Cricketalicious Shivraatris

Good Night Ladies and gentlemen. 

Well... wait... this isn't how it sounds. Even though in normal parlance it would seem so, there are times when what time of the day it is hardly matters. Giving job interviews during the placement season, attending a business fest, getting the stage ready on the previous day of a major event, getting things ready during your sibling's wedding, and many more such occasions are good examples of it.

While the above are memories each and everyone of us had nights to remember, this night long ago used to be a night full of passion, intensity and vigor. Night to remember, full of passion, where am i headed, eh? If its not about sex, then in India it has to be about cricket.

I am talking about how spirited the nights of Maha Shivaratri used to be, just some 8-10 years ago. The locality where i stayed, then used to be a hotbed of gully cricket. A compound hexagonal in shape yet looking like a huge square, it had coconut trees on the left within two arm distance(my size :P) of one another, an open well on the extreme right corner and a depression of 4 feet just after the playing square. Yes we had a proper bowling square of 22 yards, that's where I learnt my trade of fast bowling running in from the toilet end. The boundaries in operation were 2d and as many as you ran. So the deal was that if you happened to pierce the field and ensure the ball got out of the compound after pitching within, you were assured of 2 runs declared. If you happened to hit it out of the compound you were given OUT. 

If you are wondering what's all the fuss about, you only have your lame, boring childhood to blame. Ask any kid what his passion was while growing up in Bangalore or for that matter anywhere in India and getting anything other than cricket for an answer, would be like finding a dead black ant in a bowlful of sesame seeds. 

With such already existing craze for the game, the pinnacle for us used to be the Shivratri night out or 'Jaagarane' as its called in Kannada. It was not joke after-all, we played for the Maha Shivratri cup. Cricket here was so popular that it brought a lot of people to our road striven locality. On this day especially, there used to be so many players in the field that you even had teams with substitutes after the 11 members and the number of teams ran up to as many as 4-5 in the best Shivratri nights. And then there was my best buddy lakki's house, from where there was a constant supply of water and other refreshments not just on the festival, but every single day we set out to play. I have this Those-were-the-best-days-of-my-life feeling right now.

We shreevaishnavites don't celebrate much of Shivratri due to statutory purposes at home, but i have never again felt the joy of tying shoe laces by 9.50 PM in anticipation of 10PM. While the larger purpose of the night out on a shivratri was to pray the lord and seek his blessings, we only prayed the lord to help us win his cup. Passion, Intensity, Vigor, Aggression. 

And there is now, 21st February 2012. Its so easy to stay awake all night, I don't even have to try. Isn't this post an example ? Har har Mahadev. 

Good Morning!!!

Saying Adieu in style

In our professional lives these days, seeing people leave the organization they work for is not really a big deal. People choose to leave different trails so to say while leaving, experience definitely helps me recollect from the whole lot of mails I've received and the two I've sent in this regard.

Some leave with a mail with full of gratitude that people reading it actually feel if the exiting employee was actually in the same company as they are. While there are others who offload a truckload of hate, disgust and frustration to all the readers while they leave. And then there are others who leave as though they want nobody to know they have left.

Recently I came across a fascinating kind, who in their own way signify their presence in their absence. These are people who with their positive outlook tend to believe that moving on, is an opportunity in the truest sense and possess a great belief that the change is for good. They might be completely wrong in their decision but at the end of the day nobody can belittle the positivity they create.

Farewell said she....

I post this picture of someone's creativity with the intent of only appreciating her(as i was told) thoughtful work of art which left a deep impression on me. Like always, its only my views.

The 31st day of July in 2010

What after this jazzy seeming title?

While the events of the day predominate my thoughts, I am surprised, amazed and satiated with whatever has come out due to some of my efforts.

It all began some day in early June, when I casually talking to my colleague mentioned about holding a convocation ceremony for the graduating class of 2010 from IBS-Bangalore, my alma matter.

The prospect of working on an idea that might come good is so empowering that one never really realizes, how life is infused to it.

Same happened with me too, and with an online survey I set out to understand the views of my batchmates for the same. And with the response I got from my batchmates there was no stopping me.

