Happy New Year

As 2009 draws to an end and 2010 begins, here's wishing everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year where everyone's wishes come true...cheers

A Rainy Day in New York

This Saturday, I was going to New York and was planning to meet Tanay, Tanu, Teju, Sriram and Kashmira there. So we were meeting after a long time. And of course, we were planning to do some sight seeing. But as is the usual case when I am in New York, the heavens opened up. So in this cold and damp weather when the best thing to do is to eat Kanda Bhaji and garam chai, we still decided to brave our souls and venture out. Over the next few hours, we ended up visiting Rockefeller Center, Apple Store near Central Park and Times Square.

The weather was bad, but the spirit and the fun of the occasion just more than made it up. It was really fun chatting at the coffee shop near Rockefeller Center as well as the McDonalds at Times Square. And so a wet and horrible day in New York was made wonderful by my cousins. I really had a great time. Thanks a lot...

The snow storm

I returned back from Badminton on Friday and got to know about the snow storm that was supposed to happen on Saturday. Immediately checked weather.com and found the snow storm heading towards South East Pennsylvania. There was prediction of 4-6 inches of snow on Saturday. Well, just stocked up the larder for Saturday and went of to sleep. Got up on Saturday morning to see a nice layer of white snow everywhere. And suddenly, it just started snowing cats and dogs (well, not really cats and dogs, but almost). Went to the front door and was just lost in the amazing spread of snow everywhere. Went out and walked in foot deep snow. It was really amazing to see the foot go deep down into the fresh snow. You actually feel you are walking on desert sand, such soft is the fresh snow. We put a coffee cup onto the snow and it just went six inches inside. Saw the emergency vehicles trying to keep the roads clear of snow for safe driving conditions. But when the snow falls at the rate of 3 inches an hour, its very difficult to make the roads snow free. Finally, the snow fall stopped on Sunday morning. By this time, it had snowed almost two feet. Snow everywhere was a sight to cherish. It literally felt as if the clouds were resting on the earth's surface, such was the mesmerizing effect of it.

Best Indian Sporting moments in the last two decades

I was seeing the special episode commemorating 21 years of NDTV. The show was called Best Indian sporting moments since 1988. Thinking about it got me started on compiling the best Indian sporting moments in the last two decades. So here is my list.
1. Abhinav Bindra winning India's first individual gold medal at Beijing Olympics in 2008.
2. Indian hockey team winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in 1998 after 32 years.
3. Vishwanathan Anand winning the World Championship in chess.
4. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi reaching the finals at all the grandslams in 1999 winning the French Open and Wimbledon.
5. Sachin single handedly winning the Coca-cola Cup at Sharjah in 1998 beating the Aussies with Operation Twin centuries.
6. India coming back from the dead to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2001.
7. Saina Nehwal reaching the top 10 in womens badminton.
8. Rajyavardhan Rathore winning the silver medal at Athens in 2004.
9. Anju Bobby George winning the first and so far only medal at World Athletics Championships in 2003.
10. India qualifying for 2011 Asian Cup in football.

Mumbai Local Trains...

The other day, I was on my way to Edison from Philadelphia. The plan was to take the 6:00 local to Trenton and take the connecting NJTransit from there to Edison. As the local was entering the 30th street station, I was reminded of waiting at Dadar station for the 6.35 Dadar Borivali local. As soon as the Trenton local started, I was back at Dadar station comparing and contrasting the two journeys. The similarity between the two ended as soon as the train entered the station. There was no commotion to enter the train. Disembarking passengers first got down. Then everyone took their own sweet time to board it. And though the platform appeared crowded, every one got a place to sit. Of course, there is no way comparing a crowd of 200 people (estimating on the higher side) to the 2000 people waiting to board the Dadar Borivali local.

Much as the journey on the SEPTA local was comfortable, it still lacked the charm of traveling in the peak hours on any of Mumbai's local trains. Mumbai locals are a world in themselves. If you catch the same train regularly, then you get a group of people who become your friends over time. When I was in Somaiya, I had three group of friends. Somaiya friends, train friends and other friends. Travel on the 9.01 Goregaon local and you will have a group of people who will sing bhajans and distribute prasad to the entire compartment. Once this train reaches Churchgate, everyone goes towards their own destination. But in the train, its like a one big family. I am really lucky that I got a chance to travel by Mumbai local trains every day for six years during my Jr College and Engineering days.

Just as Statue of Liberty defines New York and the Golden Gate Bridge defines San Fransisco, its the local trains of Mumbai that define the city. Many people claim that the Bandra Worli Sea Link is a monument representing Mumbai. Many others also say that its the Gateway of India, but if any thing defines Mumbai aptly, its the local trains which have become an integral part to the millions of people who use it. MUMBAI LOCAL TRAINS rock...

Sachin Tendulkar - Bas balla hi kaafi hai

The first time I remember watching him bat was in the 1992 World Cup in Australia. As a 6 year old, I was just getting addicted to cricket and I was lucky that the first cricketing hero I had was Sachin Tendulkar. And now, as he completes 20 years in international cricket, I really salute him. And his achievements are not just restricted to the cricket field. I cant recollect any other celebrity who has spent 20 years in public eye without one controversy. He knows only one way of replying back to his critics. Let the bat do the talking. This is why, I really feel good to call him my role model. 15th of November will always be an important date in both our lives. Its my birthday and its the same date 4 years later that Sachin first played against Pakistan.

Over the past 17 years, I have seen many knocks of Sachin. Here are some of my favorite test innings
1. 155* vs Australia at Chennai, 1998.
India were trailing Australia on the first innings. Sachin had perished to Warne quite cheaply in the first innings trying an expansive shot. So the pressure was on him. He responded by hitting 155 of just 191 balls. The reason why I rate this innings quite high was not only the high rate of scoring, but he made Warne look like a fool. The image of Warne bowling round the wicket and Sachin cross hitting him for six to midwicket boundary will always remain in my mind.

2. 155 vs South Africa, Bloemfontien 2001.
This was the first time we saw him playing the cut shot above the wicket keeper and the slip cordon. South African pacemen had blown the Indian top order apart and it was left to Sachin and Sehwag to give the Indian innings some respect. Sachin's counter attack left the Proteas with no choice but to accept their fate. India lost that match after horrible performance in the second innings.

3. 76 and 65 vs Australia, Mumbai 2001.
I still remember Tony Greig's comment while Sachin was batting in the first innings. First there is Sachin Tendulkar, then there is day light and then there are the rest. What I liked the best about this innings was his incredible straight hitting. He hit Fleming for four boundries straight down the wicket. Till he was at the wicket, it looked like it would be a close match. But he got out and the Indian team collapsed like a deck of cards.

4. 136 vs Pakistan, Chennai 1999.
A year after Operation Warne Thrashing, Sachin was back in Chennai. India needed 271 in the fourth innings to win the test. Sachin was suffering from back pain the entire test match. With a painful back, he still scored 136 runs of the highest quality. Its a big shame that the last 3 Indian wickets couldnt score 17 runs between them. Their failure has prevented this innings to be one of the greatest the game has ever seen.

5. 169 vs South Africa, Cape Town 1997.
India again were in big big trouble when Sachin and Azhar made batting look very very easy during their partnership. Sachin looked all set for a double century when he fell to a once in a life time catch by Adam Bacher. It took that brilliance to get him out. Allan Donald came fuming in and Sachin just hit nonchalantly for four through the covers. Simply an amazing innings. His best as captain of the Indian team.

