Monday, December 24, 2012

आसमां...

ताकता हूँ जब मैं,
गहरे नीले आसमां में कभी,
खोए हुए कुछ एहसास,
मुझे नज़र आते हैं।

उड़ते आज़ाद पंछियों की,
मदमस्त चाल को देख,
अपने क़ैद होने का ख़याल,
फिर घेर लेता है।

दूर आकाश के परे ,
ना जाने कितने जहान होंगे,
हम कुछ भी तो नहीं,
इस  ब्रहमांड के चक्रव्यहू में,
हमारे जीवन महत्वहीन,
कोई कल्पना होंगे।

किसी कलाकार की , 
जो खेलता रहता है शतरंज,
हम प्यादों से,
और हम खुद को राजा मान,
गुमान करते हैं।

बस एक एहसास भर ही होगा,
यह जीवन किसी जहान में,
अभी शुरू और अभी खत्म ,
हो जाता होगा।

खत्म ही हो जाना है,
यह खेल एक दिन ,
तो क्यों हम इस लघुता का, 
बखान करते हैं।

©HG


Tuesday, December 04, 2012

The 10 best bollywood films of 2012

Here is my pick of the ten best Hindi feature films of 2012 progressing toward the best from number 10. Bollywood churns out almost 200 films each year so selecting the top 10 is a tough task, comments are welcome on this post, if you feel any movie should have been there on this list or regarding the order of rankings.
P.S: There are no spoilers here.

10. London Paris New York
The bizarre premise that two people can become life long lovers in just three meetings spanned over many years is convincingly portrayed in this movie, very subtle in its approach combined with some great music and easy to believe real life dialogues, this film is a must watch. You can find traces of "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" in this which hold a cult status with 100% and 95%  rating on rotten tomatoes respectively.

9. Talaash
This film manages to come on the list due to the power packed performances by its three leads, Aamir Khan is A-class as usual, the real revelation of the movie is Kareena Kapoor who lifts her performance to newer heights. A supernatural thriller that forces the viewer to think but not too much. The dialogues are A class and the portrayal of the Mumbai's night life in obscure corners of the city is top notch.  


8. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
Deliciously sweet, romantic coming of age story, that doesn't nosedives into typical Bollywood clichés, rather it avoids the common stereotypes and go beyond portraying candy floss romance. It surprises you, engages you and tickles your humour bone. Supported by excellent performances from both of its leads, Kareena has shades from her "Jab we Met" avatar.Its much better than Imran Khan previous movies of same genre like "Break Ke Baad" and "I Hate Love Storys".


7. Shanghai
Though not in the league of Dibakar Banerjee previous greats "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye" and "Khosla Ka Ghosla" the film still is better than "Love Sex aur Dokha" which was a disappointing affair. A political drama set in an imaginary city, the film is held up by the excellent performances and a tight grip over the screenplay, Emraan Hashmi is fast moving into quality cinema and he proves this yet again. Abhay Deol, Farookh Sheikh and Supriya Pathak are top notch.


6. English Vinglish
Sridevi's comeback film makes you think that, how much film industry has missed her after her marriage. The film occasionally goes overboard in mother-daughter relationship but depicts very well the plight of a common housewife who is often treated nothing more than a cook for a family due to her English language impediment. The film manages to leave a smile on your face.


5. Vicky Donor
MTV's Ayushman Khurana marks an entry into bollywood with the sweet and charming Vicky donor, very humorous and entertaining with dollops of Punjabi masala and Bengali Sweetness, this one benefits a lot from its supporting cast including the nagging mother, the whiskey drinking grandmother and the crazy doctor Anu Kapoor. It also packs a sweet little message without hurtling it across your face.


4. Paan Singh Tomar
The best dacoit film probably after Bandit Queen, this one makes your heart go out for Irrfan Khan in his role of Paan Singh. Tigmanshu Dhulia yet again establishes his master class and depicts how much command he has over the nuances of the hindi speaking belt and the real India which lives in villages. This film also makes you wonder about the many lost heroes of Indian Sport who are forces by the circumstances to lead an obscure life.


