About Us

L
TGTR is a youth magazine aimed at providing good solid content written primarily by
students and young professionals on a diverse and relevant range of topics, and presented
in a simple and humorous manner. Unlike other magazines LTGTR provides a refreshing
blend of high quality literature and socially relevant articles which are blatantly honest. The
content is neither journalistic nor bookish; rather you shall find it invigorating and stimulating
in an otherwise monotonous world. We don’t just present facts; we provide opinions and let
you choose the ones you like.
LTGTR is “not” a campus magazine. It transcends beyond the boundaries of our college and
delves into the psyche of Indian youth. It is an endeavor to provide a common ground for
people to express their own ideas and opinions. It is an opportunity for people like me and
you to find like other minded individuals in a world where even Facebook and Twitter haven’t
been able to reduce our loneliness. Finally it is an attempt to bring back a culture of reading
and writing and prove to you that these things are for the masses and not just for the elite.
In a trigger-happy world, in an age where the media is known to sensationalize everything, in
a culture where “making money” is the only truth, LTGTR is an attempt to bring real journalism
and writing. It draws on the ideas of the French revolution “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” and
combines it with inspiration from young revolutionaries who used writing as a way to mobilize
the masses. In a world where broken hearts, unfulfilled expectations and death form a major
chunk of our thoughts, LTGTR is at attempt to break away and find meaning in life.
So I can go ahead and without any regrets state, LTGTR is a not just a magazine, it is a movement
of the people. It is a revolution, of sorts, aimed at bringing out the rebels in us, getting them
to ask the right questions and find the right answers.
Finally it is meant to keep you happy and entertain you. It is meant to keep the good times
rolling.
Contents
OPINIONS
What If? - Pradeep Damodara
Silence is Golden - Vakul Mohanty
Sheila Ki Jawani, seriously? - Sahil Mehta
The Young & The Pretentious - Nishant Boorla
Party In The Usa - "Born Counfused"
...................................................................................................................................

LITERATURE
Book review: A Prefect’s Uncle - Sukanya Venkatraman
In A Character’s persona: Phileas Fogg - Sayonee Ghosh Roy
...................................................................................................................................

FEATURE
heavenlyHimachal - Roopak Khandekar
Iran: A Misguided Na(o)tion - Natasha V. Deboo
Araku Valley - Hasita Krishna
10 Soundtacks For The Holidays - Shruthi Vishwanath
...................................................................................................................................
SOCIAL
Pratibha - An YUVA Initiative - YUVA members
Waye - Suryatej Borra
 POETRY
Give Me Wings To Fly - Amrita Bhanja
Veni, Vidi, Vici - Varsha Apte
...................................................................................................................................

GUEST - OTR
One Sentence - Sankalp Singayapallay
Midnight Escapade - Suma Mandalapu
For A Friend (Part 2) - Mathews M. John
The Wanderer - Apoorv Utsav
...................................................................................................................................

TECH/GEEK ZONE
Gmail Killer...Naa - Team Ltgtr
Review - Call Of Duty - Sagnik Choudhary
...................................................................................................................................

PEOPLE
Spotlight - Sukriti lanba
...................................................................................................................................

HUMOUR
Best Of Facebook - Everybody
...................................................................................................................................

Disclaimer: All the opinions expressed are of the respective authors.

The magazine bears no responsibility for any hurt sentiments. The
images are borrowed from various sources and are the properties
of their respective authors.
Editorial

T
he jobless haven’t been jobless for the last few days, what with exams breathing down
our backs it has been really difficult for us to pay as much attention as we would have
liked to this issue. However thanks to my friend Pradeep Damodara, we were able to
pull it off. He is responsible for most of the editing this time, one of the prime reasons some
of us won’t be flunking our endsems. Anyway, here we are with LTGTR’s 7th issue, dedicated
to travel. Considering that the holidays are fast approaching its more than apt that this be the
underlying theme.
Now getting down to the editorial… Well this time around I’ll let you explore the contents. It
should be more than helpful in assisting you on your endeavor of reading the magazine. I’ll go
ahead and dedicate the editorial to explaining our notion of travel.
The mind is a wanderer, unable to linger on one thought or idea for more than a few moments.
This fickle nature has manifested itself in our love for travel. Travel has for eons been associated
to adventure. Every epic adventure, be it real life or in literature, has been a journey through
the wilderness to an uncertain destination. There is nothing strange about this considering
that there can be no greater adventure than tramping through the unknown, the unseen.
There is always the immense satisfaction of seeing new places and meeting new people that
makes travel so alluring.
But then what about people like me, who find it impossible to uproot themselves from their
little niche? Well, one might say I’m a dull person by nature, incapable of heading out on a
true adventure. But I will have to disagree on that, for I have seen Paris, London and, for that
matter, ancient Greece… the power of human imagination is truly remarkable. I know my
words seem vague and unclear, and I don’t really have the words to express myself. Here’s my
suggestion: Read through ‘The Shadow Line’ by Amitav Ghosh. Then maybe you’ll understand
what I’m trying to convey.
Anyway, adios. We hope you enjoy this issue of LTGTR.
CHEERS AND KEEP THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING.
 OTR EDITORIAL

a message
T
he semester has almost ended but not before there is the
final series of exams to get through. This collaborative
issue was released to give you all something to read in this
strenuous time and I completely understand the hurry you are
in to finish with this issue, but please consider this as an earnest
appeal from me and do give this page a read.
The last issue was an attempt by the Editorial Board to give the
campus a periodical, with support from LTGTR. While LTGTR, which
is in my opinion, a very energetic effort by those involved (and after
this issue, I will be joining them too) that needs to be commended,
it is strictly not a campus magazine. It is my honest opinion that
there must be a periodical that caters specifically to the campus,
which is to be a result of the effort of those in the college. While
it might seem that it is the responsibility of the Editorial Board to
generate content, it is by no means the right way as the eight of us
are not and can never be a complete representation of the entire
campus, and therefore cannot do justice to everyone.
That being said, I have a request to all the readers, and their
friends.
The Editorial Board is holding what is very similar to a writing competition that will last the entire winter
vacation. Let this be your portal for generating content, for this newsletter, for the annual magazine, On.The.
Rocks and it can also be an opportunity to win generous prizes. Moreover, if you any artwork or photographs
that you’d like published, or if you are interested in helping us design, please do contact us (e-mail or
Facebook).
Please send all your work; fiction, poetry, screenplays, critical journalism, anything to ontherocks.bphc@
gmail.com, before the 21st of January for a chance to win Rs. 2,000 and have your article published in the
annual magazine. You could help start off something that is at the moment, rather tentative.
If everything goes well, we should be coming out with our first periodical as soon as the next semester begins.
Have a great vacation guys! And do follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/otrmag.

With best wishes,

On behalf of the Editorial Board

Sankalp Singayapally
 opinions

TheYoung&ThePretentious
- NISHANT BOORLA
“I don’t want to be a product of my environment.”
- Frank Costello, The Departed

