I woke up in the morning, thinking what do I need to do today??? No pitching for knowledge partners or sponsors, panelist bhi “Jam” Gaye hain, food baskets were also magically arranged. What do I do now? I have no work to do!! I am bored.
Well Delphique 2010 was extremely successful and bigger and better than ever before.
And the Delphique team is proud of it.
Even though we are all very happy that we managed a great event, I am now missing the preparations. The 3 hour meetings in the “Delphique war room no-1”, the running around to get little things like bouquets and name tags in place, preparing thank you speeches and the most tedious job of taking print outs.
But all this was the easier part of the work. What made all this actually happen was the hard work put in by the team for the past 5 months. Scurrying in autos and bikes on the bumpy roads of Gurgaon was a daunting task, with all the classes that we had to attend. Making innumerous calls to corporates, coordinating with our faculty.
All in all, looking back at it, it was a great experience, made many “contacts” :P
I met some great people, made some very good friends and shall miss being with the whole team .
On behalf of the entire Delphique team who "talked the walk" :)
Dude (Tarun), Yoyo (Hitesh), Chhota P (Rohan) , Poster boy (Sachin), Tokri waala (Piyush) , "T" sush (Sushma), Ravan (Vineet), Ra (Rahul Sharma) , James gujju patel (Deep), Harman 'jamm gaya' baweja , Flower waala (Rohit) , Vishwas (jispe amma ko vishwas nahi :p), Ritesh ‘entrepreneurship’ Nagpal , Pooja ‘communications’ Shrikhande, Himani , Nikhil ‘food’ sighal , Annapoorni (D&D speeches) , Deepika ‘printout’ Mangla , Jayneel, Kandarp, Madhur, Abhishek Singh, Shauvik (Taxi waala), Tanika, Urvashi, Pranshu , Swati ‘marathon’ Bhadada, Swathi Pasumarti
Signing off
Parul Malik
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
A visit to the House of Glowing Lamps
- Chhavi G
upta, PGHR 2010-12
This Children’s Day, I had the opportunity to be on the bus to Deepalaya School’s hostel with Team Samaritans and some of our student volunteers. Situated in Village Gusbethi, the place is just about an hour’s drive from MDI; but it seemed like it belonged to a different era altogether. The fact that it was a part of Gurgaon seemed unbelievable because for me Gurgaon was a ‘happening place’, a ‘corporate hub’, a ‘shopping haven’ et al. Deepalaya was way beyond all this. With echoes of innocent laughter, and the hustle & bustle of children playing around, the place had a soothing calm. It was serene.
As soon as the kids spotted us, they came running towards us, clung to us like we belonged there and called out to the familiar faces among us. First-time visitors like me weren’t left out. Kids clung to me with the same affection. That they were seeing me for the first time didn’t stop them from holding my hands with their little palms, pulling me into their hostel and introducing their friends to me. Then came an innocent question, “Didi, aap sab kitne din ke liye aaye ho? I said, “Hum toh aaj chale jayenge”. The little girl was so disappointed. She wanted to see more of these new faces. I explained to her that we hardly get any holidays and have loads to study, and diverted her attention to the fact that we were there to celebrate Children’s Day. She quizzed me on the activities for the day and was happy again!
I went there with the notion that those children were in need. I wanted to give them some happiness and make them smile for a while. I thought I enjoyed privileges that they didn’t. But it took me just a couple of minutes with them to realise how wrong I was. They have a twinkle in their eyes that I don’t witness too often. They have the ability to make themselves contented and happy with just about anything that comes their way. They know how to find joy in small things.
As Samaritans, we wanted to make Children’s Day special for those little angels and to a great extent we succeeded in bringing our idea to fruition. They thoroughly enjoyed all the activities we organised for them. Their happiness was so infectious that it touched us to the core. It takes most people a lifetime to gather as much love as these children gave us in a few hours.
We sure made them smile, we sure made their day but we di
dn’t give them anything that they didn’t give us back!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Rural Illumina - A memorable Khichdi
- Piyushi Sobti, PGHR 2010-12
As the countdown began, our excitement level rose. Rural Illumina was happening after a gap of two years and we were going to be a part of it! All preliminary arrangements done, props made and roles practiced, 16th October dawned bright to find a group of over 50 Mandevians- Illuminatis and volunteers- raring to go. An hour's drive later, we found ourselves in the village of Pataudi, in a 100-year old Mela we were proud to be a part of. The tents were still only partially up and we had around four hours to complete the entire set-up before the crowds started pouring in. In the next few hours, the place transformed in front of our eyes. Rooms were demarcated, props put in place, costumes donned, stomachs filled, Airtel Dish TVs installed and Tata BP Solar Appliances ready to be advertised!
