Hurray! It's exam time!

Recently, when I came across this piece, I was pleasantly surprised to note that it was a completed article. I recall having started writing this, but was under the impression that I had left it incomplete. Must have written this in the 4th year of graduation; I must have been feeling nostalgic about leaving college and it also contains a heavy dosage of GRE quality words ;-). Here it is...


A friend's email signature goes as follows: "I asked God to give me joy and He gave me life!". Characteristic of a quotable quote, this line is packed with undeniable truth and hidden meaning, not immediately visible to the naked eye. While pondering over the subtlety and intangibility of the quote, I came up with one myself. It goes like this: "A student asked God to give him joy, and He gave them exams!". This line may appear to be a trivial attempt by the author to try his hand at writing quotes, but it is indeed a paradox.

Undeniably, exams are viewed as a source of misery by virtually the entire student community. Many develop psychosomatic illnesses during the course of examinations, or sometimes just at the thought of it. Many others, complain that they are archaic methods enforced upon the students that serve no purpose in today's world. They persistently advocate for a change in the evaluation system. But then, none is able to suggest an alternative which is both feasible and agreeable to one and all. And the few studious students who do perform well constantly crib about the 1 mark lost or an unanswered question left. To anybody this would present an awfully dismal picture about the essence of exams in a student's life.

But then, like every coin has two sides, so do exams have a brighter and lighter side! I have been fortunate to study in a college - with a mandatory hostel requirement - with some of the best brains, who inexplicably believe in the cricket concept called "slog over hitting". The heavy workload that we have, coupled with the fact that the college is situated at the city outskirts, leads to little contact with the outside world. A student's life is reduced to regular assignment submissions and meeting project deadlines with the odd movie in between. This record of life, keeps playing monotonously, day in and day out. It is here that exams lease in a breath of fresh air.

Amidst the burgeoning tension, certain minor events occur which upon reflection give immense joy to the heart. If one keeps his / her senses open to these occurances, the task of preparing for and writing exams becomes an enjoyable one.

Eleventh hour preparation always calls for help from friends. The clambering for space in the already over crowded room the day before the exam, when one student dons the role of a processor and imparts "invaluable knowledge"; you and others mentally noting each and every "word of wisdom" uttered by the "Messiah"; the fun, teasing and scolding that goes on when a student is teaching; and finally your own experiences in the hot seat leave a fine imprint in the memory. These memories when recalled can make you smile, even on a hard day.

After an exam is over, heated discussions take place. Everybody justifies his / her answer and tries to impress upon others that their solution is correct. One after the other, most realize that they have made mistakes, and this deflates their morale. Suddenly, it dawns on them that any further discussion is "injurious to health" and their performance in the remaining exams. Enlightened with this knowledge, the group disbands only to form another group with another set of students. This makes one laugh, since even though the students know that the discussions will decrease their morale (and thus concentration while preparing for the next exam), they never miss out an opportunity to initiate and participate in discussions.

However, the real treat is the exam day itself. When the exam is conducted in the morning, students are forced to wake up early for a quick revision. This provides the student with the rare opportunity to witness the sun breaking across the horizon. An equally beautiful but also hilarious sight is when one and all rush towards the bathrooms to get a bath. The banging on the doors, or the shouting / scolding that goes on during the process makes one wonder "When did this happen the last time?". But the gem of all, is the constant ringing of alarm clocks that make all kinds of sounds. The rooms being closely spaced, one can hear more than one alarm at a given time. As soon as one stops, another starts ringing somewhere else. This goes on and on, well into the morning. Even though a distraction, it translates into music to the observant ear.

While the above experiences were encountered, in a specific hostel and college setting, others might have also undergone different but related experiences in their hostels or even homes. It is these experiences, that one should look forward to and also percieve to make exams a livelier aspect of life. To sum it up, even though exams are bad for whatever reasons, we can seek to enjoy ourselves even during this phase. And finally, one should remember that since there is something bad, we appreciate the good and happy moments of life.

How to write a thesis

These are my notes (or rather verbatim excerpts) from Chandrasekhar's guide. I am posting this to serve as a quick referral (for me) and for anybody else who does not plan to read the entire original document.

What is a thesis?

Thesis is a proposition to be maintained or proved. It can also be considered as a proposition made as a basis for reasoning without the assumption of its truth. Effectively, a thesis is an (obligatory) offering placed at the desk of the examiner by a candidate who wishes to get a degree. This is the most common, and often only, reason why a thesis is written. But there are other reasons for writing a thesis.

