Updates...

So things coming closer and closer and becoming inevitable. Updates are that I appeared in two of the written tests.

1) JPMC - went quite decent. Not great. attempted 16/21 in Data Interpretation section and 27/30 in Verbal Section (GRE has done some good!). Hope to get through this one. 

2) Oracle: This was disaster. In the name of 'basic computer science' they asked questions based on jargons of Database and Binary Trees. I did fairly if compared to zero but pathetic with reference to maximum. Very dim chance. only if they have to take non-CSE.

Next is an interview schedule on Dec.1. And this one is very big name. Daimler India. Although I'm reluctant to work in automobiles (neither do I have good chance) but it may be good warm-up interview. Couple of aptitude tests on 1st and 3rd Dec. for Fair Isaac and ZS.

Next updates might take a little more time. :) Hope to post as employed person soon.

Forgot to mention that there was live performance by Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia. Although marred by inferior sound system of the inst-auditorium  he put up an awesome show!

Choices are half the chances

Winter chill is setting in the region where I live - Gangetic plains. The season calls for playing what I'm adept at - being lazy. I go partial hibernation like cold blooded animals.

Few days back my sis asked for my blog URL. Yesterday I gave the URL. Today I was asked about This is it as it was? :P

The placement season is also setting in. With little preparation till now let's see what best I can get. Schedule for first week is out. Not very exciting scenario.

There is lot left to prepare. Hope to get it before my D-day. Still no clue which day it might be. From the look of things I would like it to be Day 7 or day 8 of placements. Companies of my choice are visiting on day 7,8,11. Second preference companies are scheduled before that. But can I take a chance to leave others in the beginning. A choice to make. No, I guess. :(

Well, I'll just settle on get-whatever-comes-and-try-to-do-well-wherever-you-go and keep things simple. Take life as it comes attitude. Optimism! Ohh.. but it may not necessarily be Optimum. :|

The dilemma of multiple identities

Words offer the means to meaning and for those who listen the enunciation of truth and the truth is that there is something terribly wrong with this country. We have suffered for it in the past and few people among us, called politicians by some, are taking us back to the same history. India suffered at the hands of foreign invaders because there was no 'India' as such. There existed a conglomeration of multitude of kingdoms. The identities were with kingdoms and not with nation. That made possible the divide and rule. That was why a civilization thousands of years old was plundered and conquered.

Today most of us, even the most educated and/or urban ones would identify themselves with anything but our country. Prominent among them are caste (ages old) and region(new one). While the former is politically most efficacious in northern India, the later is in southern part. Caste based voting is an unsaid rule in most part of India. The phenomena is observed without exception in rich/poor and educated/uneducated. Factually speaking Maratha Empire (a great and highly revered among all Indians) was not spread all over India. Even when at its peak it reached till Meerut. Yet there are multiple instances of people claiming Martha identity rather than Indian. If at all we require an icon for INDIA then it is Ashoka who held the largest empire in India. Precisely that is why we have that symbol in our national flag.

Now that we have a country 'INDIA' these self proclaimed saviors of pride, so-called leaders are driving Her into the same abyss! Its not only the fault of leaders. They will do whatever gains them votes. Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, 'but again, truth be told if you are looking for guilty you need only to look into a mirror'. They corrupted our reason and robbed us of our common sense. Things like caste, regionalism and the associated pride are just a matter of mental construction. Tell me what good has pride brought to any mortal. Often have we heard that saying 'Pride comes before fall'. Time and again we hear invidious comments and fall trap to the demagogues.

We should learn from what prosperity European Union has brought to Eu nations. They succeeded as conglomeration of nations and we can't even make one single country out of our people. The sooner we realize the fact the better it will be for the people. We are an entity as a subcontinent and should move as whole.To reiterate we can move only as a bigger unit not as many smaller units. So start believing in INDIA. That is our foremost identity. Time to stop blustering about unity in diversity. Time to get out of dilemma of multiple identity and identify ourself with one motherland.

Last class at IITK

Tomorrow (or today.. as it's 3:30 a.m. already) is my last class at IITK. Monday is my last end-sem exam at IITK. Looking back, I think it was quite fun with all those high stress days during end-sems. Amid all the tensions we used to manage time for frivolous activities. It was among these times that orkut was visited most frequently. How can we forget the good old IITian 'top rat3d Mangoes' community. And that midsem sting operation during first sem was awesome thing! We also captured them visually digitally. I remember after an exam during end-sem I used 'Gunda' - the legendary movie (see the review) as stress buster. We watched Gunda twice back to back! Now that's some feat. All due courtesies to mid-sems & end-sem.

The learning was to see the enjoyable moments in spite of loathsome tasks. Performing under stress: that's what IIT system teaches you.

Although it should be noted that not all our peers were able endure it. Some chose to end themselves. And the numbers have been increasing after 2005. A total of 8 successful and 4 (or more may be) unsuccessful attempts. May they rest in peace.

Placement blues..

Its month of November. Normally it used to be a haunted time because of the end of semester and concomitant exams. But this year it is different. Only one final exam ( on 16/09). All the worries are reserved for the placement season starting from 1 dec.

When we entered IIT one thing was assured - we would get a good job. From vocation guarantee place to a life transforming place. The POV has changed. I have learnt most important lessons of life at this place. But still what is expected at the end of academic career is a good vocation. The decisive time has come.

Money

What is money? Originally it was supposed to be a medium of exchange assumed as a deferred payment. But I doubt how many will answer this if asked.

I am at a place where if counted the total worth of all the people around me (read as students in my campus) that they would have 10 years from hence would be tremendously large! And possibly their average will be much above what an average person would conceive as rich. I've heard people around me being obsessed with earning money and its comeuppances. Many of them. Probably they are that smart to amass a lot of it. They argue: who denies money is power? Money may be power but then is it happiness as is generally deemed to be? Happiness is a fastidious fish which can not be fished with money's bait.

Some of our mates have the idea that by having a lot of money they will have everything they want in life. One of my mates said today 'I am going to U.S. next year, I will have a lot of money, all the girls around me at my disposal, marry any girl of my choice. You will have nothing for you. What will you make with the meager you earn? You will not be able to satisfy your wife and children. How will you be able to make a family with that?' It was really upsetting to hear that. They think that with all the money they can satisfy themselves and in that hope continue on with the process. They generally assume that money brings happiness. But that argument is a spurious one. In fact miles short from reality. If you conduct an who-is-happy survey then probably it will show no correlation with money. 

The assumption that you will be happy when you have a lot of money is a flawed one. Has it ever been tried and tested? I mean have you ever heard anybody saying 'Look here, I have all the money I wanted. Now I am the happiest I can be. Lets call it a day.' The basis of the conclusion is only previous occurrences in counting which they have left out certain other contributing factors also. Most of the time it is just taken as a premise. What is usually forgotten with the power that money brings with it, it brings the power to mask you as happy. After they have yearned and earned for so long it is not apposite of wealthy men to not be happy. And because of this deep rooted flawed conviction that money brings happiness they are forced into an assumption of happiness which again acts as corroboration of the same fact for others. 

Obviously money is considered as a 'value' is our society and I am no sociopath. It's not bad to have money. Even I want money. Earning money is a value but fantasized and obsessed with it is not a good idea at all. May be someday I will also turn into money-obsessed social animal. But certainly I am not like one right now. I need only that much I need. Somehow I cannot appreciate the idea of having 'a lot of money'. What is that to which 'lot' refers to. Ideally a lot implies an interminable source. But in all ways that is unattainable. The key, according to me, is to strike a balance between your needs and your wants. Otherwise, like I said, the ends are open.