I missed some of his early centuries as I was too young then. But from what I hear, the one at Old Trafford as well as Perth and Johannesburg should definitely feature in this list.

Happy Diwali

Wishing every one a Happy and Prosperous Diwali and a wonderful new year.

The great history quiz

After getting a good score in PCM in class XIIth, I decided to go for engineering. The admission process had its share of dramas and finally after multiple stay orders and judgments from all courts going up to the Supreme Court (yes, only the President was spared from giving his opinion on the admissions issue), the classes started. Due to late starting, the first semester was more like a first quarter and got over within three months. It was time to get the journals graded. Among the subjects we had was a subject called Computer Programming 1. Now, I hate programming and hence this course was going to be a tough one. Of course, with the help of good friends in the batch, I did manage to complete all the programs. So it was with great satisfaction of having completed all the programs that I made my way to Prof. Pandey for grading my journal. He looks at the first program and mentions to me that there are lot of errors in the flow chart. The flow chart that I had drawn was not tallying with my program. I need to correct it before I get it checked. Off I go for correcting it. I return back and he finds some more errors in the same flowchart. So again I get apprehended for my mistakes and am told to make the corrections once again. Making the necessary changes once again, I head to him for grading. This time, I am quite confident that I am right. Boom...he checks it and lets me know that the mistakes have infact increased this time. "Yeh tum kaise manage kar sakte ho. Har time kuch naye galtiyaan laate ho". By now, I am quite worried and the thought does come to my mind of having no grade in CP1. After making some more changes, I head to him for the fourth time for grading the same program. This time, I get lucky. There is one more student ahead of me sailing in the same boat. This student is from the same native place in Uttar Pradesh as Pandeyji. Pandeyji asks him some questions about the historical significance of Lucknow. Being next in line, I am asked for my opinion on it. Since I have a good knowledge of Indian history, I am able to answer it. What happens next is a quiz on Indian history. Mr. Pandey asks me questions from history and for every five correct answers that I give, I get a program checked without any questions on it. Soon, I have managed to not only get my entire journal graded without any mistakes pointed out, but I have also got A+ in CP1 (or should it be history 101?). After getting my journal graded, I ask Sandeep to have a look at my programs and flowcharts and let me know my mistakes. There are a whole bunch of them and no Professor would have given me even a B+ for that. But I guess I was lucky. Since then, I have got plenty of journals graded, but it was never as fun as the CP1 with Pandeyji...

First class in the United States

After completing my B.E., I decided to follow the M.S. option. I gave my GRE in my 7th Semester and finished the application stage towards the end of that semester. The 8th semester saw the admits and the rejects coming out. It was in this term that I decided to opt for Drexel University. This university was located in downtown Philadelphia and had a good Telecommunications program. I finished the visa interview in June and in the month of September, I found myself in Philadelphia. Our term started on the 24th of September 2007 and I was eagerly waiting for this day. I was having a class on the first day itself. It was going to be DSP lecture by Dr. Walsh. All excited about it, I made my way to the class. I used to think that I was quite well versed in DSP. After the first lecture, I knew I was completely wrong.
So the first lecture starts and I am finding it very difficult to comprehend what Dr. Walsh is talking about. May be I was not that used to the accent, but I just couldn’t understand a thing what he was speaking. Sagar was sitting next to me and once or twice, I thought of asking him whether Dr. Walsh was speaking in some new language that I was not aware of. It was a weird situation where I knew something about the discussion, but I just couldn’t understand what the prof was speaking. This was a lecture I will never forget.
Fortunately by the next class, I had some exposure to people speaking fast in American accent. I could manage to understand what Dr. Walsh was saying. I managed to do decently in his course and ended up with an A-. It was certainly a relief to get through his class, especially after the experience in the first class. My first class in the United States is something I will always remember.

Mr. Professor kumar, a typical professor in an engineering college

This is a poem which was composed by me and Alhad during a lecture in our third year of engineering. KBC 2 was about to be released that time and there was lot of excitement about it. All the channels regularly ran promos of it. There was another promotional spoof making the rounds at that time. It can be found at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQCKHtt3wl8
The tune of that song as well as the other promotional ads is the inspiration behind this work. Hope you like it. Please leave comments/brickbats...



Yeh hai Mr. Professor kumar,
Bachpan se inko tha padhai se pyar,

Badi mehnat se mili inko engineering me admission,
Char saal ke badle lage aath saal for graduation,

Twelth me mara tha inhone bade style se ninety,
Engineering me inhe lage bahut saare KT,

Bahut niraash the, baar baar yaad aati thi nani,
par professor kumar ne kabhi haar nahi maani,

One day, while recollecting his technical knowledge,
Unke dost ne unhe pucha,
Kabhi professor ban ne ka socha,

Professor kumar bade soch me pade,
engineering college me ek professor bane,

Fir professor banke inhone dhoom machayi,
Har lecture me pucha, woh nahi aayi??,

engineering ke funde ko ulta ghumaya,
answer nahi aaya to student ko khopche me bulaya,

aaj bhi yeh, aaj bhi yeh karte hai dil se sikhane ka prayas,
bachchon ka hota hai future bada satyanash,

jinhone sikhe inse engineering ke funde,
exam me mile bahut saare ande,

par jinhone prefer kiya classes lagana,
exam me mila bhaiyya, umeed se dugna...

Two years on...

September 1st will always remain a special day for me. Its not only my grandfather's birthday, but also on this day in 2007, I had started and reached US for my MS. Its an interesting coincidence that I spent 1st September this year in India. As I look behind at these two happening years, I do realize that they have overall been two lovely and fun filled years.

I have learnt a lot in the last two years. This learning is not just restricted to the academic field, but also has served as a learning program for living and enjoying life. There have been lots of good incidences which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have also learnt a lot from the not so good incidences. I have made some terrific friends over the last two years. And most importantly, I have learnt to live independently.

As I look behind at these two years, they give me confidence that I will easily be able to pull off the next three to four years as a PhD student...

That unforgettable ride in the rickshaw

I just remembered this incident yesterday and decided to write about it. This happened on one Sunday morning when I was in class XIIth and was on my way to Agrawal Classes.

When our college started, we used to have Agrawal Classes on Sundays. Usually our classes would be from 7 in the morning to 1.30 in the afternoon. But this sunday, they were from 10.25 to 1.30. So I started from home. Usually I get a rickshaw immediately from the station, but on this day, there seemed to no availability of an empty rickshaw. Rickshaws passed by continuously, but none of them were empty. And while I was waiting for a rickshaw, I happen to notice a pretty looking girl standing close by also waiting for a rickshaw. Finally, after what seemed like an eternal wait, but was only about 10 mins, a rickshaw pulls up. And of course, that rickshaw stops right in front of her and picks her up. (Of course, gender discrimination is present in India. But its not only discrimination against the fairer sex. The discrimination takes place against both the sexes.) By now, I am really sure I am going to be late for my classes. And also hoping that the next empty rickshaw would not take 10 minutes to come. But as the rickshaw passes in front of me, it stops. And the girl asks me whether I want a ride to the station.

The ride to the station always felt long and time consuming. This was partly due to my habit of leaving at the last possible time so as to just catch one of my pre-decided locals. But today, this journey seemed very short. The road to the station passes parallel to the railway tracks. Since I am a big rail fan, I get happy when I see a train passing by while I go to the station. But today, I hardly paid attention when a train passed by. After what seemed to be really short ride, we reached Goregaon station. The girl swiftly paid for the fare and went her own way. And I too decided to go my own way.