A thesis is a written record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate. It constitutes objective evidence of the author's knowledge and capabilities in the field of interest and is therefore a fair means to gauge them. Most of all, a thesis is an attempt to communicate. Science begins with curiosity, follows on with experiment and analysis, and leads to findings which are then shared with the larger community of scientists and perhaps even the public. The thesis is therefore not merely a record of technical work, but is also an attempt to communicate it to a larger audience.

Thesis writing : Three S's

A thesis may be analysed into three S's:

• Structure
• Substance
• Style

Structure confers logical coherence; substance, significance and depth; and style, elegance and appeal. The structure of a thesis is governed by logic and is invariant with respect to subject. The substance varies with subject, and its quality is determined by the technical knowledge and mastery of essentials exhibited by the student. Style has two components: language and layout. The former deals with the usage of English as a medium of sound technical communication; the latter with the physical presentation of the thesis on paper. All three components: structure, substance and style influence one another.

Differences between the undergraduate and postgraduate theses

They share a common structure and need for logical rigour. It is only in the substance and the emphasis placed on it that the differences arise. In general, it is expected that:

• The three most commonly cited qualities to evaluate an undergraduate thesis are originality, independence, and mastery.
• A higher degree thesis is required to present research in the context of existing knowledge. This means a thorough and critical review of the literature, not necessarily limited to the narrow topic of research, but covering the general area.
• A PhD thesis shall be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, for example, through the discovery of knowledge, the formulation of theories or the innovative re-interpretation of known data and established ideas.
• The PhD candidate should also show clearly what original contributions (s)he has made.

In short, a thesis is evidence of the candidate's capacity to carry out independent research under the guidance of a supervisor, and to analyse and communicate the significant results of that work. The candidate for higher degrees must demonstrate, in addition, mastery of the literature and indicate clearly which is his or her original work, and why it is significant.

Thesis structure

A thesis should conform to the following structure:

• Title page gives the title of the thesis in full, the candidate's names and degrees, a statement of presentation in the form "This thesis is presented for the degree of ...", the department and year of submission.
• Summary or Abstract of approximately 300 words. (It should not exceed 700 words.) The abstract or summary should summarize the appropriate headings, aims, scope and conclusion of the thesis.
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Main Text
• Bibliography or References
• Appendices

If we zoomed in on the Main Text, we should see something like this:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
• Chapter 3: Materials and Methods
• Chapters 4 to n: Experimental Chapters
• Chapter (n + 1): General Discussion or Conclusions

Any of the experimental chapter, should have:

• A brief introduction
• Experimental procedure (methods and materials)
• Results
• Discussion

This structure of an experimental chapter / thesis (in entirety) reflects the time honoured format of science experiments:

• Aim
• Materials and Methods
• Observations
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions

Rationale for structure

The rationale for the structure is simply that a thesis must tell a story clearly and convincingly. There is a flow in the logic:

• Introduction/Aim: What did you do and why?
• Materials and Methods: How did you do it?
• Observations/Results: What did you find?
• Discussion: What do your results mean to you and why?
• Conclusions: What new knowledge have you extracted from your experiment?

Any flaw in the reasoning or gap in the logic will be easily spotted if this structure is strictly followed.

The hypothesis underpins the thesis

The hypothesis is all important. It is the foundation of your thesis. It gives coherence and purpose to your thesis. If it is hard to grasp what hypothesis means, these explanations might help:

• The hypothesis defines the aim or objective of an experiment, that if some likely but unproven proposition were indeed true, we would expect to make certain observations or measurements.
• A hypothesis is an imaginative preconception of what might be true in the form of a declaration with verifiable deductive consequences.
• A hypothesis is the obligatory starting point of all experimental reasoning. Without it, no investigation would be possible, and one would learn nothing.
• hypothesis: that which underlies a thesis

Your hypothesis must fit the known facts and be testable. To comply with the first, you must have read the literature. To comply with the second, you must do the experiment. This is why the hypothesis is central to scientifc investigation. If an experiment shows that a hypothesis is incorrect, then that hypothesis must be erroneous, no matter how attractive. Moreover, failure of a hypothesis may lead to a re-examination of assumptions, refutation of shaky theories, and ultimately to new knowledge.

Substance : Begin at the beginning

The content of your thesis is being continuously gathered throughout the period of your project/research. Keep clear, well annotated records. Keep a running record of experiment and observation; be as wordy and repetitive as required. The following could / should be maintained:

• Freehand drawings of experimental setups
• Accurate description of what you believe to be perceiving (no matter however wierd they appear)
• Questions you ask to yourself

Maintain a record book where you record your thoughts, perceptions and measurements, using words, numbers and pictures, as and when they are still fresh in your mind. Plan your experiments so that one experiment has only one hypothesis. Many experiments may together shed light on a larger, unifying hypothesis.

