Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu....Agneepath

I recently saw two movies, the names of which form the title of this post. They are as different from each other, as two movies can be. Basically, if Agneepath is Chalk, then EMAET is definitely Cheese. But both of them are equally engrossing, interesting, and very well-made movies. The best part is that they have been produced by the same production house—Dharma Production (Karan Johar's company)—and both have been directed by debut directors. Since I was at a loss of topics once again, I thought of writing a mini review for both of them.


Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu


If I had to describe this movie in one phrase, I would say it is a 'feel good movie', simply because it leaves a smile on your face, and feeling good about yourself. The story, as you all must have read/heard/seen by now, is very simple and uncomplicated. There are no larger-than-life heroes in it, just real-life ordinary characters. On the contrary, the "Hero" of the film (Imran Khan as Rahul) is introduced as a guy who would in all probability, be called a Loser in reality. Rahul himself is shown to be quite irritated and frustrated with himself on being just Average, while his parents want him to be super talented and extraordinary. I am sure most of us (out of those who have watched the movie) must have identified with Rahul—I know I did. But, as the movie progresses it tells you that it's not bad at all to be average. As Kareena Kapoor's character (Riana) says to Rahul, " Average ka matlab ki tum kuch bhi kam ya zyada nahi karte." This is such a different perspective, that I was actually nodding my head in agreement on this statement. Further, the movie has no dramatic moments, and no so-called high power scenes. The movie unfolds slowly and flows smoothly; you move along with the flow and get intertwined in the stroy of Rahul and Riana.

For me, there were two highlights of the movie. First was undoubtedly Kareena Kapoor!! She is just brilliant! I feel she has inherent spontaneity, flamboyance, and the spark to carry off any kind of roles. I loved her as Riana. In my opinion, Riana's character is a mature version of Geet from Jab We Met, because Riana has gone through a lot in life but she still has that zeal and passion in herself to meet her goals, and knows how to be happy. Although everyone has acted well (even Imran Khan!!), Kareena is easily the best. Second highlight for me was the climax of the movie. It is very unconventional, non-bollywoodish, and very apt I must say. In fact, after a long long time I saw a movie that leaves you wanting and craving for more. EMAET is very short, 1 hour 40 minutes running time, and I wouldn't have minded if it were longer by 20–30 minutes.

Agneepath


This movie is a typical Bollywood potboiler and an out-and-out commercial masala movie. It has all the ingredients of a superhit Hindi film. There's Action, Emotion, Romance, Tragedy, Comedy, Revenge, and Drama all mixed together. The result is a WOW! movie, which will leave you breathless. The strength of this movie easily lies in its actors. What brilliant acting by all of them—Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt, and Rishi Kapoor. The surprise factor in this impressive line-up is Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala. He deserves a standing ovation for the way he has portrayed this negative character, just Amazing. And yes, how can I not talk about Sanjay Dutt, who as Kancha Cheena has given his best performance after Vaastav. He looks menacing, scary and every bit as evil as he is meant to be. Although it has been touted as an action movie, for me it was a heart wrenching tale of a family wronged by a cunning man. I think I have not cried so much in a movie ever! I was wiping my eyes after every 10-15 minutes. Another very different aspect of this film is that the "Hero" is not your typical self-righteous law abiding common man, but is more of an anti-hero who works with smugglers, is involved in trade of cocaine, and does not think twice before killing someone. No doubt there is a lot of violence in the whole movie, but you don't feel disgusted and are on the edge of your seats for most part.

However, there is one sore point in Agneepath, and that is the Chikni Chameli song. I have nothing against the song as such, but the actor—Katrina Kaif. She looks so out of sync with rest of the set up and feel of the song. She has no grace and the dance looks crass and vulgar. I am sure Rakhi Sawant or Malaika Arora Khan would have done a much much better job than Katrina. Apart from this, the movie is fantastic!

There is no comparison between the two movies. Both are fabulous and brilliant in their own sense. I would recommend people to watch both of them to get a feel of the diversity of Indian cinema.

