The learning curve

# written a long time back in 2010, narrating my wonderful time at SKIT Toastmasters Club

Toastmasters International,USA is a prestigious organization which fosters among its clubs, in the varied parts of the world the art of effective communication skills and leadership qualities. SKIT has one such proud club in its campus which is not just the only club among technical institutes in northern India but also one of the prime contributors to success of District-82 comprising India and Srilanka.

16^th October, 2008 was my first day in the SKIT Toastmasters club, It was a demonstrative meeting in which only Icebreakers and Table Topics were spoken, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I shouldn’t be picked up by the Table Topics Master to speak on any topic, because I was so hesitant and nervous that I was sure that If I had to speak my heart would plunge out of my body, Luckily I wasn’t called that day.

But, I wasn’t lucky in the subsequent meetings as I got to speak many table topics shivering, stuttering and stammering,  I somehow delivered those, some even left in between, often not completing the time limit, but that sole point was the beginning of improvement, the onset of an education which would last with me for an entire lifetime. So, from that time I graduated from being a very bad speaker to a bad speaker.

I gave my first speech on 3^rd, February, 2009 and 40 speeches later I find myself immensely confident to speak comfortably at any given point or situation. This improvement in my confidence that I lacked at a time is all courtesy Toastmasters club, without its wonderful programme I would never be able to find out that I can actually speak in public.

Toastmasters club is not just about giving speeches, it was much more, I got the opportunity to visit Gurgaon for the Area Level Contests twice during the last year. First on 22^nd February, 2009 when I went for “Area Level Table Topics Contest”, I wasn’t much successful that day but the experience was awesome as I got a chance to meet many great speakers and we also attended the officers training programme. The next opportunity I got was on 18^th September, 2009 when I went for the “Area Level Evaluation Speech Contest” and was lucky enough to get the second prize and as a result I went to Delhi for the division level contest later that year.

Toastmasters Club is all about helping others to grow and perform better. There is not a panel of expert judges during the meeting but the evaluation are mutual and through a system of cooperation. It is not just about improving your communication skills but also about honing your leadership skills. I have played many different roles like Time counter, Ah counter, General evaluator, Grammarian, Toastmasters of the day which have all helped me to improve. Preparing the newsletter, going for the sponsorship campaign, conducting a contest were few of the activities which have enriched me to my very core.

I would sincerely like to thank the most important pillar in our club Tm. Pramila Bafna and our club’s president Tm. Vineet Jain for encouraging and guiding us in whatever manner they could because in their absence the club wouldn’t have grown so much as it has in the past two years.

I would also like to encourage students to join Toastmasters club because it’s such a good platform for self development that you would cherish your decision for the entire life.

I have achieved six certifications in toastmasters club, when I once thought that doing just one is impossible, It is all due to the kind of support I got and the wonderful environment in the SKIT toastmasters club. Without everyone’s help I would never have been able to achieve my goals.

The improvement can never stop, the development can never cease to occur, So, I would like to continue my stint in Toastmasters club wherever I go to become even better and more confident, because this is just” A small step”. “The giant leap” is impending.

TM. Happy Garg ACG, ALB

Desires...Life...Truths

Ever thought where this random life is taking us, the frivolities of our own desires cause me to rethink about what's past and present and the thin line separating the two. Somedays are great, some days are dull filled with sorrow and grief which seems so insurmountable at its very peak but vanishes suddenly with a mention of an ecstatic thought, are we designed this way or is it the years of evolution to become better than we are has caused these genetic changes not just in our bodily features but also in our minds.

Maybe, we have become more controlled by our circumstances, have given away to our limitations in a mad conquest of achieving success. Achievement, success have become the buzzwords; competition, rat race have been so ingrained in us that we can't think of a life beyond that. Some do it for richness, some want power and some desire fame.Some desire something called as 'Self Actualization'.  But all these are not absolute terms and therein where lies the difficulty.



I write, but writing to satisfy my wits is one thing and writing to gain recognition, praise, money is other. Sure, one can always sell his work but the pleasure should not be traded off, the day an artist gives away the pleasure of art for lesser things in life the worship of the art is far left behind and the immortality in the work goes away for a toss. Because, when we do things with no ulterior desires be it good or bad, then are we truly getting connected to our being and thus we are free from the fruits of the results. But, is detachment of that order actually possible, or is it just what Gita preaches??

I would like to quote the great Dalai Lama here:
Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

The evolution of technology has surely been a great boon for mankind, not just technology per se but the overall betterment be it the infrastructure, industrial revolution, mechanization, swanky gadgets, medical science innovations have surely brought man a great deal of satisfaction and comfort. Created jobs, created people demanding jobs and also created joblessness in people. To my sheer bewilderment man is actually creating things for his comfort but mostly ignoring the fellow humans, creating bridges but not bridging the distances between two humans in plain and simple terms of mankind.

The disparity and divide, be it economic, social or political, is creating changes in our genes, we are becoming more susceptible to changes , but propensity towards embracing change is decreasing. The love for flora and fauna is getting lost and mechanization is ruling the roost. The desire factories have filled their chests while creating sets of consumers to buy their commodities, we have bigger wallets but smaller hearts.

Are we immortal? Is life permanent?  Is anything permanent at all, the happiness, the grief, the pain, the hatred , the desires, the sorrows, the longings? when nothing is permanent why are we putting so much effort into it to land ourselves into greater difficulties? but even the difficulties are not permanent. What do we really want to achieve? Why do we want to achieve that? What is achievement actually?

