The TimePass of India

I met my Bandodkar* friends today - Rohit gadre, Omkar Godbole, Chetanya Athale. There is something really cool about our friendship! Cant put my finger on it, but I always feel so refreshed when I meet them!

Let me describe this crazy bunch-

Rohit Gadre: One of my best friends. Amazingly witty…He can make you laugh even while you are cutting an Onion….well…er..bad example..really really bad example. What I mean is - tht he is damn funny! He is well informed on almost every subject and can comment on any topic under the sky.He is so candid about everything tht u cant help laughing. Hes extremely shy and takes ages to open up to you(hes like me in this respect). Does not believe in over exerting(so unlike me). If he wants it, he believes he will get it! The best part is tht he lets me win any two player games we play - and acts like he lost coz I was too good for him…I enjoy it nevertheless

Omkar Godbole: Hello! Arshat? Ha ganit solve kar!(thts Marathi for - try and solve this maths problem). I remember we used to spend hours on phone discussing Physics and Maths problems(this was way back in 11th and 12th…I dont remember doing this in Engg.). Has got the most amazing memory…he can memorise phone nos., mobile nos., what the heck, he can even memorise cheat codes!!? I guess,he should be the brand ambassador for “konkanasth Brahmins” if they ever want one!

Chetanya Aathle: Hes into Aeronautical engg., so we have a lot to talk about(Since I am in mech, and mech and aero are pretty similar…Actually they are sisters or should we call them brothers coz these branches are so masculine). He is pretty cool too! You must listen to him while he narrates his experiences in Air India(he is a trainee there). He has a lot of info on ATRs, 737s, Hangars, aviation fuel, canteen, carrom, F1,etc. etc. A man for all seasons!

P.S. Some more data on the crazy bunch!

Rohit is doing MSc in botany…Omkar has completed his IT engg frm Vivekanand…Chetanya has to give his final exams

*B.N.Bandodkar is a college in Thane. Had the best time of my life there! Wish we could always be together!

We saw S@L (Shootout at Lokhandwala, pls excuse the engg. lingo!)

The censorship in India is funny… Take for instance this movie we saw….. By now everyone who was born after 1975(Sholay A.D.) should know tht there is a song in the movie which goes- “We are the bhais….we are the bhais!!”

I know this song byheart(amazing isnt it? I can never byheart answers, but songs-they are on the tip of my tongue!). How did I byheart the song? I didnt ! It plays so many times on Radio Mirchi tht it just stuck!There are some words used in the song which most people would find objectionable-for eg-

“Bhai hoon main bhai koi fikar na kar, uske maa ki uske bhen ki jo dekhe idhar!”

Now this is objectionable. Censor this if you want. But no…this song plays on every radio station in its full glory.

Here is the interesting bit- When the song was played in the movie the lyrics were changed to-

“Bhai hoon main bhai koi fikar na kar, uski aise uski taise jo dekhe idhar”

I choose to watch an A-rated movie. But I have no control what they telecast on Radio. Shouldnt the song tht plays on the Radio be censored? Why censor the song in the movie? I mean Vivek Oberoi plays a gangster…he has the license to swear! Strange are the ways of the Censorboard!!!

P.S. I have nothing against the song. Infact I find it really cool!

Its 11:30 in the night. I have an exam tomorrow. Its the last exam of my engg. life…

I have been studying for nearly 10 hrs daily for the last 20 days. Guess you have to pay a price for not preparing right from the start of the Sem. All those budding enggs, take note.

You will be reading the posts of a full-fledged Engineer from tomorrow onwards….

signed… Almost Engineer!

Update:Due to a power cut last night I was not able to publish this post…I wanna swear,but I guess I am in too good a mood to do tht. Exams got over today. Engineering is over……….