Signing Off,
The Movie Buff!

I Hate December!!!

Yes, yes..Before you all spell it out for me, I agree that this post is officially 2 weeks late. Half of January has already passed by, and now I come around to write about December. In my defense, let me clarify that I had written and re-written it in my mind around 3 weeks back, but could not get it on my blog, because of—a cliched answer—lack of time. I had eventually thought of not writing this post at all, but then I realized a few things:
1. I did not have any other topic to write on.
2. My blog had gone too long without an update.
3. Better late than never!
4. It's MY blog, so that gives me the liberty to write about anything I want. :-) :-)

OK, enough of blabbering. Now back to the topic at hand. For majority of the world population, the month of December is considered to be the best among all the 12 months. It is the last month of a year—so it's seen as a month of festivals, parties, vacations (for some people at least), generally a good time. But for me, December has turned out to be the worst month, at least for the last two years. Even before 2010, I was not too fond of December simply because it signifies the official arrival of Winters—a season I absolutely HATE!! There's nothing I like about this season. The fog, the chilly winds, the fruits (Orange - YUCK!!), just about everything. However, the last two Decembers, that is, 2010 and 2011 have been disastrous for me personally in one way or the other. Let me take you through each of them separately.

December 2010: This month spelled doom for me on the professional front. I got staffed on the most horrible project to date, which got screwed up badly (partly due to my fault, but majorly due to someone else). On top of that, I got such a PL (project lead), that I don't have words to describe. Let me just say that for the first time, I cried (yes, actually cried with tears pouring down my face) over office work—both at home and in the office itself. It was a lesson in firsts for me, because I experienced certain things for the very first time in my life:
 - I stayed in office till 9 or 10 PM everyday for 4 weeks straight.
 - I did a night-out in office, meaning that I arrived at 8.30 AM and left at 6.00 AM the next day.
 - I worked on all the weekends in December 2010, for minimum 12 hours each, on Saturday and Sunday.
 - I made stupid mistakes in my work, which I would normally never do.
 - I got scolded by my PL on more than one occasion, through all communication means possible—face-to-face, through e-mail, on the phone, on the IM, etc.
 - I got the worst possible feedback I have ever received in my professional life.

You can very well imagine my state. Each and everything that took place during that time is engraved in my memory in agonizing detail. It suffices to say that I still shudder whenever I remember any instance of that period. Believe me I am not exaggerating when I say that I still sometimes get nightmares about that project, and wake up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.

Till two months after the project ended, I was very scared and unsure of my work, with zero confidence on my capabilities.I am still surprised that I survived through that ordeal at work, and eventually gained my self-confidence back.

December 2011: This was again the worst month of 2011 for me. On the professional front, it was perfect (except for the first week, but that's something else altogether). I got easy projects with an Awesome PL, and some really cool feedbacks. However, on the personal and home front, it was all screwed up! There were too many fights and too many unpleasant scenarios. After controlling my temper and not fighting with anybody for 4 months (which is no mean feat, considering that I am famous, or rather infamous, in my family for arguing with my folks at least thrice a week), all hell broke lose. I fought, shouted, screamed and yelled on petty things, had some nasty fights with my parents. I don't know what happened, maybe some chemical imbalance,  but it was like everybody is out to provoke me and calling for a fight. Basically, it was a very stressful, frustrating and unpleasant month for me.

Things got much much better with the start of January, and have gone uphill since then.

I just hope 2012 breaks the December jinx for me! I am positively tired of this month, and the new trials it brings with it.

So, which is your least favorite month of the year? Do let me know.

Signing Out,
December Fearing Soul!

......

Ek ajeeb sa darr lag raha tha...Jaise koi train chhootne wali hai...

Bigg...Bigg...Bigg Boss!!!!