What we saw and experienced once the Mela began was nothing short of thrilling and unique. Expecting a good response, we had already enlisted Police help for security and narrowed our entrances to allow respondents in one at a time, so that we could record their responses to the Market Researches. The response was indeed phenomenal! From five-year olds to 80-year olds, the curiosity around the ‘Kaun Banega Dabbang ka Robinhood’ and ‘Khichdi’ tents spread like wildfire! So much so that some of the Mela-visitors actually suspected that we were hiding Salman Khan inside the tents! Our boys, with the help of the Police, could just about keep the crowds from mobbing us. Meanwhile inside the tents, multiple Hansas and Babujis, Maa’s and Rajjo’s, Chulbul Pandeys and Makkhi Singhs were busy interacting with the respondents.
Delighted at our success and tired to the bone, we saved up just enough energy within ourselves to arrive at MDI at the end of the day and dance behind the Dholwala in each corridor of CM and Odyssey, declaring the triumph of Rural Illumina to one and all.
In the words of an Illuminati, “…it was a memorable Khichdi... and we hope to create DA BANG on 31st again.”
As the countdown began, our excitement level rose. Rural Illumina was happening after a gap of two years and we were going to be a part of it! All preliminary arrangements done, props made and roles practiced, 16th October dawned bright to find a group of over 50 Mandevians- Illuminatis and volunteers- raring to go. An hour's drive later, we found ourselves in the village of Pataudi, in a 100-year old Mela we were proud to be a part of. The tents were still only partially up and we had around four hours to complete the entire set-up before the crowds started pouring in. In the next few hours, the place transformed in front of our eyes. Rooms were demarcated, props put in place, costumes donned, stomachs filled, Airtel Dish TVs installed and Tata BP Solar Appliances ready to be advertised!
What we saw and experienced once the Mela began was nothing short of thrilling and unique. Expecting a good response, we had already enlisted Police help for security and narrowed our entrances to allow respondents in one at a time, so that we could record their responses to the Market Researches. The response was indeed phenomenal! From five-year olds to 80-year olds, the curiosity around the ‘Kaun Banega Dabbang ka Robinhood’ and ‘Khichdi’ tents spread like wildfire! So much so that some of the Mela-visitors actually suspected that we were hiding Salman Khan inside the tents! Our boys, with the help of the Police, could just about keep the crowds from mobbing us. Meanwhile inside the tents, multiple Hansas and Babujis, Maa’s and Rajjo’s, Chulbul Pandeys and Makkhi Singhs were busy interacting with the respondents.
Delighted at our success and tired to the bone, we saved up just enough energy within ourselves to arrive at MDI at the end of the day and dance behind the Dholwala in each corridor of CM and Odyssey, declaring the triumph of Rural Illumina to one and all.
In the words of an Illuminati, “…it was a memorable Khichdi... and we hope to create DA BANG on 31st again.”
2010 Square by The Sarcaustics (PG10)
The huge mass moves together. It is a suit-maker’s delight: Reid and Taylor may as well drop Amitabh Bachchan and just put up a photo of this venue in their adverts. Suddenly, a number would be announced, the mass would open up for a second and a solitary figure would emerge, hoping to return with a smile on the face and a spring in the step. Sometimes, there is ecstasy; sometimes, disappointment. The mass continues to soldier on, getting smaller with passing time.
Suddenly, the voice from the sky booms out my number. The mass opens up in front of me, and I see the world outside. There are others like me, hoping that this be their final attempt. It almost feels like a stage of Contra, where all fights are boss fights. After this fight, I come back and rejoin the mass. Sometime later, my name is called out. The boss fight is over: I have won. The mass gets smaller. I look around and see a tall fellow. He seems to be surveying everyone present with stony eyes. I try to read his mind, but my short stature prevents any form of mental contact. I stand up, and try again...
Summers were late. Usually they end by June, followed by heavy rain till September, but here they started on 20.10.2010. Suit-boot pehen ke sab mess mein. The tension of Day Siphar writ large on their face. Little did they know the type of mess would soon change.
At 8 a.m., The Placecom Toughie (lol) called up some numbers. Those lucky people were told that for the rest of the day, their favourite word would be tanki. And then the procession began. Numbers called. Numbers logging out. Numbers logging in. Numbers signing out. Ramanujan and Aryabhatta would have been proud.
A projection showed the ones who could loosen their ties, at least till the next Sintex-related opportunity arose. The rest of the procession marched on, unendingly, from The Horizon to The Family of Teachers, from The Athenian Temple to Bihar, and from The Target to Taxila. And yet, apart from the rest, sat another group among them, slowly but surely confident that they were in more than one kind of mess.
By the afternoon, everybody was in tune with Surf Excel’s theme. Daag acche hain (Spots are good). Warm applause for the latest dhabba. Even cleanliness freaks and pimple-repelling (I don’t have a suitable word here, so I’ll go for) people were desperate for that one elusive dhabba.