F
ortunately, he isn’t the only one who feels We all have an idea of the person we would like to
that way. We all do what we do to satisfy our be. We also have an ever-changing idea of who we
giant EGOS. It’s true. You may occasionally want people to see when they look at us. Those two
spot the one selfless man who seems to have no identities are never identical.
ego whatsoever. One who gets along with everyone We take cues from several sources. But I’d like
around him. One who doesn’t take anything to to believe nothing influences us more than the
heart. It’s possible but that only means he makes a performance arts. Movies, TV shows, music are
conscious effort to keep his ego to himself. Did I burst all major factors that contribute to our everyday
a bubble there? hypocrisy. We try ever so hard to take after our
I was once told making a sacrifice for a friend is the matinee idols. From hairstyles to mannerisms,
highest honour you can bestow upon him. I was told entertainment icons define the people that follow
a sacrifice is an act of great selflessness. But it’s hard them. Consider the following.
to take that seriously. It has never been about the [This being exam season, I’m going to present my
other person. It has always and will always be - about views in bullet-point format.]
us. It’s human nature to take every situation around
us and see what we gain from it. Which is why I find The Impact of entertainment on the youth of our
it particularly difficult to take the word “selfless” nation.
seriously.
HOW THE LADIES HAVE LOST THEIR MINDS
Here’s an example. I walk in to an ice cream parlour.
* The wedding planner: I have lost count of the
I want Belgian Dark Chocolate and I want it badly.
number of movies and TV shows featuring a crazy
I walk over to the counter and say - “ Belgian Dark
female “Bridezilla” who since she was six years old
Chocolate. One scoop please”. Almost miraculously a
has been dreaming of having a fairy tale wedding.
six year old boy standing next to me says - “Uncle,
Belgian Dark Chocolate” - at the exact same time. Who are you
I look over the counter to check and realize there’s pretending to
only enough Belgian Dark Chocolate for one of us. In be today?
case you’re wondering, this isn’t a Hugh Grant movie.
I could of course talk the ice cream guy in to giving it
to me but I choose to step aside. He’s a kid after all, it
would mean a lot to him.
Now, this never really happened. If it did, I would
probably run away with the Dark Chocolate, but that’s
not the point. Such a sacrifice may be misconstrued
as selflessness. But I being the Grinch, am here to
prove to you that you would be wrong to assume so.
I merely traded the pleasure of devouring quality ice
cream with the pleasure of the knowledge that all
those around me perceive me as a selfless being. In
all probability I did it because there was a cute girl in
the background. I did it because people thinking I’m
selfless gives my ego a boost.
The wedding is all about her. She has to morph in to a gangsta sign! And no, you don’t have to do this -
a walking talking house of crazy in the days leading \m/ - for every photograph you’re in.
to the wedding. Maybe that is how woman grow up * Action movies: OK, so some of them are actually
in some countries. But is that the norm in India? I good. But then you come across embarrassing
see pretentious girls all over the place. Fake accents ones like the fourth “Fast and the Furious” movie,
and what not. I’m sorry but if an Indian girl talks to The Revenge of the Fallen. It’s pathetic that you’re
me about how she has always dreamed of a perfect almost compelled to watch it on account of you
wedding where she reads her own vows I will smack being a guy! Any person with even a semblance of
her over the head and hold a cup of coffee under human intelligence will find the aforementioned
her nostrils. Exchange vows? When have you ever movies senseless and quite frankly an insult to his
seen that happening? If you’re a Christian then that’s intelligence. In “Fast and Furious”, good guys and
perfectly acceptable. But otherwise it makes you a bad guys (way sophisticated, I know) chase each
douche. And no, in our country it’s never about the other across open plains in plain sight for 20 minutes.
bride. Every wedding in India is about the bride’s Those open plains just so happen to be a part of the
parents. The spotlight is on the parents. How much L.O.C between USA and Mexico! No border security
they’ve spent and so on. forces though. Don’t you worry! And “Revenge of
* I could talk about how girls scream “Jesus” or the Fallen” - ghetto transformers? Really? Skids and
Jesus Christ” out loud instead of the usual “Oh My Mudflap talk with ghetto accents and what’s more -
God” but that may be offensive to those who truly they can’t read! Come on Michael Bay, you disgraceful
believe he’s listening. I could also insert a smiley here loser of a James Cameron wannabe.
but that would be insensitive. * Yo: Just don’t use that word or any of its many
* Twilight: Avanti, a friend of mine admitted she forms. I beg of you. Worst of all, don’t fake an accent
finds Twilight lame and only watches the film and and say “yao”. Last time I checked, “yao” only meant
squeals with her friends so she’s not an outcast! She’ll a reference to an insanely tall Chinese man who could
regret ever letting me in on that secret and how?! beat the living daylights out of all of us!
Twilight is ridiculous. But effective marketing has * Married men taking home flowers: If you
ensured every girl claims she “OMG! loves Twilight” belong to an older generation and got married before
on account of her being a girl. Boys are no different the 90’s do yourself a favour and stop taking home
but more on that later. roses for your wife. That’s not how it works. Sure she
* First kiss tells you everything: First of all, no might find them pretty but most women from those
it doesn’t. Believe me. Secondly - How do you know? generations have an old saying the live by - “Jasmine
Is it because Will Smith said so in Hitch, or did you in hair better than rose in hand”.
get that from “F.R.I.E.N.D.S”? What happened to I could list out several points in addition with respect
following your instinct? to both genders but I think I’ve made my point. If
you’re conscience tells you you’re being pretentious,
HOW THE MEN HAVE LOST THEIR MINDS listen to it! Give your ego some time to breathe. Come
on now, you owe it to society. Ego is important. Sure.
* The “Bro” Conundrum: Also known as “the It pushes the boundaries. Makes you do things you
babe anomaly” in some cases. Just stop it I say!! wouldn’t dare to. But you’re wasting precious ego
Saying “bhai” and “maamu” were fly in the not so points by aping cultures you know very little about.
distant past. But now everyone refers to the next guy No matter how hard you try you will always remain a
as his “bro”. It’s just not right. Come on! true Indian at heart.
* Gangsta signs: To be honest, most people all ....................................................................................
around the world abuse the sacred gangsta signs. Name: Nishant Boorla
9 out of 10 people at every party decide it’s time Age: 20
for them to get their “ghetto on” and start flashing Hobbies: Poetry, Insect Photography (true story),
random gangsta signs. Word of advice: Splitting your watching movies like my life depended on it.
fingers in to any ratio you please does not constitute
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
- Tyler Durden, Fight Club.
 OPINIONS

