Europe ki kahani and more - Aviral ki zubani

2006-03-19T10:56:00.000+05:30

Studfarm.... Where the wild things are: The circle of life.....

2006-03-02T19:38:00.000+05:30

In case you have seen happier people.... do let me know...

Yes... this is the photo of my batchmates after the end of our Management Games exam. It is the end of academic career for most of us and we are here having our share of fun till great times last.

This photograph is taken during the round of dunking in which not a single soul in the batch was left dry.

2005-12-25T16:57:00.000+05:30

Happy Birthday to me..

Birthday is an occasion we all wait for. It is the time when you realized that you have just turned one year older (wiser) and the occasion is celebrated by your friends singing Happy Birthday for you, you cutting the cake and then getting gifts (kisses ?) from them. What more can one wish for ?

Unfortunately, the world of reality is not that good. In a college like the one I am in, birthdays are dreaded by one and all. The expression of love by friends in my college is unconventional to say the least.

I was downloaded on this planet on the 25th of December 1980 and hence I celebrated (??) my 25th birthday about 40 hours ago. In the run up to the occasion the electronic notice board (also known as the blue board) was filled with messages from my friends inviting the whole campus community for the rites. The objective of such messages is not only to ensure maximum participation but also to have a pick on the subject (me in this case).

At last, the fateful hour arrived. My friends took me to the quad of my hostel where a small (??) gathering was waiting for me. The ceremony began with bumps given to my sidey, Puneet and then another neighbor Nishant.

Then, came my turn. One of my more caring friends Raju, had put on leather shoes for the occasion. For what seemed like eternity my buttocks were continuously showered with love from my friends in form of kicks and chappal hits. Even now I can feel the result of their love whenever I sit.

If you think the worst was over, think again. At half hour past midnight on Christmas, out in the open my friends started pouring Sprite on me. I thought, it is acceptable and all I need is a small bath. Then, out came the cake.

Though, cake is among the tastiest things ever thought of, birthday cakes in my college are not meant to be eaten. Instead, the birthday boy (girl) is supposed to cut the cake with his nose. Then the remaining cake is applied to his body, hair etc. and trust me this is not the greatest feeling in the world.

After you get your horror movie look, you get ready for the next round. This time around, pots of sweets are taken out and for a change they are meant to be eaten. In this case, in order to show there love, everyone offers the birthday boy, at least one sweet and this goes on until the subject chokes up. The remaining sweets are eaten by friends and we come to the last part of the ceremony.

The remaining juice from the sweets is then poured over the subject’s head and inside his clothes until he feels all sticky. Then he poses with his friends for a few photos and the ceremony ends.

The worst part begins now. Taking bath on a chilly night with cream and sugar syrup all over and hot water in short supply is not my idea of fun. It took 40 minutes of struggle and half a bottle of shampoo to come out clean,

On the same night, the campus rock band JBS-Baro C was playing at the old hostel and I went for the show. At close to three in the night, those friend who had missed my birthday celebrations got their act together I enjoyed another painful round of bumps.

It might seem too wild, brutal or uncultured, but these kinds of celebrations have become a part of our lives. Our expression of affection is unconventional, but it leaves us with really happy memories which stay with us long after the pain is gone. It might seem really weird to some, but I am thankful to all those friends who took out their time and were present there to wish me turning 25 even though their wishes were communicated by their boots. I am not a masochist by any set of imagination but all those who were their to kick me did made me feel special.

2005-11-26T18:34:00.000+05:30

The First Snow in Leuven

Though we had been to Switzerland a week ago and had a great time in the snow, we were yet to witness any snowfall in Europe. It started snowing yesterday. As the evening grew darker, the snow became heavier but we were still skeptical if we will see any of the snow in the morning as there was no sign of snow depositing over the road.

Cycling back from Pangea, it was so nice to feel snowflakes on my face. They melted as soon as they touched me. I hope someone's heart behaves the same way :)

Early morning we got up, and took some good snaps of the snow and they are for all of you to see and enjoy.