It's funny that eventhough that girl obviously stayed in Pandurang Wadi, I saw her only once later (and it happened the very next week). Over time, I forgot about the incident till I remembered about it yesterday and decided to write about it here. Thanks for the reading...

Chemistry Pracs in XIIth, an exam to remember

Today, I am writing about the experience I had in my Chemistry practicals in Class XIIth.

The day started brightly as I went about doing the Volumetric analysis. After performing it quite nicely, went onto the second part. This one involved 8 marks for Acidic radicals and 2 marks for nature of chemical compound. As I went to the acidic radical part, adding some compound (I forget its name) gave me lot of effervescence showing presence of carbonate. With one radical already found, I didnt take much time to get the other one. With the acidic radicals done, I went on to the nature of organic compound question. The white chemical smelled a lot like naphthalene and I was quite sure it was just that. This meant that it was neutral in nature. But being the sincere student that I am, I went religiously over the different tests that we needed to perform. With the mind quite sure about the answer, it didnt take me much convincing to write the answer as neutral. With all the experiment done and the results tabulated in the answer sheet, I proceed to leave the hall.

I dont know what made me do this, but as I reached the entrance, I turn back and head to the internal examiner, Mrs. Paranjpe. I inform her that I completed my exam and could I leave. She feels that I should verify answers before I leave. (Dont ask me why she did it, even I am wondering the same all these years. I was the only one with whom she confirmed the answers and she didnt even know me. I surely am thankful to her for doing so.) In a confident manner, I give her my results from the volumetric analysis and acidic radicals. As I come to the nature of compound question, I get informed that my answers to the previous questions are correct. As I tell her that the compound was neutral in nature, I see a horror filled look on her face. I get shocked to know that my answer is wrong. I am informed that I should go back and do it again. But the problem is I have already submitted my answer sheet.

As I worry about my 2 marks (and 2 marks mean a lot in PCM), Mrs Paranjpe talks with the external examiner about my mistake and requests her to give me another chance for that experiement. Fortunately the external examiner is a very kind lady. She agrees to giving me a second chance on one condition. That I show her the results after every test. As I await the compound to be given to me by the peon, I am quite worried. As I add a basic solution to it, I get a small effervescence. I show the external examiner and her first question is "Pehle kahaan tha effervescence?" (Where was the effervescence when you did it earlier?). I give a smile and tell her that I have no idea how I missed it.

The fun is not yet over. Now that I have done the experiment again, I need to write the results in my answer sheet. And the external examiner cant find my answer sheet. After searching for five minutes, I finally get it. Making the necessary changes, I finally submit the corrected answer sheet again.

As I look back, I really want to thank both the examiners for their kindness. Those 2 marks meant a lot to me and decided the path that I took. When I had decided to shift to Sathaye, I was told by many people that since there are hundreds of students in Mumbai Colleges, the examiners are not that linient and helpful towards students. Hence I should have continued plus two in Boisar. But having this experience has made me understand one thing. However number of students may there be, when a student needs help, teachers are always there to provide it.

7 terms 7 memories...

Fall 07 - My first quarter at Drexel. I still remember that day. John Walsh's lecture. I had difficulty understanding what he was saying. Eventually by end of 3 hr lecture, I was getting a hang of things. In the second lecture, I remember telling him, the zed-transform of ... A few mins later, had him saying zed transform instead of zee transform. Of course, he immediately corrected both me as well as himself and suggested we stick to the American zee rather than British or Canadian zed. The big break came on my birthday, when seeing my performance in the midterm, Dr. Petropulu took me in as a TA/RA beginning Winter. This term had my first short visit to NYC as well as a weekend spend in camping and hiking with Shyam. Cricket was a hectic activity during this term. I cant forget that evening during the Fall tournament. Afterall, how many can claim to drop three catches in a single 7 over game? The entire winter break, we played regularly and I continued my legacy. The big break came during our last match in the winter, where I finally held on to one. Overall, was a fun filled quarter. Jay had also visited during the winter break.

Winter 08 - Fun time over, serious time starts. It takes me the entire 3 months time just to understand something about the paper Dr. Petropulu had given to me some time in Fall Quarter. After trying out different things, finally work out something and look at it. And then realize what I am trying is surely going to finish off wireless communications. I am trying to send an infinite bandwidth signal over a finite bandwidth channel. Now I realize why they call research as 90% rubbish in the hope the remaining 10% works. I was looking forward to snow in the winter, but am disappointed. It snows only once, and the snow melts immediately next day. The break is used for regular CS sessions in Bossone. The CS craze sweeps through Drexel.

Spring 08 - The quarter begins with a bang. I have to commit for a PhD or leave the lab. Since I am not ready for such a major commitment, take the decision of leaving. This quarter I thought was the most relaxing. Only TA work and 3 courses. The 3rd one is of Kevin Murphy. One of the coolest profs I ever saw. Whatever your performance, grade is guaranteed to be A. TA work was also fun. Electronic Devices under Dr. Basu. The quarter ends with me getting an interview call from Motorola for a summer co-op. After a nervous interview, I still manage to get a co-op. Overall, this remains my favorite quarter at Drexel. Not too much work, good enjoyment and decent pay.

Summer 08 - The start of Motorola. Work for 5 days and then enjoy over the weekend. This term had my visits to Ocean City, Niagara Falls and Cleveland. This was the term that got me involved with the corporate life of the United States.

Fall 08 - Motorola co-op continued. And the term concluded with a visit to India in December. I celebrated my birthday with first visit to Pittsburgh. And really liked that place. Remaining term was the same. Work on the weekdays and relax on the weekends. Due to winter arriving early and low temperatures from second half of October, not much roaming around on the weekends. But the time was spent as a countdown to December trip to India.

Winter 09 - The terms first week was spent in India. Returned back to chilly Philly on Sunday of week 1. Two heavy courses meant that I was mostly busy with course work throughout the quarter. Nikhilesh came in early March and his visit coincided with the worst weather I have experienced in Philly in two years. It was so cold that we had to cancel our NY trip. Poor Nikhilesh felt really bad about it.

Spring 09 - The term I complete my MS. Commencement is on June 13th. I have decided to pursue a PhD. Before I get totally involved there, I thought I should compile a small para for each of the 7 quarters I have spent at Drexel. Not much happened in this quarter other than that big decision to go for a PhD. And of course, the convocation.

Thanks a lot....

Yesterday, I completed my MS. As I look back at these fantastic two years, I would like to express my thanks to people who helped me a lot during this time with their constant support and help.

Madhavi Tai, Ratnakar Dada, Manasi, Sanika, Kaka and Kaki : They were my guardians for this span. Without their help, I would not have settled down here so fast. Whatever be the situation, they were always there to help. Thanks a lot. A huge part of the credit for me completing my MS goes to you and I will always remember your kindness and help.

Shyam Dada, Deepali Vahini and Sarang : They were my other guardians. Thanks a lot to you for your help during this time. I did learn a lot about America from my interactions with you. Your home was again a home away from home for me.

Mrinalini and Ardhendu : Thanks a lot for being such good friends. Thanks a lot for always being there when I needed help or advice. Thanks a lot for convincing me to make that big decision of pursuing a PhD.

Siddharth : Another wonderful and helpful person. Always there to help you see the fun side of life.