What followed was a lot of calls, messages and emails, to the college authorities and the support I received from my alma matter, I must say was tremendous.

Cut back to the day, I got all ready with a much needed hair cut and went shopping for that dapper looking jet black suit. Got a nice deal for a change, and nothing on that day could go wrong.

To see 300 of my friends turn up for the day from many parts of India was most satisfying.

The feeling turned unreal when the degrees were given away and the clock already struck 10pm. It was all over.

A big thank you to everyone who supported the cause.

Cheers
Sanjaya KS

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Of Jiving the marathon

Enthusiasm, anticipation and excitement in the same order is such an integral part of our life. Talk about beating the mundanity of life, and nothing can be better than surprising yourselves by doing something totally unexpected. A couple of things this year which i wouldn't have thought of doing, but for the opportunities. 

Out of nowhere comes this mail at work, asking people to register for the Sunfeast World 10k Marathon, Bangalore. First few weeks at work is always when the employee gets his time, space for self, and I utilized mine to the best by registering to run for supporting EY's cause of 'I run = they learn'. It is not the idea of running that enthused me, but it was about doing something out of an opportunity when it arose.

Until one is actually part of the marathon running in it, the concept of a marathon is usually unclear. The buzz it generates across age groups is tremendous. I can still feel those additional bouts of energy I received in form of the encouragement from people of all age groups ebbing me and all others, on to complete the last stretch which seemed so beyond me.

Bangalore I think should open up for more such and other events like street concerts, street plays, other community connecting initiatives promoted from time to time when parts of the city will be temporarily closed for vehicular traffic from time to time. The feel good factor is really infectious!

So what, if it's just for a day or a half?

Secondly, another thing i have learnt off late is to never say never again. I had this strange pride in telling people that i had two left feet when it had to do something with dance. Though almost all things to be done on stage pulled me in, dance never figured in the list. But since my MBA days this has somehow become something that i have started enjoying, loving maybe. It is all with the mindset, and if you still think you are such a hopeless dancer like i was, then you better have friends like i've had, with a lot of talent & patience. I  simply can't forget the dance performance at our MBA inauguration in the summer of '08.

And this time, summing up all the courage I could from previous experiences, I enrolled to be part of the dance group without nobody coercing, cajoling or scamming me in. This was for a Jive performance for the annual Ernst & Young offsite Party at the Golden Palms Hotel and Spa as a part of the employee talent program.

Since the time of registering to the day of the event, the group had five days to practice along with the professional choreographers who were specially contracted to help us out. First couple of days passed by, with work and illness taking precedence. It seemed so very convenient to slip away from the scene, but i am a stickler for commitments and thus I headed for practice on the third day. For my long legs, the task seemed ever-more daunting on seeing   people dance like they were born with feet only to dance. But the heart always seems to find answers and be assured and then it takes over the mind and its matters.

And it helps when, you find somebody who can just look at you and say, it's ok you're doing all right if not fine. Therein lies the source of inspiration and energy that we all look for and I found mine in my colleague Pooja. From then on, there was not much to look behind/around considering that not many were part of the dance group as yet. It took us some practice sessions in the escalator lobby in office, one session in a dance studio for half an hour and finally lots of impromptu sessions by the swimming pool at the resort to finally tap our feet to the right note.Once in the zone, the task simply became insignificant and the fun aspects took over. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if could enjoy all other work tasks similarly and accomplish it? Wishful thinking! 

At the end of the day it's a great feeling to be surprised to know what and how much we're capable of. All we need to do is keep pushing!!!

A trek it is then...

In a recent telephonic interview which lasted for an hour, I was asked a whole lot of questions, I did quite alright but for these 'few' questions. While being grilled on subject matter is quite usual, being grilled on one's hobbies and interests is a little unusual or quite new for me. 

Interviewer(I): Why does your resume not have any information about your hobbies & interests ?

Me(M): Oh! Well....Seems I missed out.[Should i tell him that my placement officer asked me to reduce my resume from 3 pages to 2 pages]

I: So does that mean, you don't have any interests?

