The little experience called life

root 3

2009-11-24T09:19:00.002+05:30

Disclaimer: Taken from a post, who in turn took it from some other source. But worth it. No IPRs attached.

i fear that i will always be
a lonely number like root 3
a 3 is all that's good and right
why must my 3 keep out of sight
beneath a vicious square root sign
i wish instead i were a 9
for 9 could thwart this evil trick
with just some quick arithmetic
i know i'll never see the sun
as 1.7321
such is my reality
a sad irrationality
when hark! what is this i see
another square root of a 3
has quietly come waltzing by
together now we multiply
to form a number we prefer
rejoicing as an integer
we break free from our mortal bonds
and with a wave of magic wands
our square root signs become unglued
and love for me has been renewed.

Here and there

2009-10-17T14:46:00.014+05:30

Its only when you sit down to write, that you tend to realize how(if) things are going wrong somewhere... So, I have this small list of people who I don't (can't) get into fights with. Oh boy! I can fight the world alone, but when it's with one of them the world seems to fall apart.

How do you spend time when things aren't going that well?

I read. And since books were never made for me, I read blogs!

Phul Singh One of the links i came across on my random blog run. This one is about English, and perhaps our obsession with complicated words ;)

and not to forget the track running in the background right now, its called 'iktara' from Wake up Sid. The song goes something like this -

Orey manva tu to bavra hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre
Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte

I realize that i tend to like a lot more movies these days, and a lot more lyrics...i actually listen to them :)

To end this one, let's have a rapid fire bests and one-liner why's (they keep changing every now and then, where now and then would mean about 10 years, i stick to my favorites)

1. Cricketer - Kevin Pieterson (for being as crazy as he is, and for walking down the pitch)

2. Driver - Raikkonen (yun hi!)

3. Tennis player - Djokovic (for his 'come on's and coz he is 6'2'' ...well, so was 1)

4. City - Delhi (for the traffic and the crowd, and the dil of the city)

5. Font - Georgia (for the simplicity of it)

6. Pastime - blogging (my blog's with me, no matter what!)

7. number - 7 (no reasons....)

Wishing you all a happy diwali (the return of Ram, my favorite super hero, just coz he was so amazingly talented that he could do things all wrong and still get away with a win each time)

rm -r .

2009-07-27T19:08:00.002+05:30

As always, ignore the title of the post.

Why don't you write more often?
Hmmm...I like to leave people at peace ;)

Then why do you write today?
Multiple reasons -

1. It has rained, so IIT is cooler, i am happier.
2. 6'am start today, big shift from my 1pm schedule, kinda tired.
3. Some people like jaipur more than delhi. why? i dont know
4. Next big thing is dinner at the mess!
5. writing is something i love - after driving, sleeping and IIT
6. why 3!! i still dont know
7. IIT's so good, jst coz it has two i's in the name ;)

But, are you going to write something now?
Nah! I'll do that kabhi aur, free time mein.

So, what now?
Bye

(P.S. - no matter how beautiful the :) smile is... :P is and will remain the best smiley...now common :P is the tongue, the strongest muscle in the human body, also the softest)

I am the Best!

2009-05-30T03:41:00.001+05:30

'I need to talk', she said, in a voice that wasn't quite hers. What was alarming was the tone, it wasn't the usual one, it had an air of dominance about it. And yes, something i realized later...she said 'I need to talk' and not 'we need to talk'. It was all my fault, having spent a week to convince her to go for a morning walk, I finally succeeded...can't say if succeeded turned out to be the right word though.

'So, why are you so impressed with yourself?' sweet bomb exploded. She put it in very simple words, just like she always does. My situation was tricky. I have always had this attitude problem (it's getting reduced i am sure, i have at least started sending friend requests on social networks rather than just accepting them). Yeah, so i was sure about my (undue) arrogance. And so was she. The worst part, i could not lie to her (have tried it in the past - never worked so i gave up). Haan, so my answer!

'i don't know, maybe i am that good'

'See, that's where the problem lies...ok, tell me why?'

'Multiple reasons, can't be counting all' (shouldn't have said this)

'Multiple reasons, I know your reasons. You have run them over so many times. You think the average person around is dumb. You think 90% of drivers in Delhi can't drive properly, the politicians are all fraud, your professors can't teach, the lady over there does not know how to jog (she did look funny, but i could not risk pointing it out then), cricketers don't use their brains, policemen are corrupt, the world is full of people not doing their jobs properly...tell me this, are you perfect?