Charitha and Uday : Two fantastic roomies from my first year. Had a real good time with you guys.

Amitrao : Another friend who was always there for help and advice. (Another thing that I usually never ended up following them).

Pramod, Khushali, Atman, Tushar, Uday and Arezou : I had a real wonderful time on the IEEE Board along with you guys. I learnt a lot from you guys.

Vamsi and Sagar : Two people with whom I took most of my courses. Thanks a lot for your help.

George, Kim, Mai, Halal food carts : My saviors in the afternoon. Lunch was mostly taken from them.

All my friends and relatives, thanks a lot for your help and support

100 things I miss from life in KJ Somaiya

Last month, I read a blog by Karan Desai enlisting 100 things he will miss about life in VJTI. I guess college life is the most carefree time in the life of an individual and reading about it made me recollect my days in K.J. Somaiya Engineering College. And I thought I should compile my list of things that I really miss from the days of K.J.S. So here it goes

100. Playing cricket at Neelkanth Valley ground courtsey Ankit.
99. Mass Xeroxing of whatever notes one could get hold off.
98. Taku-Taku aka Squash on 2nd floor terrace.
97. Cutting hours doing nothing at the slope.
96. Long Mafia games with no winners.
95. Vinod sir's lectures. One always had their doubts cleared when Vinod started explaining things.
94. Vinod's forgetting habits. Its a legend of KJS Extc batch of 2007.
93. The eventful history quiz during grading of CP-1 journal.
92. Creating carbon copies of journals and assignments.
91. Sitting at the entrance before the exams doing last minute revisions for the upteenth time.
90. Keeping a quarter of the syllabus as option.
89. Rush to see the scores on the day of the results.
88. Travel on the 9:01 Goregaon local.
87. Visting Jeevdaani Temple after every semester exam.
86. Returning to Goregaon by 5.40 MEMU every Sunday.
85. Fighting for the right to occupy the last bench before every term test.
84. Putting proxies for students to ensure there are 50 signatures when the strength is 20.
83. Seeing the first bench empty in honor of Ninad.
82. Completing the 100s of pages of workshop journal in record time.
81. Bunking lectures with alarming regularity.
80. Attending Talale/Byju/Vakils classes.
79. Practicals - where practically nothing would be done.
78. Lunch in the mess.
77. Seeing CR students await their turn for concession while WR students getting it immediately since lesser no of students from WR.
76. Three Nairs, three Pillais...the core of the Malyali group.
75. Industrial visits cum college trip. The wordings are right. IV kam aur ghoomna jyada.
74. Symphony, the cultural fest of Somaiya.
73. Shouting at top of ur voice for support of ur group in house cup.
72. Long walk from Vidyavihar Station to College, one which would leave u totally exhausted on a hot and sunny day.
71. Visits to khau galli in Ghatkopar.
70. Falling asleep in lectures without fear of being caught.
69. Idli Chilli and Chinese Bhel in Canteen.
68. Losing temper while awaiting Transcripts. how much time do they take to verify and edit a 3 - page word document?
67. Rummaging through lots and lots of documentation for selecting Final Year Project.
66. Spending days doing nothing hoping for the Project to complete itself.
65. The look on everyone's face on seeing the front page of Microelectronics and OFC paper.
64. Seeing Shridhar's name as the topper of every exam.
63. Submitting journal reports in brown file, which soon will be punched through.
62. Garam singdana at college gate.
61. Buying one notebook on first day of semester. This is supposed to last and does last an entire semester. Sometimes even a year.
60. Long discussions about the previous day's cricket match.
59. Security people warning about displaying IDs. We would remove them as soon as they left.
58. Prem kahanis of the class.
57. Winning quizzes with Sandeep. The only time I participated without him, I lost pretty badly.
56. Pulling NTD's leg about his habit of running behind trains and not girls.
55. Vinod's doubts. Something which is never in shortage.
54. Nagori sir's lectures, when nobody would be listening.
53. RAD's lectures in Sem 7. Right after lunch, everyone would be in sleeping mode.
52. Rajeev bhai's stand up one man comedy show. This man is simply the best.
51. Challenging KP Arun on the cricket field.
50. 5 day gap between two exams.
49. Reducing question bank from 20 to 5 for the term test.
48. Thakur sir's lecture. The only time, the class would be full before it started.
47. 75% attendance rules. Made every proxy count.
46. Visiting reference section virtually. The lack of this made life really wonderful.
45. Mustafa's singing skills. Would get a profit in any local train in Mumbai.
44. Running for signatures on submission day.
43. Analyzing last 4 papers to determine which quarter of the syllabus could be left as option.
42. One month break between semesters. This always felt short.
41. Keeping exact count on the number of multimeters and mouse in the lab. So that if any gets lost, the blame is not on us.
40. Wondering why all engineering college students are inside their college while Arts, Science and Commerce students always outside theirs.
39. Standing outside the window of hostel, just to get the latest score of the match going on.
38. Visiting Lamington road to get what not components for the projects.
37. Dressing up in formal shirts and ties for tie and saree day.
36. Monday morning term test. This was called monday morning term test cause you started studying for it on monday morning.
35. Catching 322 to Santa Cruz station and remembering those fateful 24 hours on one rainy day in July 2005.
34. Completing journals sitting in the departmental library.
33. Never reading the assigned text books (forget about the reference books). Always depending on the local author books.
32. Project lab with just one pc having internet connection.
31. Protests in final year against hike in fees.
30. 5 rupaiya ka hisaab on dabeli with Sandeep.
29. Composing short poems mocking on Prof Satish's style of teaching.
28. Pulling Ameya's leg for that fatal mistake in PCT class.
27. Comparing the return cost for various book depots.
26. Venturing into the badminton court and realizing that it is now a workshop facility.
25. VP and SP from the canteen.
24. Taking xerox of 5 different notes 24 hours before the final exam.
23. Discussion of the previous exam, which ended 2 days back.
22. Preparing for seminars, where u know no one, other than the prof, is going to listen to u.
21. Visiting Goregaon station bookstall weekly for Sportstar on return from college.
20. Looking forward to reading Kshitij every year.
19. Keeping a tab on the attendance record. Ensuring that it doesnt fall below that dreaded figure.
18. Rushing to polytechnic building for emergency xerox.
17. Sighting airplanes as they descend into the airport. Imagine doing this with a lecture going on.
16. Deciding always to have a paper presentation at the next TPP (which would never come the paper, not the TPP).
15. Vinod's mai jara RS sir se mil kar aata hun. tu yahin rukna habit. And then disappearing for an hour.
14. Sleeping in train and then realizing that your station has passed long back.
13. Shouting 'Present' during the roll call.
12. Creating xerox of assignments with such high precision that no xerox machine could have done.
11. Attending IETE events.
10. Final fun filled event of Symphony with a rock band coming to college.
9. Rappelling down from fourth floor during Symphony.
8. Group Discussion during second year. I will never forget that.
7. Cricket matches after college.
6. Arun dropping every catch on the field.
5. Bhivandi trip which lead to the shootout movie.
4. Card games during the industrial visits.
3. Being generally late for lectures.
2. Forgetting about the previous semester's course work as soon as it ends.
1. Being half hr late for a hour long tutorial.

IPL vs IPL

In the coming few days, the public in India will be enjoying the two tamasha filled IPLs which will be played out almost simultaneously.

