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)