'No, i am not (wanted to say 'i am close to it'). But I have you, and you are perfect. I know you will make me perfect someday'

Flattery always works! Didn't work this time. What followed was pure disaster. Some minutes later, she was the only one speaking. I don't generally allow people to dominate arguments, but against her my situation is kind of helpless. I did manage a few haans and hmmms in between (even that was tough).

So, the talk had everything i had ever got wrong in life (again my fault, i always share everything with her, hopelessly honest). Yeah, she also said something about the way i write 'You are so complicated, it is impossible to read your stuff and you intentionally make it tough for others. Even your blog posts are so 'forcing opinions' type, no room for comments.'

It was about then that i was beginning to realize how pathetic i have been all this while.

'So, what do you suggest' (In hope of an escape, i know she can't be so cruel to me)

She laughed, the laugh I have been in love with, for i don't know how long. And then a kiss on the forehead, always works and she knows it.

'Jokes aside, you are doing fine. Just focus less on proving things to others, respect people more, and give up your 'I am the best' attitude. Why don't you try and relax in life' (Ah hun, her favorite style of explaining things to people who fly - crush the other person's confidence, bring him back to ground level where he can listen, put your point across, and then let him go again)

I knew all along i was doing fine ;)

While leaving, she concluded 'so, ankit you were right. Morning walks are not that bad'

'Yeah mom, they aren't. But I will probably sleep longer tomorrow'

Dil Se

2009-04-05T16:06:00.003+05:30

"You cannot write an 'un'romantic post on the heart", she said. And I absolutely hate such comments from an elder cousin(call it the cousin rivalry, if you like). Ok madam, so here it is then...

THE HEART

The human heart is a mass of dense muscle that work with high efficiency. It has two arteries, two veins and four valves. The only little boring job it has is that of pumping blood in two independent circuits(one is the heart-kidney circuit and the other is our body). Without getting into a lot of biology, it is just another organ, doing what it is supposed to do.

And 4 ridiculous lines told me what she meant by 'you cannot'...

THE HEART

The human heart is the one little body part that works day in and day out, just for you. It asks no difficult questions, demands no answers, expects nothing great from you, but still stays with you, all the time. Ideal love, or very close to it. The heart beats when you are happy, it beats when you are sad. It beats, without conditions. Heart symbolizes hope, it stands for optimism. No matter what, you can always put your hand on your chest and be really sure you'll hear that same 'dhak dhak!'. Sitting in a crowded bus, you know your heart's there...sitting alone under the night sky, you know it's still there. I don't care how many valves it has, what it does or how it does it, I just love my heart.

And yes, thank you for the little challenge, never enjoyed losing so much.

1,2,3,zero

2009-04-05T00:19:00.003+05:30

Ok, ignore the title!

Its the end of an eventful two weeks at IIT, and I finally get some time off for myself. So, I sit down to 'update' my blog.

POLTU - The politics at IIT is great fun(could not find a better word for it), however it could have been better if there was allowance for a little more sleep time, a little more of stick to your word, and a little less of the 'kicking celebrations'. Haan, so I am the secretary for Indoor Sports Club...the first and the last time I am saying it... saying ISC Secy takes less time, and I am happy for it.

ASSIGNMENTS - The most adventurous part of a CS B.Tech. No more should be said about them, lets leave it here.

DRAMA - My hukka(in iit, it stands for a course in the humanities department) finally grabbed my attention, and so did the professor. And even though, I always believed a hukka teacher can never be sharp I am happy she gave me an exception to the rule(took her 2 months though). Saurabh continues with his poor HQ(humanities quotient) and I continue to have a lot of fun talking about it.

FINALLY I found myself an explanation of why I tend to have very few close friends. Its the definition of what I call good(being so even when you know there is no one watching you) that perhaps makes it difficult for people to fit in. Amazingly, some of them still do...

Signing off, hoping to get my sleep cycle corrected (or maybe not, late nights are fun).

The Egg Story

2009-04-04T23:57:00.002+05:30

One of my favorites...

- An egg jumped from the top floor of a really tall building, but he did not break. Why?
- Beginners luck! The guy was really talented.

- Then he jumped again...did not break this time either. Why?
- Confidence! The guy's talented and he knows his talent.

- He jumped again, this time with eyes closed...and landed safe once more. Why?
- Experience! He'd done it so many times...didn't need to see to do it.