Death is permanent, death is fixed, death is inevitable. But, does death really happens or is it a way to give us comfort, a desire of an happy ending to the misery. Misery, is life misery? or is life celebration? or is it nothing? just going on from one day to another. I am no one to define life, life cannot be defined because it can be anything for anyone, to relative to be absolute and too absolute to be relative.

Things sometime go in circles in my mind,maybe these are the methods to my madness? Who knows ? Maybe, life is just madness, maybe all our lives are someone's dream. Maybe someday 'HE' wakes up and ends it all, to a point blank.

Vinculum'13: 2nd Annual VGSoM day

Vinculum, as the name suggests, symbolizes the bond between the VGSoM and IIT Kharagpur fraternity.

Vinculum is the cultural fest organized under the brand of the Vinod Gupta School of Management, to bring together various departments of IIT Kharagpur, professors, students of VGSoM MBA and EMBA course, as well as the alumni to share some quality time with us, it helps us in gaining popularity, recognition & also strengthen our relationship with other departments.

IIT Kharagpur is a unique campus that represents quality and diversity in the field of education, where the best brains from various parts of India come to pursue their dreams of becoming engineers, scientists, academicians, lawyers and managers.

Vinculum – the cultural festival of VGSoM celebrates the spirit of the school of management of IIT Kharagpur by bringing together people from diverse educational backgrounds on the same podium.

Vinculum which began with this idea in 2012 was a huge success. With the marathon that saw massive participation from different departments of IIT and the overwhelming response to the guest lecture by the much celebrated Mumbai Dabbawallas who redefined quality in the service sector, it can be said that the purpose of Vinculum was well served.

"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success"
-Henry Ford

VINCULUM 2013 reinforced the facets that were explored in 2012. It was held on 8th and 9th of March 2013. Vinculum began on the evening of 8th March with Cult Night, there were awesome song, dance, skit performances not just by the students of both the batches but also by the professors. There were events like classical dance, western dance, Harlem shake, Bangla one act skit, singing performances etc. The event was woven around International women’s day, and there was a cake cutting ceremony for the women of VGSoM. The cultural program was followed by a sumptuous dinner in the VGSoM foyer and a makeshift DJ for the students.


The next day promised more fun and enthusiasm and it truly lived up to the expectations. The day began with a Marathon that was open for each and every member of the IIT Kharagpur family; the 4.4 km run began at Gymkhana and ended at VGSoM, the students, professors and support staff participated in the event by waking up in the wee hours of the morning and wholly supporting an important cause of Women empowerment. T-Shirts were given to the first 40 people who completed the run and certificates to the winners in 3 categories namely boys, girls and faculties.

The next event in line was the PAN IIT Inter Departmental quiz. It was a resounding success, the participation increased from 14 to 20 this year.
The quiz master was Mr. Anubhav Mukherjee and Mr. Anurag from Kolkata, they came up with umpteen number of challenging questions which really tested the ace quizzers of IIT Kharagpur to the maximum limit.

The team of (Arman Sharma and Ajay Vishwanathan) from Electronics and Electrical Communication department won the coveted trophy for 2nd time in a row.

Vinculum’13 reached its pinnacle with the Voice of Women: Women’s Summit, eminent women leaders, entrepreneurs from the corporate and other walks of life participated in the same. The topic of the discussion was Indian Women – Architects of Change and Icons of Sustainability.

The panel comprised of the following speakers:

 Ms. Archna Wadhwa, Global Service Delivery Head of Production Management Solutions, HSBC
 Ms. Geetha Vishwanathan, Educationalist &MD, Srijati Institute of Fashion  Technology
 Ms. Subha Rajan, Director of External Affairs, CII
 Ms. Parvati Tampi, Communication Specialist & Former Miss India Finalist
 Rtn. Indrani Gupta, Head, Rotary Club, Kolkata Zone

It was moderated by Prof. Anita Sarkar from XLRI Jamshedpur
They shared their thoughts on women empowerment in India and also told their success stories, the event was a grand success with immense learning and knowledge enhancement for the audience.

There were other fun events in Vinculum’13 like the Treasure hunt and Counter Strike; these events provided the budding managers of VGSoM with the much needed fun and enjoyment, and also a chance to prove their acumen in some mind boggling challenge.

Vinculum’13 was driven by the Student Council of VGSoM and supported by other committees like Sportcomm, Quiz Club, Cultcomm and CMI and also each and every student of VGSoM contributed towards the success of the event in their own capacity. Vinculum went away with the promise of coming next year even bigger & better.It gave immense learning to all its stakeholders.

“Ideas generate, when we challenge our boundaries. But, when we break them, miracles happen”.

Image Credits: Sandeep Katakol & Divij Sharma

Digital Divide and Digital Noesis

#this post is created to facilitate class discussion on the topics of Digital Divide and Digital Noesis as a part of the assignment for WBC course, Spring Semester, VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur Class of 2014

A digital divide is an economic inequality between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies. The divide inside countries, such as the digital divide in the United States, can refer to inequalities between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socio-economic and other demographic levels, while the Global digital divide designates countries as the units of analysis and examines the divide between developing and developed countries on an international scale.

“Digital Divide” also refers to the gap between those who can benefit from digital technology and those who cannot. ”Closing the Digital Divide” therefore means more than just giving the poor the same technologies already received by the rich. Closing the Divide involves restructuring the telecommunications sectors in each nation so that broadband’s benefits can flow to the masses, not just the elite urban sectors of emerging markets.

"Digital Noesis" studies how digitization and digital technology affect human “knowing.” Using spoken language as the base, technologies such a writing, print, and electronically mediated communication affect the manner in which humans know themselves and their world. Digital noesis studies this process.