SHEILA KI JAWANI...
SERIOUSLY?
-sahil mehta

I
’ve repeatedly been told that I listen to a lot of
crappy music, and hence I have abstained from
writing anything about music. But this is a song-
actually more like an opportunity- that I just couldn’t
pass up. You know, what I’m talking about, don’t you.
You little pervert! Sheila Ki Jawani….this item song
has been doing the rounds everywhere. You open
the newspaper and there are headlines like
“Farah’s kids crazy about the song ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’.
And this is our future generation?
“Katrina steps into Madhuri Dixit’s world”. Comparing
Katrina with Madhrui Dixit, seriously? Katrina can’t
even deliver a dialogue without looking constipated. this same media was going all “is our future in the
Same world my ass!! More like alternate reality. right hands” at a harmless game being organized by
“My item song is not raunchy: Kat”. Good. But, then an IIT.
what’s the whole point of it being an item song? Another topic up for discussion was Katrina’s belly
I log on to Facebook and the video is sitting right dance. Has anyone ever heard of Shakira? Hello!
there on top on my news feed. Now let’s get down to the song itself. While the beats
It’s was freaking everywhere. So I decide, I really are reasonably tolerable, the lyrics are atrocious.
need to see this video that everyone’s been harping The song shall go down in infamy for taking a cult
about. And here I am - the video on an infinite loop classic dialogue and turning it into this “My name is
on VLC - writing out my thoughts on the whole affair. Sheila, Sheila ki jawani”. My personal apologies Mr.
And frankly, I’m a little dumbfounded. You see, unlike Bond. Another one goes like this, “Kisi aur ki mujhko
most of our sex-derived and frenzied media reporters zaroorat kya, Main toh khud se pyaar jataun”. Does
and celeb crazy populous, I can’t possibly imagine anybody really need me to explain what this sounds
any normal person getting a hard on by watching this like? Disgusting? More like lol!
video. Frankly there have been far more seductive Look, I’m a nice, open minded guy. I’m not going to
videos, both in Indian cinema and well Hollywood’s preach about how people shouldn’t watch this or shit.
just out of our league. Now hold on to your hat’s, I Hey, watch porn for all I care, just don’t get caught.
am not saying that Katrina doesn’t look good ( after All I’m saying is, is this really what we want our fickle-
all that’s all she got ), but after having seen so much minded public to read, see, and hear about all the
skin of-late in Bollywood, this doesn’t really seem time? And it’s not just about this one video, it’s about
that big a deal. all the paparazzi stuff that our papers emphasize.
One of the reasons why this video is so-in-the- Whatever happened to papers like Swaraj, whatever
limelight is the fact that Katrina drapes herself in a happened to responsible journalism?
white satin sheet. The media apparently loves this Ps. If Sheila Ki Jawani… turns you on, you seriously
and believes it’s something they should blabber need to get a life.
about every second they can. Somehow this seems a ........................................................
little hypocritical considering less than a month back
W
aiting for hours to ski and play in the snow it. And I’d strongly suggest NOT doing what I did en
at Rohtang Pass, and a few more hours route to Rohtang Pass: falling asleep.
when your return journey is delayed You’ll probably have some eatery within your reach
due to a landslide; visiting spots like the Hidimba whenever your stomach rumbles. Paranthas with
temple; feeling the warmth and enjoying the generous amounts of stuffing and ghee make for a
pleasant ambience of British-era hotels; wearing a great start of the day. For people who eat meat, the
nice sweater you successfully bargained for in one of Himachali trout (a type of freshwater fish) is definitely
those jam-packed woolen clothes sales; or relishing worth a try. If not, then there is Himachali pulao.
some plums you picked off a tree… it’s heavenly, it’s Higher up in the mountains you can relish hot momos
Himachal. The state of Himachal Pradesh, located in (not of Himachali origin, but certainly delightful in
the upper Himalayas, is a great place to escape the the cold mountain air). I remember some shop in
scorching Indian summer. Be it tourist destinations, Shimla which sold pickles of almost anything that can
scenic views, adventure sports, handicrafts…this be made into a pickle. And, just in case you aren’t
little state has it all. in the mood to experiment, there is always all that
The Toy Train to Shimla passes through dozens of routine stuff like paneer bhurji or stuffed tomatoes
tunnels and takes sharp curves and steep gradients or the locally quite popular rajma or some other item
in its (in some people’s view, boring) 6-hour, 90-odd you’ll find on any menu card. Also quite common
km journey from Kalka. If you are being driven round in the state are outlets of Himachal Agro Products
in Dalhousie, your driver suddenly takes a sharp selling jams, syrups etc. of a large variety of fruits.
turn and you find yourself going along a street you Large crowds throng the markets at all major hill
could not imagine existing in the location where it stations in Himachal Pradesh. There are plenty of
actually does. On at least one occasion, your vehicle handicrafts, woolen articles etc., for sale. There is
will be crossing a fully-packed HPRTC bus on a narrow something for everyone to take back as a souvenir of
bridge. You look down from your window and see their journey to this wonderful place.
your vehicle perilously on the edge of the bridge…
your heart skips a beat. Another heart-stopping Losing yourself in the lush green environs of Khajjiar
experience is that of being tossed around violently lake, or pampering your eyes with all sorts of flowers
while you cling to the ropes on your raft in the rapids in all sorts of colours in Shimla’s Horticulture Centre,
of the Beas (wearing your precious helmets and life- or letting all your worries be washed away in a sip of
jackets, of course). Or, you can join your feathered apple cider or hot tea while staring at the snow-clad
........................................................
friends, though only for a few minutes, as you para- peaks of the Himalayas… it’s heavenly, it’s Himachal.
glide in the skies, seeing Himachal as the birds see
I
ran, as a country, has been subject to great
prejudice from the outside world, especially
sympathisers of USA. And, while I agree that
every country has its merits and faults, one should
not be deceived or disillusioned by Iran’s outward
reputation, or its political aspirations, both of which
are often prejudicially over-hyped by the media. Let’s
leave that aside for the moment. Let’s instead talk
about its history and the rich culture it commands.
In this holiday issue, I shall cover the imposing and
awe-inspiring ancient city of Persepolis, which now
lies in ruins and declared as one of the World Heritage
Sites of UNESCO. Just as Tehran is the political capital
of Iran, Shiraz is said to be its poetic capital. It is
known for its famous poets like Haafiz and Saadi,
and for its imposing historical monuments like Naqsh
– e – Rustom, Naqsh – E – Rajab, Persepolis and
Pasargade.
Persepolis is the most important historical monument
in Iran. Persepolis literally means ‘City Of The Persians’
and was the spring capital of the Achaemenian kings,
displaying great pomp and splendour. Our first view
of Persepolis left us all astounded. The city, perched
on a platform, built on the foot of Kuh – e – Rahmat,
(Mountain of Mercy) looked grand and imposing.
To reach the top, there is a double flight of stairs.
There are 111 steps on each side. The steps are very
wide in width and short in height, so that chariots
could easily ply over them and noblemen could scale
them graciously. Talk about architectural genius so
many years ago! It is said that the four lions on the
Ashoka pillar were influenced by a similar capital at
Persepolis. And when you see it for yourself, you can
easily notice the uncanny resemblance.
Though it was Darius the Great who started building
Persepolis, all his successors continued to build it.
‘Alexander the Accursed’ destroyed Persepolis one
night in a drunken fit. As a result, all the wooden
roofs and pillars were destroyed. It is said that
Alexander pressed into his service the use of 2,000
camels, 4,000 horses and 10,000 mules to carry the
loot from Persepolis back home.
What has survived the ravages of time; however,
are the stone carvings and imposing pillars. Human–
headed two–winged bulls flank the entrance to
Persepolis. The architectural brilliance in an age
without machines and cranes is difficult to imagine.
The roof was supported on fluted columns, each
resting on an intricately carved base.
The capital on the column consisted of two bulls,
Homa birds, or lions, with their faces turned in the
opposite directions. How the capitals were lifted up
to that height taxes one’s imagination quite a bit! It
is interesting and heartening to note that unlike the
great pyramids at Egypt, Persepolis was not built by
slaves.
In fact, there are stone tablets of that period
indicating that each worker received a daily wage
comprising a sum of money, a bottle of wine and a
leg of lamb. What’s more, women worked side by
side with men and enjoyed paid maternity leave.
This sort of emancipation was unheard of even a
century ago in the so called modern world!
Such was the high culture and civilization of ancient
Persia! Another very distinguishing feature of the
construction of Persepolis is that there was no
cement used to join two blocks of stone. What they
used instead, was a gargantuan metal pin, one you can
crudely call a ‘huge staple pin’. This pin was ‘stapled’
between the two blocks of stone, thus ensuring that
each piece of the palace was perfect.
There are also carvings of the mythical Homa bird.
This figure has the paws of a lion to indicate strength,
the head of an eagle to depict flight and ascendancy
and the ears of a bull depicting wisdom. It is a symbol
of good luck, to wish strength, growth and wisdom
to all those who visit Persepolis. It is incidentally also
the ‘Iran Air’ symbol. There are also other etchings
on stone, of hundreds of soldiers preparing for war.
What is amazing is the sheer detail carved by the
stone masons of that era.
There is also depiction of the ‘10,000 Immortals’,
which was an elite fighting force, for quelling any
uprising in the empire. This army was so called
because if any soldier fell ill or died in battle he would
be immediately replaced by another, such that the
number would never fall below 10,000.
The immaculate symmetry is also very commendable.
If a wall has 123 soldiers sculpted, then the wall
directly facing it also has the exact number of soldiers,
and so on. There is also a relief which portrays Xerxes
the Great sitting majestically on a throne carried by
several attendants. The painstaking effort and the
eye for detail in each frieze leaves you breathless and
with a yearning for more.
The largest structure at Persepolis is the Apadana
where the great kings themselves used to hold court.
Next to the Apadana is a structure called Tachara or
‘Mirror Palace’. The Mirror Palace is called so because
the stone is polished enough for one to see one’s
reflection.
Carvings of people from different countries, including
India (clad in the traditional dhoti, with a cow and
spices as gifts); their costumes and weapons; and the
various gifts that they are bringing to the king, adorn
the eastern staircase of the palace.
The panels depicting ambassadors of different
countries are separated by etchings of cypress trees
wishing everyone a long life. Elsewhere, there are
also etchings of date palms to wish everyone a sweet
life.
Some distance away are the tombs of Artaxerxes II
and Artaxerxes III. At the far end of Persepolis is a
stone panel depicting Darius The Great seated on
his throne with a staff in one hand and a flower in
another. Before him are two small fire altars and an
emissary addressing the great king with his hand
raised in salutation.
A replica of the image of Cyrus The Great with an
Egyptian head-gear and long Elamite dress, seen at
Pasargade, is also on display. There is also a museum
which is built over a ruined palace in an attempt
to reconstruct and make visitors get a feel of what
Persepolis originally looked like more than two and
a half millennia ago, complete with stump, column,
capital, beam and roof.
It is very difficult for us to think of this ‘war-torn’
country of Iran as being blessed with such beauty.
The truth is that one must never trust the myopic
vision and opinions of others unless you first see it for
yourself. What’s one man’s meat is another’s poison,
and beauty always lies in the eye of the beholder.
........................................................
Excerpted from the Book titled: “Iran – Tracing
Footprints Through Time” By Natasha V Deboo
Published in 2009.
 Araku
Valley
- hasita krishna

