GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

There are about 11 days left for our major papers and as always we had planned rather matter-of-factly an over night study session. But has such a plan ever stood the test of time? Maybe in some part of universe but not in the lives and times of the residents room no. 17 Tympang Girls' Hostel Laitumkhrah. We had our books decked out on the table and there we were all ready to pledge our legions to the goddess of knowlegde- Ma Saraswati, that we were suddenly hit mercilessly by an almost epidemic hunger pang. This phenomenon of binging wasn't new to us but its intensity was all fresh and raw. Comming to think of it was not really hunger but a necessity rather to fill the void in our guts. It started out with Romantic Capsica Maggie. Ironic in the sense that the maggie was shared by roomies. After we devoured that bowl, the void growled again. Next we decked out some chana mayonaise sandwiches. Gross as it may sound but the combination works at a yin and yang front. The creamy tang of the mayo is like a comforting blanket around the spicy sharp edges of the chana. But were far from done yet. Next up were peanut butter banana and jam sandwiches. But these were very sweet so to counter it we uploaded them with a layer of chana. Thus we made a revealation that day that chana goes a lot well with bread. That was an eureka monent. Finally there we were, after a large bowl of maggie and rounnds of sandwiches, it feels like a food monster is tearing wolfishly at our entrails. As we lay on our beds that night our minds seemed to be going over all the biochemical reactions going on in our stomachs and our hearts feverently wish, praying to wake up on clean sheets the next morning. So for us friends it is now an established truth that GLUTTONY is really a SIN

HAPPY SARASWATI PUJA

Today is when over on this side of the universe we mix religion with education and create a day called Saraswati puja, the day of the goddess of knowledge and her minions- us students. Its one day when going to school feels like whole new experience of its kind i.e., if the institution celebrates this. Well if not there are other ways to enjoy the day which I will talk about in while. Basically over here this day is when all the girls around play dress up on a massive scale. Don't let my use of words fool you I mean it in a very positive sense. It is the day when the jeans, tees, sneakers, skirts and every thing alike makes way for the regale sari or the mekhela chadar. On a serious note its a day when we take full pride in our individualistic identities merging with our cultural identity. But on less loftier note, when else do we get the chance to look our best and march around the city conquering one Puja pandal at a time. And with the famous Lady Boys from Thailand making rounds in around Guwahati Puja pandals there certainly an International feel this year. I celebrated my puja at the P.O.W.I.E.T. this year at Jorhat and had the best time in a while. The event was celebrated on a large scale with a beautiful flower arch way welcoming the public into the institute. There at the venue of Puja we all bowed our head down to the goddess and prayed ( I prayed to pass in the chemistry exam i have). After we payed our legions to the goddess we were given some prasad. Even though the event was meant for all the employees and all the students, they managed to keep a down home ambiance. With the puja mandap erected up on an open field dotted with trees, it was a treat to the sense and the soul. But the ones who had the most fun were the little kids. The spotlight was shared by a little three year old girl who tured out to be and endearing little dare devil. She pranced up and down a dried out drain and climbed up a bars while her mother and the rest of her family were worried witless if she slips. And her partner sharing the spotlight was a little puppy, by the looks of it the animal had probably been abandoned. The pup seemed to greet every one and escort them to the puja mandap. The warm welcome of the organizers continued further as they fed all the visitors. It was sustenance in the form of khidchi, two vegetable preparations, pickle and rasgulla to go with it. It was really surprising and quite heat warming that these students often known to be trouble makers took it upon themselves to organize the event. Not to forget they achieved it all under the tutelage of their teachers who guided them through. They fed up in the classrooms and they did feed a lot of us. So here goes to P.O.W.E.I.T. for opening their doors to all and bestowing upon us the honor of the blessings of Ma Saraswati. No doubt I believe that the school I passes out from was the best, but today I have to confess if only we had celebrated Saraswati Puja even there. Our school being the Army School Jorhat takes an atheist stand at this event hoping the best that they don't encourage communalism. Which is infact important today because we all need to be politically correct at all times, but the question is would it not be better if we look above the religious content of the day and focus on the holistic part of it. In a sense it is a day for the students. At the end of the day we all remember our backgrounds, our religions and our cultures and take them home with us. But wouldn't it be a bit better if we did take home with a bit of diversity too? Well I don't really have nothing to complain about it because I have grown up around people who are accepting of diversity. And it is here at my home town of Jorhat that we identify ourselves with humanity, not just name, community or religion alone. This thought gives me the the peace of mind that we are all going to be alright after all. HAPPY SARASWATI PUJA TO ALL..I HOPE WE ALL PASS