References used:

http://www.digitaldivide.org/digital-divide/digitaldividedefined/digitaldivide.html

https://portfolio.du.edu/portfolio/getportfoliofile?uid=5742

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

Please pour in your comments.

The city that is...

#wrote this long time back  for the love of my favourite Indian city MUMBAI, still feel that this article is incomplete and short of many more details that my mind still has fresh about the magnificence of this ruined metropolis, but isn't Mumbai is about that, celebrating the incompleteness, for whatever short time I have stayed here I've always felt that I have been living here since ages...

Different Moods of Marine Drive

The city of extremes challenges you to rise above your own incompetency into an unseen world full of mysteries and unknown vistas, unimagined richness and unseen dreams.

Some who are able to live up to those dreams for themselves rise above the rest in the ever rising skyscrapers with a majestic view of Arabian sea, the sound of the other mortals get buried somewhere in the honks of the Audis and Mercedes in traffic jams and become just another noise for the city holding millions of cries.

Mumbai holds more treasure than what often meets the eye, city that is hidden in obscure corners of large slums, in the vast expanse of rising skyscrapers and sometimes in the rhythmic movement of local trains that run like blood in the veins of this great metropolis.

It is difficult for an outsider to believe that ‘FAST’ and ‘SLOW’ local trains run at same speeds, by the time one understands it, a vast multitude of people have already pushed him a few yards away on a crowded suburban station.

Mumbai can be a true mirror image of India owing to its economic diversity. To accurately get a picture of Mumbai’s economic unevenness go to the “Bandra” station once on "East" and once on "West", there is a stark difference, thats startling and generates uninspiring awe.

The Magnificent Bandra-Worli Sea Link

From the magnificent Bandra Worli Sea Link to the nearby Dharavi the largest slum in India, Mumbai has it all. Even south Bombay considered elite and the real Bombay has its share of slums and “Koliwadas”. But, somehow this aspect of the city makes it truly great.

Mumbai has some truly breathtaking views to offer to a raring traveler, walk down the entire stretch of Marine Drive anytime during the day or night, you would find a wonderful synthesis of natural and manmade wonders with a beautiful Arabian Sea curving down on right, to the skyscrapers, Wankhede, Brabourne stadiums, Air India Building, Oberoi hotel on the left.

One can experience the beautiful rise and fall in sea waters sitting on the pavements created for visitors. It’s not hard to spot hard stony masses of rocks making their way out in the middle of the Sea on a low tide, whereas on a high tide the stormy waves of ferocious water would well wash your feet with their exhilarating exuberance.

The serenity that one feels on a typical evening at the Haji Ali with sea link appearing at a distance, Imperial towers and  Antilla towering on the other side, as one goes through the slippery pavement into the sea to the holy shrine, one can feel himself entering into a whole new aura of pureness and divinity alike.

Bombay as it was called by the British has retained its soul captured in tiny fragments of life strewn around its entire length. Formed by reclaiming the land from the sea by joining seven islands, the land and the sea though distinct from each come together and become one entity which forms a part of the city’s huge ecosystem. Thus, Mumbai doesn't seem to encompass few hundred miles but stretches its arms as far as the eyes of an avid traveller go out in the vast wild sea, uncontrolled, uninhibited, pulsating with every wave of the sea and dancing with every drop of rain.

Credits: Image credits reserved with original photographers, not mine clicks.

IIT Kharagpur lingo

#a comprehensive list of the IIT Kgp lingo, compiled from various sources, feel free to comment to get more words added, edited or deleted...

11 - n. Ha-Ha (a laugh). Adopted from its shortcut in Age of Empires.

2.2 - n. A 2.2 Kilometres round in central part of IIT-KGP campus. Usu. A run of it.

6dis - n. See Chhedis

Acads - n. Academics.

A.I.R. - abbr., n. All India Rank. See Hawa.

Alankar - n. The annual cultural magazine of Gymkhana, hence of the institute.

App - v.i. To apply to universities (usually abroad).

Apping - v.i. See App.

Arbit - adj. Arbitrary.

Asim's - n. The Nehru Hall canteen.

A. Team -  n. The Action team formed during SF.

Atthi - n. A C.G.P.A. in between 8 and 9.

Aunties - n. A grocery store located just outside IIT campus. Named after the lady running the store.

Azad - n. Azad Hall Of Residence. A senior male students B. Tech. Hall.

Baapi - n. An intellectual belonging to the BTDS.

Baddy - n. The sport of Badminton; adj. Related to the sport.

Banda - n. Any boy.

Bandi - n. Any girl.

Bangy - n. Bangalore.

Baski - n. The sport of Basketball; adj. Related to the sport.

Batti - n. The Electrical Engineering Department. Also, the students of it.

B.C. Roy - n. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Former Chief Minister of West Bengal. Many establishments in IIT-KGP including a hospital, a Hall and the central square are named after him.

Bhaat - n. Bekar Chat. A useless talk in a group whose sole purpose is to pass time. Also a regular magazine drafted by first year students trying to copy Junk.

Bhaatu - n. A person who is very talkative. See Bhaat.

Bhajan - n. A euphemism for sexually explicit media files on the LAN.

Bhatnagar - n. The Bhatnagar Auditorium.

Bidhan Chowk - n. See GolC.

Bong - n. Bengali. A Bengali-speaking person.

B.T.D.S. - abbr., n. Bengali Technology Dramatics Society.

Boudis - n.  A restaurant in Prem Bazaar.

