मैं आतंकवादी क्यूँ बना - an attempt to understand the unexplainable

गर्म सांसें, भीगी आँखें, आश्चर्य मेरे मन में था
अगले ही पल नम ये आँखें और शोक भरा इस दिल में था
क्यूँ हुआ अपने ही साथ किस्मत का ऐसा बदसुलूक
क्यूँ किया अपनों पे ही दुनिया ने ऐसा जुल्म
जिस समाज को माना था मैंने एक देवभूति
क्यूँ उसी ने मांग ली मेरे अपनों की ही आहुति


अब इस पल थी शांत सांसें और क्रोध मेरे मन में था
आँखों में थे रक्त जागे और प्रतिशोध भरा इस दिल में था
जिस दुनिया ने है छीन ली मुझसे मेरे जीवन का सवेरा
क्यूँ न फैला दूं इसके हर कोने में मैं अँधेरा
हमदर्दी का जवाब जिन्होंने हमे दर्द से दिया
अब उन्हें क्या हक़ हो की वो मनाते रहें खुशियाँ


रंगे हुए है जो हाथ मेरे अपनों के ही लहू से
धोना है मुझे अब इन्हें इन्ही कातिलो के खून से!!

Demistifying CAT

CAT is not tough. It’s definitely not the toughest exam in the world at least at an intellectual level. So I found it quite humorous when Harsha Bhogle said so in his talk on ’12 truths beyond CAT’. But then, after his talk came to an end and I started analysing my past one year at IIM-A, I somehow got convinced that CAT is indeed one of the toughest exams in the world if not the one and so is surviving here at IIM-A. This is not because it has got a handful of IMO level problems in the Quant section, not because it has one of the toughest tests on DI that I have ever witnessed and neither because it requires an extraordinary vocabulary to clear its section on English. In fact, none of these things holds true for CAT.

According to me, CAT requires primarily three things; Common sense, Commitment and a Capability of time management (and of course the right attitude and morals to get into an IIM). I wish to call this the 3C-funda for cracking CAT (After courses on HR and marketing, I have developed a kind of fetish to manufacture and apply frameworks to most of the things I do except to matters of heart. I wish to write something on the latter as well but am not quite sure of the idea as I have been an eternal loser in this field).

Well, coming back to CAT, the quant section just requires you to retain the very basic fundamentals of simple mathematics that we have learnt at school level (not even high school!!!); DI requires common sense and some bit of practice; English just requires the habit of reading newspapers/novels (not like a GK maniac; rather just for fun and to be informed) and of course developing an ability to manage your time well (believe me, there’s nothing in life for which you will have infinite time). So basically, it is about doing the simple things well rather than doing extraordinary stuff which normal people leading a normal life cannot and then combining ability with the right attitude.

Most of the time it is the toughest to do the simple things well because many of us are occupied enough in doing things which others can’t do though the fact is in most of the cases, winning requires you to do the former right rather than the latter and that is what makes CAT one of the ‘toughest exams in the world to crack’. You need not be an abnormal person to clear CAT.

Disclaimer: I would be more than happy if someone takes out something out of this article but in no way is this article a guide to clear CAT

Warning: This article has been written after having one peg each of whisky and vodka and considering that I am not a drinker, this is high enough for me to get high

We did the 'Diu'

I had just lost 3 matches in a row. Had it been any other day, I would have definitely played more matches until I achieved victory or the shuttle stopped behaving normally. But this day was different. So, I congratulated Shivika on her win and hurriedly left for my room.

It was a strenuous journey; navigating my way through the red-bricked walls, I tried to follow the shortest path. Running on the mud, climbing up and down multiple stairs and travelling underground through the underpass with cars cruising over me, I finally reached my room with a parched throat and a sweaty body. But there was excitement filled in my heart. I just glanced for a moment at a brown wheel-bag lying at a corner of my room and the next few moments went by scanning through the bundle of clothes and selecting a “privileged few” to share the ensuing dose of ‘48-hours “ossumness” ’ (yup! That’s how we spell it) with me.

So, 14 of us from different corners of the campus gathered near the SBI ATM in campus at 2100 hours to make the maiden trip after slogging hard for the last 5 months in IIMA. The time was ours and we were all eager to etch its every moment so deep in our minds that we can visualise them whenever we wish to for years to come.

We quickly caught hold of 5 autos and reached Star Bazaar to board the 10:30 bus. But it became an 11:15 bus. However, we were there to enjoy. Ideas kept pouring in. We decided to fill our stomachs with egg bhurji, omelette and half fry at the Egg zone thela; and what a treat it was. Woh masaledaar chatpata khaana jiske liye hum taras rahe the, wo hume aakhir mil hi gaya. An ossum start to an ossum trip. So, after the pet puja, we got on to the bus to follow the roads to Diu.

Well, our stomachs were satisfied, but our hearts were crying out for some more masti and dhamaal and so that was what we did. The bus was almost fully booked by us. So without caring much we started with baithe baithe kya kare, karna hai kuch kaam; shuru karo antakshari leke prabhu ka naam. Surprisingly enough (actually not to me), the girls team was on the losing side at the end of it. But the night, yet not over was asking for more. Some IITians in the group preferred sleeping (this is just a dramatization, nothing against IITians) while others decided ki ek dusre ka game liya jaaye. So we started with the Truth & Dare game which soon got converted to Tell us your top 5 crushes game; and yes, we didn’t spare the sleeping souls.

Need not mention, there was regular food stops to ensure that we always have a fresh foods inventory.

In this way, that ossum night came to an end but only to give space to even more ossumer moments because when we next opened our eyes to the mild rays of sun, we witnessed an island retreat gently rocked by the wind and the wave from the Arabian Sea offering an undisturbed peace and raising our hopes for an unusual holiday. As we put our first steps on ground, we saw a somewhat strange vehicle unique to Diu. They call it the ‘shuttle’.

The next 48 hours of our lives were spent in immersing ourselves in the beauty and serenity of the place. The days were full of exploring the city (a primary part being finding the cheapest beer available), playing with the sea-waves, conquering the huge coral reefs and we saw the Diu Fort, and behold its every sight justified the trip and made it even more worthwhile. As they say, a picture can speak a thousand words, words which I may not be able to think to describe the vastness, the beauty and the sheer strength that got conveyed from every part of the fort. What follows now are a few glimpses of that gigantic and marvellous architecture.

Well the beauty and pride of Diu is enhanced manifold by the fort. But Diu is not limited to this. Here are some more aspects of the beautiful city and some brilliant photography.

There are many more shades to the island city which may not have been portrayed through these pictures. We went there to get a break from the hectic academic environment of IIMA but surprisingly, we learned a lot here and the place helpedn us foster some strong bonds among ourselves. The later part didn’t surprise me much though as a place where four different languages are spoken, where people of different origins live so peacefully together, where there are 1175 females every 1000 males and where the literacy rate is 75%; in short, a place which has carved its own story of success without pointing a finger at the rest of the nation is sure to bring about some positive changes in everything that is associated with it.

Photography Credits: Chaitanya Tambay

Organizer of the Trip: Ankit Mohan aka Sapela