2005-11-19T18:19:00.000+05:30

Switzerland : Amazing Place, Amazing People

Switzerland is another name for heaven on earth and Swiss people are as nice as human beings can be..

I was in Switzerland from November 19-20 2005 and had an amazing time. The experience I am going to narrate here is of the city Bern, on Saturday evening. In these two days I travelled to Lausanne, Bern, Zurich, Luzern, Engelberg and Mount Titlis.

I was alone, walking over the bridge when I spotted that down below, close to the river was an Ice-skating ring and lot of people were having a great time there. I have done roller skating before and was very keen to try ice-skating.

When I reached the place, I found out that the place was reserved for a private gathering. Disappointed I still continued to admire the skaters. After some time, one girl approached me and I told her that I wanted to skate for some time but unfortunately couldn't. Soon, a nice man stepped forward and asked me the number of my shoe. He then took off his own skates and helped me put them on.

When I started, a couple of nice girls came to me and helped me skate. For some time, they helped me arround the ringa and later left me to try on my own. After 2 falls, 2 photographs and 20 minutes of great fun, I was left with a memory for a lifetime.

2005-11-01T10:50:00.000+05:30

Rome : The City of Unsurpassable Grandeur

Rome was not built in a day. And three days are far too less for visiting Rome, but we had our constraints and decided to make the best of whatever time we had at hand. We arrived on Rome at close to noon on September the 29th and spent the Saturday, Sunday and Monday admiring the most beautiful city in the world.

After checking into our hotel, we found the first good news of the day, a Bangladeshi restaurant nearby which in 5 Euros gave a stomach filling Desi meal combined with free tea and paani. We rushed to watch the sunset after our satisfying lunch, but our unfamiliarity with the directions and bus system led to our not reaching the spot in time. We did manage to capture some photographs and then proceeded towards our next destination.

Vettorio Emanuel is situated at the Piazza Venicia and we got off at this grand building. After taking some snaps we decided to proceed further. Our plan was to make for the Trevi Fountain and then to the Spanish Steps, but as we were walking towards it, we found that we can as well cover the Panthenon. When we reached the Panthenon, few of us, were more delighted to see a MacDonalds near by than seeing the Panthenon. After our Pet Pooja, we proceed towards the Trevi Fountain.

While walking through the streets, we found beautiful columns of the old era, which were now a part of a hotel. The Trevi Fountain is built at a strategic location. The concept is that if you arrive at the fountain from any direction but one, you will not be able to see the fountain until you arrive at the square. This feature puts you in a situation where a grand view emerges in front of the eyes all of a sudden.

The fountain is a 17th-18th century structure dedicated to Neptune, the God of water. This pagan marvel was inaugurated by none other than the Pope himself. After spending a lot of time and taking numerous snaps at the venue, we attacked an ice-cream shop and four scoops of Gelati (Italian for ice-cream) ne sone pe suhaga kar diya. It was also the first time we mastered the art of getting our bottles/glasses filled with tap water from pubs.

After the Trevi, we proceeded towards the Spanish Steps. To an extend, they were a disappointment compared to what we had seen before. Anyway, we still had a great time watching the people from Bangladesh selling toys, flowers etc to tourists. Pushan da even did some PR and helped us obtain some useful information time to time. This brings us to the end of day one.

The best thing about day 2 was that we could sleep one hour more due to the daylight saving effect. Little did we know ki ye sona itna bhaari padhega. We missed our breakfast to start early for Vatican. We had planned our trip so as to visit Vatican on the last Sunday of the month so as to save us 14 Euros on the ticket of The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chappel .

After taking few snaps in front of the St. Peter’s Basilica, we proceeded towards the line. After standing for 3 and half hours in the line (and then doing some line fraud) we managed to get inside the museum. While in the line, we learnt that we were not the only smart ones who saved 14 Euros as we met about 7-8 IIMCians from various parts of Europe. Many of them were scared of the (2 km long) line and decided to give The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chappel a miss, they do not know what they have missed.

