have passed since that fateful lunch and yet no concrete action has come to the notice. The authorities continue to be apathetic. A day after people began to be hospitalized; students were served bread that was infected with fungus. The indifference of the management hardly surprises anymore for what is the cost of human lives in front of a million dollar contract. In a land where people sell their kin for a mere hundred rupees and where murder comes cheaper than a brand new pair of Levi’s jeans, this is hardly a thought provoking concept anymore.
So what do we do now? Surely, none of us still believe in the system, do we? I expect each one of you reading this to rise up to the occasion. It is time when we stop being mules and led by a stick, it is time to speak out and stop being indifferent to what is happening to us and to those around us. It is time to voice our concerns for ourselves, to get things done rather than sitting and expecting them to happen on their own. For those who have no clue how and what to do, just remember that together each one of us can make a lot of difference. You might not know what to contribute and how to but if and when somebody takes an initiative, be a part of it. It is not a question of the safety and well-being of a few students; it is a fight for everyone. Think over it and do what needs to be done for your well-being is solely your responsibility.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Dilemma of a 3 pointer
What I intend to talk about in this post might throw some of you out of your comfortable cushions so I would like to begin this post with a disclaimer.
“All characters in this post are neither fictional nor based on anyone’s figment of imagination. The author intends to harm nobody’s feelings, only intends to bring out a few relevant points to the notice of all and sundry. Any resemblance to the characters and plot in this post is an event that has taken place somewhere in the past and is not co-incidental.”
When our generation was younger, our parents faced tremendous societal pressure in terms of what their kids were going to do in their lives. If your son did not get through IIT entrance, the entire clan was looked down upon. If your daughter was not a medical student, she had wasted her life. Despite such a hostile environment, some lesser mortals like yours truly dared to dream different, carve out a different career path for themselves, not just because they were rebellious and against any set pattern in and around them but probably also because they were aware of their abilities and inabilities, their limitations and most significantly, their aspirations. Sometimes, even I cannot help but rue the destiny of millions of those who faced the brunt of such pressure day in, day out without so much of a whimper.
Nonetheless, treading the path destiny had in store for them, each one of us has reached to my favorite stage in the world, my college. God! Do I love my college or not, for where else will you find a more realistic, yet absolutely theatrical atmosphere than this, where else will you come across actors as veteran and as versatile as here and for where else will you face plots thicker than that of Sherlock Holmes’ novels and spicier than all the soap operas you might have watched in your lifetime. The stage is a connoisseur’s delight.
I have already cribbed about the CGPA system, and even when I am not at the receiving end, I cannot help noticing its flaws and the excruciating treatment it metes out to some of my fellow-men. If success were proportional to the amount of hard work you put in, earth would be heaven and people would be saints. Sadly, that is not the case and so many poor souls bear the brunt who are arguably much, more hard-working but just a tad unluckier. My heart goes out to them.
However, I do find the reactions of people quite amusing. Undoubtedly, if you do not get accolades for your efforts, you are bound to be disheartened but to limit your horizon to marks alone is probably the biggest injustice you can do to yourself. Marks in CGPA system are like Justin Timberlake’s famous song- ‘what goes around comes right back’. I know a score of people who are more talented than any I have ever come across and yet they do not get their due in terms of grades but people always hold such men in high regards. Even without getting philosophical, one can easily deduce that to be admired among your fellow-men is surely a coveted feeling if not enviable.
The education system is out there to ruin you. It will turn you into a poacher if you are not careful. Getting good grades is very important but is it worth losing your peace, your friends and your sleep over? A 2.9 is hardly that different from a 3.1 GPA. In the end, you might be a tad better off in terms of marks but you will lose out on a lot of good things in life, a bargain I do not consider worth even giving a thought to.
It is very important to have fun in your life, to go out with friends, to do things like getting drunk before a term paper and to watch out movies back to back before your exams. This is our time, if not now then when? Be sincere in life, not serious. You only get one life and what a waste it would be, if not lived fully!
“All characters in this post are neither fictional nor based on anyone’s figment of imagination. The author intends to harm nobody’s feelings, only intends to bring out a few relevant points to the notice of all and sundry. Any resemblance to the characters and plot in this post is an event that has taken place somewhere in the past and is not co-incidental.”