3. Kahaani
The story is the king here, Vidya Balan shines in it yet again after "The Dirty Picture", she makes every film she does look like a women centric film and overshadows every other character in the movie. Packed with twists and turns and brilliant portrayal of the City of Joy, this one is a must watch, one of the best thrillers from Bollywood in a long time. No doubt "Nomoskar Ek Minute" acquired a cult status in popular culture. 


2.Gangs of Waseeypur (Part 1 & 2)
Gangs of Wasseypur could not be treated as two movies because it is one gory. bloody revenge saga that spans almost 60 years in time. It is made into two movies purely because of its length. Written and executed intelligently by Anurag Kashyap who is India's answer to Tarantino this one packs subtle humour too. So many great performances in these two parts but the ones that stand out are by Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin and most importantly Tigmanshu Dhulia who shows he is not just a great director but a brilliant actor as well. Watch it for the vision of a man who manages to immerse you for over 5 hours in his epic saga that establishes Hindi cinema's brilliance.


1. Barfi
Like the sweet Indian Snack, Barfi is so delicious, heart warming, funny, emotional and entertaining at the same time, that you can't stop wonder how can such a good movie actually be made in Bollywood. No doubt it came under scanners over its plagiarism charges, leave that aside its a perfect film which doesn't makes you sympathize with the disabled but rather celebrates their disability and doesn't treat them different from the rest of the people. Packed with scores of sweet moment, its hard to pick the best among the three main leads of the movie, but for me it has to be Ileana D'Cruz. The city of Darjeeling and Kolkata has been so beautifully depicted that you can't wait to go there yourself. Watch the brilliant scene and the expressions of "Shruti" when "Jhilmil" calls out to "Barfi" from the window of "Muskaan". that truly was the defining moment of the film. This one goes beyond ratings and box office collections and also does great work in establishing Ranbir Kapoor as the star of the future.


Saturday, December 01, 2012

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)


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Tata Steel Ideation Contest

# This post is created as requirement for MIS Course,Autumn Semester,VGSoM Batch of 2014, which will serve as a dual role of entry to the Tata Steel Ideation Contest and Assignment # 4 for the course

#This assignment was solved jointly by Happy Garg (12BM60103) and Shehzad Karkhanawala (12BM60065)

Objective:

Tata Steel is looking for an original idea that will use any aspect of digital technology (cloud, mobile, Android, IoS etc ) to create a application or platform that can be integrated with the strategic management requirements of the company. Since this is an ideation contest, no software need to be built but paper must contain the following sections.

  1. Identify a need or a gap in the current management architecture of Tata Steel. Information available in the public domain can be used for this purpose.
  2. Propose a solution that will show how the current gap can be closed or narrowed significantly
  3. If possible give examples where a similar solution has or is being implemented.
  4. List benefits -- economic or otherwise -- that will accrue to the company if it is implemented. Also identify potential problems or difficulties that need to be guarded against.
  5. Provide  rough estimate of costs including people costs that the company would have to incur as a one time expense and as a regular expense.

The Solution which was required to be submitted as a presentation is as below:



Thursday, November 15, 2012

Movie Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan


Rating: 3/5

Needing 4 runs to complete a career average of a perfect 100 in Test Cricket, Don Bradman fell for a duck in his final innings. Eternal romance weaver Late. Yash Chopra Ji's swan song felt the same.

Jab tak hai jaan reeks of old scripts, it’s like a big crossword to locate the references to other Yash Raj movies. It borrows elements from Dil to Pagal Hai in Anushka’s character similar to Karishma Kapoor, the dance sequence Ishq Shava, Silsila in conversations of the two leading ladies, Daag  in the way Katrina comes back into Shahrukh’s life, Kabhi Kabhi and Zindagi na milegi dobara in the way Katrina comes to look for her fugitive mother played by Neetu Singh, the theme of the movie is reminiscent of Veer Zaara in which lovers sacrifice their years for each other’s well being  and the way Katrina doesn’t marry like Preity Zinta’s character in Veer Zaara.

Also one could find tit bits from English movies like Fifty first dates and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind in this.

The film is based on the threadbare premise of a promise to God which becomes the basis of the entire conflict just like Rab ne bana di jodi where again the almighty played a major role in deciding the fate of love and literally so. The British police allowing a common man to diffuse a bomb while being mute spectators themselves and an accident which happens twice seem unconvincing.