Cali - n. Calibre.

Candi - n. Candidate (For elections).

Carlos - n. The R.P. Hall canteen.

C.G. - n. Short-form of C.G.P.A.

C.G.P.A. - abbr., n. Cumulative Grade Point Average. An index of a students performance in academics which reflects performance throughout the studies in IIT-KGP.

Chhagi - n. A C.G.P.A. in between 6 and 7.

Chhedis - n. A dhaba just outside campus.

C.I.C. - abbr., n. The Computers and Informatics Centre. It is situated in Takshashila.

C.L. - abbr., n. Central Library.

C.S. - abbr., n. The Computer Science Department. abbr., n. Counter Strike (First-person shooter game).

Convo - n. Convocation.

D.A.S.A. - abbr., n. Direct Admission of Students Abroad. A special route for N.R.I. sponsored candidates to enter the IITs. Involves less competition than J.E.E. Such students in IITs called DASAites. Use deprecated after the program was scrapped.

Dassi - n. See Dehli.

D.C. - abbr., n. Disciplinary Charge. Due to inappropriate conduct of student. The Committee hence formed (Disciplinary Committee). n. The file sharing software "DC++".

DC++ - n. The Direct Connect network used extensively throughout the campus for file-sharing through LAN.

Dehli - n. A C.G.P.A. of 10.

Dep - n. Department.

DepC - v.t., v.i. To have a Department change under the provisions specified by IIT-KGP. Requires excellent academic performance in first year B. Tech. course.

Despo - n. Desperate.

Dhakkan - n. The person with numerically largest JEE rank being admitted in said department/specialization.

Diro - n. Director of IIT-KGP.

Disco - n. Short for Disciplinary Committee.

D.L. - abbr., n. Dreamland Restaurant.

D.O.A.A. - abbr., n. Dean Of Academic Affairs. Responsible for academics of students. He is the main responsible person in any Research and Development work taken up by the institute.

D.O.S.A. - abbr., n. Dean Of Student Affairs. Responsible for maintaining discipline in students.

D.P. - abbr., n. Durga Puja. The vacation in its duration.

Dude - n. Dual Degree Students.

D.V.C. - abbr., n. Damodar Valley Corporation. The D.V.C. Market.

Eggies - n. The shop adjacent to Vegies Restaurant that serves eggs during night-time.

E.T.D.S. - abbr., n. English Technology Dramatics Society.

E.T.M.S. - abbr., n. Eastern Technology Music Society.

FacAd - n. Faculty Advisor.

Facca - n. An F-grade in any subject, meaning fail.

Faccha - n. A first year male student. Usu. a B. Tech. student.

Facchi - n. A first year female student. Usu. a B. Tech. student.

Fattu - n. Meek. Coward.

Fight - n., v.t., v.i. Difficulty in achieving something.

Footer - n. A match of Football or (rarely) the sport itself.

Frust - v.t. Frustrated. Generally due to academics and lack of female population. Also Frustoo.

Frustoo - v.t. See Frust.

Funda - n. The basic knowledge of anything.

Fundoo - adv. Something having very strong conceptual background; excl. Something great.

Garden Inn - n. The Garden Inn Restaurant. Located approximately 10 kilometres from the institute.

G.C. - abbr., n. General Championship. Either of the Soc-n-cult, Sports, Technology or Hall Affairs.

Ghaasi - n. A student of Agriculture Engineering Department.

G.I. - abbr., n. Short for Garden Inn.

G.I.H. - abbr., n. The Great India Hotel. Located approximately 15 kilometres away, along the IIT Bypass Road.

God - n. An achiever in any field, academics or otherwise. See also: Stud.

G.Sec. - abbr., n. General Secretary. Of Halls or Gymkhana. In Gymkhana, always a third year student.

Gokhale - n. Gokhale Hall Of Residence. A research scholar hall.

GolB - n. The Gol Bazaar Market.

GolC - n. The circle (Gol Chakkar) just outside the Main Building of the Institute. Also known as Bidhan Chowk.

G.P.L. - adv. Rejection. v.i., n. The act of kicking someone's behind.

Gult - n. Telugu. A Telugu-speaking person. Originated by reading the word 'Telugu' backwards when written in Telugu.

Gyan Ghosh Stadium - n. A stadium situated on Scholar's Avenue that is used for a variety of track and field events.

Gymkhana - n. Technology Students Gymkhana(T.S.G.). The centre of all the extra-curricular students' activities. Organizes various events and competitions for students.

Hagga - Refers to 'Shit', the bad mess food

Hall - n. (Halls Of Residence). Word used for hostel in IIT-KGP. The latter is rarely used. The Halls accommodate students who study in IIT-KGP. All Halls have their separate Mess, Canteens, Grocery & Stationery Shops, etc. There are separate halls for B.Tech students, M.Tech students, Business Management students and Research Scholars.

Hall-day - n. The celebration day of any Hall in which there is festive atmosphere and people from all over IIT-KGP are invited to enjoy.

Hall-funda - n. The knowledge of one's Hall specialties and way of life, etc.

Halu - adv. Hallucinated.

Hapa - n. See Happa.

Happa - n. Hall President.

Hardcore - excl. An extreme case of situation or attitude.

Harry's - n. A dhaba/restaurant on the IIT Main Road.

Hathora - n. The Mechanical Engineering Department. Also, the students of it.

Hawa - n. J.E.E. All India Rank.

H.J.B. - abbr., n. See J.C.B.

H.L. - abbr., n. Hall Library

H.O.D. - abbr., n. Head of Department.