Indian Premier League - The brainchild of Mr. Lalit Modi, the IPL after a very successful first season last year moves to South Africa this year. This move was essential after it was thought that with the elections on at the same time, it will be better to have the tamasha abroad.
Teams
Rajasthan Royals - * player - Shane Warne

Chennai Super Kings - * player - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Kings XI Punjab -* player - Yuvraj Singh

Delhi Daredevils - * players - Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Mumbai Indians - * player - Sachin of course, but Zaheer will relish returning to the venue where it all started for him in his 2006 comeback.

Kolkata Knight Riders - * player - Saurav Dada.

Banglore Royal Challengers - * player - Kevin Peiterson.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers - * player - Adam Gilchrist.

IPL will be played from 18th April to 24th May. The winners will have automatic qualification for the Champions League in 2009.

Indian Political League - IPL is the basic strucure of the democratic foundation of India. Held every 5 years, its the most tamasha filled time ever. The ruling coalition cries hoarse about the so called development in the preceding 5 years. The opposition claims that they would have been a better fit for heading the government and want to be given a chance.

Teams
Indian National Congress + Allies - *players - Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi

Bharatiya Janta Party + Allies - *players - L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi

Third Front - *players - Mayawati, Jayalalithaa, Prakash Karat

Fourth Front - *players - Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan.

In addition there are many many more leaders in contention.

The IPL will be held from April 16 to May 13 with the final results being declared on May 16th. The winning party will be responsible for leading the country for the next 5 years

Back to the old ages

In the manifesto released by a political party aspiring for nation wide status and whose leader has not shied away from his ambitions to be a future Prime Minister of the country, its mentioned that the party will ban the use of English and Computers if it comes to power in the general election. So what else can we expect if this party comes to power?

1. Stopping the production of electricity. Electricity leads to electric devices, which ensure majority of the work is done by them. This leads to shortage of jobs.

2. Ending all industries in the country. Didnt our country and people survive before industrialization?

3. Having 10 guards for each politician. This way, for each politician, there will be 10 people employed in his security. So more employment opportunities.

4. No airplanes to fly. As there are no computers, its implicit that all airports and airlines will be closed. Only way to enter India for foreign nationals and NRIs will be by ship or road. People should travel within the country by bus or train.

5. Each state will be free to implement its own language. Only that language will be spoken in that particular state. People speaking any other language will be prosecuted.

6. However there will be a few English medium schools available. But they will be open to admission only for children of politicians.

7. All industry owners must give up their position in their company. All the people in the industry, beginning with the owner down to the last person on the payroll will receive equal salary.

This way, we will take India back to the pre-British era, one where the country was truly shining.

Wierd and Interesting Weather...29th March 2009

First moment - Bright and sunny...looks a perfect day

Thirty seconds later - dark clouds form on the horizon

Two minutes later - crazy winds...blows up all the dust

One minute later -hail storm

Thirty seconds later - hail storm over...raining very heavily

Two minutes later - drizzling now

Two minutes later - Rain stops

One minute later - Bright and sunny

Such is the famous fickle weather in Philadelphia...

50 hrs of non stop fun

Its a long time coming, but better late than never. This is a recollection of 50 hours of total fun filled enjoyment which had us driving, hiking, camping, visiting foreign country by road without necessary documents and witnessing the grand spectacle that is called the Niagara Falls. Ever since Pragathi organized the hiking trip to Ridley Creek State Park, we have been planning another hiking trip. After lot of discussions and persuasions, we finally had all things sorted out. There were total of 6 of us. Vinayak, Shankar, Prasanna, Vamsi, Jimit and yours trully decided to go hiking to the Pine Creek State Park, camping in Presque Isle State Park and then pay a visit to Niagara.

So it was 3 in the morning of 23rd August that we started out for Pine Creek State Park. The 5 hour ride through rural Pennsylvania was simply amazing. Seeing the sunrise over the countryside is a wonderful experience. We reached the start of the hiking trail at 7.30. Taking a short break, we started on the famous Turkey path, path which winds down the slopes of the first mountain, crosses the Pine Creek and then climbs up the second mountain. It was a wonderful hike, one which had us straining for every ounce of energy that the body could get. We stopped at a waterfall to have a delicious break fast. After finishing break fast, we made steady progress towards the creek. Crossing the creek was a wonderful experience as it has to be crossed by foot through the river bed. There is no bridge for crossing over. A strenuous climb on the other side ensued as we made for the top of the opposite mountain. The view from the top was stunning and gave us a good indication to the challenge that lay ahead of us. That is getting back to our starting position. The down climb was pretty simple followed by the crossing of the creek. Another energy sapping up climb and we had finished our hike. It was tiring, it was strenuous, but it was satisfying. We were a picture of mental satisfaction as we headed towards our car. The five hour hike had us enjoying some of the most wonderful scenery. Nature has created several master pieces which can be enjoyed by man and Pine Creek is one of them. Pine creek is also called the grand canyon of Pennsylvania as the pine creek literally creates a canyon between the two mountains.

So with the wonderful hike done, we were off to our next destination. Presque Isle State Park is a wonderful peninsula inside Lake Erie near the town of Erie in Pennsylvania. On the way, we stop at a lovely park to eat lunch and have some rest. Its a nice drive and we eventually reach Erie by 5 pm. Its already late for hiring a bicycle and so we head on foot to the best beach among the 18 odd beaches scattered all along the peninsula. There's a lovely plethora of colors as the sun sets over Lake Erie. Enjoy waddling around in the pristine and clear waters of Lake Erie. Its a totally relaxing and peaceful atmosphere. I have visited Lake Erie earlier in Cleveland. But no other place can be as soothing to the soul as that beach. After sunset, we need to find a camping site. Finally we zoom down on koa campgrounds which is located a little distance outside Erie. While we have stopped for confirming the availability, a forest ranger comes to ask us if we need any help. When we inform that we are looking for a campsite, she directs us to the state park office. However since we had already got our answer from koa, we dont stop at the office. She trails about 5 miles behind us before telling us that we have left the office behind. Prompt helpful action from state authorities is something we need to implement in India.

Once we get to the campground, the next job is setting up the tent. Having seen Shyam set it up earlier, I am all excited in setting this one up. However its harder than I expected and I need the assistance from others before we can set up everything. Once the tent is set up, its time to prepare dinner. Grilled vegetables alongwith packed ready to eat make a wonderful combination. After a sumptous meal, its time to relax. After chatting for some time, its time to sleep. The next day, we get up to a wonderful breeze blowing. After a filling breakfast, we are ready to start for our next destination. The world famous Niagara Falls with its misty atmosphere is all set to welcome us. So off we go on I-90 towards Buffalo and Niagara. As we near Buffalo, Lake Erie seems to give us company on a regular basis. And then begins the small unplanned advanture.

As we follow the route mentioned by the GPS, we see a sign board. It says "Canada via Peace Bridge. Please keep your travel documents ready for inspection". As its a divided highway, there is no way we can go back. On inquiring with the US Immigration officials, they inform us that the best way would be to go to Canada, turn back and re-enter the United States. So off we go towards Canada. Due to the very good relations between the United States and Canada, the border officials serve as departure verification as well as arrival verification. So there is no check on the United States side when you enter Canada. Similarly, there is no check on the Canadian side when you enter United States. The immigration official on the Canadian side is pretty helpful. She insists that since we are already into Canada, we visit the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. On informing her that we dont have our passports, she guides us back to the United States. So here ends our short visit to Canada. But when we reach the United States, we find that we cant enter the country without proper documents. On explaining our situation, we are lead into a waiting room. An officer hears our tale and asks for a valid photo id. He checks the name in the entry list and clears five of us. But Prasanna has a real long name and it doesnt fit into the computer. After many many different trials, his name is yet to come. Finally, the officer gives up and allows him entry into US. When all this is done, we check the GPS and find that instead of entering Niagara Parkway, Niagara, US, we have entered Niagara Parkway, Niagara Canada. After entering the proper address, we are on our way to the Falls.