Jab tak hai jaan belongs to Shahrukh Khan who single handedly uplifts the flawed script through his never ending charm, animated emotions and his eyes which speak through unwritten verses. He delivers aces after the other in perfect romanticized resonance in one scene and with a hard to handle stubborn army men in other. The emotions of the unrequited love conveyed by his character of Major Samar Anand are surreal and reminds of his star performance from Devdas. His ability to handle related roles with different emotions and expressions speak volumes about his class.

Brand Shahrukh Khan was build over the years through great scripts like Darr, Bazigar, DDLJ, KKHH, K3G and more, and now filmmakers are using that brand power, charisma and acting genius to steer forward average scripts like RNBDJ, OSO and JTHJ.

The other highlight of the movie is the crackling chemistry between Katrina and Shahrukh, which also marks the first on screen kiss of Shahrukh Khan after 20 years. But, they don’t seem out of place in this movie. Anushka Sharma also does her role of a happy go lucky girl who falls for Major Samar, with utmost élan and confidence. The incredibly tight screenplay of the movie also keeps you engaged throughout the film. Watch for the brilliance of Yash Ji who infests likeableness and his magic touch to the entire film which helps the audience to look beyond the shortcomings here and there.

The songs are melodious and go well with the script but they easily won't be rated among the best works of either Rahman or Gulzar. The cameos of Rishi Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Neetu Singh and Sarika are well put and add dimensions and weight to the storyline and help it move forward.

The use of the title song in the ending credits which was supposed to be shot in Swiss Alps is brilliant and a fitting tribute to the maestro.

Overall, it would be a treat for Shahrukh’s fans, me being one of them, because he can make any ordinary film seem extra ordinary and that’s not just because of his star persona but through his unmatched acting calibre and years of industry experience. At even the age of 46 he gives run for money to the younger generation with his magnetic charisma.

Watch Jab tak hai jaan as a romantic saga without paying much heed to the lapses, you will definitely find it endearing. Think of it as poetry on celluloid allowing for generous bits of poetic freedom.


Sunday, November 11, 2012

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 2nd 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.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Student support system: IIT Kgp

#this post is created as a requirement for Assignment # 2 Implement and Deploy a Business Application which is due on 20th October 2012, MIS Course, VGSoM Batch of 2014, Autumn Semester.
#screenshots have been added to aid the user or the evaluator



Business Problem:

Creating a support system for students of IIT Kharagpur where they can raise tickets which will go to the concerned authorities for solving.

Software Evaluated:

Open web messenger
Dolibarr
OrangeHRM
Trellis Desk
osTicket
HESK

Why did you select the particular software:

I started my project with a child's sense of curiosity, I wanted to evaluate a number of software packages, even If they didn't look much towards solving my problem.

Problem Faced: The X2 cpanel was allowing for at max 2 project installation at a time in the free version so had to delete the data for the evaluated softwares after testing them out.

Experience with other Softwares:

Open web Messenger: It is a live chat software, whereas I wanted a system in which messages can be sent by students and can be seen by admins at a later point also.

Dolibarr: Its a very detailed software package, in which several modules can be added and also third party contacts can be managed, it was way too detailed for a simple problem that I wanted to solve, I added a few modules in it but did not go beyond that.

OrangeHRM: Going by the name I was sure that it is not for the problem that I wanted to solve but wanted to explore an Human Resource Management software so installed it, It is a complete repository of all kinds of HR activities like Timesheet, applying leaves, recruitment mode etc.

Trellis Desk: Moved on to customer support systems to solve my problem, I first evaluated Trellis Desk, Its look and feel was good, but it was difficult to configure on admin perspective.

osTicket: It was a very simple ticket managing tool, but features such as category adding, extra fields in ticket requesting were missing, also it was giving some problems in sending the email with the error : #unable to load template.

HESK: finally I choose HESK because it suited all my requirements, It was simple to configure and it had knowledge bases and categories along with other things, it had these additional features.

1. One can create as many categories he wants.
2. Canned Response which allows you to pre create most responses and store them.
3. File attachments in queries and replies.
4. Knowledge Bases for storing related articles.
5. Anti-Spam checks.
6. Rating of articles.
7. Anti Spam check while submitting a ticket.
8. E-mail notifications for new tickets and responses.
9. Option of customising "Submit a Ticket" field.
10. Option to search your pre logged ticket.
11. Unlimited personal accounts for staff.
12. Simple interface for user and admin.
13. Auto closing of tickets after X days.
14. Assigning individual permissions to all users by admin.
15. Lets the admin see the reports for a particular period.