H.P. - abbr., n. Hall President

H.T.D.S. - abbr., n. Hindi Technology Dramatics Society.

Huhaa - v.t. Something extremely great in magnitude.

I.G. - abbr., n. Indira Gandhi Hall Of Residence. A senior female students B. Tech. Hall.

I.I.T. - abbr., n. Indian Institute Of Technology. The premiere engineering institutes of India. Seven in number. They include IIT Kharagpur(IIT-KGP), IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati. IIT-KGP is the oldest of all, established in 1952 by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.

I.I.T. Foundation(U.S.A.) - n. An Alumni foundation responsible for much development of IIT-KGP including funds for buildings, LAN, etc.

Illu - n. Illumination(on Dipawali). A competition involving all Halls for best illumination and rangoli on Dipawali.

Indu - n. The Industrial Engineering & Management Department. Also, the students of it.

Insti - n. Institute. Used to refer the main building of IIT-KGP.

Insti gate - n. The large gate on the entrance of the academic complex.

Intro - n. Introduction. Generally a brief speech involving one's name, department, city, hobbies,etc.

I.P. - abbr., n. Interaction Period. See O.P.

J.A.M. - abbr., n. The event of Just a Minute, in which you are required to speak for a minute. n. Jamshedpur.

J.C.B. - abbr., n. Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Hall Of Residence. A first year male students B. Tech Hall. Shares the same premises and governing body with Homi Jehangir Bhabha (H.J.B.) Hall Of Residence.

J.E.E. - abbr., n. The Joint Entrance Examination conducted unified by all IITs. Candidates are given All India Ranks (A.I.R.) on the basis of their performances and get admissions accordingly.

Juice - n. A boy with feminine facial features.

Junk - n. A regular magazine. It contains news of students and reveals the hidden state of affairs, suggestions for a better life, trivia, etc. The members of the group behind it are called Junky.

Junta - n. The human population. Of IIT-KGP or elsewhere.

K.G.P. - n. The Kharagpur town.

Kam-akal - n. A student of Chemical Engineering Department.

Kela - adv. Failure.

Khoj - n. A treasure hunt competition organized by Azad Hall.

Kholu - n. The top ranked general category student admitted through JEE in any department/specialization.

K.L.P.D. - abbr., adv. Rejection. Especially for the case when success was imminent.

Kol - n. Kolkata.

Lallu - n. See L.L.R.

L.G.B. - abbr., n. Little Green Bastards. A small insect that is attracted towards light. Often found in groups of over hundred, causing extreme irritation to students.

L.L.R. - abbr., n. Lala Lajpat Rai Hall Of Residence. A senior male students B. Tech. Hall. Commonly used word for it and its residents is lallu.

Load - n. Tension; v.i. To Have Tension.

L.S. - abbr., n. The Little Sisters Restaurant.

Maraoed - v.t. The act of doing something. viz. we maroed bhaat, maraod mugga, maroed bunk, maroed funda.

Machuara - n. The Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture Department. Also, the students of it.

Maal - n. A beautiful girl.

Maggu - n. Student who mugs.

Makhana - v.t. To spoil a job. To do something insincerely. To play spoil-sport.

Mallu - n. Malayali. A Malayali speaking person.

Maska - n. The 2 year M.Sc. students. n. The Maths & Computing Stream. Also, the students of it.

Matka - n. Any M. Tech. male student.

Matki - n. Any M. Tech. female student.

M.B.M. - abbr., n. Masters Of Business Management. A Hall of Business management students. Associated with V.G.S.O.M.

Menty - n. The Maintenance Secretary of any Hall.

Meta - n. The Metallurgy and Materials Science Department. Also, the students of it.

Midtown - n. The Midtown Restaurant.

M.M.M. - abbr., n. Madan Mohan Malviya Hall Of Residence.

M.S. - abbr., n. Meghnad Saha Hall Of Residence. A Hall accommodating B. Tech. first year male students and M. Tech. students.

M.T. - abbr., n. Mother Teresa Hall Of Residence. A female students M. Tech. Hall.

M.T.R. - n. See Midtown Restaurant.

Mug - v.t., v.i. To rote.

Mutter - n. An online forum on IIT Kharagpur's LAN; v.i. To read or write posts on it.

Nalini Ranjan Sarkar Avenue - n. The part of road that compliments the Scholar's Avenue to make 2.2 kilometre circle.

N.C.C. - abbr., n. National Cadet Core.

Nehli - n. A C.G.P.A. greater than 9.

Nehru - n. Nehru Hall Of Residence. A senior male students B. Tech Hall.

Netaji - n. The Netaji Auditotium. Used for conducting major events, performances and screening movies.

N.M.S.T. - abbr., n. Nehru Museum of Science and Technology. Located in Old Building.

Non-males - n. A way of referring to less-beautiful girls in IIT Kharagpur. Usually those through JEE.

N.S.O. - abbr., n. National Sports Organization.

N.S.S. - abbr., n. National Service Scheme.

Old Campus - n. See PAN Loop.

O.P. - abbr., n. Orientation Period. More commonly used word for ragging in IIT-KGP. It includes mentally harassing junior students and testing their Hall-funda. A commonly used synonym is I.P. (Interaction Period).

Orientation - n. See O.P.

Pact - n. The agreement between Halls to support candidates from other's Hall for a similar support in return.

Pakau - v.t. Boring.

PAN Loop - n. The set of Halls: Patel, Azad and Nehru. The area bounded by them. These were the first to be constructed hence known as Old Campus.

Pain - v.t., v.i. Difficult to do.