By the time the Sipher had passed, there was, at best, muted celebration. Though 2 more days remained, self-doubt had started creeping in. Somewhere, creases of the brow reigned. Somewhere else, salt water ki nadiyan. And among them, and yet separate from them; exhausted but relieved, ready for the challenge next day; stood a band of soldiers with a mission. What had started well must be brought to its rightful conclusion.
Suddenly, the voice from the sky booms out my number. The mass opens up in front of me, and I see the world outside. There are others like me, hoping that this be their final attempt. It almost feels like a stage of Contra, where all fights are boss fights. After this fight, I come back and rejoin the mass. Sometime later, my name is called out. The boss fight is over: I have won. The mass gets smaller. I look around and see a tall fellow. He seems to be surveying everyone present with stony eyes. I try to read his mind, but my short stature prevents any form of mental contact. I stand up, and try again...
Summers were late. Usually they end by June, followed by heavy rain till September, but here they started on 20.10.2010. Suit-boot pehen ke sab mess mein. The tension of Day Siphar writ large on their face. Little did they know the type of mess would soon change.
At 8 a.m., The Placecom Toughie (lol) called up some numbers. Those lucky people were told that for the rest of the day, their favourite word would be tanki. And then the procession began. Numbers called. Numbers logging out. Numbers logging in. Numbers signing out. Ramanujan and Aryabhatta would have been proud.
A projection showed the ones who could loosen their ties, at least till the next Sintex-related opportunity arose. The rest of the procession marched on, unendingly, from The Horizon to The Family of Teachers, from The Athenian Temple to Bihar, and from The Target to Taxila. And yet, apart from the rest, sat another group among them, slowly but surely confident that they were in more than one kind of mess.
By the afternoon, everybody was in tune with Surf Excel’s theme. Daag acche hain (Spots are good). Warm applause for the latest dhabba. Even cleanliness freaks and pimple-repelling (I don’t have a suitable word here, so I’ll go for) people were desperate for that one elusive dhabba.
One spot to rule them all
One spot to find them.
One spot to bring them all
And in the joy and sadness, bind them
By the time the Sipher had passed, there was, at best, muted celebration. Though 2 more days remained, self-doubt had started creeping in. Somewhere, creases of the brow reigned. Somewhere else, salt water ki nadiyan. And among them, and yet separate from them; exhausted but relieved, ready for the challenge next day; stood a band of soldiers with a mission. What had started well must be brought to its rightful conclusion.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Commonwealth Games 2010 – Food for thought!
- Dilip MS
Just over a fortnight back, apprehension pervaded throughout the country over the success of the biggest event we have ever hosted till date. The spark started somewhere in July, when the Indian media discovered financial irregularities in the proceedings leading up to the games. Gradually, the symptoms started to surface with every passing day. The media went bonkers in reporting some of the inexplicable dealings that were taking place and the country was dazed by the barrage of doubts raised over the dubious dealings of our officials.
The situation exacerbated as games drew closer; preparations were way behind schedule. Reports of dogs and snakes in athletes’ rooms coupled with water-logging due to incessant rain almost spelt doom for the games. The village was declared unfit to live in by CWG supervisors, and major athletes started backing out and postponing their arrival. The collapse of a footbridge and a fragile ceiling made the crisis spin out of control and got the attention of major international broadcasters. The purpose of showing India’s prowess in hosting such games was defeated, and the Incredible India hit its nadir. The crisis made even optimists doubt India’s capability to host the CWG. With this, the government stepped in, and the Prime Minister himself pledged to take matters into his own hands.
With a week to go for the games, the mess had to be cleaned up before the athletes arrived. The overnight parachuting of a huge number of labourers and supervisors helped to ease the infrastructural and hygienic concerns. Thanks to their efficiency, things started to look up for the games.
A widely-praised opening ceremony on October 3 helped improve the image of games in particular and the image of India in general. Over the course of the games, the limelight shifted totally on to the athletes. India celebrated every medal and the associated sportsperson. India finished second with 38 gold medals, behind Australia. In spite of the grave concerns and embarrassment due to allegations and mismanagement, this is believed to be the best phase for Indian sports as we showcased our sporting prowess in many games besides the 2-0 win over Australia in Test cricket.
Eventually the Commonwealth Games 2010 turned out to be the most expensive Commonwealth games ever with the total cost of Rs.300 bn. Nonetheless there is a point to ponder over. Should we as a developing country splurge our tax collection on such a mega event when our politicians are eternally corrupt?
We have managed to conduct Asian Games earlier, Commonwealth Games now, maybe an Olympics later, but at what cost can we afford all this? A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that any country which hosts such events incur heavy losses wherein revenues does not justify the costs involved especially under corrupt administrative environs. Imagine the state of stadiums post games; they are of no use whatsoever. In cricket-preoccupied minds of us, do we really remember and revere the sportspersons who have done India proud on a world stage? Aren’t we better off by investing the same amount in improving the much needed infrastructure which could provide impetus for our growth?