When our generation was younger, our parents faced tremendous societal pressure in terms of what their kids were going to do in their lives. If your son did not get through IIT entrance, the entire clan was looked down upon. If your daughter was not a medical student, she had wasted her life. Despite such a hostile environment, some lesser mortals like yours truly dared to dream different, carve out a different career path for themselves, not just because they were rebellious and against any set pattern in and around them but probably also because they were aware of their abilities and inabilities, their limitations and most significantly, their aspirations. Sometimes, even I cannot help but rue the destiny of millions of those who faced the brunt of such pressure day in, day out without so much of a whimper.
Nonetheless, treading the path destiny had in store for them, each one of us has reached to my favorite stage in the world, my college. God! Do I love my college or not, for where else will you find a more realistic, yet absolutely theatrical atmosphere than this, where else will you come across actors as veteran and as versatile as here and for where else will you face plots thicker than that of Sherlock Holmes’ novels and spicier than all the soap operas you might have watched in your lifetime. The stage is a connoisseur’s delight.
I have already cribbed about the CGPA system, and even when I am not at the receiving end, I cannot help noticing its flaws and the excruciating treatment it metes out to some of my fellow-men. If success were proportional to the amount of hard work you put in, earth would be heaven and people would be saints. Sadly, that is not the case and so many poor souls bear the brunt who are arguably much, more hard-working but just a tad unluckier. My heart goes out to them.
However, I do find the reactions of people quite amusing. Undoubtedly, if you do not get accolades for your efforts, you are bound to be disheartened but to limit your horizon to marks alone is probably the biggest injustice you can do to yourself. Marks in CGPA system are like Justin Timberlake’s famous song- ‘what goes around comes right back’. I know a score of people who are more talented than any I have ever come across and yet they do not get their due in terms of grades but people always hold such men in high regards. Even without getting philosophical, one can easily deduce that to be admired among your fellow-men is surely a coveted feeling if not enviable.
The education system is out there to ruin you. It will turn you into a poacher if you are not careful. Getting good grades is very important but is it worth losing your peace, your friends and your sleep over? A 2.9 is hardly that different from a 3.1 GPA. In the end, you might be a tad better off in terms of marks but you will lose out on a lot of good things in life, a bargain I do not consider worth even giving a thought to.
It is very important to have fun in your life, to go out with friends, to do things like getting drunk before a term paper and to watch out movies back to back before your exams. This is our time, if not now then when? Be sincere in life, not serious. You only get one life and what a waste it would be, if not lived fully!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Moral ReArmament Camp
Strange as it may sound, I dedicate this piece to the sun, the clouds, the trees, the hills and foremost to the sunshine in my life.
Moral Rearmament Camp. Sounds as far from me as a star would be from the earth. Honestly, given a choice, I would have never gone for such a camp. I am not much of a believer of switching off from the world in order to go on a journey of self-exploration. For me, self-actualization comes in any form, in any way, anytime you are ready for it. The minute I am making a deliberate attempt to shut down my brains from a particular thing, I can be assured that I shall not be successful in my endeavor. However, my college authorities never agreed with my intellectual insights and so I set for Panchgani on a cold, Saturday morning, thoroughly deprived off sleep and cribbing about it at length.
Panchgani is located at roughly four and a half thousand metres above the sea level in the rain shadow area of the Krishna valley. Without any exaggeration, the valley is amongst the most beautiful places I have ever set my eyes upon, second only to Patratu valley of Jharkhand. It is quiet, serene, laidback and despite being used to a much faster and hectic lifestyle, I could not but appreciate what it stood for.
The place is quiet, almost eerie in night. You will find just a few buildings in more than 60 acres of space in the Asia Plateau and big jungles elsewhere. Small pathways meander through different landscapes, some on plains while other over heights and all of them are enriched with various species of flora and fauna. When it comes down to it, it gets very dangerous and I still cannot forget the sight of that baby snake I spotted on the first afternoon of my four-day trip. The icing on the cake, however, is the sight of the table-land guarding the Asia Plateau. It is the second largest table-land in Asia and the sight up there is one to behold.