Panji - n. A C.G.P.A. in between 5 and 6.

Patel - n. Patel Hall Of Residence and its residents. A senior male students B. Tech. Hall.

P.D. - abbr., n. The Punjabi Dhaba. Located in Gol Bazaar.

Peace - excl., n., v.i., To be tension-free. A tension-free state.

P.P.O. - abbr., n. Pre-Placement Offer. Job offers given by companies before the placement officially begins.

P.P.T. - abbr., n. Pre-Placement Talks. Talks held by companies when they come for selecting students via the placement process.

PremB - n. Prem Bazaar.

Prem Gali - n. The road joining Chemical Engineering and Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture Department.

Presi - n. President of the Gymkhana.

Prof - n. Professor.

P.S.I. - abbr., n. Pehchanane Se Inkaar (Refusing recognition). To ignore someone or to forget deliberately.

P. Team - n. The publicity team formed during [[#S.F.|S.F.]]. 

Ragging - v.t., v.i. To harass junior students of one's institute. Use obsolete in IIT-KGP. More commonly used word is Orientation.

Raman - n. The Raman Auditorium.

Rassa - n. A male research scholar.

Rassi - n. A female research scholar.

R.D.C. - abbr., n. Rural Development Centre. The central office of N.S.S.

Rep - suf., n. Representative.

Reskee - n. Research Scholars.

RGSOIPL - abbr., n. Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law. A Law School in IIT Kharagpur.

R.K. - abbr., n. Radhakrishnan Hall Of Residence. A senior male students B. Tech. Hall.

Room-baap - n. The student(male) who occupied someone's room in the previous year.

Room-maa - n. The student(female) who occupied someone's room in the previous year.

R.P. - abbr., n. Rajendra Prasad Hall Of Residence. A senior male students B. Tech. Hall.

S.A.M. - abbr., n. Sir Ashutosh Mukerjee Hall Of Residence. A hall for management students studying in V.G.S.O.M. Shares same premises with Gokhale Hall.

Satti - n. A C.G.P.A. in between 7 and 8.

Schol - n. Scholarship, usually during Apping.

Scholar's Avenue - n. The road leading from the IIT Main Gate about which most of the Halls are situated. n. The Official Students' Newspaper.

S-Com - n. The Steering Committee of Spring Fest.

Secy - n. Secretary. Usu. of Gymkhana or Halls.

Sem - n. Semester.

Senti - n., v.i. Sentiments. Sentimental.

S.F. - abbr., n. Spring Fest. An annual festival in IIT-KGP when there are plenty of competitions, events and performances by well known artists. Proclaimed as eastern India's biggest festival.

S.G.P.A. - abbr., n. Semester Grade Point Average. An index of a students performance in academics which reflects his performance in a particular semester.

S.M.S.T. - abbr., n. School of Medical Sciences and Technology.

S.N. - abbr., n. Sarojini Naidu Hall Of Residence. A female students B. Tech. Hall. Residents are called SNites.

Soc-n-cult - n. Social and Cultural Activities.

S.Q. - abbr., n. Summer Quater. A special course organized by IIT-KGP for students who fail to clear subjects in previous semesters, so that they need not repeat next year.

S.R.I.C. - abbr., n. Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy

S.T.E.P. - abbr., n. Science and Technology Entrepreneur's Park.

Stud - n. Any student who is good in academics as well as other fields like sports, etc.

Takshashila - n. A complex that houses C.I.C.

Tam - n. Tamil. A Tamil-speaking person.

Tapna - v.t., v.i. Copying assignments or examination answer-scripts from any person.

T.D.S. - abbr., n. Technology Dance Society.

Tech - pre., adj. Technology. An adjective used frequently with anything associated with IIT-KGP.

Tech-mart - n. Technology Market. A market inside IIT-KGP premises.

Tempo - n. Enthusiasm and vigour.

Tempo shout - v.i. To shout in a singing manner "KGP Ka Tempo High Hai". Of KGP or of some similar affiliations like Hall; n. The shout "KGP Ka Tempo High Hai".

T.F.S. - abbr., n. Technology Film Society.

T.H.O.K. - abbr., n. Thick Heads Of KGP. A student of Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering Department.

Tinku - n. An Egg-Poach-Burger. A specialty of Chhedis.

T.O.A.T. - abbr., n. Tagore Open Air Theatre.

Tumpa - abbr., n. Typically Uncivilized Midnaporean People's Association, or Tribal Uncivilized Midnaporean People's Association. People who belong to Midnapur district.

T.S.G. - abbr., n. See Gymkhana.

Tut. - n. Tutorials.

T&P - abbr., n. The Training and Placement section.

Uddu - n. An Oriya-speaking person.

Vegies - n. The Vegies Restaurant. Located on the Scholar's Avenue.

V.G.S. - abbr., n. Vishveshwaraiyya Guest House.

V.G.S.O.M. - abbr., n. Vinod Gupta School Of Management.

Vikramshila - n. One of the recently built academic complex to take over/compliment the role of Main Building.

Volu - n. Volunteer.

Vortex - n. A dance competition between different Halls organized by L.L.R. Hall.

V.P. - abbr., n. Vice President of Gymkhana. A fourth year student.

V.S. - abbr., n. Vidyasagar Hall Of Residence. An M. Tech. Hall.

V.S.R.C. - abbr., n. Vikram Sarabhai Residential Complex. A residential complex for regular M.S. and Ph.D student as well as Assigned Project Scientists. Under S.R.I.C.

W.T.M.S. - abbr., n. Western Technology Music Society.