A FADING

My days here at Jorhat are numbered now because I have to go back to attend college . So today my whole day consisted of shopping for hostel supplies, for me its a survival kit. This blog is not about what is in my shopping or any great tips about what one might need to take to the hostel. But instead it is about an old Jorhat landmark standing the test of time or maybe not. Standing tall amidst the dust is the Doss & Co. It is general store that was once the answer to all need general, in-general or even medical. The medial part has subsided now but they still house the dry cleaners- Rupshree and the printing press. When You take a step inside the store it is actually like walking back a bit in time. The interiors are large and spacious with great big floor to ceiling widows on the walls, shelves stacked with goods and old wooden counters. When you put your first step in you are greeted by a mirror reaching up to the top. One feature that made me a fan of theirs is that they have a round table surrounded by shelves and shelves stalked with comics and the best part is that the shopkeepers don't really forbid you from reading them. One more plus about this lad mark is that they never pack goods in plastic bags..ever. but the greatest test is indeed the one of time. It has been revealed that of that land has been already sold off. Rumour has it that there has been a dispute between the owner brothers and only time will tell if the landmark lasts or reduces to rubble and dust that surrounds it now. We all know that if we don't change with the demands of time, time may find a way to break us. But the question here is how much of change breeds innovation, and how much threatens to destroys our history and legacy. The balance is generally the hardest to find.

A LITTLE MORE AND A LITTLE LESS

Well I was planning for a happy and cheery blog about how i went to my old school today, the great memories and everything around..but something happened between now and then and now I am panic stricken, because a few moments ago I split my cousin's card reader into two. So right now my prospects appear grim. Called him a few minutes ago and I am bummed. Just when You think the day could not go any better, an accident or an action changes our mind set. So that is one reason to wrap out hearts around every small source of joy through out the day because we never really are in control of all the elements are we? Somehow today's incident somehow takes me back to Paulo Coelho's novel "The Winner Stands Alone". i will not go into the details of the book but it merely emphasised the interconnection of different things forming a complicated maze in which we live in, disturbing one element causes alterations in the maze and catastrophe happens. In his story its about the murders committed by the character Igor Malev. He travels to the Cannes International film Festival to get back with his estranged ex-wife. There amid the glit, glamour and the excess of the new superclass he launches a 24 hour campaign of extraordinary violence. In the end he manages to kill an innocent young woman selling homemade jewelery, an important distributor, a talented director, a fashion designer and finally his ex wife Ewa. With all the murders he commits he also wrought hell on the lives associated with the people he murders. Thus in the end leaving distress. I don't mean to relate breaking a card reader to committing a heinous crime like murder, but just the interconnection of all life's elements and a good day turning into a bad nightmare are not left to astronomical odds but ourselves. I managed to convert my cousin's trust to distrust and it was my fault. Hopefully the guilt will subside but maybe its just better if it remains, I think that way I will handle things properly in future. I never meant to come off on the philosophical from or straying near the rotating wheel of karma but here I am bummed, unforgiven and wiser(questionably). All I would like to say now is that not all endings are meant to be happy because if they were, happiness will no longer have its meaning.

The Road That Was Taken..

See how clean those roads are...??

This is how the city looks from the top of my hostel. It was taken when we (hostellers) were all too new at a new place. With our 2 mega pixel cameras we all decided to capture the moments.
We were all blown away by the clouds and the hills so close to us, growing up in the plains that is one thing that hits you beautifully._

A FEW SNAPS OF HISTORY

Here are a few snaps from the Queen's Baton Rally at Shillong....

At The End Of The Room

At the end of the class room pressed against the back wall lies an institution in its own right. It seats a few students and provides for almost a sanctum to the perpetual troublemakers and also a partial safe haven from boring lectures or the questioning glare of the teachers.If i wasn't clear enough already, i will spit it out now, it is in fact the "last bench" of the class room. How many times have we scribbled our initials onto that bench? Being in college one can just grab the last being just by showing up early or late, but when i was in school we bench mates had to wait a week to get to that hallowed bench as we had to rotate our seats. Never the less it was always worth it. That day we could afford to be a bit careless in the class, have a conversations (in hush tones) or on a good day even get away without bringing with us a heavy text or a copy for that matter of fact. But what i like the best about that bench is that i could even put the finishing touches (debate able) to my homework as it got checked in the first bench first fashion. But i must tell all.. laziness takes a lot of planning and it is in fact a high risk game. If you depend on getting the last bench to complete your work, remember if some of your friends bunk the class you may be asked to come forward to fill the empty benches. So in the homework department it is better to put in some effort. Moving on from time to time our teachers have tried to coax us, cajole us or even scare us into quitting that safe heaven. One of my favourite teacher went to the length of telling us that more we sit on the last bench the more dumb we will get. No matter what, last bench rules. It will always be the safe heaven even if the teachers tell us that they can pay full attention to the last bench. Anyway i can't deny it when they say," LAST BENCH RULES"- The last Bench Association(fictitious)

Its not that the last bench gives you an excuse to fail but it gives you a chance to rise above the lot here are some LAST BENCH LEGENDS:
1.Bill Gates: Dropped out of college in the first year
2.Dhirubhai Ambani: Only passed class 10 boards and went from rags to riches
3. Warren Buffet: One of the richest men on the planet, never attended college
4.Albert Einstein: Didn't get the job at the Zurich University as professor in physics
5.Richard Branson: Left School at the age of 16 and never looked back. He owns the virgin group
6. Sachin Tendulkar: Failed his class 10 boards.

Finally I would like to quote Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,"the greatest minds of a nation may be found on the last benches of the class room"

Remember, the last bench is a miracle worker..it makes legends. So are you ready for it?