S
o you don’t have too much time to spend on a FACTFILE:
holiday, and you are a localite. WHERE: 115 Km from the nearest city, Vishakapatnam.
What do you do? HOW: Either by train or an extremely efficient
road transport system. We also recommend driving
If you live anywhere between twenty minutes to yourself.
twelve hours away from Vishakapatnam, Andhra WHEN: Anytime apart from April, May. December-
Pradesh, Araku Valley is by far the destination of January temperatures range from 15 to 25°C.
choice for a short, yet memorable holiday. WHAT: Essentially the scenic beauty; Museum of
For those of you who love being in the lap of nature, Tribal Arts; The Tribal Dance
this place has just what you want. Everything here WHO: We suggest you go with friends :D, but family
is just right-the weather, the locales, the people-you ain’t bad either..
name it! As for those who love the journey more
than the destination, driving to Araku is going to be
one of your best memories.
Life in the woods has never come alive the way it
does in Araku Valley. You can go on a trekking tour of
the place, or if you prefer to have a lazier holiday, all
you have to do is sit at the windowsill; the birds and
bees (clichéd) are there to entertain you. But there
is this ethereal quality about the place that makes
you wonder if it’s the place changing hues or if it’s
your eyes playing tricks on you. So irrespective of
whether you are outdoorsy, laidback, sceptic or just
plain bored, the place is sure to charm you.
The Borra Caves are about half an hour drive from
the main town, and they are one of the largest natural
formations of their kind in the country. The caves are
known for their cultural heritage and geographical
significance.
The town is inhabited by local tribes as well as people
who have settled in the area over a period of time.
They are not only extremely helpful, but also have a
lot of folklore to share with you.
So the next time you head out for the shortest
possible duration, but don’t want to compromise on
the fun you have, you know where to go!
..................................................... BORRA CAVES
 Feature

Top 10 holiday COMPILED BY -

soundtracks
The classics, the carols, and the contemporary
SHRUTHI VISHWANATH
.................................................................................
@NUMBER 10: HOMEWARD BOUND - SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
Perfect while returning home after a long, long time. Listen to it while on the train/bus or at the airport and
feel great!
@NUMBER 9: I’M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS- BING CROSBY
Slow and beautiful. Especially if your holidaying somewhere cold and snowy with a loved one.
@NUMBER 8: O HOLY NIGHT- CELINE DION/KELLY CLARKSON/CHRISTINA AGUILERA/
GLEE CAST/THE CORRS Christmassy, perfect! Kelly Clarkson has a wonderful acapella version. The Glee
cast version is also magical.
@NUMBER 7: BLUE CHRISTMAS- ELVIS PRESLEY
The holidays are all about the nostalgia of your childhood, or in this case, your parents’ childhood. Whatever.
The King of Rock n’ Roll, un-missable.
@NUMBER 6: JINGLE BELL ROCK- BOBBY HELMS/HILLARY DUFF
The classic unconventional Christmas song. Listen to the original or get Ms. Duff’s version of you aren’t too
choosy.
@NUMBER 5: THE CHRISTMAS SONG- NAT KING COLE
Yeah, at the risk of making this column seem 1960s. But it’s magical. Skeptics, you’ve got to listen to this one.
Then we shall talk.
@NUMBER 4: WINTER WONDERLAND- THE ANDREWS SISTERS/VANESSA HUDGENS/
DOLLY PARSON/FRANK SINATRA A Christmas pop classic composed in 1934, it has been adapted
by at least 30 odd known singers after. Choose any singer you wish, my personal favorites are the Andrews
Sisters.
@NUMBER 3: ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE- BRENDA LEE
Fun and upbeat. The first song on this list that could be played for the dance floor. And there’s a Miley Cyrus
version, in case you might be interested.
@NUMBER 2: RUDOLF THE RED NOSE REINDEER AND JINGLE BELLS: EVERYONE
I can’t decide which to rank where. But sing it anyway, just for the heck of seeming crazy or to remember
the good times when you were 5 years old. And if you haven’t heard of them, do so now before you are
transported to a parallel universe by a pissed off Santa.
@NUMBER 1: SILENT NIGHT: EVERYONE
THE classic. A hymn, best heard in a Church service on Christmas morning. Compulsory listening. Go to
youtube and hear out any or all of the versions. And thank someone for the beautiful music. Enjoy!
 literature

Book Review

A PREFECT’S
UNCLE
– P. G. Wodehouse
-sukanya venkatraman

Prologue/Statutory warning/ Cover up : If
this ends up seeming like a part of an article
that talks about P. G. Wodehouse’s, to put it
in lay man’s term, brilliance, than a review of
his book, forgiveness is sought. It’s my first of
Wodehouse’s books and hence the obvious
awe.
yet not unfriendly Reece, the much despised
Monk, the trouble-inviting junior Farnie and the
no-nonsense Wilson, he is the amazing narrator,
brilliant author and master wordsmith.
A prefect’s uncle is a simple story of a year
at Beckford. A typical year, where human
characteristics are revealed, prejudices and

A
prefect’s uncle, does not, by any stretch
of the adjective, have an amazing plot
or story line. It does not have deeply
distraught, greatly talented and therefore
amazing characters. It doesn’t give a new
perspective on life or make one sit down and
think about the stark realities of the world today.
So why read the book?
Because its an insight into Wodehouse’s
brilliance. He is the grandfather who delves into
philosophy, but lets you go as deep as you want to
into his words. He is the father, who tells you the
difference between good and bad. He is also the
mother, who tells you that there’s good and bad
within all of us, that when asked for forgiveness,
the bad must be forgiven, for that’s the good in .............................................................................
them. He is the friend, who reminds you of the
little things in life. Finally, through his characters –
the good-natured Mariott, the typical do-gooder
Gethryn, the multi-talented but vain Pringle, the
proud but good-at-heart Norris, the reserved,
“His spirit was willing, but his will was not spirited”
friendships are formed and broken. The
protagonists, with their seemingly ordinary
lives, deal with the various ups and downs – the
disappearance of Gethryn, one of their main
bowlers, during the match against MCC; the rise
of an underdog house cricket team and the final
victory in the football match in the winter term.
It is the perfect book to start off your holidays
with- not too serious, and as light as you want
it to be. It’s an extra-ordinary person’s narrative
of ordinary people’s lives, which makes it extra-
ordinary. It reminds you of the fact that life
shouldn’t be taken too seriously, that one doesn’t
grow at his/her turning points, but during the
journey before and after.