Just over a fortnight back, apprehension pervaded throughout the country over the success of the biggest event we have ever hosted till date. The spark started somewhere in July, when the Indian media discovered financial irregularities in the proceedings leading up to the games. Gradually, the symptoms started to surface with every passing day. The media went bonkers in reporting some of the inexplicable dealings that were taking place and the country was dazed by the barrage of doubts raised over the dubious dealings of our officials.
The situation exacerbated as games drew closer; preparations were way behind schedule. Reports of dogs and snakes in athletes’ rooms coupled with water-logging due to incessant rain almost spelt doom for the games. The village was declared unfit to live in by CWG supervisors, and major athletes started backing out and postponing their arrival. The collapse of a footbridge and a fragile ceiling made the crisis spin out of control and got the attention of major international broadcasters. The purpose of showing India’s prowess in hosting such games was defeated, and the Incredible India hit its nadir. The crisis made even optimists doubt India’s capability to host the CWG. With this, the government stepped in, and the Prime Minister himself pledged to take matters into his own hands.
With a week to go for the games, the mess had to be cleaned up before the athletes arrived. The overnight parachuting of a huge number of labourers and supervisors helped to ease the infrastructural and hygienic concerns. Thanks to their efficiency, things started to look up for the games.
A widely-praised opening ceremony on October 3 helped improve the image of games in particular and the image of India in general. Over the course of the games, the limelight shifted totally on to the athletes. India celebrated every medal and the associated sportsperson. India finished second with 38 gold medals, behind Australia. In spite of the grave concerns and embarrassment due to allegations and mismanagement, this is believed to be the best phase for Indian sports as we showcased our sporting prowess in many games besides the 2-0 win over Australia in Test cricket.
Eventually the Commonwealth Games 2010 turned out to be the most expensive Commonwealth games ever with the total cost of Rs.300 bn. Nonetheless there is a point to ponder over. Should we as a developing country splurge our tax collection on such a mega event when our politicians are eternally corrupt?
We have managed to conduct Asian Games earlier, Commonwealth Games now, maybe an Olympics later, but at what cost can we afford all this? A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that any country which hosts such events incur heavy losses wherein revenues does not justify the costs involved especially under corrupt administrative environs. Imagine the state of stadiums post games; they are of no use whatsoever. In cricket-preoccupied minds of us, do we really remember and revere the sportspersons who have done India proud on a world stage? Aren’t we better off by investing the same amount in improving the much needed infrastructure which could provide impetus for our growth?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
One is equal to two makes for complicated math
The first reaction on reading the news was complete anger. Forget the toilet paper that cost 1600 bucks or the budget outlay that could have hosted a dozen Commonwealth Games, this was the real fiasco. A team did not know how many goals it needed to win by to make it to the next stage? Unpardonable. Mind it, there were no other matches that could have had an impact, so the hazards of real-time calculation - as Shaun Pollock and the South Africans found out in the 2003 Cricket World Cup - weren't the issue.
It was no rocket science, but it cost the home team a shot at gold. A bit more reading, and the anger diluted to pity. Maybe the manager did not have a good Mathematics teacher in primary school. One who would emphasise on getting the method right, and rechecking a dozen times even when you are a 1000% sure of the answer. Or the fact that a simple concept such as goal difference wasn't so simple after all: when a goal is scored in a match, the goal difference between the two teams involved changes by two.
Here's what happened (the authors of this blog are not responsible if you bang your head and hurt yourself) according to Sify.com:
Anyways, the four-goal margin never materialised, even though the team was aiming for seven. The pressure would have been lesser had it been four, but the stakes were high nonetheless. But, at least nobody could have blamed the math then.
It was no rocket science, but it cost the home team a shot at gold. A bit more reading, and the anger diluted to pity. Maybe the manager did not have a good Mathematics teacher in primary school. One who would emphasise on getting the method right, and rechecking a dozen times even when you are a 1000% sure of the answer. Or the fact that a simple concept such as goal difference wasn't so simple after all: when a goal is scored in a match, the goal difference between the two teams involved changes by two.
Here's what happened (the authors of this blog are not responsible if you bang your head and hurt yourself) according to Sify.com:
India needed to beat South Africa by a four-goal margin to advance to the semi-final on superior goal-difference, but eventually won 3-1.
However, manager of the team Rupa Saini informed the players that they had to win by over seven goals, according to coach Sandeep Somesh.
'Had we known that we had to win by four goals margin, we might have approached the game differently,' said Somesh at the post-match Media conference.
At the start of the game, South Africa had a goal-difference of +13 to India's +6. Thus, India had to win by a minimum of four-goal margin to boost their goal-difference that was taken into account to break the tie on points (7 each).