The afternoon sun is shining on the Falls as we head for Maid of the Mist. The Maid of the Mist ride takes us into the bottom of the falls and its a wonderful experience. During the ride, we enter Canadian space for the second time in the day. But this time, there are no issues and we come back without any adventure. On our way back, we spot the Rainbow bridge. The Rainbow bridge is another bridge joining Canada to United States on the River Niagara. Once the Maid of the Mist is done, Jimit, Prasanna and Shankar head to the aquarium while Vamsi, Vinayak and me head to the river bed. We thoroughly enjoy the calm and serene waters of the Niagara river just before the Falls. After the other three return, we head to the Cave of the Winds. Its a walk at the bottom of the Falls and is really a superb experience. After enjoying the walk through the falls, we head for some food. By this time, its night and the lights have come on. If Falls during the day time is an exhillatering experience, the excitement manifolds during the night with a plethora of colors on the Falls. After clicking photos to our hearts content, we head back to our car and start our return journey. With routine breaks for Vinayak to rest, we finally reach Philly at 6 in the morning on Monday completing 50 hours of non stop excitement and fun. It was really a wonderful trip...

Spring time

The last snow had melted away, the frosty winter was over...
As the temperatures increased, the first leaf came over...
Signaling the arrival of the best season of the year, the spring...
and with it, a whole new colorful beginning...

As arise the new leaves and flowers...
Keep reminding me of their divine powers...
the lasting effect they have on the soul...
stirs the mind and body whole...

The fun filled time is about to start...
The season surely will play its part...
This is the time to shout and cheer...
Finally after the cold Winter, Spring is here...

My first love...............

I was as usual standing at Boisar railway station waiting for her to come. Seeing her was always a special moment for me. In fact I knew that whenever I saw her, my day would go in a great manner. And soon, I could make a silhouette in the horizon. She was speeding towards me at real great speed. And soon she had arrived, her arrival marked with a storm that leaves everyone mesmerized with nature's beauty. Her departure was equally sudden, but the moments that she was there, it seemed like everything had just fallen silent, time had stopped while she sped past me at a speed of 120 kmph. And she was gone. As I saw her disappearing into the horizon, there was a sense of satisfaction. I have full belief that my day will go good as I return back home after getting darshan of the queen of Western Railway, the Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

My love with the Mumbai Rajdhani started in 1989 with my first trip from Mumbai to New Delhi. Headed by the twin diesel engines (ofcourse, I was too young then to know anything about the classification of engines), it was really a train to watch zoom past you at full speed. Since then for numerous times, I have found myself at Boisar railway station just waiting to get a glimpse of the passing Rajdhani express. Infact one of the highlights of my journeys by Valsad passenger was seeing the Rajdhani zoom past at Palghar. When the Rajdhani would be delayed, most people would be happy as that meant we wouldnt have to wait 20 mins for it. But for me, it was sheer disappointment, an indication that the day wouldnt pass by as expected.

My second trip in the Rajdhani was in 1999, when the twin diesels had changed into a single electric engine. The traction might have changed, but the aura and romance remained the same. When the Rajdhani got the first LHB coaches in India, it made me proud that my favorite train had triumphed over several other high priority trains of India like the Howrah Rajdhani and Bhopal Shatabdi in becoming the first train in India to use LHB coaches. As expected, I was there to see my beauty dressed in a new fashion.

Now, as I see the Amtrak trains zoom past me at high speed, I get reminded of my favorite train. The Amtrak trains might have a higher speed than Mumbai Rajdhani, but they surely lack the aura and the romance of the Rajdhani. The Mumbai Rajdhani will complete 40 years of service on 17th May, 2012. Will surely like to travel by it on that day. On 17th May, 2012 as well as the grand silver jublee celebrations on 17th May 2022. 2951/2952/Mumbai Rajdhani/The Rajdhani, whatever people might call you, the truth is that you rock!!!

Back home finally..........

Today was THE day that I had been looking forward to since that evening in July when I booked my ticket. Well, a month long vacation awaits me in India. I will be back at home after more than fifteen months. In all the excitement, I complete the remaining packing and have lunch. By the time I am all done, its 1.15 in the afternoon. The shared Limo is coming at 1.30. So am happy that I made it well in time. As soon as I sit down for a bit of relaxation, I get a call from the Limo driver that he is coming in two minutes. I go down with two bags and he has already arrived. So it’s a hurried departure from the house. But I don’t care. My excitement has reached quite high levels. Well if this is the excitement level at the beginning of the journey, I can’t imagine how much it will be once I reach Mumbai. Call up home and Madhavi Tai to inform them about my departure. Once all that is done, just doze off. Get up at 3.30 to see us still at the outskirts of Philly. Well, since my house was the farthest from the airport of the eleven people, I was picked up first. And so, for the last two hours, we have just been picking up people. And its quite a bunch of people that are there to be dropped at JFK and Newark Airport. Other than me, there is a Malaysian student off to Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese student heading back home, a European student heading back home, a Polish lady and a Pakistani couple. At one place, I see quite a crowd giving a send off to that person. I assume it’s an Indian. And I am not wrong, because that person turns out to be Mr. Patel heading by Air India to Mumbai. The remaining three people are picked up from their hotel in North East Philly and we are on the way to the airport. Since most of the journey is on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes, we move at a pretty fast pace and at 5 pm, I am at Liberty International Airport, Newark. As I enter, the Continental ground staff informs me that there is a separate check in counter for Mumbai. Don’t know whether that’s because of extra baggage screening for security purposes or just because of huge crowd. Previously, when Mami had left, the flights for China and India had a common check in facility. Anyway, I check in my luggage and clear the security formalities immediately and have lot of time to kill at the airport. Our flight had already arrived from Paris in the afternoon and with clear skies, we were going to take off on time. I head to Dunkin Donuts and relish a onion bagel with coffee. As I finish, I also speak with Sharad, Nikhilesh and Teju. I also inform Madhavi Tai about my position. As I finish, the continental staff call us for verifying Passport and tearing off the I-94. We start our boarding at 7.30. First the business class travelers board followed by handicapped travelers. This is followed by families traveling with infants and small children. Once this is done, the general boarding begins with reverse order of seating rows. As I am in row 26, it takes some time for my number to be called and at 8 pm, I am sitting at my seat. I speak with Shyam and Sarang. Sarang wanted to know all the details like which airlines, where are you right now, how long is the flight, I can see your flight, please wave your hand etc. I also call up home and inform Aai that I have boarded the airplane. We take off at 8.30 and I can feel a sense of excitement that I have not experienced in quite some time. The excitement of going home. Just another fourteen and half hours and I shall be in the city of dreams, Mumbai. The Captain informs us of the path we will be taking. We will be flying northwards to Canada, then touching Greenland and Iceland before crossing the Atlantic and heading into Scandinavia. Then into Russia passing over Moscow. Across the Caspian Sea into Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan before entering Indian Air Space in Rajasthan. Then via Gujarat, we enter Maharashtra. We fly over Dahanu and Boisar before heading towards Panvel. A sharp turn at Panvel puts us onto the descent into Mumbai. Soon as the flight takes off, we are provided Dinner. Its better than the one served in British Airways. With a full stomach, I settle down into watching movies.
I had flown from India to US on 1^st September, 2007. That day had lasted for 33 and half hours (24 + 9.5 lag). It was by far, the longest day experienced by me. And now on the reverse journey, 14^th December would be the shortest day for me lasting about 13 and half hours. I know I might experience jetlag on landing. So I take the decision of not sleeping for more than 4 hours on the flight. After every movie, I monitor the flight map on the monitor and check our progress. In 6 hours of flying, we have reached Scandinavia. Soon we are flying over Caspian Sea into Turkmenistan followed by Afghanistan and Pakistan. At 8 pm IST on Dec 14 (9.30 am EST), we enter India. It’s a fantastic feeling and makes one feel proud to be an Indian. At 10 pm, we land at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. Once we depart from the plane, we head into Immigration. The Immigration officer asks me what am I doing in the MS. After Immigration, I head towards the baggage claim. I am finally in India and very very excited. However even after almost an hour, my baggage is yet to come. While the thought of Continental forgetting my luggage in Newark does come to my mind, almost all the passengers have some or the other luggage still to come. Finally after waiting for more than an hour, I get my luggage and proceed to Customs. I pass through the green channel and finally almost two hours after I landed, I am ready to come out of the airport. What I see when I come out is a mass of humanity. With security and renovation going on, everyone has to wait outside and there is total chaos. However I spot Baba in the front row and wave out to him. But either he didn’t recognize me or wasn’t paying attention in my direction. As I move out, I bump into Bejoy. And soon, I get to meet both Aai and Baba as well as Sujata Aunty. I feel very very happy on meeting everyone. As I and Aai wait for Baba to get the car, a taxi honks loudly at another taxi. And a taxi bumps into a car. Now I feel I am really back in India. One surely misses the horn while driving in the United States. A 15 minute ride in the Honda City brought us to Goregaon. But I get a surprise. Fluffy growls at me and refuses to recognize me which of course disappoints me. But then, he was seeing me after a gap of fifteen months and they don’t have that sharp memory in their childhood. Leaving Fluffy aside, after brushing my teeth, I join Mama for a sumptuous dinner. Chicken curry and Kala Vatana Amti make a great combination along with Varan and Bhat.