- Then he jumped a fourth time, and broke a leg. Why?
- Overconfidence! Eyes closed, ears closed, full of 'i am the best' crap in his head, maybe he deserved it, lol.

- He did not try the jump for a very long time after that, afraid of breaking body parts. But then he tried again one day, a little inspiration from a good friend...
- What happened, well! wait for it :)

From the main gate to the bharti building!

2009-03-01T01:40:00.004+05:30

During my three and a half semesters at IIT, I had never seen a more beautiful evening. It wasn't that I was walking the path for the first time, nor did I have anything great to look forward to (except a stupid assignment once I reached my lab). But somehow, things added up quite wonderfully. The wind blowing across my face, the goldenish-red sky(goldenish-red is a beautiful color, if you agree its a color), the one rupee coin flipping constantly in my hand (my friends call my flips the loves me or loves me not tosses), a man telling his son, 'beta, yeh IIT hai'... and yeah, I realized just then, yeh IIT hai.

Dad had warned me of this before, "Dont fall in love with people or places you cannot always keep with you". And I knew quite instantly, what he meant. The last time he said, "zyaada mat padhna, if you clear JEE you will have a tough 4 years", I somehow managed to study enough to clear the entrance. Now, I knew I was falling in love...falling in love with this place.

Coming back to my walk, every step was full of joy. A dalmation walked past me(sniffing my jeans), a kingfisher jet passed overhead(somehow the noise it made was no longer noise), an old couple walked on the footpath(chatting enthusiastically), my phone rang (sorry, i'll call later)...just can't miss the moment. Then came the cheat, I do this all the time...close my eyes and get besides me, the exact person I want to be with, that very moment. I have always believed my imagination power is incomparable(arrogance).

Life was something different. The people I loved, I loved them more...and the people I hated, they seemed not so bad. I could not let the technical details out(typical engineer's mind), why was it a dalmation and not a dog, why did it have to be a kingfisher and not just an aeroplane, why 1 rupee and not 'a coin'... but its fine, thats the way I am.

Assignment, yes I know....gtg

HHMMM......

2009-01-13T16:41:00.002+05:30

I have always liked to 'think'. No matter how big a hole I get myself into, a couple of hours of dedicated brain storming, and I am out of it. Great ability, I had believed. But nah! there are situations where it doesn't work. That is where my friends are so important. They might not get me out of trouble each time, but they do teach me how to enjoy it. A small observation I have made in the very recent past is that there are some people who will never match your frequency of thinking (this is not about having different opinions, it's something deeper), while there are others whose brain waves are in perfect resonance with yours. So, you don't actually chose friends, the choice is automatic. Basically, you... or definitely I don't 'make' friends, I just happen to meet them.

The amazing thing thats happening to me this semester is....I'll come back to that by the end of this post. So, the boring part, I have six lecture courses with a total of 25.5 credits. There are people with more as well (27.5 is the highest bid I know), but it seems that even a 25.5 is not going to be easy, especially if I take my course advisor's words seriously(which I don't...sorry, just a force of habit. I don't take a lot of people seriously) Not that I don't hear them, but I chose not to listen, and even though it sounds foolish(definitely in the short term), I know its not... so I continue on the same line of thought.

There has been a lot of 'I' stuff in the two paragraphs above, no more of it now in the remaining portion, its a promise (and not 'I promise', precious thing this 'I promise', can't use it everywhere). The amazing part... yes of course. Seven 8 am classes in the current semester, and Ankit(thats me) hasn't missed a single one of them. Having talked a lot about general stuff on my blog, its now time to come up with more technical things next time. My next post.... probably on computer science, maybe some hacking.

Love you all!