India team captain Surinder Kaur also said that the players were unaware of the four-goal margin. 'We thought it was seven,' she said.
Somesh refused to blame anyone but himself for the gross error in calculations and admitted that it did impact the team's approach to the game.
Anyways, the four-goal margin never materialised, even though the team was aiming for seven. The pressure would have been lesser had it been four, but the stakes were high nonetheless. But, at least nobody could have blamed the math then.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Does anyone want China to become another India?
Who is Liu Xiaobo? The Chinese government would prefer if you didn't know. But, unfortunately, the Norwegian Nobel Committee knew and decided to award him the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. This, despite the protests from the Chinese government.An excerpt from the citation of the Norwegian Nobel Committee:
Over the past decades, China has achieved economic advances to which history can hardly show any equal.
The country now has the world's second largest economy; hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty.
Scope for political participation has also broadened.
China's new status must entail increased responsibility.
China is in breach of several international agreements to which it is a signatory, as well as of its own provisions concerning political rights.
Article 35 of China's constitution lays down that "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration".
In practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China's citizens.
For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China.
He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008.
Leaders the world over have urged the Chinese government to release Liu. But, is China really concerned? Dissidents hardly have a voice within the country, and given China's economic strength, can countries really afford to take a "real stand" on its human rights violations? China too has been playing its cards smartly to further its geopolitical clout.
Unfortunately, though, this was not the main idea that we wanted to highlight through this post. It was this comment in response to the BBC news story on Liu being awarded the Nobel.
I think Western countries still view my country with prejudice. Maybe at the moment China is not as free as your country. But we can make decisions quickly which makes our government one of the most efficient in the world. Does anyone want China to become another India?
Wang Fan, Dalian, Liaoning
Wonder if Wang Fan is part of China's '50-cent party'.
Another '50-center' perhaps:
It is strange. In China, if you did a survey most would say this guy should be sent to the prison. If we followed his ideas, China would be unstable and that would be worse for most Chinese people. What do you think of the present situation in China? We have good economic situation and increasing living standard of the people. Is that not what the Norwegian people want? Or does the committee in Norway want a weak and backward China?
Jack, Shanghai
There are a few hailing the award, but the following comment shows the kind of media restriction that exists in the country:
As an editor for an English language newspaper on the Chinese mainland, I can say that the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo is going to cause a great many red faces in officialdom - and a quandary for the Chinese media. While most ordinary Chinese have not heard of Mr Liu (the media is forbidden from mentioning his name), the prominence of the award is such that even China's strict media controls will be unable to prevent this news from circulating.
Robert, China
Well, every debate needs two opinions, and some like Vladimir Putin get girls posing for two very different kinds of calendars too.
To conclude, we leave you with another question: does anyone want India to become another China?
(Image copyright: VoA)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A tale of two Duttas
(Disclaimer: The below piece is a satire on the admission General Musharraf made today to the Der Spiegel magazine. It was written with no malice and no intention to offend. It was written with two motives: to make you either smile or cringe in pain. We hope to have succeeded in doing either. Details about the shocking confession (the real one) can be found here: http://bit.ly/9lqc9t. As for us at CorpCom, we are not surprised. We Indians may be a hankering and cacophonous lot, but our assertions are always based on sound reason and judgment. We are no war-mongers. As always, any comments on the disclosure and the attempt-at-humour below are welcome and desperately solicited)
J.P. Dutta's iconic 1997 movie 'Border' and former Miss World Lara Dutta were the primary inspiration for the 1999 Kargil War, according to a shocking new confession by the ex-President-cum-Prime-Minister-cum-Chief-of-Armed-Forces of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. Addressing a banquet hall of slouching, yawning journalists who had expected the launch of another ghost-written 'sensational' book, General Musharraf responded to a question on ongoing war in Eye-raq thus:
When further asked that what
was it that was his inspiration when he led the war against India in Kargil in May 1999?, Gen. Musharraf replied:
On whether the gastronomic urge was the only reason behind the War, Musharraf said:
When one of the more diligent journalists (who was overdosing and hence, delirious, on caffeine by now) quizzed Musharraf on his thoughts on Kashmir, he quipped:
Soon after the news was p
osted on the net and flashed over the news, the entire country has been in a state of chaos. According to the latest reports, SRS (Slimy Rats Sene) activists protested at the sets of Lara Dutta's new movie, "Hum Dilwaale Deewane", to be directed by Karan Johar. According to eye-witness accounts, three imported cows, a Bugatti Veyron and sets resembling Interlaken, Switzerland have been burnt at Ramoji Rava Film City. Karan Johar was quick to react, and he called on Raj Thackray, who called on his uncle Bal, who called on Javed Miandad, who called up his samdhi Dawood, who called up Pramod Muthalik. who called it quits. The matter has now been reported as calm and Pramod Muthalik is being treated for post-traumatic stress for the phonecall he received while "Hum Dilwaale Deewane" will release on Diwali, as scheduled.