Ever wondered how these profs set the question papers? well this is how-
Prof 1:There is no fun in our life!
Prof 2:(disinterested) ya!
Prof 1:Can we do something to make it interesting?
Prof 2:(disinterested)Nope
Prof 1:yes we can! What do you say we set a really difficult paper for sem 8 students? Isnt tht FUN?!! I know…we can set the complete paper out of syllabus
Prof 3 overhears the conversation
Prof 3: You know,setting questions out of the syllabus is not allowed in mumbai university
Prof 1:Who cares??
Prof 3:If you set such a paper you will be thrown out of the University
Prof 1: er..on second thought…maybe tht is not so much fun…I know…we can set questions which are least expected by the student fraternity…Or maybe we will twist the easy questions in such a way tht they become unsolveable…or/and we could have some critical data missing in the problem so tht students waste time racking their brains…are you with me Prof 2?
Prof 2:(disinterested)ya
Prof 1:are you with me Prof 3?
Prof 3:I dont think thts very smart…Prof 2? you approve of this plan?
Prof 2: (disinterested)whatever!

RAC was a not so good…Last 3 papers to go!

If only I could write exams The Calvin Way…I have been studying quite a lot lately….Fed up…totally…My only respite is Seinfeld and Friends(Its been repeated so many times,I know the dialouges byheart…). Still no cable at my place…Some leaked signals make way to my TV…The quality aint tht good,but beggars cant be choosers(no reference,but what the heck?)

As most of you know,my PL is on…PL means Preparatory leave…(kitne bar bataoon yaar?)…Since I dont “prepare” tht much in the leave, I spend most of the time thinking about the economic policies implemented by the planning commission and the allocation to education and health services by the Ministry of coal… er…well actually, I spend my time thinking what my mom’s gonna make for dinner!

So, in one of my day-dreaming spells, I was wondering- who have been the profs I was really afraid of…

1.Prof Rane:Was the most afraid of him…Now he more like a friend…a friend who keeps us entertained by his views on life,college and Suril…

2.Prof Raul:Still afraid of him…And will always be…That is one reason why I didnt attend his lectures …Also I guess he is the Prof. who choose to teach the worst subjects…Machine Drawing,Mechanical Vibrations,FEA etc…Btw, Raul sir is Rahul Bhat’s fav prof…Actually its the other way round…Rahul Bhat is Raul’s fav student…

3.Prof. Chauhan: He is pretty jolly,but sometimes loses his cool…I guess he is very unpredictable…

4.Prof.Bhonsale: The silent types…Commands respect…The atmosphere changes as soon as he enters the room…Have seen him get angry once…SCARY…very SCARY!!!

5.Prof Jadhav:The toughest and meanest prof in town…He should have been in the Indian Army…His sense of discipline was very much like Major Ranjit Singh Rathore(why do these majors have two surnames??)

Well, after the war tht I have had with this MIT guy (go back two posts), I was wondering whether we at SP had the best Profs. in the coll…Now I feel they were really good…I mean SP probably has the most approachable profs in town…

I remember,when I had took ill (back in sem4)…I missed almost all the practicals/tutorials and lectures toh I never really care to attend…Every Prof was so pissed off….they were all so eager to fail me… I was frustrated and almost thought of quitting engg.

My friends will tell you tht I dont give up tht easy…But this time,it was different…

This is when I approached my prof-Prof. Bade…I asked him to talk to the profs who were really angry at me… Bade sir did talk to them…I dont know how much of an effect it had on those profs but the fact tht someone was on my side helped..

I always wanted to tell him this- Thanks for being there!

I have no cable at my home…This is coz my sis will be giving med CET this year and there is some unwritten rule in my house tht whenever some important exam approaches,the cablewallah will be denied his birthright of playing those 1980s movs(tht too scratched cds)

So, nowadays,its just me and the radio…

I am not much of a hindi song lover,but this song is just going on and in my head

Woh Ajnabee… [mov-TRAIN]

woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee
Figure it out

[Aisa koi mujhko mil gaya hai sathiya
Jise dekhkar bhooli sari duniya]2

[Woh Ajnabee 2
Jo dekhe door se
A dekhu mein usko hi o usko hi
Abb sab kuch bhool ke ]2

A Dhadkan dhadkan ya saason mein
Raatein raatein ya khwaabon mein
Sapne sapne wohi to hai
Yeh bata dun mein use