M: I certainly do. Trekking, Playing sports both Outdoor and Indoor, Compering, On-Stage performing etc.

I: Oh! Compering? Hmmm , I will give you a word and in the next 5 seconds, you'll have to speak about it for 30 seconds. And do keep in mind, you are supposed to speak something sensible.

M: Alright.

I: 'Real'

M: Ladies and Gentlemen, A very warm welcome to one and all present here, for a different evening. We are amidst real heroes who fought bravely in the face of crisis during the 26/11 terror attacks. 

A little more Blah Blah... and 30 seconds was over

I: 'Security'

M: Security is the most important aspect of today's environment. Be it internal security, external security, or security from an IT perspective. Country and companies are investing huge amounts of money on aspects of Security. 

Somewhere, guess I said something about cloud computing and he interrupted.

I:Good you know about cloud computing too?

M: [....I thought this was becoming a fun session.] Cloud computing is providing virtual computing resources on the internet by adopting a certain subscription model like pay per usage, or prepaid etc.

I: Is that cloud computing? Anyways, never mind.

M: [Shit, Did i just screw this interview?]

I: You mentioned trekking? Where all have you trekked? Are you a professional trekker?

M: Yes, I'm a pro. Have trekked to Sakleshpur, Kodachadri, and a few other spots in Karnataka. Have you heard of them?

I: I am a certified trekker from BMC. Have been to a lot many treks... 

M: [Was there a need to ask that]

I: So tell me, if you have to reach a destination within a stipulated time, What kind of trekking will you adopt? Like will you cover maximum distance at the beginning, or will you take adequate breaks in your stride.

M: Well it would depend, on the terrain and also the weather Sir.

I: Do you know the types of trekking?

M: Sir, Can i revise my answer to 'I am not a professional trekker, you can call me a hobby-based trekker'!

When I actually said that, that's exactly when I was sure that I had screwed the interview big time.

I: Good, we have clocked 50 mins and we are still going strong!

M: Sure Sir!!! [Oh yea.... My ears have turned black-er and are about to burn off.]

While the later details about the interview are irrelevant, the questions regarding trekking, actually reminded me it's been a while since I trekked and should hatch a plan to undertake one. And thus happened Tadiyandamol near Kakkabe, Coorg. Last friday we left Bangalore for Virajpet, to start our trek to the peak of Tadiyandamol on saturday morning.

In the quest of learning some technicalities, let me try to explain the route first and then the terrain. The route, is a mixture of Tar-road for close to 2.5 - 3 kms from the Kaikamba Bus stop till the Palace of Chikkaveeraraajendra. Basically walking on the ghat section roads.

A little further from the palace after walking for close to 1-2 kms, you'll find the trek track which leads you into the jungle. One could call this a jeep track again till a further distance until where the track is motorable. The terrain, is initially a mixture of steep and normal hilly roads, which I could term as easy, of course the perennial question that haunted us was that of 'how much luggage is judicious luggage on the backpacks'? The terrain seemed difficult due to the hot weather which might have gone upto 36 deg at the most. 60% in to the trek, u'll see quite a bit of jungles amidst valleys, on scaling which the peak seems around the corner.

Though our timing for the trek wasn't great in terms of the weather, the experience sure was worth it. After being fully soaked in our own sweat, we were almost at the top when we saw dark clouds engulfing the peak from both sides along with some breath taking views. 

What we also saw in the process was the formation of rain from the rain clouds which seemed to collide from opposite directions with the peak in the centre. The last climb to the peak was amidst rain drops that seemed like it had needles attached to them. As if each one of them had the mandate to treat us acupuncture therapy. 

Whilst all of us could have completed the ascent to the peak, only 4 of us seemed to find the reason to go the distance in the heavy rain. Although this hampered our photo-op, our minds sure got memories that wouldn't be forgotten in a hurry.

Do let me know as to how you liked the post.

Belur & Halebidu - A photographer's delight

Some pictures of my mini vacation to Belur, Halebidu on way back after visiting Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya.

One of the many beautiful pieces of intricate architectural brilliance displayed here.