Customizations done in the software

1. I created 9 categories in which student can register a complaint or raise a ticket namely, more categories can also be added
General
Hostels
Mess
Academics
Department
Fests
Gymkhana
Grievances
Guest House.


2. Added extra fields in student ticket registration like:
Gender
Hall of Residence
Course
Year
Contact Number



3. Created a category head for each user and assigned individual permissions to those,however did not assign direct admin status to any of those, designed it in a way that each query would come to main admin first which is me and then I can assign it to any category head.


4. Created a few canned responses which would be sent to student for ease of the category heads.

5. Added few knowledge articles, many more related articles can be added to it.( citation: wikipedia.com)


6. Updated admin profile and configured it in a way that mails go to particular admin ID only.



7. Being an admin I can change the ticket in many ways:
Assign the ticket to any category head.
Delete, modify, close the ticket.
Change priority of the ticket.
Search for a ticket according to various categories.
See the tickets in waiting, new, replied, resolved, on hold and progress categories.

Link to the working application


To login as a admin click on Go to Administration panel on the bottom of the page and enter the following
Admin Login ID: admin
Admin Password: adminpass



The greatest advice ever

"GEETA SAAR...From GOD to YOU"




Sunday, October 14, 2012

लफ्ज़...


क़ैद से हो गये हैं लफ्ज़,
मेरे कलम की स्याही में,
पूछ रहे हैं मुझसे,
मेरा वजूद, मेरी पहचान.

कहा मैने लफ़्ज़ों से,
मुझे यूँ दगा ना दो,
नया नया शायर हूँ मैं,
ऐसी सज़ा ना दो.

वजूद और पहचान,
तो बाकी है बनाना,
थोड़ा साथ दो तुम मेरा,
तो हो जाए यह काम आसान.

लफ्ज़ सकुचाए,
थोड़ा मुस्कुराए,
थोड़ा इतराए,
और मुझसे बोले.

कहते यही सब शायर हैं,
फिर जाते हैं भूल,
अपनी ही बातों पे उनकी,
पड़ जाती है धूल.

तुम भी तो क़ैद करोगे,
अपनी नज़्म की बंदिश में,
जी लेने दो मधुर प्रवाह में,
जब तक ज़िंदा हैं.

लफ़्ज़ों का अभिमान देख,
थोड़ा मैं घबराया,
फिर मैने बड़ी निपुड़ता से,
उनको यह समझाया.

लफ़्ज़ों का मोल नहीं है,
स्याही के  तरण ताल में,
उनकी सही पहचान तो है,
किसी कविता के मायाजाल में.

लफ़्ज़ों का है बड़ा महत्व,
उसकी तुम पहचान करो,
लफ़्ज़ों की भाषा इस जग में,
तीखा तेज प्रहार है.

यही लफ्ज़ बन जाते अक्सर,
फूलों का उपहार  ,
यही लफ्ज़ रखते हैं खुद में,
तलवार की धार .

लफ्ज़ हंसकर बोले,
तुम जीते हम हारे,
पर तुम हो शायर नादान,
नहीं है तुम्हे गुमान.

होती नहीं लफ़्ज़ों के बस में,
संसार को बदलने की कुव्वत,
यह तो कवि की कल्पना हैं,
शायर का ख्वाब हैं.

कवि ही देता है लफ़्ज़ों को,
पंखों की उड़ान,
हम पर तू निर्भर ना रह,
बना खुद तू अपना मकाम.

©HG


Tuesday, October 09, 2012

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.


Friday, October 05, 2012

That thing called love...

#wrote it at 2 A.M just before going to sleep before my last midsem exam in first semester MBA at IIT Kharagpur

In my dreams intoxicated,
I have found you in many shades,
In many colours
And many songs,
In timeless eternity, 
and ruthless desires...

Where I have found you smiling, 
At our lives which suddenly went by,
Uncontrolled by our presence,
Oblivion to our demands...