Shaame shaame ya subhoh mein
Shaamil shaamil woh har pal mein
Har dum har dum woh baatoon mein
Mere rahi hai kahin

woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee

[Abb aisa usse jud gaya hai silsila
Wohi woh nazar aaye mujhko har jagah]2

A aaa zindagi hai Roshan hui
Hai uske noor se
Dil ko sacchi kushi Hasil hui
Hai uske Ishq Se

Mujhko abb har ghadi o har ghadi
Uska hi surroor hai
Dekhe woh usko hi haan usko hi
Aankhe majboor hai

A Dhadkan dhadkan ya saason mein
Raatein raatein ya khwaabon mein
Sapne sapne wohi to hai
Yeh bata dun mein use

Shaame shaame ya subhoh mein
Shaamil shaamil woh har pal mein
Har dum har dum woh baatoon mein
Mere rahi hai kahin

woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee

[Usko paaye paya mene sara jahan
Rab usko na karna naa kabhi bhi juda]2

o ooo abb bandagi shaamil hui
Hai mere jist mein
Dil ko sacchi kushi Hasil hui
Hai uske Ishq Se

Mujhko abb har ghadi o har ghadi
Uska hi surroor hai
Dekhe woh usko hi haan usko hi
Aankhe majboor hai

A Dhadkan dhadkan ya saason mein
Raatein raatein ya khwaabon mein
Sapne sapne wohi to hai
Yeh bata dun mein use

Shaame shaame ya subhoh mein
Shaamil shaamil woh har pal mein
Har dum har dum woh baatoon mein
Mere rahi hai kahin

woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh Woh Ajnabee
woh Ajnabee 5
woh woh ajnabee

Download the song HERE

Other interesting reads

Zombie

Schlumberger

The last time table…

22 May-RAC (Refigeration and air conditioning)

26 May-SCM (Supply Chain Mgmt)

31 May-DMS (I dont remember…something like Design… )

5 June-IE/ERP (very long long form…)

Bas itna hi…

I was reading some blogs yesterday,when I came across this line…”I want the money…I want to achieve financial freedom…I want to feel the wind in my hair…” …something like tht…

All of us want money and are willing to work hard for it…There’s only one problem,by the time most of us achieve financial freedom, we reach tht age where we are left with no hair…There is wind but you aint got any hair…

Talking about hair,had a conversation with Suril,Hiren and Avinash…Avinash was sharing his experience about some ayurvedic oil which helped him reduce his hairfall…I found it odd tht so many guys were interested to know about this wonder drug(me included)…All of us belonged to the same club…All of us had hair problems…
I dont know about other courses,but engg. leads to rapid hairloss(I got exihibits to prove my case)…There are so many friends(most of them engineers) who are in the process of achieving complete baldness.
I think if Mumbai University decides to prepare a ad campaign for its courses in engg. it will have the tagline - “From SRK to anupam Kher in 4 yrs”

Its been 4 yrs…most of us have attractive salaries today…But all this at the cost of our health…
What have we really achieved?? 25K cant bring back my thick black locks…

I dont feel 18 any more…Tht maybe coz I am 22…But I dont even feel 22…
I have lost a lot of hair…There was a time when they said I had hair like a bear…There were some female friends who felt I copied SRK’s hairstyle…Actually its the other way round(tht will remain SRK’s dirty little secret…He will never admit it,I am sure…)I wanted a hairstyle like John Stamos(remember Full House..?)Now i know thts a little difficult…
I like my hair…I dont wanna loose them…I promised myself tht after engg. I ll take proper care of my hair…But from what I hear,life after engg. is more hectic…makes me wanna reconsider joining my co.-Siemens.

I wanna do something where I have time for myself…Wanna do something where I achieve financial freedom before I achieve baldom…

Wanna feel the wind in my hair while they last…

Read in the papers today tht Slinga Malinga has got the coveted(?) award of being the sexiest cricketer…

What? What about Murali? Those eyes speak a thousand words…more so when they pop out when he is bowling

What about Dwayne Leverock?…size mattered the last time I checked…

And what about our own doodh-loving mama’s boy - Sehwag? So what if his hairline is receding faster than his popularity…

Well I thought if these guys in the media can do some tp(timepass,kitne baar batana padega?),so can I…
Here is my tp..er..list of Top 5 sexiest cricketers…

1.Sourav Ganguly: Has to be him…I might be a little partial here since he is my fav…But if u have any doubts about he being sexy #1 ,check him swinging his shirt in the Lord’s balcony…lol
Sexy here would be his persona,his attitude,his leadership skills…The last time we looked like world-beaters was when he was the captain…

2.Shane Bond: The name is Bond…Shane Bond…Just one word for him..Refreshing…The only player who can be called more refreshing than him in world cricket ever has to be Ajay Jadeja
Shane Bond’s endearing smile helps him appear on my list at #2…Smiles a lot,doesnt he?