Write with the reader in mind

All communication involves two parties: the sender of the message and the receiver; in written communication, they are the writer and the reader. If you write with the reader in mind you are more likely to communicate successfully. The reader should not waste effort into understanding the substance of the writing, in trying to guess what the writer intended to mean. Some sound generic guidelines are given below:

• Place in the position of importance (stress position) the "new information" you want the reader to emphasize in his or her mind.
• Place the person or thing whose story is being told at the beginning of a sentence in the topic position.
• Place appropriate "old information" in the topic position to provide linkage with what has gone before and context for what is to come later.
• Provide context for your reader before asking him or her to consider anything new.
• Match the emphasis conveyed by the substance with the emphasis anticipated by the reader from the structure.

In summary, lead the reader from the known to the unknown. Write with the reader in mind: this is usually the examiner, but do not forget the poor student who gets to continue your project the next year. If your thesis is not clear enough, (s)he may be condemned to repeat your work before making further progress, losing valuable time in the process.

Think-Plan-Write-Revise

Think. Plan. Write. Revise. Messy thinking leads to messy writing: cluttered, obscure and uninviting. Think and plan before you write and revise. Writing is not a linear process but a cyclic one. What appears first may be written last, with the benefit of hindsight and a unified perspective. But, where does one start; how does one revise, and how many times?

Attikiouzel's aphorisms

• Start writing early: Do not delay writing until you have finished your project/research. Write complete and concise "Technical Reports" as and when you finish each nugget of work. This way, you will remember everything you did and document it accurately, when the work is still fresh in your mind.
• Spot errors early: A well-written "Technical Report" will force you to think about what you have done, before you move on to something else. If anything is amiss, you will detect it at once and can easily correct it, rather than have to revisit the work later, when you may be pressured for time and have lost touch with it.
• Write your thesis from the inside out: Begin with the chapters on your own experimental work. You will develop confidence in writing them because you know your own work better than anyone else. Once you have overcome the initial inertia, move on to the other chapters.
• End with a bang, not a whimper: First and last impressions persist. Arrange your chapters so that your first and last experimental chapters are sound and solid.
• Write the Introduction after writing the Conclusions: The examiner will read the Introduction first, and then the Conclusions, to see if the promises made in the former are indeed fulfilled in the latter. Ensure that your Introduction and Conclusions match 100%.
• "No man is an Island": The critical review of the literature places your work in context. Usually, one third of the PhD thesis is about others' work; two thirds, what you have done yourself. After a thorough and critical literature review, the PhD candidate must be able to identify the major researchers in the field and make a sound proposal for doctoral research.
• Estimate the time to write your thesis and then multiply it by three to get the correct estimate: Writing at one stretch is very demanding and it is all too easy to under-estimate the time required for it.

Others

• The hallmarks of scientific writing are precision, clarity and brevity, in that order.
• Write (your chapters) in four drafts:
  • Putting the facts together
  • Checking for coherence and fluency of ideas
  • Readability
  • Editing
• The Introduction should embody the (unified) hypothesis. The reader finds in a clearly expressed hypothesis the skeleton of the thesis. Use flow diagrams, headings, sub-headings etc., to create and sustain interest.
• The scope and emphasis of the Literature Review must be directly relevant to the subject of the thesis. This should be a critical synthesis of the state of the knowledge. Especially important are the areas needing further investigation: what has not been done, as well as what has been done, but for which there is a conflict in the literature. The examiner finds out how the candidate thinks from reading this section.
• Include a common chapter that presents in one place all the experimental details common to all your experimental chapters. This avoids boring repetition and clears the way for a more fluent presentation of experimental results.
• Where several related experiments are grouped into a single chapter, it is preferable to present this sequence individually for each experiment but to conclude with one Discussion. This will meld the experiments together and unify the chapter.
• Materials and Methods Ensure proper quality control and statistical planning and analysis. Retain enough details to allow repetition of experiments for up to seven (7) years, as legally required.
• Examiners ask the following questions when reading a thesis:
  • Has the student read all the references?
  • What questions does this thesis raise?
  • What richness does it contain that can spawn other work?
  • What is the quality of flow of ideas?
• Try to present your Results separately from your Discussion. There is a temptation to mingle fact and opinion, but resist it. Your work will be easier to understand if your results (measurements, observations, perceptions) are separated from your discussion (inferences, opinions, even conjectures).
• Use SI units and the preferred abbreviations. Leave a blank space between the number and the SI unit and do not put a full stop after the abbreviation, unless it is at the end of the sentence.