Call Of Duty 7 : The Black Ops
T
he Call of Duty franchise can in essence be
described in one word – robust. While not
exactly a bad thing for a first person shooter,
the drama and the plot twists do get a little too
monotonous after a while. A twist isn’t a twist
if it comes with plot holes right? All of this was
what Modern Warfare 2 got wrong, and Treyarch
apparently has learnt from Infinity Ward’s mistakes.
Though not compromising on the speed in general at
which a CoD game progresses, Black Ops delivers a
fantastic FPS experience, one that’ll be hard to match
in some time.
The campaign is a roller-coaster ride. Black Ops is the
first game to be set in the Cold War and makes use of
most of the hot Cold War locations like Cuba, Russia
and Vietnam pretty well. Quite a few recognizable
historical figures have been recreated too (Castro
and JFK for instance). The level of detail that shows
in some of the better known places that you visit,
Vorkuta and Vietnam for example, is pretty stunning.
The one fault that the campaign has, is that it’s too
short. It clocks at about six hours on the standard
difficulty, and when a game’s that good, this is
something to be very sad about.
The plot is airtight and is probably the best that a
Call of Duty game has come up with till date. You
play a covert operations officer, one who’s being
forced to recount all his experiences by his unseen
captors and almost all of the missions play out as
flashbacks. Apparently you’re the only person who
can decipher a Russian cryptic numbers broadcast,
Review
- SAGNIK CHOUDHARY
one that was programmed into you when you were
held in Vorkuta, and something that your captors feel
is vital information. What they hadn’t bargained for
however is that the numbers could stand for more
than just the one thing, and the trauma you faced at
the Vorkuta Gulag is something that could leave no
man’s mind unscathed…
The cast of CoD 7 is befitting of a major movie, and
features stars like Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Ice
Cube, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Gary Oldman, who
puts in a spectacular performance as Viktor Reznov,
a role he reprises from CoD 5: World at War.
Gameplay mechanics range from standard FPS to
airing a chopper through Vietnam to guiding friendly
troops using a ‘BlackBird’ recon aircraft’s IR sensors.
Shooting mechanics work just like the previous CoD
games, the usual arsenal of grenades, flashbangs,
shotguns etc. One noteworthy addition however, is
the Crossbow, and this is incredibly fun to use. With
the standard bolts, this works like a silenced sniper
rifle, while what happens with the explosive bolts
attachment, is actually pretty self-explanatory. Shoot
a bolt into an enemy trooper, and watch him and the
5 meter radius around him blow up the next second.
Also my personal favourite is the Python revolver, old
school but awesome to use. All in all, combat has its
thrills even if it’s not too visceral.
Though I haven’t had the opportunity to try my hand
at multiplayer myself (for pretty obvious reasons),
it’s been revamped quite a bit. New and improved
perks, such as a contract system where you can bet
 Review
on yourself, and a theatre mode that lets you record
your best and worst moments are nifty additions
to an already great multiplayer system. The Co-
Op zombie bashing mode returns from CoD 5, sure
everybody dies in the end, but after having a hell of a
lot of fun. The most notable addition however, is the
Combat Training mode that puts you up against bots
on multiplayer maps; this so that everyone can get a
taste of what the multiplayer is like.
The graphics look absolutely stunning at the highest
setting, though this can be adjusted to suit mid to low
level PC’s as well. Even on the lowest setting, Black
Ops is easily the best looking CoD. Black Ops features
Vietnam War era music including The Rolling Stones’
“Sympathy for the Devil” (played during a gameplay
sequence and the credits) and Creedence Clearwater
Revival’s “Fortunate Son”. Eminem’s “Won’t Back
Down” is used for the credits as well. The original
music was composed by Sean Murray, who also
composed Call of Duty: World at War.
All in all, CoD as always, is best enjoyed with a friend
or friends. The single-player campaign is fantastic for
the while it lasts, but Black Ops thrives on modes like
Zombie Bashing and Combat Training, modes that
you’ll easily lose hours to. Black Ops broke all records
and sold more than 7 million copies 24 hours after
its release. No coincidence either, Black Ops is simply
one of the best games to recommend this year.
........................................................
Sagnik Choudhary is an third year student of Eng.
He has a fetish for computer games, fantasy ficition
novels and movies. He is an ardent quizzer and an
expert at writing reviews.
( Inspired by an article of the same name written by religiously and wait… and wait… and wait… damn it
my father, posted on his blog Mokatha ) takes forever. Now you shove 500 bucks down the
pocket of the clerks and presto… your job is done in
“Speech is silver, but silence is golden”.

F
a matter of a few hours. And what do we do about
or centuries silence has been the hallmark of this grand abuse of position?? Oh nothing - “My
a controlled, self assured person. A person work’s done for just 500 bucks so why should I give
detached from the mundane chitter-chatter a damn?” Our silent acceptance is what we have to
of daily life, contemplating on the greater aspects blame for the rampart corruption in India, not the
of life. Indian mythology perfectly chronicles the government (not that the government is absolutely
virtues of silence, holy men engaged in centuries of innocent though)
meditation, in silent harmony with nature searching
This attitude isn’t limited to just corruption, we have
for enlightenment - searching for the answer to
over the course of several centuries ignored and
everything. In a more modern scenario, individuals
turned a blind eye to social practices like sati, child
like me have to constantly listen to stuff like -
marriages, untouchability… the list isn’t short. As a
“Look at him, he’s so silent and composed, learn to
result a society that 2 millennia ago was considered
concentrate like him.”
to be one of the greatest civilizations to have existed
Even under the threat of being called a hypocrite I was degraded to a barbaric hoard. And if wasn’t for
have to agree. Silence is truly a virtue. The ability people like Raja Ram Mohan Roy we wouldn’t be any
to detach oneself from the bitching about anything better now. Silence and inaction has been beaten
and everything around us truly is the mark of a into our very soul and existence. We refuse to stand
genius. But is the silence we see a virtue, or do we up to injustice, we refuse to stand up and defend our
sometimes mistake an escapist attitude for a virtue? dignity, our country... How the hell are we so damn
We Indians have been considered silent people by proud of our society and culture??
many westerners, engaged in our continuous struggle
To conclude I just one thing to say, silence is golden,
for excellence so that we can survive in a world on
true, but only when speech is just a waste of words.
continuous strife and struggle. But what about our
But silence is a sin if we refuse to stand up to the
silence regarding subjects like terrorism, corruption,
injustice around us. Raise your voice against evil, act
etc.?
against it, there is no virtue in cowardly silence.
Take, for example, the municipality - you want a ........................................................
construction permit. You go about all the formalities
 OPINIONS

WHAT IF? - PRADEEP DAMODARA

S
atisfaction. Something we never really moment of imaginary clarity, that we’re addicted
seem to manage to find. The mind is fickle, to their outcome. We take solace in irrationality,
they say, and rightly so, and yet we haven’t and wallow in our self-pity, forever consoling
been able to tame it. If you have bread, you ourselves with the day dreams of what would
wish for cheese. Once you get the cheese, you have been or what still maybe, only if our will be
want ketchup. Finally, when you have the butter, done.
toaster and Italian seasoning, you wish for that The same two syllables we ask, always choosing
pizza! the answer that better satisfies us. Yet, you’ve
Whenever you get something, something good, agreed the mind is never satisfied. The need is
tangible, “satisfying”, that tiny voice in your head never met. So you’re stuck in the imagination,
tells you it’s not enough.” lost in the moment. And eventually you chance
So we’ve established that nothing is ever enough. upon a roadblock you can’t surmount. An idea, a
Eventually, the mind comes to accept that… that notion, which even ‘what if?’ can’t conquer.
and the fact that life isn’t fair. We never get what Your two faithful syllables shatter, fail utterly, and
we want or deserve. you wake with a start.
That’s when we shift from the more rational You wake up, sweating, hyperventilating, crying.
realism to the dreamscape and ask that fateful And you start to think: “What if?”
question: “What If?”
And so the word games start. Two syllables “What if I didn’t dream that??”
would never have meant so much than at that And so it is.
point, when this cruel, unfair world took away So it’s always been.
...........................................................
everything that we desired.
We delve deeper into the conscience, following
unrealistic paths, courses of life that we know
are impossible, yet seem so plausible in that
 PEOPLE

SPOTLIGHT

Sukriti Lanba

ID: 2009B2A3550H
ZODIAC: Aries
HOMETOWN: Mom’s from Punjab, Dad’s from Haryana, but I was born in Delhi and later shifted to Noida.
I’ve done schooling from Bombay (currently living there) and Hyderabad and am a pass-out from Cochin,
Kerala (whew!)
HOBBIES: Singing (she’s a human jukebox!), whistling (not at people), drawing, mimicking people, surfing
internet
TASTE IN MUSIC: Transcends all genres. Whatever ‘s on Top 40 as well strange ones which no one has ever
heard before
MOVIES : Pursuit Of Happyness, 3 Idiots, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Dil Chahta Hai, Pocahontas, Cars…....
etc (she wasn’t shutting up)
TV SHOWS : Friends, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Simpsons, Modern Family, Rakhi Ka Swayamvar :D
FOOD : Chinese (hung up on Hakka noodles), Punjabi, home-made Thai, prawns (but gave up meat after
doing Art Of Living)
WHEN SAD, YOU?: Meditate, it’s a recent thing. Everyone should try it
CONCEPT OF FRIENDSHIP: What’s there to conceptualize in friendship? What a load of crap! :P
FIRST CRUSH: Life’s about living in the present. Who gives a damn about the first one when the focus is on
the current one(s)……………:P
FAV TEACHER ON CAMPUS: Amit Kumar Gupta
FAV COURSE : Mechanics of Solids (should’ve seen that coming!), Principles Of Management
LIFE@BPHC : Being the youngest in the family meant being spoonfed and living in a bubble, but here one does
everything by themselves! But the independence allows you to grow as a person and is just plain awesome!
IDOLS: Best friend in school, Ritika Bakshi, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (not the campus wala!)
MEMORABLE MOMENT: First birthday at BITS
EMBARASSING MOMENT: When caught laughing at a teacher during class in school, I offered this excuse :
“Last year..uh….my friends threw me in a water tank…..um… on my birthday!...... so I was laughing…….at that
memory” (the teacher actually believed that)
IDEAL MATE: VERY good communication skills, nice hair, impeccable dressing sense, jovial and lively….and
can be easily subdued :P (budding dominatrix)
FUTURE PLANS: Haven’t thought about it, really. Trying to excel in current activities at hand and waiting to
see what life has in store
CRAZY DESIRE?: Get married 4 times, followed by swift divorces. Rip off ex-husbands by extracting hefty
alimonies and then settle down in a foreign country and spend all that money on leading the most awesome
life ever!
CHANGES YOU’D LIKE TO SEE IN BPHC: Love it just the way it is
MESSAGE TO BPHC: Umm…whatever!
 poetry