I hereby declare that I am officially in love with this show called BIGG BOSS!! I have religiously followed every season of this show (except season 3, which was pathetic), and I happily proclaim that I haven't missed even a single episode of the current season (season 5), as yet. After reading the above sentences, I am sure quite a few eyebrows would be raised, and you all will have one or more of the following thoughts going through your minds and hearts:
 - Ewww!! she watches Hindi shows, and that also something as tacky as big boss.
 - What is there to like in such a cheap show??
 - Phew! Thank god I am not the only one whose crazy about this show
 - At least someone accepts that she likes and watches the show

I agree that BB has nothing in it but weird losers fighting with each other over totally absurd and insane reasons. But that is precisely why I love this show, for its bitchy housemates, gossips, fights, link-ups, break-ups, character assassinations, the drama and the vulgarity! Basically, you can conveniently shut off your brain and enjoy watching this nonsense, and laughing at all the idiotic people who are its part.

Now onto some of my most and least favorite housemates. I would like to express my opinion about some of them. But, that cannot be done properly in English. So, here I switch over to my matrbhasha - Hindi to describe some (in)famous housemates.

MAHAK CHAHAL - Mahak meri favorite contestant hai. Bahot hi mast aur bindass bandi hai. Usko kisi maai ke laal se darr nahi lagta aur usse jo bolna hai, logon ke muh pe bolti hai. Bas kai baar doosron ke mamlon mein faltu taang adhaati hai aur zyada bol jaati hai, but on the whole shes's AWESOME!!


AKASHDEEP SAIGAL (SKY) - Saare Bigg Boss seasons ke contestants mein se ab tak ka sabse GHATIYA banda. Uski shakal dekhke mann karta hai khoon kardoon ka***e ka!! Khud ki koi aukaat nahi hai aur doosron ko loser bolta hai..Buddha kahin ka..Pooja Bedi ke support pe ooncha udta hai bas. Na bande ki shakal, aur na usme akal. Ek din solid Waat lagegi iski ghar mein!


POOJA BEDI - Iss season ki sabse irritating contestant. Har kisi ko gyaan banti rehti hai, aur har fight mein zabardasti ghus jaati hai. Sky pe fida hai aur woh jo bole wahi sahi hai iske liye. Isse lagta hai ki sabse intelligent yeh hai ghar mein aur baaki saare bewakoof bhare hain. Bloody immature buddhi! Achha hua evict ho gayi :)


SHRADDHA SHARMA - Yeh hai BB season 5 ki Dumb contestant. Jab bhi ghar mein koi fight, argument ya event hota hai, toh sab khatam hone ke baad iska ek hi question hota hai - "Kya Hua? Mujhe toh pata hi nahi chala? Arrey batao toh akhir hua kya?" Basically, Ramayan khatam ho jaati hai, aur yeh poochhti hai Sita kaun thi :) Par jab isko gussa aata hai toh asli apni asli aukat pe aa jati hai aur saamne wale ke past pe chali jaati hai. In short, Waat laga deti hai!


AMAR UPADHYAY - Yeh hai sabse Chaloo aur Shana contestant. Solid game khel raha hai. Kabhi kisi ki fight mein interfere nahi karta, but peechhe se sabko ek doosre ke khilaf bharhkata rehta hai. But, he's sophisticated aur agar ladta bhi hai toh tameez se :) Very strong contestant!


SIDDHARTH BHARDWAJ (SID) - Iski apni koi identity nahi hai. Doosre contestants ke peechhe ghumta hai. Pehle Sky ka right hand man tha, aur ab Amar ki team mein aa gaya hai. Kaafi unpredictable hai, and isko kabhi bhi, koi bhi baat buri lag jaati hai. But overall he's entertaining.


POOJA MISHRA - Ab iske baare mein main kya boloon..ekdum Psycho aur mental bandi!! Iske dimaag mein solid chemical locha hai. Faltu baaton pe jhagadti hai aur logon ko maarne pe utaaru ho jaati hai. Iske 2-3 favorite dialogues hain jo har time bolti hai - "Spare Me!", "Aap sab log mujh par negative attacks karte hain.", "Main iss ghar ki sabse co-operative, shaant aur adjustable contestant hoon.", "Talk to my hand/ass.", "Watch It!" Par yeh sabse zyada entertaining thi. Isko big boss ne khud ghar se nikaal diya, aur ab show thoda boring ho jayega.