The Experimental Chapters

Each of these should preferably be self contained and clearly focused. Choose and present only those results that are relevant to your hypothesis. A morass of experimental results unilluminated by a hypothesis and unembellished by a discussion is insulting and confusing to your reader.

State your hypothesis clearly. Indicate all assumptions. Include enough information about materials and methods to enable another suitably qualified person to repeat your experiments. Relegate tedious but necessary details to an Appendix, so that there are no breaks in the flow of ideas in your presentation. If you chose some specific conditions for your experiment that may not be readily
apparent to your reader, explain the reasons for your choice here.

It is customary to describe your Methods before the Materials. Describe your algorithm before giving details about the dataset on which you developed and tested it. If you are using a method that has already been documented in the literature, do not describe it in full; describe it briefly or not at all, and give a reference citation.

If your results convey no sense of the new or the unexpected, you must ask yourself whether they are the right results to present, and also whether your hypothesis was well framed in the first place. Do not present results chronologically; present them logically.

Adopt a standard nomenclature for all your chapters and introduce this in one place, preferably in a chapter preceding your experimental work. Do not change your symbols and their meanings as you go along.

Importance of discussion section

The Discussion section of your experimental chapter is where you add value to your work. This is where you comment on your results.

• Why are they what they are?
• What meaning can you wrest from them?
• Are they in accord with accepted theory?
• What do they mean with respect to your hypothesis?
• Do your results uphold your assumptions?
• How do you treat unexpected or inconsistent results? Can you account for them?
• Do your results suggest that you need to revise your experiments or repeat them?
• Do they indicate a revised hypothesis?
• What are the limitations in your methodology?
• How do your results fit in with the work of others in the field?
• What additional work can you suggest?

Throughout your thesis, and especially in your experimental chapters, there should be no gaps in the flow of logic. Keep the links of a chain in mind. Each link is connected to two other links: one before and one after. Absence of any one link is a weakness. Absence of both means there is no chain.

The Literature Review

The literature review is the backdrop on which you present your work. It must be selective, but substantial enough for the merits of your work to be judged in relation to what is known. It is especially critical for a PhD thesis where the claim of originality should be defended with a thorough and critical review of the literature, especially in your specific area of research. You should capture the essence of current knowledge and comment critically on where the interesting questions and inconsistencies lie. The literature review is vital to justify your hypothesis, which must be consistent with what is known.

The Introduction and Conclusions

The Introduction is where you "soft launch" your reader on the work described in your thesis. Lead the reader from the known to the unknown. State the hypothesis clearly. Give a preview of your thesis, globally and chapter by chapter. Your Introduction has done its work if you have captured the reader's curiosity and interest in this first chapter.

The Conclusions record the power of your scientific thinking. You have to unite all that has gone before with a thread of unified perspective. This is where you say why you think your story is a good one and present evidence from your work to support your claim. The fate of your hypothesis is revealed here: did it stand, fall, or require modification?

You may briefly compare your work with that of others, present whatever new knowledge has been gained from your work, and suggest what may be done to further new knowledge. The Conclusions should give a sense of fulfilment and finality to your thesis.Write the Introduction after you have written the Conclusions and make sure the two match.

Linking your chapters While you are writing your thesis, you might suddenly remember that an idea in Chapter 3 needs to be linked to an idea in Chapter 5, etc. This is a healthy sign because it means that you are integrating your work and seeing your thesis as one whole in your mind. These forward and backward linkages give continuity to your thesis.

The Summary or Abstract

The Summary or Abstract is perhaps the most difficult part to write. Do not make the mistake of trying to write it first: you will waste time and get discouraged. The Abstract should be written last.

I have found the following exercise very helpful in trying to focus the mind on what the point of a thesis (or paper or article) is. Try condensing your thesis in:

• one word
• one line
• one sentence
• one paragraph
• one page
• one chapter

This method is somewhat like asking a dying man for a message: he will tell you only the most important thing(s). You begin at the most "compressed" level of describing your thesis and successively relax the constraint on the number of words to achieve increasing levels of detail. Somewhere along the way, you should have written your one to two page abstract, summarising your thesis adequately.

Writing other parts of your thesis

The Title should be neither too long nor too short. It should be focused and interesting. It should include the keywords you might use to describe your work in a scientific paper or thesis abstracting system. Try to use some verbs rather than a long list of nouns.

The Acknowledgements should include sources of financial support and all those whose help you have sought and got, and all those whose work you have directly built upon.