Give me wings to fly

- amrita bhanja
I flew around the joyous world,
My dreams went around to fly,
It flew in the cloudless sky,
Flew like a young bird would,
Mindless and free like it should.
Singing aloud all kind of word,
I didn’t want to see the world beneath,
I was happy getting the fresh air to breath.
Alas! I was caught,
Ho! What to do now!!
How to get free…
They have kept me in a cage,
The cage named ‘Expectation’.
Which I had heard about At a small age.
No, No I want to be free
Please I beg you let me be on top of tree
I cried and cried,
But nobody mercied me
I cried unless I had no tears
to be left free.
I asked what is this expectation,
They said something you have to live with
And have to fulfill it with determination
With no signs of pain while doing it,
With full sportiveness and liking it.
I said ‘Let me be free, I like it’,
They said ‘What you like is not the world’
What others like is your world.
........................................................
AMRITA BHANJA IS A SECOND YEAR STUDENT FROM
SRM UNIVESITY, CHENNAI STUDYING ELECTRONICS
AND INSTRUMENTATION. HER INTRESTES INCLUDE:
WRITTING, PETS,MOVIES,TRAVELLING,
The finish line was officially marked,
Concentration surged through her veins,shaped by
months of toil and rigour,
Her passion written all over her face, so evident in the
blood,sweat and tears was the base of the pyramid
upon which she had to build.
The end was straight as it oft is,
It were the twisted and varied means she had to
master.
The trials and tribulations,
The traumatic injuries and the resentful frustration
they brought along,were soothed by the unguent of
mentoring and rest,
Her mind was doing cartwheels through the minds
of the competitors as she scanned them with a deft
move of her eyes.
Strategy and technique,never could they take a
backseat.
Her ears were tuned to the shriek of the whistle,
The moment had arrived.
Her body was the vehicle and her mind its engine,
The goal was to outclass,
The right blend of drive,motivation and energy lent
her sprints adequate spike.
She whirred past the competition as the numbers
stacked,
The resounding cheers provided fuel where her
bodily reserves seemed to slack,
She sped on as hurdles behind her accepted defeat,
Her competition was slammed by the wind in envy,
She stepped up the acceleration,
Sprouting wings as she raced on,
The line was in sight but the competition was catching
up,
The heat and the humidity filled her nostrils.
The trophy glistened as she rushed on,
The point of the compass was drawing closer to its
destination,
With victory it had to coincide.
She bolted,
The pressure was mounting,
Her sinewy legs were now galloping and her heart
beat faster,
She craned her neck from side to side,
The moment had arrived,
The line was crossed and left behind,
The crowd roared with applause,the competition
was beaten hollow.
She raised her arms high,powered by confidence,
The glistening trophy she nestled with pride,
With eyes gently shut she let her senses take over,
The triumph,the joy,the hunger,the verve,
Like a sponge she absorbed the heady mix,as friends
and her mentor rallied around her,
With moist eyes and a brow beaded with
perspiration,she took a bow.
The pinnacle she had to reach was in her mind firmly
fixed,
Her face shone with pristine clarity,
She had followed her dream,
She had followed her dream.
T
he World Alliance for Youth to enable youth realize their self-identified
Empowerment, under the patronage of aspirations;
The Art of Living Foundation, is working • To offer other sustainable and effective
towards empowering youth physically, solutions to address youth related issues
spiritually, economically and socially. WAYE through participation and collaborations;
enables the youth to tackle problems faced
by themselves and the society. The various • To influence key systems, institutions
activities undertaken by WAYE include & policies to inspire responsibility & human
global conferences to special youth events, values among youth for social change.
university programs, service projects etc.
WAYE’s vision for every youth is to enjoy a
violence-free society, a stress-free mind, a
disease-free body, and an inhibition-free
intellect, which according to WAYE are the
universal birthrights of all human beings.
WAYE, inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankarji was founded in 2006 by two young
IITians Khurshed Batliwala and Dinesh Ghodke,
with the objective of all round development
and empowerment of the youth.
WAYE is a Youth-Oriented Community
Development organization. It works with
the youth, their families, communities,
corporates, organizations and governments to Khurshid Batliwala(left) and DInesh Ghodke(right)
bring about positive change and sustainable the two founders
development. One of the most powerful
assets of the society is the youth; so building
WAYE has consolidated the focus areas of
capacity of the youth is fast emerging as the
the youth work into 7 primary themes like
most critical need of our times and this what
Leadership Training, Humanitarian Service,
WAYE specializes in. Environmental Responsibility, Overcoming
MISSION Substance Abuse, Eliminating Stress and
Youth Employment, Female Feticide and HIV/
• To promote Education and Awareness
AIDS.
Involving youth and the masses has required people look forward to come, participate and
an inclusive participatory approach where relax.
youth can be engaged through avenues like With projects ranging from cleaning up
Entertainment ( music, dance , theatre), Fine streets, river and ponds, to sensitizing
Arts ( poetry , painting, film making),Sports,medical practitioners against female feticide,
Technology, Entrepreneurship and Education to planting trees to combat global warming,
and finally Empowerment. WAYE, has garnered many enrichment
WAYE is now active in 40 cities in India and models and programs featuring youth as the
in 30 countries globally, WAYE is continually catalysts for community-driven development
extending the reach and scale of its impact and socio-economic change.
on youth through a multitude of different
........................................................
avenues.
ACTIVITIES
Designed to accelerate their physical,
emotional, spiritual, economic and intellectual
growth is the flagship program of WAYE,
the Youth Empowerment & Skills (YES!+)
workshop. YES!+ is a multi-dimensional life
skills program proffered to the age group of
18-30years.
WAYE also conducts the highly energetic
‘Summer Magic’ and the ‘Winter Break’
programs which attracts thousands of youth
from world over. It is a time when young
 technology

“g ail killer”
we dont think so...

E
ver since the announcement of the FACEBOOK EMAIL service by the founder CEO
Mark Zuckerberg, speculations have over run the tech world. The project is officially
labelled “Project Titan” and more popularly called “Gmail Killer”. The announcement
has brought forth a rivalry between the two internet giants. . Gmail has responded to this
announcement by removing the “Import Contacts From Gmail” option from Facebook.

Anyways in this issue, we look at some awesome features in Gmail to support our theory
that Gmail is still the best email service provided.

Forgotten Attachment Detector

You have all experience the embracement of sending a mail without the attachment and receiving an abusive
message in return. Google’s Forgotten Attachment Detector will save you from such embarrassments. The
tool scans your mail for any references to an attachment and warns you in case the attachment absent.

Mail Goggles
Ever sent a mail you regretted when you were tipsy one night..?? Well “Mail Goggles” is the solution for you.
The feature activates only at night ( no one can help you if you go around getting drunk in the day ). It checks
the state of your brain by asking you to solve few math problems. Plain, simple and elegant, that’s google for
you.

Priority Inbox
Do I have to talk about this one?? Simple it’s a learning app that filters and separates crappy mails in your
inbox.

Gmail now even more secure: HTTPS by default

HTTPS encryption to protect the contents of your mails and privacy. Now you really can’t expect anyone to
care more about your well being…you just aren’t that important.