3.Brett Lee: If theres anyone in the Australian team whom I like and is worth mentioning on my list,it has to be Lee…
Boyish charm is his territory…The only guy who can challange Lee in this dept. would be Afridi,but I guess he lost hold when he grew a stubble…
Observation:Its difficult to look boyish in a stubble…

4.Stephen flemming: He oozes style…He doesnt try hard…Infact he doent even try…but stil looks the part.He is a guy whom even older women will fancy.One word…Handsome

5.Tie-Mahela Jayawardene and Lara:both are serene,non-intimidating,cool kind of guys…Good captains…One word - Buddha

I had a lot of time on my hands and couldnt think of a topic,so this post…

P.S.-I am straight…

Now tht I stay at my home in Mulund for the PL(prepatory(?) leave),you can expect me to blog more…This also means the Quality of the posts is going to come down(not tht it was very high to start with)

In other words….you are gonna get more crap than you ordered for!!

The best feeling in the world is to prove the world wrong!

-Arshat chaudhary

This post is important for all those guys who want to know how achievers think…

There is a girl in my class who got selected for the interview at Schlumberger..
There are very few girls whom I rate so highly…She was in a bit of dilemma(or so I thought)…
She has two companies in her kitty already…SLB would be the third if she makes it…
She has a score of 1480 in GRE…and A GPA of over 8.0…This guarantees a seat in the best univ. in the US
She scored 99.32% in CET this yr..This makes her elligible for Jamnalal Bajaj(one of the top coll in the country)
She was a merit ranker in SSC
She is a NTSE topper(tht makes her one of the best in the country)

I asked her if she was confused with so many choices to make…
She: Not at all…
Me: So what do you plan to do after BE?
She: Job,obviously!
Me: Then why give GRE,CET?
She: To make a point!!
Me: To make a point??Whom do you wanna make a point to???
She: To my parents…To my friends

Why does she feel like tht??Hasnt she made a point already??

She has made many points!! She has made a line!!
Still she cant let go!!

Why cant people let go? Relax a little…enjoy the scenery…lift the foot off the pedal a bit??

After all that we have achieved we still want to prove a point…

Hope one day we can start living for ourselves…

P.S.-This post is not to prove her right or wrong…This post is to give the readers a insight into the minds of the best in the city
Btw,I endorse her view…but cant help feeling guilty in the process.

I guess we were not just born to kick butt,top every exam,crack every interview…

I hope there is a day in my life when satisfaction would overcome desire…Waiting for that day…

Pls read THIS post on SLB to understand kya jhool chalu hai

As expected,Deepak made it…So did Jagruti…The following guys did not make it-Rahul Bhat,Sameer,Supriya and above all(heh heh)me!
You could say I am in good company(no pun intended)…
————————————————————-

Along with this post I would also like to share this experience…

Now as most of you would know,Sclumby was a dream company…majorly coz it had an enormous package(7.5 lacs)
When I was at their corporate office,I met a petroleum engineer from MIT pune…He was currently placed in Singapore in some company(whose name I dont remember) This company is Schlumby’s competitor and pays him 20 lac Indian rupees per annum….

He was here at SLB to give an interview.SLB was ready to pay him more than the current co he was in.