The Bibliography should only contain references you have actually read. To quote an unread paper is misleading and dangerous. In engineering theses, references are usually cited by number, in order of citation.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to digress from your main story to explain something, especially for completeness. For example, it may be some experimental details, an analytical method, a program listing, etc., that is not central to your story, but whose exclusion would make your thesis incomplete. Include such material in an Appendix. Moreover, do not parrot textbook material in an Appendix just to give your thesis length or to impress your examiners. In all likelihood, they would ignore such material.

Polishing up your thesis

As and when each chapter is written, read it for understanding, paying attention to the flow of logic and sense of continuity. Then read it again, paying attention this time to how comprehensible it is. Finally, read it once more paying attention to spelling, grammar, typography, placement of illustrations, etc. In these three stages, you are evaluating the chapter for its structure, substance and style.

At each reading, revise your thesis as you feel appropriate. When all the chapters are in place, read the thesis again, paying attention this time to overall understanding, coherence, comprehensibility and presentation. Get your supervisor, and anyone else whom you can approach, to read and criticize the early drafts of your thesis.

The time element

It is very easy to underestimate the time needed to plan, write and revise your thesis. As a general guideline, allow one to three months for writing up an undergraduate thesis and at least six months for a PhD thesis. As another rule of thumb, triple your initial estimate to arrive at a more realistic time frame. The period when you are writing up is the period when you are most vulnerable: the excitement of the research is now behind you, your scholarship would be running out or might already have, financial pressures will intensify, and there may be an obligation to work part-time and write up part-time. There may also be attractive job offers vying for your attention. Do not lose motivation during this difficult period. Loss of motivation is one of the principal ways in which you can deprive yourself of your PhD. Write up your thesis and get on with the rest of your life!

Dasvidaniya

Few weeks back I was watching the movie, Dasvidaniya, with my parents. It was the second time I was watching it; and like the first time it was mind blowing. Top quality movies like these and in certain cases few inspiring speeches make you wonder whether the life you are leading is worth it. Unfortunately though, the positive vibes last for a few hours or at max for a day or two. This time though I seem to have clinged onto those thoughts; hopefully I will sustain the enthusiasm long enough to follow and achieve the goals that I consider really important.

The tragic part, though, is that I have been so obsessed with my academics and work, that I can't even think of 10 things that I would cherish to do or achieve. Still, I would like to do the following:

• Play badminton every weekend


• Participate in adventure sport activities: Have done rafting @ Rishikesh. Would
  love to do aerial stunts even though I am scared of heights :)


• Learn a musical instrument


• Get to meet all friends since childhood: My socializing quotient is near zero :-(


• Learn cooking: Even though I hate discussions on how to make food or where to get
  good food


• Making that one physical system (no matter how trivial) but which I can be
  proud of: Have never worked on any physical system design. Am still that kid
  waiting to get off the blocks.


• Do something on the drawing side: What exactly I dont know but for months I
  have been thinking of doing something :)

Wow! Not a bad list. I seriously did not think I would get so many of these - in the very first attempt. Now that I have it on paper (or the web), its time to get started. The good thing, is that I shall have this for a ready reference (till Google servers dont crash); to remind myself that I have much more to do in life other than coding and memorizing / grasping theoretical concepts.

96' Cricket World Cup

As far as writing poems are concerned, this is my personal best. I wrote this towards the end of the last term of the 8th class. On the last day of the class, our teacher asked us if anybody would like to share anything with the class. My friends informed her that I wrote this poem. I was asked to recite this in front of the class. I was extremely nervous and did mess up at a few lines. Despite that the applause was astounding. Will never forget that day.


The world cup caught up the fire,
The mechanic, for its live telecast, insulated the camera’s last wire.

Despite Graeme Hick’s ton,
New Zealand convincingly won.

South Africa displayed a successful exhibition at Pindi,
As that in the 70’s of the Windies,

In the match between W. Indies and Zimbabwe at Hyderabad,
The Windies regrouped and crushed Zimbabwe as if gone mad.

The match between Sri Lanka and Australia was forfeited,
And in the heart of the Lankans, the Aussies were severely treated.

The West Indies succumbed to the pressure,
And India won to the people’s delight and pleasure.

In the dual between South Africa and New Zealand,
The latter was defeated and the former honoured by a glorious band.

Due to security reasons, the second match in Colombo was also forfeited,
The sportsmanship by the Windies was cheated.

In the battle of Sachin vs. Warne and Taylor vs. Kumble, Australia won,
Due to a fine spell by Warne and Mark Waugh’s ton.

In the most shocking upset of the cricket history,
West Indies were defeated by Kenya, who registered their first victory.