Fast PDF previews

Now you can preview PDFs right in your browser without waiting for them to download and open in another
application. Just click the “View” link next to any .pdf attachments you receive.

“WE DON’T THINK A MODERN MESSAGING SYSTEM IS GOING TO BE E-MAIL”

- MARK ZUCKERBERG

“More competition is always good because competition makes the market larger”
- Google CEO Eric Schmidt

One Sentence
Sankalp Singayapally
T
he metaphorical ingress of the human
mind is considered the fundamental
funnel of information and knowledge that
people require to control their lives and live
accordingly despite the fact that spontaneous
and unplanned methods usually have adventures
as their offspring, a planned life is still considered
salubrious by many as it reduces stress and
doesn’t involve any surprises, which, despite
not always being adverse are not appreciated
by many for the very reason that others tend
to like them who ignore the remaining reasons
which are reason enough for the leftover part of
the population that choose to be indifferent to
surprises because they feel that it doesn’t matter
as these people are usually those who look for
deeper meaning in life ignoring the materialistic
cravings that their mind and body desire while
giving all due respect to the basic necessities of
life and thereby leading what they consider a
normal and fulfilling life with its orgasmic and
limp moments, arousing at times and gloomy
otherwise and believe in fate or destiny and
make no attempt whatsoever to change the
circumstances as that would mean not feeling
life as a whole but instead being cowardly and
trying to only enjoy but never feel depressed or
withdrawn, two feelings and states that several
experts and philosophers have considered
vital to a balanced life that at several fleeting
moments involves judgment and being judged
which if positive give rise to self-appraisal and
dignity and if humiliating lead to anger and
hostility at those responsible and in several cases
towards God and this bears no regard to the
fact that a decent number of those humiliated
people are God-fearing atheists or believers only
in times of desperation and tend to think that
literature
God helps the helpless, which could be true,
according to staunch believers but it has its own
little asterisk and footnote that is usually ignored
but consists of the major part of a deal, the
final result being that somebody gets screwed,
one way or the other and their mistake is to
not have read that huge load of rubbish which
is occasionally illegible to even the brightest
and most well tuned minds among us due to
the lack of coordination between the brain and
the soul, which is inevitably the master of the
puppets that forms this great creation that we
call the human being, who occasionally and for
no apparent reason sees reason in probably the
most unreasonable circumstances that no sane
Creator would have presented out of pure whim
but would have done the aforementioned only as
a test of his creation which is to this day proved its
mundane existence to be pointless in aspects far
more numerous than one but at the same time
has made several attempts to counterbalance
the negative weights with productive and
acceptable work by several fine specimens of
this partly apathetic and indifference genus that
has at times proved its capacity for compassion
but simultaneously is well known to be prone
to malevolence that is unmatchable anywhere
in the vast expanse of the universe, while the
best among us try to see the entire world as a
“glass half full” and make every possible attempt
to ignore the finer denigrations that evolution
has succumbed to, not because of external and
unforeseeable factors and reasons but for the
simple reason that the apparently metaphorical
egress of the human mind is devoid of filters
that will inevitably lead to self destruction and
otr
preserve the elemental laws that govern life,
creation and everything else.
 Poetry

The Wanderer - Apoorv Utsav

The classes were over, the bags were packed
But somewhere, like rootless weeds,
A paper seeming boy with a rat’s eye
Was left wandering....

His thoughts were abstract, yet somewhat funny,

The pigeons flying, the fight between two squirrels,
Dreams above dreams, those of Titans and Spartans,
Ignorant about the speed of life, not ready yet, to leave his fantasies…
They said it was a tough world, a competitive one,
Beating the competition, the only apparent road to happiness…
But this child was already in bliss, not ready to gave up on his metaphysics,
He smelt those wild flowers, ate and drank, a seeker of pleasure in all nuances of life,
His dreams on fire, even though they were, useless by the definitions of those who wanted to succeed...

They tried to wake him up, day and night,

They tried to make his future “bright”,
They thought that they had done a superb job,
Successful, they had made his life.
Converted him from a wanderer into a bright star,
The prodigal engineer, doctor or bureaucrat...

They said that they were the true guardians,

But in this midst of their light he his brightness,
The flame was too dim to ignite a lamp,
The creativity was lost somewhere,
He tried to sort it out but failed,
Tried to find the reason but was nailed,
The wanderer was no more, in real, a zero,
But was the world’s hero!

otr
 Fiction

Midnight Escapade
- Suma Mandalapu
S
ometime past 11pm (I don’t have a talent for of conservation of energy - meaning I do things only
remembering times and names) Dad drops when I see them fit for performing (read as ‘extreme
Mum and me at the railway station (As my laziness’) For example, walking, talking, moving
holidays near its end, we are possessed by a sudden around…etc
desire to visit our relatives). As soon as I arrive at the
But it was not so today, all thanks to my new Reebok
station, I feel lost. Too much chaos and too many floaters! (I had to pull out all stops to convince my
noises. Amid this, I catch a faint voice of the trainmother that too in the face of glaring evidence that
announcer, I own more footwear than I actually need but I just
“Train no.7229....” had to get them!)....so I take a stroll around in them
I lose her because of the bedlam, but manage to hear for the first time. Feels pretty good, I must say!
intermittent snatches. Presently, a small but stout woman comes up to
“.....scheduled to arrive at....” me, after I take my seat.

I walk past the crowded platform. “Urine ponga va?” she asks (or something like that)

“....is delayed by.....” My Mum nudges me, “You were learning Tamil,
no?”
You sometimes have a premonition for these kinds
of things. I glare at her and look back at the woman and
smile. I assume she’s asking about the loo and I don’t
“Mum,” I say turning to my mother. “I think our train’s know where it is, so I point in some random direction
going to be late.” and she promptly heads off.
We move further along the platform, when the Next, a bald, old man comes up to us, produces a
announcement is repeated again, confirming our ticket and asks of the train’s timing. I stare at the piece
fear. of paper blankly, unable to comprehend anything as
Damn the train!! the damn ticket seems to show no legitimate signs
But damning the train will not bring it any faster to of the train’s name or the departure time. I fully
us...so I divert my attention to things around me. The empathize with his cluelessness.
station is now relatively less crowded and Mum and “You bought the ticket at 10.30pm, no?” my Mum
I manage to find a spot where we can sit. I normally asks the old man.
structure my actions in consonance with the theory

otr
 Fiction

His eyes are filled with wonder and he nods his head more difficult it is for her, considering she’s unwell
in emotion, justifying that he did. Mum politely tells and yet she sits with such a patient demeanor.
him to ask the ticket-issuing personnel; to which this I go back to thinking ways of keeping myself amused.
guy says he did. They tell him the train is at 2.30am... I try playing games with myself. If Suma-1 can spot 5
he just wants to confirm that...So he settles himself purple things faster than Suma-2, she wins! The good
down on the platform, reposing like a Nawab while thing with playing with yourself is—no matter who
I’m consumed with boredom. I turn to look at him, loses, you always win, but the downside is, it isn’t
only to find him sound asleep with his mouth wide much fun.
open....
I’m annoyed with everything around me—the
The Tamil woman returns. Apparently I showed her guy to my left( I christen him “Bull” and I’m pretty
the wrong way. She gesticulates angrily and leaves. sure he’s a Taurean), the guy behind me, the rats,
My Mum chuckles while I sigh. the squabbling couple, the drunkard, the rats, that
I look at the empty railway track and what do I glutton on the platform who’s still eating!, some guy
find?...Rats!!...Now I profess myself to be an animal shouting, “Padmini!! Padmini!!” on top of his voice,
lover but my compassion doesn’t encompass these the rats...There are so many rats! It’s ridiculous! Of all
furry, overgrown monsters! And so many of them! shapes and sizes! Big ones, small ones, young ones,
Scuttling between the empty rails as they please! old ones………so many damn rats!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My attention continues to wander, trying to find “...Train no. 7229...blah blah blah...is going to
something by which it is captivated. I see another arrive shortly at...”
baldie (expectedly, seeing that we are in Tirupathi)... The cute guy, to whom I occasioned a glance during
He positions himself near Mr. Nawab and starts my ennui, got up and moved in the direction of the
eating…at 12:15 am!! He continues gorging when coming train, in a bid to be at an advantage. People
a dog slowly approaches him and watches him around me are bustling about, checking their luggage,
ardently, hoping for a few scraps. He either doesn’t getting ready to board the train. One guy, in Bermuda
or pretends not to notice the poor canine. shorts, is listening to music on loudspeaker, despite
A change in scenery arrives in the form of a tall, wearing headphones (why, for the life of me, I cannot
good-looking, young man. After confirming the understand) He smiles at me and I return the smile
absence of the train by looking at the empty rails, he and turn away.
settles down a bench. Meanwhile the feasting man The train comes rushing in. The good-looking guy
appears to have let the dog partake of some of his returns to his original spot. “Clearly, looks aren’t
food. Maybe he isn’t such a heartless chap after all! everything. You need brains as well”, I smirked to
My endurance reaches breaking point. Every part myself
of my body is screaming with exhaustion brought on And finally, I board my much awaited train (90
by an entire day’s activities and lack of sleep. And the minutes late)....I look at Mr. Nawab (he’s smiling in
shivering caused by the cold weather does nothing to

otr
his sleep now....having a good dream perhaps) and
alleviate my mood. I open my mouth to complain but hope that he catches his 2.30am train......
then I look at my mother and think about how much ........................................................