JUHI PARMAR - Yeh hai Bedi aur Sky ke group ka teesra hissa. Yeh kabhi mujhe achhi lagti hai aur kabhi nahi. Actually, she reminds me of someone I know quite well :P Anyway, itna hai ki agar koi galat karta hai toh usko seedha bol deti hai. But kai baar chhoti chhoti baaton ko badha chadha kar bolti hai aur tension kar deti hai. Again a strong contender!


There are/were many more contestants like Shonali Nagrani, Shakti Kappor, Laxmi Narayan and Vida, but none as popular as the above described. Also, a special mention here for the great actor - Kamaal Rashid Khan (KRK). His tweets about BB season 5 are really hilarious, and extremely enjoyable. Keep up the good work KRK :) :)

So, all you Bigg Boss addicts, who are your favorite contestants in the current season??

Signing Off,
"Spare Me!!"

Belling the C.A.T....

As is very apparent from the title, I just gave my CAT. For the uninitiated, full-form of CAT is Common Admission Test, and it is an entrance examination for India's most prestigious B-schools (IIMs, FMS, and other private colleges). I gave this test once again on 18 November 2011, exactly after 3 years and 2 days (last time being 16 November, 2008). Now, I am sure you all must be wondering why did I wait for 2 years before appearing for CAT once again. Following is my list of reasons (in brief):

1. Just as I had done during my Engineering entrance exams, I had sort of made this declaration that I would be giving CAT only once. If I got through the first time, well and good, and if not, then its the end.
2. I dreamed about going to the US, to a prestigious B-school and doing MBA from there.
3. I did not have a sword with the word MARRIAGE hanging on top of my head.
4. I was not super frustrated with my job (as I am now), and hence, not desperate enough to get into a Masters course.

So, I did not get an admission in the US despite wasting around 1 lakh rupees and one whole year. On top of that, I got an ultimatum from my family that if I did not secure an admission in a Masters course this time, then there'll be no more chances for me, and they'll marry me off. Therefore, I gave CAT!

To "prepare" for the exam, I got a leave of—hold your breath—full THREE DAYS from my office!! (Unlike my friends who got three to four weeks off). Well, I had started some amount of studying for the last two to three months, but it was more of a formality and an eyewash. Anyway, so I was at home for the last week, studying intensely. Now, the deal with my folks at home is that they are equally (if possible then more) involved in my studies and examinations, as myself. This led to quite a few funny instances and questions when I was at home. I have categorized them into Before CAT and After CAT.

Before CAT


1. Whenever I used to give a MOCK test, there used to be pin drop silence at my house. My grandparents did not allow anyone to speak for 2.5 hours, so that I do not get disturbed. That's a different thing that they used to repeat the same dialogue in full volume to any person who entered the house :) Also, when I used to complete the test and emerge from my room, everyone used to pounce on me and start asking several questions. For instance, How was the exam? Did you know all the questions? Did you clear the cut-off in both the sections? What was your percentile? What was the difficulty level? etc etc etc. It was like I just gave the actual test and everything depended on it.

2. Two days before the exam, questions regarding my "level of preparation" started popping up. So, my dad asks me, "Have you completed the syllabus? Do you remember everything?" After that my mom puts a very analytical question, "So, when you compare your preparation level this time with your level of preparation in 2008, is it more, less or equivalent?" My response to this was, "Let me explain it to you mathematically. Compare 10 months of intense studying + 100s of Mock tests + regular coaching classes with 10 days of simple preparation + around 20 Mocks, so what do you get, make a calculated guess!" Also, everyone started telling me, "Give it your best shot. Do the best you can in the exam." I am thinking, "Obviously I'll do my best. That's the whole point, right? I won't go into the exam hall thinking I'll give my worst!!"