Go here if you have a day or two to spare, as the divinity of this place can be experienced by not only seeing the kind of work gone in building these timeless monuments but also understanding the historical significance. 

Save Our Tigers | Join the Roar

I first saw this campaign, during one of the TV commercials. Didn't pay much heed to it. Then after repeated exposure to this advertising stimulus, it permeated my attention and I began to ponder over it. It said, join the campaign, share it, blog it etc. 

I went back to a time between 2005 and 2006, when a few friends and I went on a trip to Nagarhole national park. Then due to a friend's contact, we obtained permission to stay overnight at an anti-poaching camp, of the Karnataka forest department. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life, to stay amidst wilderness with all the gusto and verve of one of Karnataka's thickest forest range. 

The next day we happened to embark on a short trek in the wild jungle, though we did not have the permission to do so. But of course, the overnight banter with the forest guards helped us overcome that, and they themselves walked with us. While we walked for the 6 to 7 kms in the forest, I vividly remember all of us craving to spot one or the other wild beasts. And a few of us also hoped, if we could get lucky to spot the big cat. All these hopes had turned our anticipation higher and drove our adrenalin to unprecedented levels making us talk amongst ourselves amidst the guards warning us against doing so. 

Then suddenly we stopped by on the track that was damped with water from a natural stream. The guard signaled to all of us to fall silent at once with his hyperbolizing actions, and then whispered pointing to the ground asking us "See that"? The look on his face was that of utmost seriousness, and we realized this time he meant business. On the ground was some sort of depressions made on the soil. 

"Pug Marks" shouted one; "Really" exclaimed another and I went busy clicking on my camera. 

"Ivaag taane hogide"(It's crossed just now) said the guard. Before my wondering became a question that could be heard, he continued "maximumu eradu mooru gante aagirbahudu" (must have been a maximum of two or three hours). And that was when we realized how much lucky we were to be travelling amidst the territory of the Tiger. The feeling is inexplicable, the thrill is unbeatable and the memory, just unforgettable!!!

How many of us have been anywhere close to spotting a tiger in its natural habitat? Purists say people spend a lifetime in looking for them. There are people and there are people. Some of them, who spend a lifetime and succeed and then some others who consider, that coming across pug-marks of a tiger in its natural habitat can be the closest they can get in their lives.

I had this amazing picture I had clicked during this trip, that of the pug-marks of a tiger. I so wanted to include it in this post of mine, but turns out I have lost the whole folder somewhere from my system. I also looked for the various DVD back-ups I had made of my data, which seems missing too. This now has left me restless to find that picture somehow and post it here. 

Thinking about it, this is a picture and I can somehow let go. But then think about the number 1411, yes that's exactly how many tigers we are left with.

Shocking to say the least!!! We can't be casual about this... can we? Not when we are answerable to our next generation.

~Sanjay

http://www.saveourtigers.com/

Good Times .... brought to you by Christmas !!!

I somehow feel comfortable recounting experiences. Wonder if my posts reflect this too? Whatever be it may, here is my post reflecting some memorable Christmas times I've had.

Pan back to 10 years, Christmas was more of neighbor sharing the much talked about plum cake among other savories. Quintessentially, it would be an occasion to enjoy that one day off school. That was pretty much it unlike, todays festive cheer it manages to bring all round.

Some 6 years hence the meaning of Christmas completely changed as if to redefine to me what the real Christmas meant. Most of it had to do with my workplace sporting the festive spirit and moreover the anticipation of the week long forced vacations we always had to take unless someone was in a critical project and hence would be part of the skeletal support team. That year a few of us friends took time off to celebrate the Christmas weekend along with the New year's eve at Hogenekkal. 

By the way, talking about new year's eves, this post talks about how I've rated them all.Sometimes I wonder how i got the time to write such posts.

Experience, Siddhu says "is a comb that life gives man when he turns bald". Fortunately I made early use of it, by using it to celebrate the next Christmas at workplace in a novel way. 