In other news, Mahesh Bhatt has reportedly dropped Shoaib Akhtar from his latest movie "Main aur Meri Zillat" and plans to cast Gen. Musharraf instead.
This is Musharraf's second attempt to enter the Bollywood industry, after unsuccessfully auditioning for a role that eventually went to star Emraan Hashmi opposite Manika Sherawat in the movie Murder. Legend has it that Emraan has thanked Musharraf 3,18,857 times since then.
-(With inputs from Carl Woodward and Bob Bernstein)
Ingit Tibrewal, The NH8 Journal
J.P. Dutta's iconic 1997 movie 'Border' and former Miss World Lara Dutta were the primary inspiration for the 1999 Kargil War, according to a shocking new confession by the ex-President-cum-Prime-Minister-cum-Chief-of-Armed-Forces of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. Addressing a banquet hall of slouching, yawning journalists who had expected the launch of another ghost-written 'sensational' book, General Musharraf responded to a question on ongoing war in Eye-raq thus:
" ...When fighting a war against a tyrannical oppressor and aggressor, every reason is justified and worth fighting for!..."
When further asked that what
was it that was his inspiration when he led the war against India in Kargil in May 1999?, Gen. Musharraf replied:"Thanks to the internet boom and the cheap pirated DVD business run by my very old friend Dawood, I chanced upon a copy of J.P. Dutta's Border. There is a scene in the movie when a Pakistani soldier captured by the Indian Army reveals Pakistan's deadly plans: 'Subah ka nashta Jaisalmer mein karenge... Dopahar ka khana Jodhpur mein karenge... Aur shaam ka, Delhi mein'. That was it, I thought, this is what i need to do in life. It would be a life changing experience. Think about it: You have Laal Maas for breakfast, Daal-Baati Churma for lunch and for dinner, its Sikandari Raan from Karim's topped off with some Giani's gelato. Not to forget that it would be a great cross country road trip on my new set of wheels-Pansy tanks from my little Red Chinese friends."
On whether the gastronomic urge was the only reason behind the War, Musharraf said:
"No, there was another woman-Lara Dutta. After Benazir left me for Prince Charles, I was heartbroken. Things did not make sense. I was caught in a never-ending spiral of guns and money. But then, I gathered from very well placed Bollywood sources in Dubai that Lara had the hots for me. He also told me that these 'filmy-types' like bad boys, the badder the better. Look at Monica Bedi, for example! I could very soon imagine the two of us walking barefoot, hand-in-hand along the length of Marine Drive, or riding the horse buggy in front of the Victoria Memorial. I had to regain my love"
When one of the more diligent journalists (who was overdosing and hence, delirious, on caffeine by now) quizzed Musharraf on his thoughts on Kashmir, he quipped:
"Kashmir? Yeah, its a beautiful place, I've seen pictures and all. I really want to go there sometime, but apparently there's a lot of fighting of some sort going on there, some independence stuff."
Soon after the news was p
osted on the net and flashed over the news, the entire country has been in a state of chaos. According to the latest reports, SRS (Slimy Rats Sene) activists protested at the sets of Lara Dutta's new movie, "Hum Dilwaale Deewane", to be directed by Karan Johar. According to eye-witness accounts, three imported cows, a Bugatti Veyron and sets resembling Interlaken, Switzerland have been burnt at Ramoji Rava Film City. Karan Johar was quick to react, and he called on Raj Thackray, who called on his uncle Bal, who called on Javed Miandad, who called up his samdhi Dawood, who called up Pramod Muthalik. who called it quits. The matter has now been reported as calm and Pramod Muthalik is being treated for post-traumatic stress for the phonecall he received while "Hum Dilwaale Deewane" will release on Diwali, as scheduled.In other news, Mahesh Bhatt has reportedly dropped Shoaib Akhtar from his latest movie "Main aur Meri Zillat" and plans to cast Gen. Musharraf instead.
"...I am thinking about it. We'll get some test shots of him with a handlebar moustache with a Harley Davidson jacket and an Armani bike... Lets see how it goes"
This is Musharraf's second attempt to enter the Bollywood industry, after unsuccessfully auditioning for a role that eventually went to star Emraan Hashmi opposite Manika Sherawat in the movie Murder. Legend has it that Emraan has thanked Musharraf 3,18,857 times since then.
-(With inputs from Carl Woodward and Bob Bernstein)
Ingit Tibrewal, The NH8 Journal
Monday, October 4, 2010
Road to the top - IM conquers KoK
- Anuj Mahajan
Big things come in Small packages.