3. On the eve of the exam, my folks got into an inspirational mode and started quoting famous writers (Hindi, English and Urdu) and wherever I went, I got to hear inspirational quotes. Then, on the D-day my dad suddenly got filmy, and started mouthing Shahrukh Khan's famous 70 minutes dialogue from Chak De India. He said, "You have 140 minutes with you. Nobody can steal them from you. Give the test your best shot. You are free to do whatever you like in these 140 minutes, because these will never come back." I was thinking, "WOW!! That's something new :)"


After CAT


1. When the exam finished, the standard question was, "How did it go?" My standard answer was, "I did the best I could. I don't know after that." I gave this answer so many times in the one hour after the test, that I actually felt like recording it and just keep on playing in front of anyone and everyone I met.

2. A few people were satisfied with my answer to the above questions, but not all of them. My grandad, for instance, analyzes each and every test till great depths. To be quite frank, I get quite nervous discussing any exam with him, because I know the type of cross-questioning involved. Here is my interview with him regarding CAT:

G (Grandad): How did your exam go?
M (Me): It was fine. I did the best I could do.
G: What kind of an answer is this. How many questions were there?
M: 60 questions in total. 30 in each section.
G: So, you attempted all of them?
M: No, it is not possible to attempt all the questions. I did around 40-42 questions.
G: What? Why so less? Is the exam difficult?
M: Yes, very difficult. This attempt is considered good.
G: So, how many marks will you get?
M: I really don't know.
G: You should know that. OK, so what percentile are you expecting?
M: I can't calculate the percentile. It's a very complex process.
G: How, explain it to me...and so on.

Well, I know all of this shows mt family's concern for me, and to be frank, it's all very cute :) But, sometimes these serious situations also turn unintentionally funny! :) :) :)

So, all you CAT givers, have you faced such situations in your life too? Do let me know the details.

Signing Out,
Trying to Bell the CAT

Songs, and The Emotional Connect With Them

I seriously have nothing to write. Last week has been one of the most hectic weeks in office, and the coming week is also expected to be the same. All I have been thinking about for the past one week is my stupid project. It has literally given—and is still giving—me some really sleepless nights (I am dead serious). On top of that is the stress related to the MBA entrance exams and college applications. Basically, my thoughts are swamped with so many different things that sometimes I feel my brain is just going to explode—KABOOM!! Anyway, so to take my mind off these various stressful topics, I decided to post something truly random and useless.

I just love music. I can listen to any type of song, be it hard rock, romantic numbers, sad songs, pop music, Hindi songs, English songs, basically every song under the sun. Also, I have very varied tastes and start liking even the most terrible song. In other words, I can listen to munni badnam hui, tandoori nights, switty switty, jalebi bai, amplifier, and other such songs, with the same amount of likability (don't know if it's the appropriate word) as romantic and sad songs, and songs with meaningful lyrics. That's why, it's a common occurrence that whenever I am sitting with my parents and sister, and listening to the radio, watching a music channel, or listening to songs through some other medium, my trademark line for almost every song that is played is, "Please don't change the channel. This is such an Awesome song. I so totally love it." More than half of the time my folks ask me, after the song ends, "What was so great about it? It was just an ordinary song!" In short, I find almost every song fascinating to listen to and a song has to be really really crappy for me to dislike it. A few days back, my sister and I were switching between music channels to watch a good song, and predictably, I would ask her to stop at nearly every channel, as I liked the song coming on it. After a while she got really irritated and switched off the TV. Then she asked me, "Do you like each and every song in this world?" My reply was, " No! Obviously not." Then she asks me,"So what are your all-time favourite songs?" I told her that there are billions of songs, how can I possibly choose a few out of them. At which she twisted the question and said,"I understand that. But, just name a few songs, which, when played either on the radio, or on your phone/I-pod, you would never change them, irrespective of your mood and the work you are doing."