An epic journey...

I had no indication that my journey would be so long and I would be writing about it when I started the journey. The plan was pretty simple. Catch a Greyhound from Cleveland to Columbus and then a flight from Columbus to Philadelphia. With such a simple plan, I started my journey. Kashmira and Sriram dropped me to the Greyhound terminal in the morning. It was 8 in the morning and my bus was scheduled at 11.45. With plenty of time to spare, I decided to explore the downtown area of Cleveland. The biggest attraction of Cleveland is Lake Erie (it was definitely for me). And so I made my way to it. It was great fun. It looks like a sea and if you didn’t know it, your question will be which sea is this? After spending some time at the lake front, saw the Great Lakes Science Center. Unfortunately it was still only around 9 in the morning and so, the museum had not yet opened (either that or I missed the entry). Returned to the main downtown area and went to the Public Library. After spending a few minutes there, went to Public Square. By the time I had finished my mini exploration in downtown Cleveland, it was already 10.15. I made my way to the greyhound station. On reaching there, found out that the boarding would begin only at 11.30 and I had at least another 45 minutes to spare. Boarding began at 11.40 and we were soon on our way to Columbus. While the greyhound is comfortable for a short journey, its certainly crampy for long journeys. There isn’t much leg space available. The journey to Columbus was along I-71 which is a picturesque road. Without much traffic, we reached Columbus on time. I finished my lunch here. Anda Burji and rotis packed specially by Bala Mami were fantastic. After lunch, proceeded to the airport. A 20 minute cab ride got me to Port Columbus International airport. The word International here is a bit misleading since the only international flights are the ones coming from Montreal on Air Canada. I had reached the airport at 3.30 and the flight was at 6.45. With some time to spare, got a seat and started reading the novel I was carrying. Around 4.30, went to enquire about the flight departure and to my absolute shock, found that the departure was at 10.20. Well, the flight was supposed to come from Orlando and hence the delay could be expected. But what surprised me was that the flight from Orlando was arriving on time. This could mean that there was some problem in Philadelphia. But the United Airlines and American Airlines flights departing at 6 and 6.15 were on time. Thus there was total confusion. I went and enquired at the check in counter and they informed me, that due to stormy weather in Philadelphia, we have the take off time at 10.30. However if the weather improves, then we could take off earlier. So don’t stray too far from the security gates. Well next was a long wait. After clearing security, I was left in an interesting and weird position. Here was the plane in front of me. The weather was just perfect. No clouds in the sky. And yet, we couldn’t take off because the weather was not good in Philadelphia. Updates were given every half hour and it was the usual. Weather is yet to improve. I asked the flight captain whether there was a latest time slot that we would take. His reply was even if its late like 1 in the night, we will still take off. Well that was good, cause I wanted to be in Philly before 7 in the morning. All the flights to the east coast were delayed. Most interesting was the case of the flight to Baltimore. They started boarding passengers inside and then realized that the airport at Baltimore had closed down. Thus every one had to disembark once again. The flight eventually did leave at 10 in the night. Around this time, we got the much dreaded news. That our flight was cancelled. And since it was due to weather disturbance, the only concession they were giving us was booking us on the morning flight. That flight was supposed to depart at 7.10 and reach Philly at 8.40. We had to reach the check in counter by 6 in the morning. So I had to spend the next 7 hours at the airport. And then I found out that my cell phone had completely exhausted its battery. So here am I at a new airport and I cant call anyone cause my cell phone doesn’t have battery. So there was nothing to do but wait. Found a nice place in the corner of the baggage reclaim area. Well time for dinner. As I had some food in the evening, I wasn’t that hungry. And then it stuck me that there were some gulab jamuns that Bala Mami had given. Trust me, to have gulab jamuns at that place and at that time in that scenario was simply amazing. I trust I must have been the first person to enjoy gulab jamun at Columbus airport. J.

After my dinner, thought of going off to sleep. But sleep wasn’t coming that night. After trying to sleep for an hour or so, went for a walk on the concourse at the airport. At 3 am, the flight from Philly arrived. This flight was supposed to arrive at 10 pm. Though it was late, it was good news for me. Because that meant that Philly airport had started operating. And hence our flight in the morning would be on time. After this, I don’t know whether it was due to the exhaustion or due to the happy thought that we would take off, but I went straight to sleep and the next thing I knew was 5.45 in the morning. I am thankful to a few elderly people who were sitting nearby and were booked on the same flight as me. Due to their voice, I woke up at 5.45. Otherwise its very much possible that I might have missed the morning flight. Checked in and got my boarding pass. Cleared security for the second time. Again no hassles. It was pretty much a formality. And then waited for the boarding announcement. The flight was overbooked and Southwest were looking for volunteers who would take the next flight reaching Philly in the afternoon. The incentive was a voucher for $200 plus the air fare. That would have meant a cool $300. I certainly don’t earn that much in a day in Motorola and was considering that option. But within minutes, my considerations went down the drain. Because they had found their volunteers. I guess when some thing is available for free, you should better hurry up. My neighbor went to volunteer and he was refused. Flight boarding started at 7 and we were ready to depart at 7.15. The gift for my patience was a window seat (a rare chance since I went in after the first 100 people went in. Total no of seats were 140.) The flight to Philly was uneventful except for a small patch of turbulent weather. We touched down at Philly airport on time at 8.40. And as if to mock me, the weather in Philly was clear. The sun was out and shining bright and three was absolutely no indication of the storm that had left me high and dry in the night. By the time I got my luggage, it was 9.10. Just in time to catch the 9.15 train to Center city. Reached 30^th street station at 9.40. Entered home at 9.55, just 12 hours after my expected arrival and 26 hours since I started. A quick refreshment and I was on my way to Motorola.