The last day of the year

2008-12-31T23:26:00.001+05:30

The perfect time to stop and think... today’s the last day of an eventful year, and also of my winter vacations. I am not going to list what happened in the past 365 days, maybe because I can’t... never really been a ‘memory’ person. But having said that, there has been a lot to learn, a lot to feel, a lot to reason out, and a lot to take forward. It would probably not be an exaggeration to call it the year of my life so far, not in terms of achievement, obviously not, but in terms of what it has added to the wonderful creation called ‘me’. Ok, that’s a little arrogant. So, leave the wonderful bit out of the sentence if you want you, mine is a completely democratic blog.
Phew, good I got that part away. I have spent the last few days thinking about myself. So, I had to get a little paragraph on it, before I could come to other beautiful things. Now, it’s actually a little weird. I don’t generally leave topics incomplete, but maybe I would here. And it’s not because I can’t or don’t want to complete it, but just because I prefer to wait, to talk about it some other day.
Hmmm.... so that’s like two crucial issues done. The third one, South Africa beats Australia. I had a pretty nice time watching the two test matches. I never had problems with Mr. Pointing, but I always knew Graeme Smith was my favourite (and please it’s not a pun. I mean, even though it seems very much like a metaphor for deeper things, it’s not). And all the ‘reason loving’ people, please don’t ask me why, I can’t be answering this.
Fourth in the list is my recent passion for crucial situations. I have always loved finals, but I love them even more now. It’s good in ways, to be battling against the odds, and springing up surprises for everyone around, not because everyone around matters (only some do), but doing it for oneself. A little tricky, the last few lines... but then that’s how I write, bear with me.
So, I am all set for a brand new semester. In fact, waiting (im)patiently for it to begin. It feels great, I don’t quite know why, but my gut feeling says 2009 is going to be a very special year indeed. So, I sign off, wishing everyone a happy new year. May you all achieve your dreams (or on a more practical side, understand why the dreams were wrong if you don’t actually achieve them :) ) .
Enjoy every second of what’s coming your way!
Love you all
(PS: If you like solving puzzles, here’s a little one for you – The third line is not just a little ‘good to hear’ phrase, it has some resemblance to the entire post...)

The land of the mummies

2008-12-31T23:20:00.001+05:30

The good thing about any holiday with Dad is that we are always up for surprises. Independent of what I predict and prepare myself for, he somehow manages to be a step ahead. So, this time it was my trip to Egypt and the UAE. “Egypt!” I said with a little high pitched tone when I first heard it. “Egypt” I say again, this time with a smile on my face... it has been a wonderful holiday to round off the year.
Now, if I start writing about what happened, I can go on for days describing it, so I intentionally keep it short, especially for my ‘lazy’ readers who I value so much. So, we had a couple of 3-houred flights on our way to Cairo. Just like the previous occasion, my ears got blocked during landing, and they continued in the same fashion for about 2 hrs after that, forcing me to use a lot of ‘hun?’ and ‘kya bol rahe ho?’. Ok, so Cairo... my first request to the driver ‘Please through city, to see’ using only key words (I also tried full English sentences in all possible accents, but he didn’t get any of them) to indicate that I wanted to see things and I didn’t mind traffic (‘Come on, the traffic here can’t be as bad as Delhi’ I said to myself). The city of fly-overs, there was nothing magnificent about the buildings (mind you, I had already had some taste of Dubai, so no building was tall enough). The most fascinating thing was the river Nile running through the length of the city (or call it the city built along the river, sometimes it doesn’t matter what the cause is, or how something happened, what’s important is only the result of it all). We spent the next few days going places,

1.The Pyramids of Giza (actually pretty big, and please don’t go inside them, there is nothing there. Yeah, the camel ride is great, more so if you manage to convince your parents to let you ride one, with all the technicalities of turning and controlling its speed)
2.Saladin’s Citadel (largest mosque or something, but the fun part was the wind there, strong enough to blow away shoes! And trust me here for the shoes. Since it was on a hill top, the entire city was visible from there)
3.Cruise on the river. (Slow, a cold breeze to accompany you, some weird food to go along, it was a nice ride indeed)
4.The museum (I almost hated history but the national museum is definitely a thing to be seen. And yeah, no photography inside. Hmm.... yes of course)
5.Lots of shopping, and even though I have had some interest in the field lately, I still couldn’t handle the enthusiasm of my mom and my sister.
6.The highlight of the show, was the left hand drive (Egyptians have the opposite driving convention), and even though I had neither a driving license in the country nor the permission of my parents, in fact not even common sense to justify my attempt ( driving is 90% instincts is what I normally believe), I did actually get my hand on the wheel of the land cruiser (Nice car!)

Then, after all this we had a one-hour flight to a place called sharm-al-sheikh. The city with the most beautiful beaches (and this refers only to the water and the marine life) I have ever seen. So, the three days there were spent on the beach side. Ok no, some market again... but it was still like a holiday within a holiday.
Then came Dubai. Speed limit – 120kmph, wow I love the city. The tallest building there is 180 stories tall, called burj dubai, maybe still under internal construction but the structure is up. The attraction of the city was, the palm tree. The only difference about this tree was, that its actually a large piece of land recovered from the sea... large enough for a few hundred houses and a five star hotel. Enough for one post, I care for my lazy readers... let’s leave out the rest for later.