[caption id="attachment_272" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="The victorious IM team"]
[/caption]
IM’s journey to the pinnacle of KoK success is the culmination of hard work, dedication and perseverance of the whole batch. One unique thing that about the batch is that they may disagree or crib about a number of things - ranging from academics to faculty to their super hectic schedule - but when it comes to sports, they have their hearts in the right place. How else do you explain a crazy Kshitij practicing alone at 6 pm right after classes, failing to understand the hue and cry behind the club selections around? Or Jatin playing badminton till daybreak, only to be shooed back into his hostel room by a faculty member who planned to take a morning walk? What do you think inspires Kabir and Indro to unfailingly turn up at 6 every evening on the football field and practice their religion irrespective of the volumes of after class and before class work assigned to them?
It is the one passion, the one inner desire, the ultimate nirvana each IMer craved for, the ultimate sporting glory in MDI: to be the King of Kings!
Having only 33 people in the batch and just 4 girls, we knew the numbers were never in our favour. Cheerleading was never our forte and to be honest we never even tried to match the firepower of HR in that aspect. Even when it came to CKK, we had that insipid project right before the main event. But when the day came, we at least put up a respectable show and did not come last, contrary to popular expectation. As one of us rightly said that day,
“We are here to win the sporting event KoK, the real thing, CKK is the consolation prize for the intellectuals.”
But one good thing that came out of CKK was that we managed to put up a show in two hours. Whatever we did, in the end, we left with the satisfaction of a job well done, a message loud enough for everyone else – “I AM what IM”.
It was cricket that came up first and with the fireworks of Jatin in the first league game and the Bevan-like finishing of Apurv in the second, we marched into the semis with our confidence sky high. Our bowling was looking good, fielding even better. Batting was a concern, especially at the top, but we knew we had enough big-hitters in our ranks to blow away the opposition.
But in the semis, a rain-marred game that had to be played the next day, we did not live up to expectations. Signs were looking ominous from the first over itself when Abhinav got hit for a flurry of boundaries and our bowling mainstay Hemant was also punished. But we had been in tougher situations before and still had our batting to follow. We did not have a good start and with the asking-rate spiralling, it was too much to expect from the lower order. It was a heart-breaking loss as we had high hopes in cricket. Guys like Kshitij and Mohit had put in a lot of effort, but destiny had other things in mind for us.
In tennis we had Sandeep Reddy, IM’s version of Rafal Nadal. In the first match he put up a heroic effort against Deepak from Section B but lost. But the good thing was that we discovered the talent of Christoff Neuner and were ready to unleash him for the remaining matches. From then on tennis was a cakewalk. Such was our dominance that in the final, in all the three matches we dropped only three-four games and eventually won our first 100 KoK points.
Then came football and badminton. Football was clearly a prestige issue. IM was the defending champion for two years running and there was no way in hell we could afford to lose. The league rounds were reasonably comfortable. Such was the extent of our dominance that our goalkeeper was hardly tested till the semis: there were less than five shots on our goal whereas we scored 13 in three games. The finals were a tense affair with HR proving to be a formidable opponent. They in no way resembled the team we had swatted past 3-0 in the league game. We were so used to a dominant position that with the score at 1-1 and 15 minutes to go, we were in for an exciting finish. But again, the talismanic Kabeer Singh Bedi and tireless workhorse Christoff sneaked in goals to give us a resounding victory.
All along, we had made our way to the badminton finals as well without many hiccups. Yogesh with his methodical approach to the game led a talented team comprising of Jatin, Mohit and Tanika. Tanika especially put in a lot of effort before the finals against Section B, practicing continuously for hours. Stakes were raised even high when we were tied with Section B on 200 points in the overall table before the badminton finals, making it a ‘Winner takes All’ match. Jatin lost the first set but eventually emerged the winner in his singles match. Yogesh then played against Karan in the ‘Match of the Tournament’ between the two best players in PG10 and emerged victorious with an astounding ease. But Tanika lost her singles despite putting up a brave front and Jatin-Adithya lost their doubles in three sets. It all boiled down to the mixed doubles where Tanika and Yogesh combined to defeat their very spirited Section B opponents and win KoK for IM in the process. For Yogesh, it was a special victory as he never lost a game or dropped a set throughout KoK.
Also worth mentioning is the effort put in by Raghav, Akshat, Himani, Manish and others to represent IM in table tennis, chess and volleyball despite our super hectic schedule and mid-terms. We did not win any of these but that does take away anything from their efforts.
In the end, it was the self-belief in each of us that made this possible. Each of us - whether playing, cheering, making posters for CKK, shrieking in support etc - played a crucial role all along. This was the event where we realised that it’s one’s tireless pursuit of passion that ensures victory and that sport is never a lone man’s battle, it is always the team that wins or loses in the end.
Hoping that upcoming IM batches take this year’s victory as an inspiration and uphold the tradition of IM being the best batch, at least in Sports!
Big things come in Small packages.