The Sri Lankans blasted the Indian bowling attack,
Thus despite Sachin’s century, at the end, the face of Azhar’s men was black.

When Sri Lanka scored over Kenya a victory,
They scored the highest no. of runs and rewrote history.

In the quarter finals, the dark horses of the tournament,
Defeated England, and this was another historic moment.

In the crucial battle between India and Pakistan,
Partially due to the absence of Pakistani captain, Wasim Akram,
And some aggressive strokeplay from Jadeja and other middle order batsmen,
Left the Pakistanis staring at them.

Despite the inspiring fightback by Harris and Germon,
It was Australia’s day and so they went on.

After the shocking upset, the Windies bounced back,
To completely demolish the South African all round attack.

An unforgivable mistake by Azhar, and the unruly behavior of Calcuttans,
Forced the match referee to gift away the match to the Lankans.

A dramatic tactical error by the Windies in the end,
Allowed the Aussies to clinch the match and made the Windies face bend.

Unlike other matches, the Aussie fielding in the final let them down,
And allowed the Sri Lankans to snatch away the crown.

An encounter with a dog

This is another poem that I wrote in the 8th class. Unfortunately, I cannot recall why I wrote it. Here it is:


It was a dark night,
DESU unexpectedly took off the light.

I was in the house alone,
When rang the bell of the phone.

It was my mother who advised,
Not to go out, but remain inside.

Without caring, I went down for a walk,
Brave I thought I was, but was in for a shock.

Nobody was there about,
Gathering my wits, I set out.

Down settling was the thick fog,
Turning to return home, I saw a fiery dog.

Right at that moment, I froze as it gazed,
With its bright red eyes as if a fire set ablaze.

Nervous and scared I ran on the road,
But I was its prey, so it followed.

As I ran, in front I saw a wall,
Excitedly, I leaped over and had a great fall.

I was relieved from my foe,
But during the stunt, I hurt my toe.

Due to the pain, I let out a scream,
But then realized, it was all a dream.

Why are grown-ups so crazy?

When we reached the 8th class, our teachers congratulated that we had become adolescents. The word sounded esoteric and did not make sense. These lines were a small step in understanding and appreciating what adolescence was all about:


Why are grown ups so crazy?
When we do some work,
Then also they say, we are lazy.

They always want us to study,
When we want to play games,
And spend some time with our buddy.

When we burn our garments while ironing,
We are careless,
And get a big scolding.

When the same thing grown ups do,
It is not their fault,
They have a lot of things to do.

When we go out to often,
We are loafing around,
Once caught the grown ups do not soften.

When grown ups attend parties frequently,
They can’t help it,
As socializing is a necessity.

The world through a pair of magic spectacles

I wrote this poem in the 8th class and got my first ever A grade in an English composition. It was that A grade and my parents encouragement that got me started on the path of writing. Since then, I have written several stories / articles - several of which are miserable, I agree. But anyways, the course of history cannot be changed and so here is that poem...


Looking through a pair of magic spectacles,
I saw a man having a lunch of turtles.

The lion piloted the aeroplane,
The six month old drove the car like a hurricane.

Maradona hit a huge six,
Jackson singing classical music got into a fix.

The teacher gave 100 marks for a blank paper,
My father got me a big box of chocolates and wafers.

Kapil Dev was the first to step on a moon,
In the poster, Narasimha Rao held a broom.

Morarji Desai completed his one year,
The dead man drank rum and beer.

The water on heating changed into ice,
For breakfast, I got jam and rice.

I saw a man having a dinner of turtles,
It was fun wearing a pair of magic spectacles.

Shishir's kavita @ Aarohan' 09

Few lines by Shishir for his poem based "Pehchaan Kaun?" game round:

शांत, स्थिर, उदार, गंभीर ,
दिखूं जैसे कोई महात्मा या हो पीर |

कार्यस्थल पर सतत लगा रहूँ,
एक्स्ट्रा कर्रिकुलर में भी मदद किया करूँ |

vision ग्रुप में है मेरा बोल बाला,
थोडा सा हूँ गुस्सैल, पर हूँ अच्चे मन वाला | "

-- शुभकामनाओं सहित
शिशिर

Super ego

I have always considered myself to be an average student. Even, if concepts used to bounce off my head, I would diligently attend classes, hoping that one day lightning would strike and I would be enlightened. Clearing exams never used to be a issue. Rather, the major headache used to be with securing an A grade.