I Love

2008-11-27T23:54:00.003+05:30

This is probably the weirdest of all my posts but i had been thinking of put this up for a very long time. So, here is a list of things I love. The reasons arent clear for a lot of them since the liking comes more intuitively than logically. And yes, the order is random...

1. Chocolates
2. Majors ( No, i hate them...)
3. My neighbour's dog (Black labrador)
4. Winning (Yeah boy)
5. Losing (When I am focussed on winning big, I lose out on small stuff)
6. Our Insti nescafe
7. Little diamond earings( i really dont know why!)
8. Diamond earings at night...
9. Six pack abs
10. Slightly uneven teath
11. Brown eyes (i'd love to say blue, but brown takes over)
12. Driving (fast!)
13. Dehradun
14. Rain (and to be out in the open when it's raining)
15. My new phone (brings me luck)
16. Priyanka Chopra (maybe the uneven teath helped)
17. People who think differently
18. People who have an honest voice
19. Changes (both on the inside and the outside)
20. People with substance over people with attitude
21.

I'd leave it there for the time being. I also love the Number 1 and the no. 19, and yes 21 and 26...maybe thats enough.

(PS: 21 stays blank, atleast for a little more time)

Drive the race called "life"

2008-09-13T14:51:00.001+05:30

“I had always thought that fast driving was only about going hard on the accelerator. But no, it’s more of how well you change your gears.”

Generally races are long, in fact long enough to allow you a moment here and a moment there, to sit down and think. So, you are supposed to make good use of these moments, not throw them away into nights of partying and gaming, and an arrogant “I don’t care” status message.
The problem is the fact that life has always been kind. You ask for something and you get it, you don’t work for something and you still get it. With time, the feeling of over-confidence grows, and so does the habit of being complacent. It doesn’t hurt, until one day you realise that driving isn’t actually fair. You might have an accident even when it’s not your fault. And it’s then that the entire blame comes on, I don’t know who it comes on...but you don’t like it, whoever it comes on.
I would request you to ignore all that has just been said, I have had a bad minor examination, and I needed a place to let my frustration free. I personally find it a lot easier to write about social issues, or about sports, or anything that lets me criticise the government. But when it comes to writing about one self or about things that matter most, my fingers start receiving diminished blood supplies, my brain panics and it becomes really tough. But then, the best games are the ones that are played under pressure, and I love playing finals.
Maybe, the problem so far has been the lack of patience, of perseverance, and the dominant psyche of not working hard when you can do without it. Things are up for change now, the time is right, so is the occasion, to do a little debugging exercise. It’s time to change, hopefully for the better. It’s time to lift your foot from the accelerator pedal, and press the clutch. It’s time to shift up a gear my friend.

Shopping and me!

2008-08-17T00:13:00.002+05:30

People who know me well, know how much I hate shopping. And when it comes to clothes, where everything looks almost the same(except for a few absolute no-Noe's), and its important(my dear) to try a few of them before actually selecting one, it really puts me off. OK, so shopping and me have always been like enemies(I wonder if she knew it). I hate to shop.
This was the story until today. For no reason visible to me(OK ya, there are some reasons I might tell you by the end!), things were different today. I entered the show room- nothing new - I have been there many times. I came out with 3 new shirts and a pair of jeans, to my surprise. But the 'even bigger' thing was that I actually tried loads of them, a whole variety of straight-fits and boot-cuts, of checks and casuals with funny things written on them... and somehow I knew exactly what to buy and why to buy it?
Being one of the 'I need to justify everything happening around' kind, this little otherwise ordinary Saturday has actually left me puzzled. Since, I have always been able to analyse things and come to reasonably good reasons and conclusions, not being able to think about this one actually troubles me. Now I can always give in to one of the three possibilities. Firstly, it's Rakshabandhan, I am generally happy on festivals. Secondly, the music in the shop was cool. I know why these guys pay so much to get high quality music appliances installed. Thirdly, I saw a pleasant face (a girl of course) and the fact that she smiled back was so cute. She was there till the very end, girls are shopping freaks.
There's something which makes me feel that today was a 'quantum shift' day. I have changed today, though not by much, but surely by a significant amount. It has all been positive, a change for the better. It feels great to learn a new art - of shopping, another challenge thrown at me by my Friend GOD- lets see if I can actually master it in the days to come!