Thus was my 26 hour journey. It came exactly 2 years and 363 days after another 26 hour long journey. That was a lesson in itself as was this. I learnt many things during this journey. First and foremost, I know what to do and how to pass time if I get stuck again at the airport. It also taught me that one can make the best of the plans, but the weather can always play a spoilsport. It also gave me a chance to explore Columbus airport and I suggest they rename Port Columbus International airport as Adil International airport at Columbus.

For all those people who were worried about me, and I know there were many, it wasn’t that bad. I certainly look upon it as a lesson in life. The thought of writing this memoir came after talking with Sunil Mama, who suggested I write a thesis on waiting at the airport. Sorry for the long memoir, but I hope you enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to your comments and brickbats.

The day Mumbai drowned...

It was a usual Tuesday morning and as I made my way to my college, the dark clouds over the horizon gave little indication of the things that were to happen on that day. Tuesdays used to be looked forward to with great anticipation as we would be done by 2 pm as compared to 5 pm on other days. As we were going through our classes, it started to rain. No one was particularly bothered as rains in Mumbai in the month of July are more of a rule than an exception.

At noon, my friend Nikhilesh, who lived the farthest from the college told me that the local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai were on the verge of stopping and we should leave for home at the earliest. But being the most sincere student of the class (at least that’s what all the Professors thought so. I know the truth is different), I thought it was my duty to attend the two lectures we had from noon to 2 pm. And so it was at 2 pm when I started for home, relaxed to know that I will be home by 3 and then rest the entire day with pretty much nothing to do.

As I reached Vidyavihar station, I found that Central Railway local trains had stopped due to water logging in Thane area. Well, one should always have a back up plan in hand. And my plan was ready. Catch bus no 322 to Santa Cruz station and catch a Western Railway local from there to Goregaon. This plan was seconded by Shreyas, who lives quite close to my house. And so we are waiting for 322 which comes after a wait of 45 minutes. Being a frequent traveler by 322, I know that it had a frequency of 15 minutes and a delay of 45 minutes means that there should be some problem on the way. But the mind gets really excited and doesn’t think of such things when you know you are going home early. As we start towards Santa Cruz, the rain has continued unabated for three hours now and there are signs of flooding. But the advantage of traveling in a bus is that it can easily wade through a foot of water without any problem. So we move at a fairly good speed till Air India Colony in Kalina where we come to a complete stop in a traffic jam. The wise conductor, supposed to be the wisest person on the bus, declares that there is a small traffic jam and we should be able to proceed in an hour or two. There is absolutely no reason to panic.

Those who know Mumbai city also know the Air India Colony, Kalina is one of the worst flooded locations of the city. In fact it needs only an hour or two of continuous rain to flood this location. So you can imagine what happens when it rains continuously for eight hours. Soon, the water from outside has started entering the bus. And with it, has come another problem. Water also seeped into the diesel tank and since diesel is lighter than water, it has seeped out of the tank. So now, we are in a bus, which is surrounded by three feet water and has no diesel to run. And top of it, its raining quite heavily and its just a matter of time before the three feet of water logging becomes ten feet. So a decision is made between all the passengers that we need to climb on top of the bus before it becomes too late and difficult. One by one, with the help of other passengers, all the passengers evacuate to the top of the bus. Once I reach the top of the bus, I get a shock at the view I get to see. Water is seen every where flowing at high current with only the top of small cars being seen. And top of it, its pitch dark and raining very heavily. As the rain got heavier, these cars have drowned and there is a real possibility of the bus now being drowned in water. A few people of our bus then decided to swim to the nearest house in Air India Colony and get some help. Some swim to the nearest house belonging to Mr. Ramakrishna. Now the trouble is to get all the people (which total around 200) of the two buses into the house. Fortunately Mr. Ramakrishna has a floating sail which is inflated and slowly, in batches of three and four, every one is shifted from the bus into Mr. Ramakrishna’s house which is on the second floor. The first floor of the apartment is completely submerged. I was one of the last to leave the bus and as I leave, I look around. Water is seen everywhere. In fact, the bus behind me just has the front panel (at a height of fifteen feet) visible. By this time, it’s already ten pm and I have not been able to contact any one at my home. I know every one will be worried, but I can’t help it.

So we are about 200 people in a two bedroom apartment. The best thing about Mumbaikars is that in time of adversity, people are always ready to help. So few people help in cooking food and it is shared between all the people. Once most of the people have eaten, every one just sits down in complete silence. But then we realize another problem. The rain hasn’t stopped and there is a possibility of water starting to enter the second floor apartment. And the Air India Colony apartments have been designed such that to go from that house to any other house, you have to go out first. There is no direct path. Fortunately, as we are contemplating the next plan of action, the rain abates and people’s hopes rise tremendously. As the rain stops, the water level comes down slowly. I go and check at 9 am and find that while there is two feet of water on the road, there is still fifteen feet water inside the colony. And the only way to go to the road is by swimming to the main road.

So I take a decision of swimming on to the main road. As I reach the main road, I find police coming there to help us out. Slowly, all the people are brought back to the road. Of course, with water still on the road, there is no transportation available. So I walk nine kilometers from where a person driving a Getz gives me a ride. He drops me in Jogeshwari from where I catch an Auto and finally reach home at 12.30 on the 27^th of July. As I am on the last 100 feet of the epic journey, I am literally dancing with madness. In fact if people saw me at that time without knowing anything about the floods, they would have definitely thought I had gone mad. Thus ends my journey from my college to house. A journey which generally takes an hour that day ended up taking twenty two and half hours. Only after reaching home, did I come to know about the figures. It had rained 944 mm in ten hours on 26^th July 2005.

This was the story of almost every Mumbaikar who was stuck in the rain on that fateful day. The rains also brought a familiar helpful face of Mumbai. Throughout my journey, I found total strangers helping each other out. There was an article in Reader’s Digest a few days before this incident showing Mumbaikars to be rude. Their basis was that Mumbaikars don’t greet each others in shops, restaurants etc. But when the real calamity comes, Mumbaikars have always shown to be quite helpful to each other. A few days after this, Hurricane Katrina stuck New Orleans. While there were many reports of arson and looting in New Orleans, there wasn’t a single incident of looting and arson in Mumbai during the floods. Mumbaikars are known to be helpful in face of adversity and this incident has just confirmed that belief.

Mumbai remained almost shut down for the entire week. Our college officially started classes on the 3^rd of August. In a week, the city was back to normal.

On other note, my friend Nikhilesh finally reached his home at 4 in the afternoon of 28^th July. It took him full two days to get home and he had a story to tell too. Hopefully, I will be able to convince him to pen it down some day.