The biggest collection of Pagan art in the world lies in the Vatican. After watching the Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, we proceed further into the marvelous hallways. The beautiful frescos, the amazing tapestries and the works of the greatest artists of all times made our jaw drop at every step.

A special mention is required for the residences of the pope which had works by the best Italian artists. Raphael’s work was captivating due to his amazing sense of perspective, his ability to bring the focus of the viewer to the center of the image and interplay of colours.

By the time we reached the Sistine Chappel, our neck was so tired of looking at frescos that for some time we were not excited by looking at Michel Angelo’s masterpieces, namely The Creation and The Final Judgement. What disappointed us the most was that we were assuming that the Sistine Chappel houses Leonardo da Vinici’s Last Supper but that was not the case. Anybody, who has read Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has to see Last Supper by Da Vinici.

After spending a lot of time in the museum, we proceeded towards a Sri Lankan restaurant (Rani Mahal) where we had a good Indian thaali. Then, we proceed to the second line for entry in St. Peter’s Basilica the highest seat of Christianity. The Basilica might look grand from outside but when you enter the building, the term Grand gets redefined. High ceilings, beautiful statues, paintings and woodwork and a pedestal where the clergy sits with the Holy Trinity depicted above them.

After getting out from the Basilica, I got separated from the group and then changed a couple of buses to meet them again at the central station 2 hours later. We were physically exhausted and aesthetically overwhelmed at the end of day 2.

Our final day in Rome started with a trip to the Collosseum. Initially we debated among ourselves whether or not we should pay for the guide, but we will never repent our decision for going for the guide. The package included guided trip of the Collosseum and the Palentine Hill overseeing the Romus forum.

Our guide in the Collosseum was a funny man who told us interesting stories about the place. The stories of Gladiators, Animal fights and other form of bloodshed which took place for close to 1000 years in the name of public entertainment. More then One million humans and many million animals were killed in this place. The roman idea of fun was indeed weird to say the least.

The Collosseum was built over an artificial lake that was built by Nero. For a 1000 years it was the most easily available source of construction material as invaders continuously took metal, stone etc out of it for building houses, churches, palaces etc. This lead to a weakening of the structure and the collapse of a section in an Earthquake. The building also served as a church for a small period.

After the Collosseum, we went to the guided tour of the Palentine Hill with an English guide named Claire. She is undoubtedly the wittiest and the most entertaining guide I have come across. She told us stories about the birth of Rome, the aqua-ducts and how they lead to insanity, the construction of the palace, the royal feasts which lasted 14 hours and consisted of over 20 courses, the circus minimus, the Romus forum etc.

The word Palace comes form the Palentine Hill. Along with palace of ancient Rome, the hill also has the ugliest building in Rome that was constructed in the 1930s by Mussolini. The building was not brought down but converted to an art gallery.

Descending from the Palentine Hill, we moved towards the Circus Maximus, the place where chariot races were held. Then we moved towards Vettorio Emanuel after a closer view of the Romus forum.

After a second session of photography at Vettorio Emanuel, we proceeded towards the Panthenon again. Panthenon from inside is way different from what it looks from outside. It was the first dome bilt in Rome and it has a hole in the top from which daylight enters the building. After numerous failed attempts to properly capture the dome, we left the building and proceeded towards Piazza Navona, a huge square with an Obleisk in the center surrounded by Roman buildings.

After having our Pizzas, we proceeded towards the Trevi as we wanted to see Trevi by the day. We had walked for 15 minutes when we realized that Pushan Da’s camera is missing. All the stories of Italy being unsafe flashed through our mind. Thankfully the camera was recovered as the owner of the pizzeria had kept it with the reception.

Trevi at dusk was as beautiful as it is in the night and watching the artificial lights take over from the natural light is a treat to the eyes. After spending an hour and half at Trevi we proceeded towards the Spanish Steps to pass our last hours in the city. We then had our dinner and the proceeded towards the railway station taking with us memories to last a lifetime.