However, the foundations of this misconception (of being an avg student) were jolted when I enrolled for MS Research program at IIT Delhi. Every course that I have done over the past 3 semesters demonstrated how woefully ill-prepared I was for the courses. And that too, after having graduated from one of the premiere institutes of the nation. It was not just the lack of concepts, which is still excusable. Rather, it was the absence of appreciation of the fundamentals and inability to apply these during problem solving.

During the last semester, I did a course on Advanced Algorithms. The course instructor was Dr. Naveen Garg; and his style of teaching was just awesome. In fact, attending has classes has rekindled an interest in Algorithms and Data structures (subjects, I used to stay away from). Unlike several other profs. who taught by rote, he used to actually work out the algorithms / derivations in the class. Several times he would get stuck during a derivation; he would ask us for our inputs and collectively we tried to figure things out. And when we were really stuck, he would say that it's time to "cheat"; he would refer the textbook and we would proceed.

The best part, though, were the exams. Every time, I was able to attempt only a maximum of 50% of the questions, but it used to be gratifying. The questions really tested your grasp of concepts and required clever jugglery of ideas. However, attempting half the paper does not translate into equal ratio of marks. In fact, in the minor exams, I was able to secure at best 35% marks.

I started having nightmares of whether I would clear the course or not. I badly wanted to clear the course since I was sick of my semi-weekly visits to IIT for attending classes. I did not want to continue with the same hectic schedule for another semester. But more importantly, I have never failed a course in my entire life! I just could not let myself fail. My ego would not allow it. My super ego, which had been pampered by undeserving grades secured through uncompetitive exams, could not have taken it.

Fortunately, I got this realization quite early and tried to address the problem from multiple directions. On the one hand, I started mentally preparing for the worst and on the other hand, I started preparing a strategy to ensure that I cleared the paper. Strategy part of the preparation included identifying which subject areas to focus on, how much time to devote on a question, how to present if I am not able to work out the solution etc.

Luckily, I scored well in the majors - relative to class and my previous standings. However, there was this feeling that I did not do justice to the subject. I prepared a contingency plan and thankfully it worked out. Today, I am not confident that I will be able to attempt and solve some of the same questions, even after refreshing my concepts. My ego, though not as bruised as had I failed, has certainly been bumped. I plan to and certainly will work on my basics (including 12th class mathematics) and aim to reach a level where I am brazenly confident. Till then, I would rather continue preparing and reminding myself of the fact that I am a failure who has been lucky until now.

The night it rained

After weeks of listening and reading about northern India reeling under a drought, I finally hit the monsoon. Or rather it hit me and it hit me hard. Yesterday was an eventful evening that I wont easily forget; the unrelenting fury of the rain gods, me going down the drain - literally, the beautiful view from balony of lightning shedding light followed by darkness and then light again.

Yesterday, when I started packing my bag, Tarun asked, "How come you are leaving so early?". I replied back that since Phani is not around, I have the freedom to leave early. Just before stepping out, Ashwani asked whether it was still raining. I said that it was drizzling a little. While cleaning the bike, I wondered, had Phani been around, we would have debated whether or not to wait till the drizzling stopped, and probably would have waited. Rather than relating the ominous cues, I considered myself lucky and drove off towards Andhra mess for dinner.

I had to cover a 2 kms stretch having 2 traffic lights to reach the Mess. The first traffic light was manned by a policeman who kept us waiting for almost 15 minutes. During that time, the intensity of rain increased considerably. I was lucky to be under a protrusion of the under construction metro line. And when it was time to move, I ensured I stayed under the metro line. Things were fine until I reached the second cross roads, where I had to move away from the metro line's shield. In the two minutes drive from there, I was completely drenched.

Worse was when I had to park the bike. All the usual parking locations were either already occupied or clogged with water. I saw an empty location and headed towards it. Thud! The front portion of the bike had landed in a 2 feet deep pit. Funnily though, I cannot recall the exact sequence of events. I remember somebody shouting as I was reached near the pit. I also seemed to have switched off the lights or the engine died on its own. Either ways, both my bike and I were submerged in the pit. Somebody rushed over to help me out. Both of us pulled out the bike and I parked it at a safer location.

I finished my dinner quickly and decided to head back for home. Even though the rain was pounding, I was already drenched and I wanted to reach home asap. Thanks to the wonderful drainage system here in Noida, almost the entire 2 km stretch was clogged with nearly 1 feet of water. What's worse, the wind god seemed to have joined the rain god in the merry making; there would be a sudden gust of wind and water would hit your face with full blast head on!