Hmmmm..now that got me thinking, and I started bouncing off names of some songs randomly. After I had named 4-5 songs, she stopped me and said,"So, all your favourite songs are sad songs!" Well, I had never really dwelled on that. Thus, I began thinking of more songs I consider to be my favourites, and have come up with a list of around 10 songs, which I can listen to at anytime of the day, or night, and in any mood—happy, sad, dancing, excited, depressed, busy, sleepy. Quite surprisingly, all songs given in the list are either sad, or have a melancholy feel about them. For someone who has never been in love, does not exactly know what loss is (touchwood), and is happy in life, it is very unusual to have such an emotional connect with songs of lost love, despair, and a bleak future. Anyway, here I present to you my most loved songs. Majority of them are recent ones, simply because this is a very random list, made after a few minutes of thinking and glancing at the Most Played list of my phone.

1. Tujhe Bhula Diya (Anjaana Anjaani): This has to be the best song of the decade. The first time I heard it, I just fell totally and completely in love with the song. Its music, its lyrics, its singers, its picturization, everything is perfect. From the time I added this song to my phone, it has been on top of my playlist. Also, it was my ringtone for the longest time ever. Even now, whenever I listen to it, I get completely lost in some other world.

2. Tadap Tadap Ke (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam): I heard this song for the first time when I saw HDDCS on TV, a few days after its release (thanks to Cable wallahs and pirated CDs). The way this song was picturized on Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan, WOW!! I had goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. It has such beautiful lyrics (jism mujhe deke mitti ka, sheeshe ka dil kyun banaya. Aur uspe de diya fitrat ki woh karta hai mohabbat, waah re waah teri kudrat!) The very next day, I rushed to the nearest music store, bought the cassette of this movie, and kept on playing this song over and over again for months. Till now, whenever HDDCS is coming on TV, I make it a point to watch it, at least till this song.

3. Teri Meri (Bodyguard): I would say just one thing for my love of this song. I went to the cinema hall to watch Bodyguard, only because I wanted to see this song on the big screen. Oh, and also because of Kareena Kapoor, but that was only secondary. Again, I am truly smitten by the lyrics (my favourite line in the song -ek dooje se hue juda jab ek dooje ke liye bane), the singers (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan + Shreya Ghosal = MAGIC), the music, and yes, in this case, the lead pair (what sizzling chemistry I must say). So, I have all the three versions of this song (normal, remix and reprise) and keep on listening to them.

4. Yeh Dooriyan (Love Aaj Kal): Mohit Chauhan..sigh..sheer brilliance! Also, the lyrics are such that you can actually feel the distance between two people, as if it is something tangible. Lastly, the way it has been picturized - WOW! Kudos to Imtiaz Ali for coming up with such a concept for this song.

5. Lehrein (Aisha): I came to know of the existence of this song, when I watched Aisha, which was quite some time after its release. I had heard such negative reviews about it, that I was actually avoiding watching it. But, I quite liked the movie, and was totally floored by this song. So much that, for weeks after watching the movie, as soon as I used to reach office, I would put on my headphones, put this song on repeat, and keep on listening all through the day. Such was my obsession with this song that at night I would start the movie on my laptop, forward it to this song, and then keep on listening to it.

6. Kehne Ko (Anjaana Anjaani): This song did not gain much popularity, but at the same time it is quite amazing. The music by Vishal-Shekhar and lyrics by Neelash Mishra are just so mesmerizing that you can actually feel the loneliness of the characters. And yes, the singers—Nikhil D'Souza and Monali—have sung it really well.

7. Bin Tere (I Hate Luv Storys): I have to confess that the first time I watched (rather than heard) this song, I did not like it much. After that, I started hating it, simply because it used to be on EVERY music channel I ever switched on. In the movie, I found it quite good, but not very extraordinary. However, one of my closest friend in office is completely in love with this song, and used to tell me how beautiful it is. That got me curious, and so one day, I just listened to the song without watching its video. I have to concede P, that you were absolutely right. It is indeed a very lovely and at the same time, sad song. It has got beautiful lyrics. Over time, this song has found its way into my all-time favourite list.