Z.H. - abbr., n, Zakir Hussain Hall Of Residence. A research scholar Hall.

KEY:
abbr. - Abbreviation
adj. - Adjective
adv. - Adverb
excl. - Exclamation
n. - Noun
pre. - Prefix
suf. - Suffix
usu. - Usually
v.i. - Verb(intransitive)
v.t. - Verb(transitive)

References:

http://ambujsaxena-iitkgp-dictionary.blogspot.in/
http://www.iitfoundation.org/iit/life/slangs.shtml
http://bhavdeep009.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/iit-kgp-lingo/
http://iitlingo.blogspot.in/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_Life_in_IIT_Kharagpur

All about "Purvodaya 2012": Annual business conclave of VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur

When you realize what obstacles really are, you soon realize that you are already empowered enough to get to your dreams, you just have to have an enormous amount of will power. People who make things happen, people who actually make their dreams a reality aren't any better than you, and they just learned how to turn the thoughts and hopes they had into a reality.

It all began with a dream, a vision, which few of the brave hearts of VGSoM had for their college. Days of sweat and storm, opposition from a lot of others still couldn’t undermine their souls and thus was born PURVODAYA. The annual management festival of VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur was incepted this year in November but the seeds of the brilliant idea of having a single business conclave combining the best of “Madison Avenue” and “Saamanjasya” the previous events of VGSoM, were sown much before.

Purvodaya meaning the rise of the East, added another feather in VGSoM’s cap, as the motto of Purvodaya goes Believe, Rise, Achieve. We truly believed, we rose to the occasion and yes we achieved, achievement which goes beyond tangible things but which has lot to do in contributing towards building VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur’s brand as a force to reckon with in the years to come.

Purvodaya comprised of the traditional “Kalaakar Vikas” of VGSoM which had artisans coming from neighboring states to portray their works combined with plethora of events in almost all management domains be it marketing, finance, operations, consulting or entrepreneurship.

Purvodaya began on 2^nd November 2012 with a glistening opening ceremony which had attractions like performance of the Western technology music society. The Director of IIT Kharagpur inaugurated the 2 day affair. After that there was a fun event called Fission for the students in which teams had to multiply Rs.100 to as much as they can in a short span of one hour. The coming two days were packed with events which contributed to the learning and development of not just the participants or organizers but also any person who was even remotely associated with the scheme of things.

In the marketing domain events like Leader’s Challenge which focused on diversification strategy of a product, Beddazled effective use of social media for marketing, Quizzard and Support my school ruled the roost. In finance private equity events Lucri Causa, M&A strategy Synergie and Trading events in form of Bull’s eye were there. Other events Srijan – the B-Plan contest, Goldratts’ cage- operations strategy, Vishleshan-IT Strategy, Ghaasphoos – taking grassroot innovations to a newer level, Shaastharth – Parliamentry debating events were hugely popular. We also had plethora of online events like Wired – promoting a social cause, Shutterbugs – photography contest etc.

In addition to the events there were workshops Anugraha-The entrepreneurship talk, Kaaryashaala– The consulting wokshop and Abhisamaya-The Scope talk.

Purvodaya saw participation from renowned B-Schools of the country like IIMs, IITs, IMT, XIMB and the rest, it was a huge success and reinstated VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur’s image as a leading B-School of the country. Apart from the students, faculties and other people involved in the event a big role for the success of Purvodaya was of the sponsors without whom it could never have reached the scale it did, some of our generous sponsors included State Bank of India, SIDBI, Ministry of Textiles, Tata Steel, Steris, Coca Cola NDTV support my school, Perkins, Rang De, CoolAge, FLIP, The Financial Express and Spykar.

Purvodaya provide the ideal training ground for young managers and future business owners to sharpen their knives, hone their skills and test their wits against their peers before heading out for the actual battle. Apart from the high-intensity clash for supremacy, Purvodaya featured wisdom talks and panel discussions featuring the best from the world of business, eminent academicians and bureaucrats.

The virgin rays of Purvodaya will shine over the eastern skies for times to come and will return next year much bigger and better.

Largest IITs, IIMs in India

This is a comparative study of the areas of the IITs and IIMs in India.This includes the old ones of which campuses have been established. This will give a fair amount of the idea of magnificence associated with these elite temples of learning.

IIT Kharagpur :  2100

IIT BHU: 1300

IIT Kanpur: 1055

IIT Guwahati: 700

IIT Madras:  620 

IIT Bombay: 550

IIT Roorkee: 356

IIT Delhi: 320

IIM Lucknow: 200

IIM Indore: 193

IIM Calcutta: 135

IIM Shillong: 120

IIM Ahmedabad: 106

IIM Bangalore: 100

IIM Kozhikode: 97

(all values in acres) 

(source: Wikipedia)

In addition to the above mentioned IITs and IIMs, there are 8 more new IITs and 6 new IIMs, the campuses of which are under construction and are being run in temporary campuses elsewhere.

The new IITs are situated in (Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Mandi, Ropar, Jodhpur) and new IIMs at (Ranchi, Rohtak, Raipur, Trichy, Udaipur, Kashipur).

Interestingly, Indore becomes the first city to have both IIT and IIM.

The curious case of BLASTS

The largest and the most populated city in India, 6th most populous city in the world, financial capital of India, home to the rich Industrialists the Tatas, the Birlas and the Ambanis and the factory to the largest film industry in the world stood still once again on 13th July 2011 when it faced its 16th terrorist attack in 18 years.

