Galaxy Winner Hall 3... yeahhhhh!!

What an awesome week this has been. I mention this because I was reminded of this by a friend yesterday. A few days before Galaxy began, I was pretty skeptical about the utility of such a festival in an already jam-packed cultural calendar. I was of the opinion that it would nothing to improve the cultural scene here, neither would it be an "enjoyable" affair. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Galaxy not just rekindled the spirit of competition among the people in the institute, it also helps develop a yet unseen level of camaraderie among people of your hall. Throughout the week, we had loads of competitions and due to certain delays, almost every day stretched to 3-4 am. By the last day, we had tallied an almost invincible lead. I really don't want to crib about this. But the shock results of the structure competition (where a canopy of bamboos won over a magnificiently constructed ship) reduced what would have otherwise been a landslide margin (It still was around 120 with the runners-up fetching 700 something). For all those who saw it, the faux pas was pretty obvious. Here, I would like to concede that there might have been instances where the results might have been skewed in our favour but well all this evened out totally).

Leaving aside all this, the ecstatic moment when we were declared winner will truly remain etched in my memory (and for that matter the memory of every Hall-3ite). The roaring mob, the colour-smeared faces, students dancing like mad-men and chanting at the top of their voices. Not a sight that is witnessed every day. Every person in your team, whether he knew you personally or not, not just shook your hand but went out of the way to indulge in a ecstatically warm embrace. The happiness of having achieved what we had dreamt of was palpable.

Any amount of words would not do justice to the electrifying atmosphere that was, so I'll stop writing albeit with a few points.

First and foremost, congos to everyone who worked hard towards this victory... we need to keep this trend going so gear up!

Secondly, people who are making baseless accusations should rather spend their time improving the pool of talent they have. This is not the last time this is happening (unless you really make efforts to ensure that :P). So just take it in your stride and work hard!

Thirdly, amidst all the viciousness in the hearts of the teams which didn't win, there were certain people who bore the risk of coming out when the mob reached their place and congratulated us with a smile. Kudos to your spirit... we need more of your kind!!

Adios...

Galaxy monologues... Day 1

Seven years is a long time, but the way “Galaxy” began, it was worth the wait. I am not really into the Hall ‘funda’, which is such a rage here at IIT Kanpur. However, when one sees hordes of the usually sincere and studious students transforming into frenzied mobs, one’s enthusiasm is bound to rocket. My case was similar. I was asked by certain friends to join the Opening parade and I joined albeit a bit unwillingly. However, the moment I reached Hall 3, the electric atmosphere totally bedazzled me and suddenly I was part of the excited crowd. I got my face painted in the colours of our team and we began preparing for the parade. By now, I was so taken by the enthusiasm that I joined in the people who were playing tin cans in the front. With titillating beats and sky-renting slogans, we marched on the roads. It was an amazing moment, something words cannot describe.

We won the parade competition which set the tone for the rest of the events. However, soon we were reminded of the roller coaster ride that was in store with the shocking loss of our “declamation team”. In the night, we were supposed to take part in an antakshari which, though scheduled at 10 pm, started at 1 am. With the pride of the Hall at stake, our inability to answer in the first few rounds made us fear the consequences of losing the first major event. But then came a unique and rather weird song-memorizing round. We used some logic and it somehow got coupled with total dumbness on part of the other teams. In one round, we shot from being last to sitting comfortably first. The journey after that was pretty smooth with Tanmay (one of my teammates) cracking some good questions. We had some totally hilarious moments with Abhishek aka ‘Chomu’ (the other teammate) making certain other teams the butt of his wisecracks.

We ended the day at 3 am. No wonder, the next day began at 10 am with bunks in two classes. (You see, this still matters to me...  ). Some more events today... let’s see what happens as the day unfolds!

Turmoil everywhere!!

The past few weeks have been full of ups and downs... one might say that some of the things that happened were made out to be more than they actually were. Nevertheless, they figured as major points of contention in my life.

Not that the rest of the world is free from similar waves of unrest. Economic recession has been sweeping every little corner of this earth. Our neighbour Pakistan seems like a sinking ship, something that does not augur well for India. On the other side of the border, election manipulations are the order of the day. Disappointing names have been spelt out as potential PMs. Basically, waat lagi hui hai poori duniya ki hi!! :D

But sometimes it is great to see the problems with a whole new perspective. This is something my mom advises me to do frequently. Analyze what is the worst that can happen if things do not correct themselves. At times, you realize that the consequences do not merit all the fretting and worrying you have been indulging in.
And suddenly, the problem remains a problem no more...

There is so much to life. Something or the other is always going wrong. Perhaps all we can do is count our blessings..!