The rest three are English songs, and I like them purely because of their lyrics and music. Hence, I won't go into any detail about them. They are:

8. Leave Out all the Rest (Linkin Park)


9. Quit Playing Games with my Heart (Backstreet Boys)


10. Apologize (One Republic)


For someone who did not have anything to write, I surely have written quite a long post. So, I'm gonna stop right here for now. Do tell me about your favourite songs. Let's see how many of them are common with my list.

Signing Out,
The Music Lover!

Recruitment @ Thapar

Last Monday (September 5, 2011), I went to Thapar University from my office, for campus placements. There were 10 of us, and except for me and another Analyst (who is an alumnus of the college), the rest all were Senior Managers, Managers, and Assistant Managers. In other words, the other eight people constituted the "higher management" of the firm. Initially, I was quite apprehensive of going and wanted to back out. But, in the end I thought, "what the hell! Let's go and have some fun."

To say the least, it was a really awesome experience, and as the time approached I became quite excited. Firstly, we were going out of Delhi, because Thapar University is in Patiala (Punjab). This meant no office for two whole days but with attendance on both days :-) :-) Secondly, I was going for recruitment to a college, other than NSIT, for the first time, and that also with high profile people (my unit head was one of them). Last but definitely not the least, we were going to PUNJAB!!! One of my most favorite places in India. Well, we started from Delhi via train (Shatabadi Express) at 7.40 AM on Monday, and reached Ambala (where we were supposed to get down) at about 10.30 AM. From there, Patiala was a one-hour drive and the college authorities had sent in cars for us. We reached the campus by 12 PM and were straight away taken to the guest house. There we freshened up a bit and then immediately went to the main auditorium to start with the process.

There were around 370-380 students sitting for placement in The Smart Cube, the highest I had ever seen (in NSIT and DCE there are generally only 150 to 200 students sitting for a company). The first half of the process went out normally. There was the pre-placement presentation, after which we had the aptitude test. Then we went for lunch, and after that spent around 2 hours in correcting the answer sheets. By 5 PM we had shortlisted the candidates for the next round, which was the Group Discussion (GD) and had divided them into different panels. From the GD round, started, what I call the downfall of Thapar students. Now, let me divert a little and tell you something, so that you understand why I wrote the last sentence. Being an engineer myself, I have considerable knowledge about quite a few engineering colleges in India (thanks to all the research I had done when I was giving my entrance examinations in 2005). So, I have always thought that Thapar is one of the best private engineering colleges in the country. Also, two of my relatives are Thapar pass-outs and are quite intelligent, and are doing very well for themselves. Thus, I had very high expectations from the students. But, what I saw there was very disappointing. The students were so very cut-off from the real world, and lived in their own sweet world, which was limited to their campus. Also, their knowledge was completely bookish. Divert a little from the theory to practical application of a concept, and they got stumped and confused. Another thing which was surprising for me as well as the others was the lack of general knowledge in the students (This was true for even NSIT students). I remember when I was studying, I religiously used to read the newspaper, and there were many a times when me and my group of friends used to discuss the various articles we had read. Hence, I could not understand what really changed in the last two years that engineers completely stopped reading or watching news.

Anyway, after 12 GDs, and three rounds of very intense interviews, we somehow managed to give offers to four students. GDs and the interviews were really funny, to say the least. Some of the answers were so hilarious that I and my panel partner (a really cool manager) burst out laughing right there and then. Also, for some interviews, I got so engrossed in watching the by-play of questions and answers between the manager and the candidate, that I didn't ask a single question. Not surprisingly, we rejected all the students. Well, I won't go into too much details here and just like to share some of the funniest answers with you all. So, here goes:

GD Topic: Pink is the new blue

Point made by a student: Women are the overpowering and dominating the men. The Sonia Gandhi is plotting against the Anna Hajare (he actually said Hajare and not Hazare). But, Sushmita Sen is the defending the Anna Hajare in the parliament!!