Oooh

2008-07-11T10:21:00.004+05:30

So, I have finally managed to write something for my blog. It's been a long time, and I have gone through a series of days when I had a lot to say. I can continue to curse myself for not putting it down in ink(or on hard disk)... but the fact remains, none of that will probably come back. And the real amazing thing here is that I am finally typing in words, even though I have absolutely no idea what I want to say (I generally do - my ego), and the keyboard here is sticky. I am in a lab and I have other terminals available, but I still continue to stick to this one. The moral of the story, if you are unable to do something, its not because things and people around you stop you from doing it, its because someone inside you doesn't want to do it. Its pretty much a twisted version of "Where there's a will, there's a way", but I have never understood it the way I am doing it, right now.

I suddenly feel a lot more positive. I have something to say (alright), and I hope nothing has been lost in the past one month. You can call it a gush of energy if you like, God works well for some as well, but something or someone has really caused a shift of balance here. I wasn't in a particularly bad mood either, but it was nowhere close to the one I am in now. And I cannot but stop myself from believing that its only a glum period that leads to a really bright one. And you can still argue that it sounds very similar to another famous proverb, but I have the exact same words to repeat, I have never understood it the way I am doing it, right now.

The 'Jwala' in me

2008-04-16T15:49:00.002+05:30

“Jwalamukhi”, I said with a smile on my face. The word means more to me than just the reply to a common question “Which hostel?”. It has been a year, even though it seems as if yesterday I received my admission letter and with it the name of my hostel – “Jwalamukhi”. My curious first reaction to it was ‘fire-E name’. But almost to my astonishment, things have changed really fast. Today , Jwala is home – a place where I live, a place close to my heart. This really makes me wonder, what’s so special about it?

The last year has been great. I turned 18, but more than just a turn of age, it has been very much a turn of attitude, maybe ‘growth’ in its real sense. I have come a long way in a rather short span of time. Looking back, I can recall a stream of memorable events. From night-outs to day-sleeps, from bunking classes to messing up examinations...it’s been fun. Beating up friends on birthdays is perhaps the weirdest of traditions I have ever seen, and even though it defies most people’s stretch of logic, the joy it brings to everyone is amazing. What would you do if you have an assignment due and you are badly stuck, well...get a game of ‘CS’ or ‘AOE’ to get yourself going again. If you want to see some of the ‘hostel spirit’ go to the inter-hostel competitions, push your throat to the limit or even further. Quite surprisingly, you end up being happy about it all, independent of whether you win or lose, and whether you can speak for a week or not. I remember celebrating holi with a hosepipe, with an exam waiting that afternoon. There is something about everything we do here, as long as we do it together. You realise the meaning of caution less living, taking innumerable risks, learning a lot from success, and learning even more from failures. Hostel life at jwalamukhi is magical in many senses, and I can say this with great conviction having tasted it myself.

Perhaps, more than the freedom we get, and the amount of time we have purely at our own disposal (despite our classes), what fascinates us more is the idea of living with people who share the same ambitions, same goals and most importantly the same zeal for getting ‘more’ out of life. IIT-ians are supposedly the best minds of India, and IIT has lived up to my expectations, and probably even exceeded it. As I sit in my room, having had a near dream run in my first two semesters, it feels great to see ahead and find three more years to come, and at the same time my heart gives me a little twitch, boy! you now have a year less....it’s difficult to imagine the day when I pass out. I’ll take the easy way out, and think about it only when I need to. As far as the present goes, Jwalamukhi - I look up to you, to be all that I have felt you to be, and all that I want you to be. One thing is rest assured – ‘Jwala’ is going to stay with me forever, close to me, and with a place just as prominent as it has today.