Finally, I reached home and for a change considered myself lucky that there was no electricity. Being drenched for an extended period of time gives me a very creepy feeling; I hate the sensation of wet clothes sticking to me. I stripped off completely and remained in such a state for several minutes. Changing into a dry and warm dress, I settled in the balcony. Lightning kept occurring for the next 30 mins and presented one of the most beautiful views. There would be a sudden dazzling flash of light, followed by darkness and then another round of light flashing. The absence of electricity rendered an eerie yet stunningly attractive feel.

Today morning, the weather was ominously serene. I ensured that I had my valuable and much needed rain coat. Yesterday, I was foolish enough to prematurely consider myself lucky. Today, I am being foolish again to dare the rain gods for another round. I am game for Round II.

Baby's day out

Yesterday was one hell of a day. It was not meant to be, but since some people love to gorge on good food and believe in celebrating Friday for some inexplicable reasons, the day turned out to be an eventful one.

The day started when I woke up at 3:30 in the morning, snoozed my alarm and went back to sleep. This was the last of my three unsuccessful attempts, in as many days, to wake up early in the morning and prepare for my exam. Of course, my attempt to wake up early and read did not end so tamely. I woke up at 4:30 / slept / woke up at 5:30 / slept again / finally, woke up at 6:30.

Later in the day at IIT, outside the exam venue, I did something unusual. I started muttering to myself that I know all concepts and that I will do well in the exam. My parents had been to a workshop on leadership and positive thinking organized by the Teach India group. My parents did tasks which are otherwise considered impossible. Probably, I recalled this and started boosting myself. The exam went relatively well considering that I was pretty hopeless just few hours before.

Once back in office, I was tired and was not in a mood to work. And so was the case with everybody else. By the time I came to office, a plan for an outing had been hatched. "We" would leave early, go to some place good and down a few drinks along with good food. I was not part of the "we" since I am not crazy about good food, had never taken a drink and was tired enough to drive back on my own. I was about to drop out but thankfully I did not act as my usual foolish self. Everything was set, except that there was no consensus on where to go.

Finally, the six of us hit the road on 4 vehicles: Vaibhav / Prachi in a car, Dhruvan / Prayag in another one, Sidharth in his and me on my bike. Even before we crossed over to Delhi there was a change of plans to which only Vaibhav / Prachi were privy. Everybody else followed Vaibhav blindly to realize that he had taken us to his home. We met Vaibhav's mother, wasted 15 minutes discussing whether to order Pizzas / drinks or go out somewhere. Fortunately, we headed of to Big Chill after having few pakoras prepared by aunty.

On our way to Big Chill we picked up few beer cans. Everybody opened a can for themself and I was handed one. Even though I protested that I had to drive back and had never drunk before, Vaibhav / Prachi and Prayag persisted. It felt like parents encouraging a baby to keep peddling and not to worry about falling of a cycle. The irony: I was the eldest among them all! I finally opened my can, we toasted to my first beer and I took my first sip. And man! It was awful!.

Outside Big Chill, everybody moved on to their second or even third can. I with great difficulty finished my share of the horribly tasting liquid. I was amazed at several things: (a) how could the others drink so much beer without getting high, (b) more importantly, without throwing up considering the awful taste, (c) at the breadth and depth of knowledge about beverages that everybody else had.

We then entered Big Chill and ordered some extremely delicious desserts and pizzas. The thin crust pizzas were awesome and all the chocolate desserts were just mind blowing! But good food is relished when there is good company and an entertaining discussion. We had lots of it except that I can't recall all of it ;). It revolved around drinks, calories, Prayag and him going to an aptly named place called Helsinki and of course some fine taunts to Sud. We finished our last delicious desert and left Big Chill.

The six of us packed ourselves into a single car. Or rather, it was Prachi / Prayag / Dhruvan and Sidharth in the back seat. Vaibhav and I sat comfortably in the front :). We drove off to Gupta market where Prachi / Prayag got down. We came back to Big Chill and Dhruvan left in his car. We then came back to Vaibhav's house where Sidharth's and my vehicles had been left earlier. After greeting Kanu, we should have left immediately except that Sud felt thirsty. Whats worse, he took the glass of water and settled down. Reluctantly, I too took a seat and some discussion started between Kanu, aunty and the three of us. Few embarrasing moments followed, with Sud imposing himself on the discussion. Fortunately, Vaibhav's father came in and I took the opportunity to stand up to greet him and also leave.

After memorizing the route, back to Noida, for the umpteenth time, I bid adieu to Kanu and Vaibhav and left. I did not seem to have deviated from the path since I did hit ring road and was back at home. I messaged Prachi / Prayag and Vaibhav that I was back in one piece and got immediate replies from everybody. Finally, I went to bed, uttered a "Wov!", closed my eyes and dozed off. One of the best days had passed by.