Now,MIT is an average college…with average students…Still they managed a salary tht would make grown-up men cry…
He was not very happy though…

“In this industry you get a lot of money,but you dont get time…”

Still,he couldnt let go of the money.After earning about 40 lacs for the last 2 yrs he still yearned for more…

Here he was at SLB,ready to slog…maybe for the last time…or maybe not…

Maybe money is the most important thing life…or maybe not…

Remember the farewell I wrote about(I am hoping against hope that you read my blog regularly…)

Well the video is available for download….HERE

Its a 68 Mb file…but trust me(a little difficult,I know) its worth every byte…

Update: The YOUTUBE link is here…Now enjoy the video in streaming…

Dear Reader…Pls read this post if you are in Engg…If you are not in engg.,better not read this coz…coz…well…coz it will sound like crap!(Not tht my other posts sound any better)

All this time in engg. I had wondered what was the Black book all about??(I hope you have seen those Black Books in the Library…If you have been to the library that is!!)
Kab woh din aayega jab mein black book submit karoonga??
Guess what? woh din aa gaya!
Have my Project vivas this thursday…

Had to dedicate atleast one post for the project we did(did??) in the last yr of engg.

Our topic is supposed to be”modeling the supply chain“

This project was to be completed within the last 1 year…we did it in the last 1 day…actually last 3 days…

After a lot of copying and pasting,we finally completed the Hurculean task…

I only have to get the binding and the embossing done.Once tht is done we will be free from the clutches of our guide…I am so gonna miss him.NOT!

This post is just to tell you that you have to watch this movie…CITY OF GOD

Dont miss it if its your friends wedding(and dont tell me ABHI-ASH are your friends)

Dont even miss it if its your own wedding(and DONT tell me you are ABHI or ASH…)

In short…one of the best movies of its times,dont miss it!!
Guess its on at Huma(kanjurmarg) 8.30 pm

Read this hilarious post by greatbong here

Heheheha…ROTFL

Have a look at the counter that I have placed on my side bar….Scroll down….down….below Meta….

Yeah tht pink number….It shows a four digit no….doesnt it?

Thanks to you readers I have completed 1000 hits…..Not that I get a prize for completing 1000 hits or anything….Its just tht it feels good tht there are people who take time out to read my ramblings….

It feels even better when you dont have high expectations….When you are on the wrong side of Murphy,you dont have high expectations(read here what Murphy thinks about me…)

I started this blog on Jan 19…..its been 3 months ….90 days….1000 hits….You do the math…

Thanks for being there guys! Keep reading….

When the farewell got over,I felt a void…as if a part of me was missing…a sense of loss…still there was a sense of satisfaction….a sense of achievement…There was a time when I wanted to quit…now here I was….almost engineer!

There were times when I thought I had made a mistake getting admission here…I always felt like I was a misfit…Did I belong here?…Why people look forward to college??…Why do I have to change 2 trains to reach to college…?? Why even at 95% I didnt get into VJTI…?Why am I so drained out when I reach home?…Why is the local always crowded??

But yesterday all these questions did not plague me…I had different set of questions…Is it over already?? Why is it over?? It wasnt tht bad,was it??
All these feelings for my college??or were these feelings for my classmates??Was I going to miss my Profs…?
All this coming from a guy who rarely attended college…Infact my attendence in the past one year has been more than first 3 yrs combined…You wont find me in any of the group photos…maybe 1 or 2..but definately not more than that…

Maybe it was the worst thing tht happened to me…
Or maybe it was the best…
Now I know why people look forward to college…Now I know what people do in the college canteen,sitting for hours at a strech…

Misfit?? Maybe?? But I guess I am always gonna be a misfit…There are very few like me…right??

Where do I belong?? Here’s where I belong

Hearts cry as friends depart…
Want you to know tht only distances hold us apart…

Thank you for the memories….

We had our mech farewell yesterday…By mech farewell I mean BE mech’s farewell…
It was probably the best farewell one could ask for…
The presentation,the movie,the song dedications,the speeches,the poetries and the one act plays…

The best part was the clip tht Pushkar Sheth edited…
The track tht played in the background was the Kal ho na ho title track,I never really liked tht track…But yesterday I realised tht it was because of SRK’s presence on the screen…

I regard Nagesh Kukunoor as one of the best directors of the country…If Pushkar tries hard enough he can get into tht league…This may sound as an over statement to some,but then you should have been there!

The best scene was when the classes go empty….Also Hase’s dance was cool…
I will be posting the link to the video here soon…

UPDATE: Download the clip HERE….Pls note tht it is a 68 mb file….Also note tht it worth every byte!!