But my most memorable Christmas date till day has been 25-Dec-2008, when I organized an outing to WonderLa with full of unsure trip(class) mates. But then thinking about it, I'm sure all my friends from section G, Sem 2 will agree with me when I say, that it was one of the most well spent working Christmas weeks that we've spent in our MBA days. Be it the most ridiculous tasks each one had to do, as part of their dares or some of the most amazing acts a few Saurabhs put up. ( Read the table dance and KSG mock acts) and many more. 

Memories come rushing to my mind de-syncing the words with thoughts while i try to articulate. This is where images help to convey the sense that words seem to have lost track of. 

This small collage I've put together is a testimonial of good times I've had in IBS-B with some beautiful people. By the way, no picture can ever be complete, as someone or something is always waiting to add to it. So is the case with this one.

Putting this in context, Christmas although might seem purely incidental to some good times, it was in many ways directly consequential.

Merry X'mas & a Jolly Good New Year.

Cheers

Sanjay

A great first time experience

We all yearn to do something we haven't done before, and I'm no different. Before getting down to speaking about what it was that has me so excited, I must tell you world looks totally different when you see it in perspective. And today I heard from a person who has seen reality the harsh way, who writes about these realities, and then those, who sometimes also film them reel.

This was the first time ever, I attended a book launch event. Fortunately for me it was of 'The Professional' by Subroto Bagchi at 'CROSSWORD', Residency road. The occasion also saw Kannada cine star Chetan Kumar release the book. 

But the whole event would have been a dampener without the protagonist Mahadeva whom Mr. Bagchi has written about in his book and refers to as the Professional's Professional. Mahadeva's story is one which is an embodiment of the spirit of humanity. 

On the occasion Mahadeva spoke about why he does what he does, being a public undertaker. It's not love for the profession, but its the spirit of service that matters to him, the spirit of giving something back to his motherland Karnataka. It was a humbling experience to listen to the man speak after Mr.Bagchi undertook a public reading of the first chapter of the book.

I liked the event because of the sheer magnitude in the stature of these people:

• A full bright scholar from Yale, born to Doctor parents, who found his calling in the land of Kannada cinema and theatre.
• A corporate honcho who writes about the greener pastures one should look towards in their professional career.
• And then, Mr. Mahadeva!

I can't wait to start reading 'The professional' and maybe imbibe a few professional values here and there. All thanks to Sona for letting me know about the event. It surely was an evening that I will cherish.

Cheers

~Sanju

clickApicA

Remember those days, where you have been passing through a particular road, and you so wanted to click some pics there? Well, I surely had one such day. This stretch on the way to Mysore road, from Uttarahalli Junction is one such place I have always thought of stopping by and clicking some.

Luckily enough for me, Rain God who never listens to me when there is a cricket match on, seemed to have patched up with me and I simply loved what came out of the whole damp affair. Somehow, such small things make me so happy.

And by the way, for the first time I moved away from Nokia and I should say, that I am definitely not disappointed. Samsung Star is surely a good value for your money.

Cheers

Sanju

Romancing the Spartan, Re-living the Nivia

It was interest-->beating-->love-->fascination and obsession (in the same order) for me when I talk about the beautiful game of Volleyball and my formative years with it. Having started way back in 5th or 6th standard, this is one game I would love to play even when woken up from a slumber. I had my first thud of volleyball on my hands, someday between 1994-95. I still remeber the last bell of the day that rang, and we rushed out of our VI-C classroom to meet the newly appointed PT instructor, Seetharam Sir.

While making us warm up a bit, the moment I waited for came. The ball i wanted to touch and hit on the court, but had always ended up passing it back to the seniors, donning the role of a self ordained ball-boy , hit me plonk on my face threatening to squash my nose.

Seetharam sir reminded, "court is far-away for you even to dream". 

He tossed back the ball to me after signalling me to get both my hands closer and meet the ball. I did see how it was done, but when the ball met, it was as if my hands were polio affected or something. I never seemed to get it on the center of my hands.

