All’s well that ends Well… Well, almost!

Hi…
I sit today completely relaxed and yet all tensed. Oxymoron’s lesser usage is increasing day in and out in my life.
Hostel Day ended amid all excitement and probably success with around 700 people as guests to our hostel. It was a night and a year to remember.

Then Cafe day Xpress deal was made through through our constant pecking on the authorities and all the lateness into it. It finally promises to open up before the exams. Lets Hope so.

Mindbend and Sparsh ended with all those things you expected and lot without them. It was any ordinary experiance of 4 days, with a lot of overrated propositions that came crashing down and have perhaps hit the committees and faculty hard. But, on record books it went all good, so hmm… the system’s there to stay. blah blah…

Then again FAREWELL… If one asks you to gulp down some beer, a peg of vodka, a sip of champagne and tinge of lime to bust them all and yet you are unable to control your heart beats touching up 200 bts, then one has to conclude it should be a dramatic day(& night!!! ). It was one of the most memorable days if i had to describe in a sentence.

The Institute magazine promises to be exciting this year round, and thats because i have prostrated myself for it to go through. (Lolz.. not the literary meaning though). But, ya the sec. has definitely squeezed all the work he could out of me, from 2 hot, sunny days for photo sessions, to late night editing and writing of articles, to some travelling for prod and distribution. I guess, i really need to tell him to mention special thanks to me in the name of the committee.

Finally, all that the other things are over, i get on track to do for what i am here for. The End sems starting in 10 days and i am at the floor of the building, still waiting for the doors to open. (Dont know what that means, but hope you get it )
Wish me Luck! Specially after last semesters debacle.

RaZZm@TaZZ

Come 27th and we are celebrating our Hostel day. Yes this probably would be the end of my journey as the Joint Hostel Secretary of H8. Tagore Bhavan has always been and will be an enigma for me. Right from the initial deal of fitting 360 students when the capacity is 190 to dealing with such an enormous crowd of people, a batch of people who comes from various backgrounds, religion, castes with different life styles and tastes and with different temperaments. It has always been an enjoyable challenge.

Razzmatazz

All in all it has been a journey i would never want to and will forget. I have learned so much as time has passed, made many new friends, had weirdest of experiences and most of all I believe I have had the experience to affect the lives of 400 people. If somebody asks me what would be the most memorable thing this whole year, then i would instantly say that the power  to administer such a big place, manage 400 guys and then doing it for their improvement and welfare effectively would have been my greatest joy. There have been times when we faced many a difficult situations, like water problems, mess menu, health and hygiene issues, minimising the food tarriffs and ensuring them to be lowest in the whole campus and for that matter still maintaining that interest among the batchies. We tried our best to ensure the above problems.

The other problem was the prejudice with which we came into the hostel and took up its charge. The hostel since its inception had had the image of an unruly place, a place where nothing would go good or successful, be it the last years or the year before that Hostel days, be it last years sports events or even the caretakers it has got. We had an uphill task of transforming the image. Well one thing i would definitely say about my whole experience is that we surely did change the mindset of the people towards TAGORE BHAVAN. We were hosts to some of the most successful and famous events throughout the year, be it the Ganesh Utsav, Kabaddi tournament, kavi sammelan or even the forthcoming Hostel Day.

Yes, today we get into the groove to celebrate our Hostel day. A day almost every other person in the hostel is looking forward to. As i sit and write about it, i havent slept since the last 2 days properly, havent taken bath in the morning today and anticipate the event to start in a few hours. I still write here to express my excitement and my feelings on how special this year has been. Wish me Good Luck. Its time for R@zzMaTaZZ.

Hardcore Holi 2.0

Colors

“The self biased binary multivibrator. Its characteristics are.. ”, and suddenly there is a shrill cry from far end of the hostel, “They are coming… They are coming… Close all doors.”. I peeped out of my room window to the usually calm street lying below opposite to my hostel and saw a big, no huge crowd of around 150 boys all only in their pants of shorts marching towards our hostel, crying out slogans of ‘bahar niklo.. bahar niklo.’

Sulay was all white and his reflex was to bolt the doors of the room. The alleyway of the BS block, once all bustling was pitch silent and empty. The shouts continued for several seconds, maybe half a minute and later they broke the defence of the doors and broke in. Our ranks were infiltrated!! (As they say in war). They filled whole hostel and were kicking the doors of the rooms of their seniors. The inmates were made to bath in the colours when they like innocent riot victims were just … innocent. Yes it was a riot out there. Like people don’t look whether it’s a man or woman or for that case which caste, they were not concerned whether it was their senior or an incognito person. Sulay and I were numbly silent and frozen in the room. We were in no mood to relent to the hysteria, having exams the next day onwards and knowing the wildness and raveness with which the people celebrate it here. Yes, wild!! They tear off all upper waist clothes for everyone and for those who are famous or for that case infamous, they have to let go of their pants as well. So practically once you are caught in the commotion, you ought to go half naked and if you’re unlucky to be famous, you may well roam around in boxers or briefs!!

Welcome to S.V.N.I.T. This is the place of cross-cultural, multi composite and multi lingual public, ‘JANTA’ as I term them. We maybe from different states and some from diff countries, but when it comes to real enjoyement, we have our own Ishtyle, Tashan or way of life. Well to be frank, we all were on for a low key holi due to the exams the next day onwards, but as they say, “Life finds a way, howsoever you suppress it.”

So there we were, waiting for whole ‘rangmanch krida’ to get over without the crooked fingers being pointed on us. I would compare the situation to a famous hindi movie- GADAR. Particularly the seen where the heroine (who is a moslem) is being chased by hindu fanatics or riot victims for their avenge. The protagonist comes and gives cover to the running girl. But the dialogue and the amount of shouting and intensity we witness is of remembrance. It’s a diff. matter that they marry there itself on the railway tracks in front of the vulture faced people. “ Sab jagah gadare machi thi.. ”. So finally people painted the whole of the hostel and proceeded towards the canteen. As the coast got cleared, we came out and suddenly… Couple of friendly faces poster my face, clothes and hair. It all went down to nothing. I was finally down the drain hole.

So now I decided to proceed to the canteen, get into the bandwagon and feel the procession. Also, the fact that we would get free mithai, food and Thandai was on the agenda of many incl. me. So there I was 10 min later, dancing and hugging all mates and friends amidst what seemed like a movie depiction of holi, with all boys without their shirts, some dancing, some singing, most colouring each other or a group plundering a single guy. ‘Dhol and naach’, that was the scene. We met people of other years and soon people attacked the food stalls. Imagine you are the server and 50 hands stretch, push you, snatch from you and you need to distribute the food peacefully. That was wrecking!!

Finally after a stint with the faculty, we all returned to our hostels, each hurrying more than the other, to be the first to clean up. It was of the impression ki the whole water supply of the area would be needed to let all bath properly. Back at the hostel, we fought our ways to the bathrooms and those who couldn’t get chance would clean up at the basin or the washroom. It was juxtapose to what we generally have it when people hardly take a bath.

I particularly remember forming a small poem in my mind for the whole celebration. It goes like,

Ragdo rang se

“Phook phook ke nikle hum iss holi pe khelne..                                                                                                                                                  Gulaal aisa uda ki hume poora rang diya…                                                                                                                                                              Peet peet ke khela rango se logo ne aise                                                                                                                                                           Exam ki daud aur haud ko bhula diya…                                                                                                                                                                  Ghoom ghoom ke log aisa naache                                                                                                                                                                           Ki saale badan ke baalo ne bhi HAPPY HOLI bol diya. ”