IIT for me

2007-08-13T10:25:00.001+05:30

Ok, guys and gals, my habit of thinking from the roots and to start from the basics, lands me into a situation where I am trying to think, and figure out, what is IIT and about queries like- Why am I here? Where do I go? and about an endless list of such questions which might appear uncalled for, at the surface. Why are IITs so successful? Probably because it gets the best students and the best teachers, almost the best facilities, and so we are expected to give out the best. But what am I here for, certainly not because my dad is an IIT-ian, even though its a major reason, its not the only one. Maybe, what I have heard about IIT, at home , at school and within friends....inspired me to be able to be here, but the reason I am here is coz God wants me to be here. And I take this opportunity with opens arms, hoping to make the best out of it. Where do I go from here? could be anywhere, absolutely anywhere....maybe a good job, or further studies and the a job, maybe a company of my own, but it doesn't really matter to me at this point of time. I am here at IIT Delhi, and its the process that I am going to enjoy, "karm kiye ja, phal ki ichha mat kar" - I love this quote. The "phal" is actually the power to be able to do my "karm" properly, and let me tell you, its a great feeling.
So, IIT for me, means great fun(including the one I get even when I am studying). It means a lot. It means the experience of a lifetime, an opportunity to explore, to expand, to enjoy.........and I started doing all three of them in my first month at IIT. Thank you everyone who has helped me to be here, and to realize my dream. Thank you

The techy. inst.

2007-07-31T16:32:00.000+05:30

So, I am in IIT, the place I always wanted to be in. let me tell you a little bit about the time at which I am writing this, maybe making it easier for you to comprehend what I say. Ok, it has been two eventful days of studies....following a week of value education, the stuff which possesses the ability to drive a sense of drowsiness even into the the minds of one of the most, otherwise aware people(jokes apart, the programme was really good, and i had an intution that it will be very useful in the days to come). Leaving that aside the going has been pretty physical, no nothing to do with the ragging....its just that my hostel, Jwala is at a far end of the campus, and i walk about 10 km each day, plus the nso/nss stuff after the 8-5 classes.
But, having said all that, its important to emphasize that I am really enjoying myself. It has only been about a week here, and I have made some real good friends....yes, even amongst my seniors , and I have met some of the most happiest of professors, people who manage to get a smile on the listener's face at some occasions, and even a laugh at others.... always being successful in transferring their joy of teaching into ours, of learning. The game, which I thought had ended with the jee.... has actually just begun. I wish myself luck, oh! can i do this(and enable myself with an infinite resource of it).....but anyways, I'll have more to say as the days go on......lots lots more to say, I wish.

Easy IITJEE paper?

2007-07-18T18:55:00.000+05:30

Lovely!!!!You come after 3+2+3 hours of hard work

9-12 :- almost a shaky start, and some nervousness arising due to the need of getting the essence of the past two years (actually more) into one crucial day and to do all this in a place you have never been to , before.
12-2 :- might seem the easiest part of the day but is actually the toughest. Getting some food into your stomach and expecting to digest it without any oxygen supply coz the brain has taken it all, is as likely as ending up with JEE rank 1. And then the pressure of not looking into the first paper (you wouldn't like to have a depressed mind, or even an over-confident one - entering the second test)
2-5 :- Get back to work.And it doesn't really matter if the afternoon is hot and the electricity supply is, well ...... typically Indian. The exam is the most important thing during the three hours and a slight dip in concentration may spell disaster.

Ok, after having excerted yourself for the eight hours , you hear people saying it was an easy paper, and... and even though you know those speakers might actually never make it, you are literally forced to believe that you missed out.

Were the eight hours 'easy'? Definitely not. The questions might have been easier but the paper, it was by no means easy. Anyways, it doesn't really matter if the questions are easy or difficult , its going to be the same set of people (with minor changes) who actually make it.

IITJEE is never difficult. Its not the high level of knowledge, or the complicated theorems, its just plain application of what you know, how well you know it, and ofcourse how well you use it. The questions were tricky, no doubt. There were ocassions when the questions trapped me, and literally induced mistakes. Deadly 'match the following'. All in all an excellent question paper, trademark IITJEE.

Having said all that, I think a relatively difficult level of questions checks your skills more than an easier one, where the focus shifts to not making mistakes...maybe a two-tier system is better, maybe not.But its not my job to think about it, so lets leave it for the jee people to decide. I have done what i wanted to, made it to IIT, and also expressed my views about things I wanted to talk about......and I look forward to the future, with great expectations.

HI GUYS!!

2007-07-18T18:46:00.001+05:30

Hello guys, I am Ankit Sagwal. My first blog, and i am already loving it. Uhhh....its going to be great fun, reaching out to people, and getting myself heard. Lets start with two of my previous posts, and I will surely come up with more in the days to come.
I am entering IIT Delhi this year(Computer science, to be specific), and there are going to be a lot more interesting events in the near future, I say this with a lot of confidence right now, but its actually a rather nervous statement........hahaha