This drove my instructor rather wild, I guess. He walked up to me with the ball gripped in his palm as if he were holding a tennis ball, and asked me to bring my hands into position where ball is met. No sooner I did that, he literally beat my hands up making sure I knew where it was, that he wanted me to meet the ball. He did it with such gusto, that made tears swell up my eyes. I don't remember what made it not roll down my cheeks, but it sure did make Seetharam sir notice it. All of a sudden, he turned from this monstrous being to a tender giant and kissed me on my cheek tending solace.

Do you think this made any difference to me? If you thought it did, you are damn right. Made a hell of a difference, and miraculously the ball never again missed my other hand. Thus my first lessons on volleyball lead me further to the competitive mold of enthralling volleyball.

[Btw, this is going to be a long post I realise as i write.... ]

As time progressed, things moved on and i realised the passion in the game. The more i played it on a competitive level, the more i started getting obsessed with it. Had the fortune of playing with some amazing boys and girls. Crusaders during 8th to 10th were people like Gowda Sir, Bashya, Anil and others.

Time further moved on and we were back in bangalore. During my 11th and 12th i realised how much power a sport has. It just takes minutes, to break the strongest of the teams when a position of power and leadership is open for grabs. At this kind of age, it is truly to show one's supremacy in the game I guess that makes individual act the way they do. I did start experiencing such things right from 10th when I made a break away league in the crave for cricket captaincy. 

Coming back to 11th and 12th, those were days when we juniors played against seniors and beat them at that many a times. Classes were just an excuse, an excuse to spend some of the most memorable moments of the day between lunch-break and post class hours. Our college used to be a quadrangular structure with classrooms running upto 3 floors and the volleyball court right in the middle of it all. So whenever there was a game on, there would definitely be more than a few non-playing eye balls on us, giving us more reasons to strut it out there. 

Some great buddies at this phase were Deepu, Abhilash, Arun, Sridhar[What serve you had boss], Sathya, Sandy, Vikas, Pavan and of course MKS Sir[Apart from his sudden drops on the court, I always wanted to learn using the blackboard like he does, bloody brilliant !!!]

During graduation the game, took a backseat, as other priorites in life became exciting. The other gender suddenly became an exciting topic for us all. But of course, when the sports day came, all the old experience just comes back, and you play for the joy of it. We had a pretty competent team in our class of 20 or so people in Baby, Vikram, Samarth, Babu, Ady, Vinay(so-so :P) and a few others. Though we dint win the tournament we sure did everything in(volleyball) and out(cricket) of the spirit of sports .

I think the best years of volleyball for any non/semi-professional would be from 8th Standard to end of Graduation unless you have good infrastructure at your disposal.

Thus amidst all these oblivious pleasures of student life, never realised when the corporate saga began. Of course, the love of the game ensured that I took some initiatives at workplace, but it seemed limited until MS-Outlook.  Such is my love for the game, that I also went to give my sister's school team some practice hits before their match. 

Now, why so much nostalgia you might think?

Of late, I got my chance to play volleyball at my friends apartment complex and also there is this huge wish of mine, of wanting to pull away from traffic near a playground where volleyball is being played, and just go play not caring about who, whether, why etc.... 

Yesterday I did just that...   Well that's because some things never change.

Shoot... Ido... Rakh

~Sanju

[Post Dedication: To all those who spent time on the court with me and etched some everlasting memories]

Birthdays like this too...

Feb 13th when the clock had just ticked 23:57, Akhil called up to wish me Happy Birthday. He sure flagged off a day that held so much for me, now when I look back.

Turning 25 makes people think differently about various things. But a sad feeling of growing older is one commonality in all this variety.

Well, it was definitely memorable as it turned out for me.

Birthdays are usually meant to be memorable and eventful in some way or another. However over the last few years (can't remember since when), one thing I absolutely cherish about my birthday is the fact that Mom wakes me up with a kiss on my foreheadJ and dad always manages to wish and shake hands when I'm still not completely awake.

Thinking about the proceedings of the day, wondering what made it memorable, let me take you back to Thursday, Feb 12^th.

I get this stupendously written e-mail from a lady 'Neeta Parikh', about how she found my profile online and how she just couldn't keep herself from writing in to me. Some 3-4 mails exchanged and I was up and running, psyching myself to believe that I would soon be rendezvousing with the chic girl.