[caption id="attachment_272" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="The victorious IM team"]
[/caption]IM’s journey to the pinnacle of KoK success is the culmination of hard work, dedication and perseverance of the whole batch. One unique thing that about the batch is that they may disagree or crib about a number of things - ranging from academics to faculty to their super hectic schedule - but when it comes to sports, they have their hearts in the right place. How else do you explain a crazy Kshitij practicing alone at 6 pm right after classes, failing to understand the hue and cry behind the club selections around? Or Jatin playing badminton till daybreak, only to be shooed back into his hostel room by a faculty member who planned to take a morning walk? What do you think inspires Kabir and Indro to unfailingly turn up at 6 every evening on the football field and practice their religion irrespective of the volumes of after class and before class work assigned to them?
It is the one passion, the one inner desire, the ultimate nirvana each IMer craved for, the ultimate sporting glory in MDI: to be the King of Kings!
Having only 33 people in the batch and just 4 girls, we knew the numbers were never in our favour. Cheerleading was never our forte and to be honest we never even tried to match the firepower of HR in that aspect. Even when it came to CKK, we had that insipid project right before the main event. But when the day came, we at least put up a respectable show and did not come last, contrary to popular expectation. As one of us rightly said that day,
“We are here to win the sporting event KoK, the real thing, CKK is the consolation prize for the intellectuals.”
But one good thing that came out of CKK was that we managed to put up a show in two hours. Whatever we did, in the end, we left with the satisfaction of a job well done, a message loud enough for everyone else – “I AM what IM”.
It was cricket that came up first and with the fireworks of Jatin in the first league game and the Bevan-like finishing of Apurv in the second, we marched into the semis with our confidence sky high. Our bowling was looking good, fielding even better. Batting was a concern, especially at the top, but we knew we had enough big-hitters in our ranks to blow away the opposition.
But in the semis, a rain-marred game that had to be played the next day, we did not live up to expectations. Signs were looking ominous from the first over itself when Abhinav got hit for a flurry of boundaries and our bowling mainstay Hemant was also punished. But we had been in tougher situations before and still had our batting to follow. We did not have a good start and with the asking-rate spiralling, it was too much to expect from the lower order. It was a heart-breaking loss as we had high hopes in cricket. Guys like Kshitij and Mohit had put in a lot of effort, but destiny had other things in mind for us.
In tennis we had Sandeep Reddy, IM’s version of Rafal Nadal. In the first match he put up a heroic effort against Deepak from Section B but lost. But the good thing was that we discovered the talent of Christoff Neuner and were ready to unleash him for the remaining matches. From then on tennis was a cakewalk. Such was our dominance that in the final, in all the three matches we dropped only three-four games and eventually won our first 100 KoK points.
Then came football and badminton. Football was clearly a prestige issue. IM was the defending champion for two years running and there was no way in hell we could afford to lose. The league rounds were reasonably comfortable. Such was the extent of our dominance that our goalkeeper was hardly tested till the semis: there were less than five shots on our goal whereas we scored 13 in three games. The finals were a tense affair with HR proving to be a formidable opponent. They in no way resembled the team we had swatted past 3-0 in the league game. We were so used to a dominant position that with the score at 1-1 and 15 minutes to go, we were in for an exciting finish. But again, the talismanic Kabeer Singh Bedi and tireless workhorse Christoff sneaked in goals to give us a resounding victory.
All along, we had made our way to the badminton finals as well without many hiccups. Yogesh with his methodical approach to the game led a talented team comprising of Jatin, Mohit and Tanika. Tanika especially put in a lot of effort before the finals against Section B, practicing continuously for hours. Stakes were raised even high when we were tied with Section B on 200 points in the overall table before the badminton finals, making it a ‘Winner takes All’ match. Jatin lost the first set but eventually emerged the winner in his singles match. Yogesh then played against Karan in the ‘Match of the Tournament’ between the two best players in PG10 and emerged victorious with an astounding ease. But Tanika lost her singles despite putting up a brave front and Jatin-Adithya lost their doubles in three sets. It all boiled down to the mixed doubles where Tanika and Yogesh combined to defeat their very spirited Section B opponents and win KoK for IM in the process. For Yogesh, it was a special victory as he never lost a game or dropped a set throughout KoK.
Also worth mentioning is the effort put in by Raghav, Akshat, Himani, Manish and others to represent IM in table tennis, chess and volleyball despite our super hectic schedule and mid-terms. We did not win any of these but that does take away anything from their efforts.
In the end, it was the self-belief in each of us that made this possible. Each of us - whether playing, cheering, making posters for CKK, shrieking in support etc - played a crucial role all along. This was the event where we realised that it’s one’s tireless pursuit of passion that ensures victory and that sport is never a lone man’s battle, it is always the team that wins or loses in the end.
Hoping that upcoming IM batches take this year’s victory as an inspiration and uphold the tradition of IM being the best batch, at least in Sports!
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