A special mention of Prasad Gaikwad’s Mimicry…We had co-written the script…
The Story:All prof. go to watch Dhoom2,what happens next is fun…detailed script will be put up after some time..

“Saree lag gayi!…Sorry lag gayi!”
-Kamal Hasan…Chachi420

Dont have the slightest idea why thts funny…But I laugh everytime I hear tht line…

The topic finds its way here coz we had our Tie and Saree day today…
Whats so special about it??…I dont know!! But I have seen girls standing in some corner of the college, giggling,discussing among themselves,as to which earings would go with the green saree her maasi(mom’s sister) gifted her on her 20th birthday…

Not that guys are any less enthu…Prasad tried 3 different ties on 3 different shirts(tht makes it 3!=6 times) until he got the matching right…

Today was also our farewell…
I couldnt attend it….Had to visit a dear friend who is not keeping well these days…

I know a farewell would come only once in my life(if I decide against doing an MBA)…but today I didnt have a tough time making a choice…

It was so clear…I had made my choice…I had to meet my friend….

He is the guy who stood by me when I needed him…In the 4th sem I remember when I had fallen sick…
I fell sick in the 5th week(19 feb…I remember the date…).I was given high grade antibiotics…Never recovered fully in tht semester…Fell ill 3 or 4 times more in the same sem…I sucked in my vivas…First(& the last) time I thought of quitting enggineering….I am not a quitter… I am a fighter…But,I guess a wounded fighter is no good…

I was sure of failing in the written exams…We had a PL of about 20 days…8 days I tried to study on my own,its really difficult when dont even know the basics of the subject….

Called this friend on the night of the 8th day…Not for asking help…Arshat doesnot ask for help…Arshat is too proud to ask for help….
But he himself offered to help me study…Started coming to my house to teach me…I was amazed by his knoweldge and his method of learning…

We started doing nights…12 days were too less to complete whole semester…I had to do it…But he didnt have to! He did it just for me!

‘An emotional fool’-thts what I call him…thinks from the heart…
Today I had to make a choice…my brain didnt do the thinking…my heart did!
Who was the emotional fool today…?

I cleared the apti(believe me,I was as shocked as you are).

The feeling of contempt is not becoz the company pays a whopping 7lacs per annuum(they say only iitians raked in the moolah!)….The feeling of satisfaction here is to find your name among the best of the class…

There are about 6 who have cleared….Sameer(God),Supriya(Goddess),Jagruti(amazing PR),Deepak(Newton),Rahul(God)(sorry I ran out of nouns!)…

In all probability I wont make it…But still I can hold my head high,coz I made the cut…More so,it helps me to identify the fact tht Siemens(currently placed here) was no fluke!

I am in two minds…if I make it in Schlumby,I loose my Siemens job…Dont wanna loose Siemens!Formed a bond with them(especially after the college bag they gifted us…)

The interview is on sunday at nariman point….

Today was the busiest day for me and my cellphone…
Slept at 3 am last night…was tring to solve some RAC(Refigeration and Air-Conditioning,duh?)problems with Prasad gaikwad(my roomie)’s help…

Got a call from a friend at 5 am…But he is such a dear friend tht getting angry at him is difficult(even if he calls during tht time of the day, actually night…)

After a brief talk,I slept…My Dad called up at 7am…Still asleep? Rise and shine!
I tried to sleep again,Shruti called me up at 8 am…Hitesh followed next at 8.30…next was Umesh Koli at 9.15….next navin’s message arrived at 9.35…’When are you guys coming to coll?’
Tht was it! These people were determined not to allow me sleep!My sleep got disturbed…Music is said to sootheyour senses so I turned on the music on my roomie’s P990…After listening to Aadat remix no.6(there must be atleast 17 of those),slept again…

Got some calls from a friend who wanted to meet me…Shruti called again…some calls from Kunal…one from Deepak…a few messages congratulating me on clearing the Schlumberger apti…Sid and Koli called in the evening
All in All a very busy day…

P.S. The avg calls tht this blogger gets is about

0.79.It would have been 0.56 had it not been for people calling on my birthday…

[All averages calculated on an yearly basis…]