2005-10-12T14:53:00.000+05:30

International Food Party at Amerikan College

In October, we had a wonderful party at the Amerikan College. This was an international food party where people had to prepare some food item from their own country. There are five of us here namely Vaas, Arpit, Khandu (Mayank Khanduja), Pushan Da and myself. On the day of the party, Doku had come to Leuven and so we had a 6 person IIMC-gang.

The night before the party, Pushan Da and myself developed some enthu for cooking some delicacy. As we are techno-savvy cooks, we started searching for interesting recipies. Our decision model was simple, the thing should not involve a lot of effort, raw materails should be easily available, and it should look good.

After a lot of deliberations, we decided upon Kheer. Our first choice was Sanjeev Kapur, the famous chef (of Khana Khazana fame) but recipies (those freely available) did not somehow satisfy our requirements. Next we turned to Tarla Dalal, and there we saw something worth trying: Apple Kheer

The recipie was noted down and both of us rushed to the kitchen. We grated the apples and boiled the milk and all went well until we added the apples to the milk. As soon as we added the apples, we had themilk transformed into butter and water (Doodh Phat Gaya). We were in panic and decided to file a lawsuit against Tarla Dalal. For the short term, we were looking how to make best of what we had got (Phatey hue doodh me seb).

Khandu had come downstairs and saw us struggling with the Kheer. We tried a lot of things, finally deciding to drain out the water and freeze the remaining stuff. But life was not this simple. The water along with it, drained away most of the sugar from the mixture.

On the day of the party, we took out Kheer out, added sugar to it and then put a layer of grated almonds on top. We added few other dry-fruits, and transformed our Kheer into Halwa.

We also prepared some Vegetable Biryani and Alu Matar. The African Duo of Tom and Everest had prepared bananas the African way, which tasted like Potatoes and some other combos and named it Hakuna Matata. The Hungarian group had prepared chicken which tasted like Butter Chicken. Javier made some great Sangria, Brecht prepared an intersting kind of Chocolates, Mathilde made some Belgian Custard, We also had some Bulgarian Salad, Molluscs, Polish Potatoes, Dutch Ham and Potatoes and what not. Not to mention, the crowd favourite, the Indian Apple Halwa.

The great session of food and wine was follwed by a dance session and we all got into the groove without much invitation. Later on, Arpit sang Dooba Dooba which was one of the last attraction of the evening.

2005-10-09T07:16:00.000+05:30

Spain Vs Belgium

When I came to Europe, watching a Football Match in the stadium was one thing I wanted to do. The ocassion presented itself when Spain came to play Belgium in order to qualify for the World Cup 2006. The match was scheduled on October 8th 2004 in Brussles.

There were 7 IIMCians at the stadium. Arpit, Pushan Da, Nagraj, Hiran, Prakant Suede, Pankaj Jain and Shaunak. Apart from them, Tom, Hassan and Javier were there from the Amerikan College.

We were all seated in the Spanish camp for three main reasons:

Tickets were cheaper
Spanish Crowd is more lively
Spain was more likely to win

The shouts of Ess-Paan-Ya... Ess-Paan-Ya electrified the atmosphere. We also had mexican waves going for quite some time. Unexpectedly, the first half was dominated by Belgium and they came close to scoring for three ocassion but for the heriocs of Cassius. It was the second half when things started to turn arround and Spain scored twice. What was the best part was that both the goals were scored at our end.. and the crowd went mad. The quality of Spanish play during the second half was amazing and they were getting more and more stylish as time passed.

The excitement did not end with the match, but carried on in our fight to catch the last train to Leuven. In the process, we changed 2 Metros and 1 Tram to get to Brussles-Nord. A nail-biting finish to an exciting day. The partying by the Spanish crowd, which started at the stadium, continued in the train upto Leuven.