The mails written to me in this regard seemed so genuine and I thought the fallacy of blind dating, might after all be not really false. If it was only the mails, then the conversation would've never grown, the g-chat session proved a winner for the connivers.

The stage was set for a show down on 15^th Feb, the Sunday over Thursday's chat session just before the EOD. Friday created new tensions for Neeta Parikh, which made it difficult for her to meet me on Sunday, and she advanced the meeting to Saturday the 14^th February. Like anybody who would have fallen for smooth talk/chat, I did too and agreed to spend some time on my Birthday. 

Also the picture helped them in a really big way for their plot.

Considering the fact that Neeta who was doing her fulltime MBA from NY, originally from Indore, vacationing in Bangalore staying at Koramangala, FORUM Mall was mutually agreed upon as the place where we would meet. How considerate I was … sob sob :( !!!

Panning back to the day, answering wishes on phone, and in parallel storing all the contacts on my cell phone was the order of the day. Of course I was majorly helped by my Laptop, which had the recently synched version of the whole contact list from my stolen N72 phone.

By 2PM I reached Forum and waited for her to show up in front of McDonald's as decided, show up … well the girl in the center didn't, these all sure did. 

The main conspirers in bold, and the rest able accomplices!

From L to R: Yogi, Sangeeta, Umashankar,Shweta, Adarsh and Vinay. 

What followed next is anybody's guess. At 25 years and 14 hours, i was bakra :P

Would love to thank each one of you who made my day so special! I guess Valentine's Day for people like me; will always be this way with so many beautiful people around.

Cheers

Sanju

Kannada Rajyothsava: IBS-B percolates a sense of oneness

After weeks of pushing ahead due to unforeseen circumstances and continuous persuasion, December 17th, 2009 was the opportune day decided to celebrate Kannada Rajyothsava in IBS-Bangalore.

It’s always said that it doesn’t take too much to bring something to life, when there is a force of desire driving it. This was exactly something that, we, the organizing committee realized. Just two days before ‘the’ day it was communicated to us by a zealous senior student Harish, about the event.

In line with expectations it was all it took to motivate a bunch of Kannadigas to come together and get the wheel rolling, but commendable was the support shown by non-local students of IBS. The fact that 17th December was also celebrated as an ethnic day made the occasion an interesting affair for the 300 strong members that attended the event on the day.

The program was inaugurated by Prof T.R. Venkatesh, Director IBS-B and other dignitaries present.

Students of IBS-B, Rajatha and Prithveesh set the right tone to the program by invoking blessings of the Holy Lord through their enchanting voices.

The other attraction of the day was the local professional folk dance ‘Dhollu Kunita’ group, who performed signifying the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka.

Main eye-catchers of the day were a 20 strong team of visually challenged kids that came from ‘Samarthanam’ lead by the talented Mr. Nagesh (an international Artist, Professional singer and a Mimix Master Ceremony). The kids performed with so much zeal and passion, that it prompted the IBS junta to come up with an impromptu dance on a Kannada song.

The event was also graced by Smt. Saraswathi Murthy, an exponent in Carnatic classical music also a regular performing artiste at All India Radio. She enthralled the audience with her devotional songs.

The day also saw the students and faculties judged on their attires for the ethnic wear competition. While Himanshu and Sudha from the students staked their claim on the best dressed students’ awards, the faculties lead by Prof. Dakshina Kanthy and Prof. Nityananda showed that they were up to the task by winning the best dressed lady and Gentleman awards.

Special delicacies of Karnataka like ‘BisiBeleBaath’ and ‘Dharwad Pedha’were served to everyone present on the day.

Like all good things that come to an end, our program also concluded with Prof. Sukesh Kumar giving away prizes for the day and the hosts Sanjay and Uthra thanking the organizing committee and the audience for their gracious presence that made the event a huge success.

Sanjaya K.S

MBA, Class of 2010

(P.S:This post got here, just in case if it doesn't get printed on the college mag)