Solitude, CAT and more arbitrariness

Solitude borne out of laziness has been the theme of the last week, so much so that this shall be my 4th post in a week- one less than than the number I have managed to put together in a year's time.

Even semesters mean festivity in IT-BHU and four-day weeks. Over here, a working day is a relative term as all 'nerds' and 'geeks' in this 'elite' institute will happily testify. Technex-The Annual National Technical Festival (sounds cliched) came and went. Technex has taken gargantuan leaps since I have been here and this year's event appealed even to the author-a person with esoteric tastes.

It is also nice to see the Men in Blue get back to winning ways. They have had a baptism by fire of late and it pains you when the nice men in this world (read Tendulkar and Dravid) come under stick. Another couple of victories and the entire nation is going to go nuts about India's chances at the World Cup. India's time at the world stage will come only when they unearth good wrist spinners, death bowlers and at least a few bricks in the middle order to supplement the 'Wall'. Fielding and youth was the number one priority not long back, and today, only Pakistan can pose a stiff challenge for the tag of the most inept fielding unit.

Logic can be ludicrous in cricket!

In between, I managed to enroll myself, technically speaking, for CAT classes. I don't particularly fancy the odds there but in hindsight, I feel that I have let myself be dragged into that whirlpool which tries to engulf you at the start of a year where every self-respecting third year student has to become career conscious. I think the entire rat race has resulted in absurdity and wierdness unparalleled. However, I must admit that I had fun. Attendance compulsions in my department have meant that I have not sat in a class with single digit strength for a long time. The change was refreshing!

Besides, to hear an 'eccentric Bong' extolling the virtues of my name was enlightening. Coming from a typical middle-class Tamil background, it was embarassing having to own up my ineptitude at the Vedas. I will remain a novice in this field all my life.

There are a couple of people cursing their offspring at this point of time somewhere in this world!

He demeanour was comical to say the least. His gait wouldn't give you the impression of an entertainer but there was something about his demure approach and his tendency to refer to the world of sports in case any clarification was required that fascinated me and had me awestruck. References to Owens, Navratilova, Aldrich, Gower and Boycott are not necessarily the worst way in the world to keep me interested. I fancy that I have an enjoyable year ahead there.

Our comparison with the IITs holds no basis when it comes to the number of selections to IIMs and the reasons are not too difficult to behold. I cannot refrain from taking a jibe at the general intellectual milieu pervading here- a matter of no little concern, but something that will be brushed under the carpet along with the relevance of acads in a year where compensation packages have reached unprecedented heights. The number of quizzes, debates and other intellectual activities are constantly on the wane. Technex didn't even bother with a Quiz this time around. The comparison with IITs is so very obviously being done by short-sighted people.

Is anybody looking at the larger picture? I can only hope that India's economic boom is for ever!