Coming back to the purpose of the trip, which by the way was not merely sight-seeing, we had various sessions on moral-building, teamwork, effective leadership etc. but there are two I specially want to mention, ones that actually touched my soul. The first one was a session taken by Mr. Deepak Mullick, a successful corporate by all means. His story, one where he overcame medical and moral obstacles of his life, is one that effortlessly inspires you. It is not possible to pen down every bit of his one hour long session but I would like to share a lyrical piece with you all that was written to Mr. Mullick by a Baramati farmer friend of his when he was almost down and out. It goes as follows:
Look beyond
Until you feel better
Be patient and wait
For patience is truly
A wonderful trait
For most of life’s battles
Are won beyond the field
Fight it out, don’t turn away
Problems are fickle, you will find a way
When the sun comes out
And the clouds float away
Simple, beautiful lines which say a lot even when they apparently say nothing at all. The second session was even better, one on human relationships. In our race towards the oasis of success and achievement, we forget that our life is enriched by the people who are a part of us and not by the amount of wealth we accumulate or the fan following we manage to acquire. Our relationships take a backseat giving a way to our ambitions. Sadly, by the time we realize where we went wrong, it is too late to go back. I am not going to be philosophical but in all sincerity, I would urge each one of you to get a hold of your personal life before it is too late. It is never too late to do the right thing.
I learnt a valuable lesson, one which I should have learnt ages back. For me, the USP of the camp was the session on human relationships and with it, the purpose of the camp was justified. I stood corrected at the end of the camp; it was not futile after all! I only wish I had realized it back then what I did after this camp.
Moral Rearmament Camp. Sounds as far from me as a star would be from the earth. Honestly, given a choice, I would have never gone for such a camp. I am not much of a believer of switching off from the world in order to go on a journey of self-exploration. For me, self-actualization comes in any form, in any way, anytime you are ready for it. The minute I am making a deliberate attempt to shut down my brains from a particular thing, I can be assured that I shall not be successful in my endeavor. However, my college authorities never agreed with my intellectual insights and so I set for Panchgani on a cold, Saturday morning, thoroughly deprived off sleep and cribbing about it at length.
Panchgani is located at roughly four and a half thousand metres above the sea level in the rain shadow area of the Krishna valley. Without any exaggeration, the valley is amongst the most beautiful places I have ever set my eyes upon, second only to Patratu valley of Jharkhand. It is quiet, serene, laidback and despite being used to a much faster and hectic lifestyle, I could not but appreciate what it stood for.
The place is quiet, almost eerie in night. You will find just a few buildings in more than 60 acres of space in the Asia Plateau and big jungles elsewhere. Small pathways meander through different landscapes, some on plains while other over heights and all of them are enriched with various species of flora and fauna. When it comes down to it, it gets very dangerous and I still cannot forget the sight of that baby snake I spotted on the first afternoon of my four-day trip. The icing on the cake, however, is the sight of the table-land guarding the Asia Plateau. It is the second largest table-land in Asia and the sight up there is one to behold.
Coming back to the purpose of the trip, which by the way was not merely sight-seeing, we had various sessions on moral-building, teamwork, effective leadership etc. but there are two I specially want to mention, ones that actually touched my soul. The first one was a session taken by Mr. Deepak Mullick, a successful corporate by all means. His story, one where he overcame medical and moral obstacles of his life, is one that effortlessly inspires you. It is not possible to pen down every bit of his one hour long session but I would like to share a lyrical piece with you all that was written to Mr. Mullick by a Baramati farmer friend of his when he was almost down and out. It goes as follows:
Look beyond
Until you feel better
Be patient and wait
For patience is truly
A wonderful trait
For most of life’s battles
Are won beyond the field
Fight it out, don’t turn away
Problems are fickle, you will find a way
When the sun comes out
And the clouds float away
Simple, beautiful lines which say a lot even when they apparently say nothing at all. The second session was even better, one on human relationships. In our race towards the oasis of success and achievement, we forget that our life is enriched by the people who are a part of us and not by the amount of wealth we accumulate or the fan following we manage to acquire. Our relationships take a backseat giving a way to our ambitions. Sadly, by the time we realize where we went wrong, it is too late to go back. I am not going to be philosophical but in all sincerity, I would urge each one of you to get a hold of your personal life before it is too late. It is never too late to do the right thing.
I learnt a valuable lesson, one which I should have learnt ages back. For me, the USP of the camp was the session on human relationships and with it, the purpose of the camp was justified. I stood corrected at the end of the camp; it was not futile after all! I only wish I had realized it back then what I did after this camp.
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