But still they yielded,
Truths which were unknown,
Life which was meant to be,
Wasted without your presence...

Time which was never meant to be with you,
Our fates have bought us here,
To celebrate our togetherness,
Our joys and sorrows,
Share our smiles and pain,
Be one in duality,
Yet be twice as powerful...

So that our companionship,
Transcends the petty issues,
That surround the people and the world,
And be intertwined in each other thoughts,
So that it’s not possible to separate us,
And forever we,
bind in, 
That thing called LOVE....

©HG


Saturday, September 29, 2012

I think of you...

#wrote this poem in 2010, just sitting idle, reflecting on people in my life, reflecting on love, my friends, foes and many more...

On some lonely nights,
When stars lose their light,
To the moon so bright,
I think of you...

Blinded by your dreams,
Caught in your arms,
Trapped is my soul and,
I think of you...

On some mornings,
When the birds chirp around,
And the sun goes high,
I think of you...

Thinking of your smile,
The day goes fine,
But when it gets dusky,
I think of you...

Often in my sadness,
Always in my happiness,
You are there with me and,
I think of you...

Sometimes when I lose faith,
And my trust goes blind,
On the people of this world,
I think of you...

Sometimes like a wind,
Sometimes like a storm,
Your memories hit me and,
I think of you...

In my dreams and in my being,
In my pain and in my relief,
In my lives and in my deaths,
I think of you,
I think of you...

©HG


Monday, September 24, 2012

ना जाने क्यों

ना जाने क्यों
वो पुराने दिन,
बीते हुए पलछिन,
खोई हुई यादें,
टूटे हुए वादे,
सोए हुए सपने,
कुछ पराए, कुछ अपने,
याद आते हैं...

मन की गलियों से गुज़रते कभी,
अक्सर हमे तड़पाते हैं,
एक नशा, एक मदहोशी,
एक गहरी खामोशी,
बेचैन कर देना वाला,
एक अनंत शोर,
वो छोड़ जाते हैं.
कभी हम साथ थे,
हाथो में हाथ थे,
गहरी नीली आँखों में उनकी,
हमारे दिन, हमारी रात थे...

फिर क्या हुआ जो चले गये,
छोड़ कर बीच मजधार में,
एक इनकार में,
कभी ना वापस आने के,
एक अनकहे करार में...

आस अभी तक बाकी है,
वो चले गये,
पर उनका,
एहसास अभी तक बाकी है...

दिल को बहुत समझाते हैं,
जाने वाले कभी आते नहीं,
नादिया के दो किनारे,
कभी मिल पाते नहीं,
टूटे हुए काँच के टुकड़े
कभी जुड़ पाते नहीं |

दिल फिर भी नादान है,
जाने क्या गुमान है,
संसार के इन नियमो से वो,
अग्यात है, अंजान है.
वो अब भी चाहता है,
संजोना कुछ यादें,
निभाना कुछ वादे,
देखना कुछ सपने,
जिनमे धूंड सके वो,
कुछ पराए, कुछ अपने...

जो खो गये हैं उन पलछिनों में,
बीते हुए दिनो में,
और कर गये हैं दिल को,
पारेशान और स्तब्ध,
लाचार और निशब्द,
ना जाने क्यों...

©HG


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Forgotten lines...

#wrote this poem in 2010 in the college canteen, for someone who said to me that I never write poems for her. I did not archived this poem then in my collection, an year later she posted this poem as her Facebook status. Ironically, I could not recall that it was the same poem that I had written earlier. I wrote the second paragraph at that time as an explanation to this situation that words might be forgotten or they might not be there at all, but the feelings are always the same...


When words are not enough to express,
And I fail to impress,
Never think I don’t love you,
Coz it’s not about loving you,
It’s about loving my own self,
With the air of purity you gave,
In my life and made it beautiful,
Let me drenched in your everlasting fragrance,
Like dew drops settle on leaf buds,
Settle on my emotions, my heart,
For the time immemorial...

I might forget the words,
But feelings never change,
Words are just a medium to convey,
Might not be enough to take your heart away,
Don’t go by my words;
Some words are said in a fray,
Don’t go by my deeds,
Some deeds are done astray,
Don’t go by my heart,
Coz it may stop beating someday,
Remember the time we spent,
And Hope those memories never end.

©HG