Point made by another student: Girls like wearing pink clothes. Boys like wearing blue clothes. Now girls are also wearing blue clothes, and boys also wear pink shirts. So, pink is the new blue!

Interviewer: Do you read newspapers?

Interviewee: No

Interviewer: Then how do you keep in touch with the happenings in the outside world?

Interviewee: I read news on the internet, I read Yahoo News.

Interviewer: Oh..how often is that?

Interviewee: Whenever I log-in to check my e-mail, I read the news given on the Yahoo homepage. Also, I check my mail around thrice a week, so I read the news three times a week.

Interviewer: Who is the Vice President of India?

Interviewee: No, I don't know.

Interviewer: Who is the Vice President of the US?

Interviewee: Sorry, I don't know this also.

Interviewer: Who is the President of France?

Interviewee: I don't know this as well.

Interviewer: Who is the CEO of Infosys?

Interviewee: Sorry, I don't know this one either. (Laughs in a funny way at this point)

Interviewer: Can you name some competitors of Facebook?

Interviewee: Ummm..aahhhh.. (she takes 5 minutes to think)

Interviewer: Do you know what's Facebook?

Interviewee: Yes Yes. Ummm..I think one competitor is Gmail. (Let me tell you, this female is a student of Computer Science engineering)

Interviewer: Do you know actually know what's Facebook? Do you have an account?

Interviewee: Yes, I have an account. I made it a few days back only, because we get all our placement updates through that only.

Interviewer: Right. So I'll just tell you that Facebook is a social networking site. Now can you tell me the competitors?

Interviewee: I know Facebook is social networking, so even Gmail is social networking.

Interviewee: But Gmail is web-based email. There is a difference between the two.

Interviewee: Keeps shut and gives a weird and irritating smile.

Interviewer (to the same Computer Science female): Have you studied computer networking?

Interviewee: Oh..so now you'll ask me technical questions?

Interviewer: Errr..Yes. Any problem?

Interviewee: He he (again the irritating smile) Not at all.

Interviewer: So, can you tell me the difference between a circuit switch and a packet switch?

Interviewee: Ummm..(thinks for two minutes and then gives some hopelessly wrong answer).

Interviewer: Are you sure?

Interviewee: Sorry, I don't know this (The frigging smile is back!! Grr..)

Interviewer: Which is the one sector in India wherein you would want to invest, and why?

Interviewee (answers immediately): Automobile vendors'/suppliers' sector.

Interviewer: Why is that?

Interviewee: There is a shortage of automobile parts in India. When recession came in 2008, automobile suppliers stopped producing the parts. Now also, when automobile manufacturers are asking for parts, the suppliers are not manufacturing enough, due to fear. So, I will invest and make the parts available to the manufacturers.

Interviewer: But, we have been hearing that the recession might come back. So, don't you think that it is a risky investments?

Interviewee: No no. As I said, there is shortage. So, it will be very profitable business.

Interviewer: Can you estimate the number of females in all the beauty parlours in Patiala on a Wednesday afternoon, between 3 and 4 PM?

Interviewee: There are 5 good parlours in Patiala. They are - Lakme, Habibs, etc. (gives five names). So, once I went to Habibs on a Wednesday, between 3 and 4 PM. There were eight girls in the parlour before me, I was the ninth, and there was one female after me. Thus, we were a total of 10 females. Now, 10 in one parlour, total five parlours, make it 50 females in all parlours in Patiala on a Wednesday afternoon between 3 and 4 PM.

Last but not the least, there was one guy who had actually done his SWOT (Strength - Weakness - Opportunity - Threat) Analysis, and had got a print-out of it to give to the interviewers. Super cool, isn't it?

Well, we also had a lot of fun in eating out and shopping in Patiala. But that requires another post altogether. That's it for now.

Signing Out,

Punjabi by Nature!!