I was at the famous Bandra Bandstand which is the place where King Khan lives and the The Taj Lands’ End(not to be confused with the TajMahal hotel) is situated. The Irony was such being a curious traveller myself I was clicking pictures of almost every interesting thing that came my way, so I clicked the picture of The Taj when I was summoned by one of the cop sitting there, my heart came in my mouth and almost instantly my mind wandered at all the possibilities that could occur.

1.He would snatch my phone and smash it.
2.He would take me with him to the police station.
3.He would give me a third degree.

Gathering courage, I went to him and almost instantly said “Sorry”, but to my surprise in the politest tone possible he just asked me to delete that picture which I had taken and said that no one is allowed to click pictures of hotels after 26/11 incident when the Tajmahal and the Oberoi were attacked. I deleted the picture in front of him and said sorry once again. The time was around 6.30 P.M and ironically at 6.53 P.M the city faced its first major attack after 26/11. I still wonder that, the cop who called me must have also thought about this incident later that day as much as I did, thinking that he let the major catch of his day to go away even without a proper scolding.

Such is the case that blasts now occur in the dream city as though they have been written in its veins, 16 major terrorist attacks since the 1993 Bombay Blasts stand as a testimony to the same. The government keep changing with false promise of peace each time but blasts keep happening not only in Mumbai but also in other parts of the nation.

The terrorist achieve their aim of disturbing the law and order and claiming lives while the only sufferer is the common poor man who has to travel in the city to earn his livelihood. The home minister completes his duty by giving a speech expressing his inability to control the attacks and ministers paying visits to hospitals to show their solidarity and also increase their vote banks.

Few, organizations like NIA, NSG, CBI, CID etc are deployed to probe these which often results in no result and files of these blasts are closed, people forget about the blast when a new one occurs and the vicious cycle goes on endlessly, the only ones remembering these days are the families of the ones killed in blast who have to face the sorrow all over again on the death anniversaries of their near and dear ones.
Had India learnt something from USA which did not gave up after the Manhattan skyline was ripped of its two most spectacular skyscrapers, America raged a war against not just Osama Bin Laden and Taliban but also against the whole terrorist community, had Indian government shown such resentment after 26/11 happened and not made people like Kasab and Afzal its guest feeding on the taxes of those whose relatives they killed, India would have been free of its problem of terrorism by now and Indian people would have walked on the roads oblivion to the fear that the next step could be their last.

Ashes Aussie's Advantage

England have foiled it afresh, ceding their leverage which they had fought so hard for, after romping in the second test match at lords and managing to draw the first one at Cardiff, though Ricky Ponting had alleged that England had cozened it at Cardiff. Whatever the case maybe, Aussies have struck, and they have struck hard this time. With Rain and and bad light playing the spoil sport at Headingly in the third test which was also a draw,Australia have subjugated Englang by winning the fourth one convincingly by an innings and 80 runs.

The stage is equipoise with England & Australia marching in for the fifth and final test at Oval on 20th August with 1-1 score line, getting ready for the humdinger,the most exhilarating test match ever played.

England got the better of Australia in 2005 crushing them 2-1, But they were routed in 2007 5-0,Apart from that win in 2005 England haven't managed to hold the Ashes since 1987. This is the best shot that England have, to hold the coveted urn, because Australia are no longer the team that they used to be 3 years back with the likes of Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Glenn Mcgrath, Damien Martyn retiring in 2007-08.

Also, next time England too would probably lose their stars like Flintoff, Strauss, Collingwood.But,the irony is that Australia just need a draw in the last test to retain the Ashes whereas England need a win. It may seem like a daunting and mammoth task for English but they are undeniably adept and at the back of their mind they too know that this win would not be just another win, It would be the final nail in the coffin of the "great" Australian Cricket team,who have had a bad run of late.A defeat in the last test would push them further down the abyss and would also subside them to third spot in the rankings,thus terminating the kangaroo monopoly over the cricketing world.

My Favourite Story: Trees that wood

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

-Anonymous

Taj Mahal was a HINDU TEMPLE!!!

No one has ever challenged it except Prof. P.N.Oak, who believes the whole world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal: The True Story, Oak says, the Taj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya ).

In the course of his research Oak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. In his own court chronicle, Badshahnama,Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai SIngh for Mumtaz's burial .

The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur still retains in his secret collection two orders from Shah Jahan for surrendering the Taj building. Using captured temples and mansions, as a burial place for dead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers. For example, Humayun,Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions.

Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says the term "Mahal " has never been used for a building in any Muslim countries

from Afghanisthan to Algeria . "The unusual explanation that the term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal was illogical in atleast two respects.

Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani ," he writes.

Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters 'Mum' from a woman's

name to derive the remainder as the name for the building."Taj Mahal, he

claims, is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace . Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale created by court sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy archaeologists . Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time corroborates the love story.

Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city. For example, Prof. Marvin Miller of New York took a few samples from the riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan. European traveler Johan Albert Mandelslo,who visited Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the city in his memoirs. But he makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built. The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of Mumtaz's death, also suggest the Taj was a noteworthy building well before Shah Jahan's time.

Prof. Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies

that support the belief of the Taj Mahal being a typical Hindu temple

rather than a mausoleum. Many rooms in the Taj ! Mahal have remained sealed since Shah Jahan's time and are still inaccessible to the public. Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of Lord Shiva and other objects

commonly used for worship rituals in Hindu temples .. Fearing political

backlash, Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Prof. Oak's book

withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the first edition dire consequences .

There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's research.

The current government should open the sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal under U.N. supervision, and let international experts investigate.

Do circulate this to all you know and let them know about this reality.....

References:

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/taj_oak.html