For A Friend
- MATHEWS M. JOHN
B
rad was sucked into a wormhole and felt like
he was in oblivion surrounded by nothing
but emptiness. He was overwhelmed by the
consequences. All he was doing was looking for a
friend and now... ‘CREEP’?. “Damn it she took it in
the wrong sense. I just wanted to start a conversation
and now... Damn it!”, Brad thought to himself as he
punched the bench he was sitting on.
“I have to make this right somehow...now what...?”
After an hour or so floodlights were shining over the
school soccer ground and a young man, depressed
in his looks was seen making his way through third
street alley into an array of houses. If it weren’t for
the different post boxes none would know which
house was theirs. The young man went into one of
the houses on the right of the road, hurled his bag
onto the floor and went straight to his room.
The following days were not entirely normal for Brad.
His locker was the problem. She was almost always
there when he wanted to open his locker. He did not
have the guts to face her after being called a ‘creep’.
He just had to walk right up to her and apologize for
his stupidity. But that was the only downer for him.
He was performing well at school. He still had his
friends, still was invited to parties and always went
for them. He still enjoyed free food, one of the little
things that make life better, according to him.
Margret and Brad’s project was still pending. They
met frequently in the library where they discussed
how to improve the project, despite it being good. It
happened the day they were going through a book
on circuits. Angelina walked to the table. The pain
returned. Brad kept calm. He wasn’t brave enough
to look at her and pretended like he was reading. He
knew he had to apologise, but did not know how.
She said something about some party at someone’s
house to Margret and then went away. The effort to Fate had it that she was to be there, alone at the
ignore was mutual.
Margret got back to the book. She looked at the open
fiction
(CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE)
page, ran her fingers through the page as is she was
reading Braille very fast. Then she closed the book,
gave a silent ‘Humph’ and then stared at Brad. Brad
was aware of it as anyone would be when a person is
staring at him/her.
“What?” Brad asked silently.
She didn’t say anything; she just made a gesture with
her head as if to say “HER”.
“What about her?”
“Well...you know”
“Um... NO?”
“It has been more than two weeks. You have to make
up somehow. The messaging stuff was cheap.”
“I realised it the second she called me a creep.”
“Why don’t you try talking to her?”
“..um..”, he couldn’t tell her about the pain in the
chest and how difficult it was to even look at her. She
would think he was crazy.
“If you like her so much, why don’t you ask her out?”
“Like her...Wait a minute... you mean, you think I am
in love or something?”Brad was a bit confused.
“This is love my dear friend and there is nothing you
can do about it.”
Margret went out of the library as gracefully as she
had entered it, leaving behind a poor confused per-
plexed boy. Brad collected some books, checked them
out and went to the soccer field- where it all started.
He had to muster up the courage to apologize, even
if it meant that the pain in the chest would kill him.
He took out his cellular, stared at it, “Should I send an
apology message? Is that right? Will that be enough
for a pardon?”He was arguing with himself as he did
very often. “No I have to do this face to face”.
otr
very moment he figured that out. The moment he
saw her, the pain returned. But he mustered up his
courage. He walked to her like a wounded soldier.
 fiction
She didn’t realize he was coming before he spoke. Brad took the book she handed over and swore to
“Hi”, the words just slipped from Brad. himself. “Thanks a lot for ruining the conversation”,
he thought to himself.
She turned to see who it was and to her surprise the
‘creep’ was standing right in front of her. Then Brad spoke “Okay ...ya...I will ... thanks”
“Oh...hi”, not much excitement in her ‘hi’, but then Then she turned to Angelina, looked at her (which
again there was no distaste. could be easily mistaken for a stare), let her breath
out and told her that she was asked for by someone.
“About earlier I am really sorry... I have no idea what
Angelina nodded as if she understood what Margret
came over me....I was being stupid.... please forgive
was talking about and asked her to lead the way.
me...” All it lacked was a pleading pose from Brad.
Brad felt no pain anymore. He got a new friend. He
“Oh...” got a new Selena. That’s what he felt. He knew that it
“I was being a very big ass. I should not have done might be too early to judge, but something about An-
that. I should have... I mean I just wanted to start a gelina reassured him that she was one of those girls
conversation, I just wanted to be your friend.” who liked having a lot of fun, understood others and
“Why couldn’t you just come to me and tell me this?” was very chatty.
“Um... well every time I see you I feel this pain in my He didn’t watch her leave. She was just a friend, not a
heart as if someone pierced a spear through it”... girlfriend or someone he was in love with. He walked
There was this small internal voice within Brad shout- home with a relieved heart. He was happy- he talked
ing “Are you mad or something? Spear through your to her and got her as a friend- an achievement for
heart...Sheesh...How pathetic!” him.

“Okay”, she said it in a way that was brimming with The night leapt upon the small town. Brad made his
indifference. way through to his room, hurled the bag onto the
bed, looked up at the heavens and said “Love you,
“The moment I saw you I just wanted to be a friend, God. You are one awesome dude.” He went to sleep
but for some odd unknown reason I just couldn’t talk very fast, sleep that would refresh him for the coming
to you.” days, sleep that would refresh him for his life ahead.
There was a long pause before he continued, “I would ........................................................
have, if I could have”.
“Okay... I accept your apology and we can be friends...
So what else is up?”
“...um... How are you enjoying the school so far?”
“Great. You got any siblings?”
The conversation thickened and this elevated Brad’s
morale- he was becoming calmer by the minute,
the pain started to ease out. He was actually going
to get her as a friend...He felt that Selena was back.
At times Brad’s internal voice kept on shouting “Idiot
tell something more sensible” or at times “That was
very nerdy...so not cool”
Moments later Margret came and butted into their
conversation. She stood in between them, looked at
Brad and said in her normal accent “You might want
to take a look at this. This could be useful for our
project.”

otr
 Opinions

PARTY IN THE USA - “Born Confused”

M
adison, WI, USA. really!)
“Eh? Where’s that?” you ask?? Look for The system SUCKS. This blindly mugging up text
the land of heavenly cheese on the map. books has to stop. NOW. God is witness to how I’m
Alright, I accept that it’s not the first place you would struggling with basic programming here because I
think of when considering studying abroad. But you have hardly any practice/experience and because I
should! have developed this bad habit of spacing out in class
Because it is THE shit. Excuse the expression. over the past 2 years (Come on! Can you blame me?)
As a matter of fact, I started writing this while I was
Actually, don’t. sitting in class (second row) Tsk, tsk, I know. But I
It is a small city (although it is the capital of Wisconsin, blame it on you, soul-sucking, zombie-making, spirit-
the dairy state!), very beautiful and the center of crushing engineering college! But you guys sent me
action is mainly in and around the University of here, so for that I must thank you.
Wisconsin (where I am) and the people here are Because life in the USA - YEAHHH! This is the real
really nice and friendly. deal!
To quote the article on Wikipedia: It’s everything I wanted out of college life! I don’t care
“In 2010, Wisconsin was named the number three that I don’t get to eat idlis or whatever every day. I
“party school” by Playboy magazine and number love it here and I want this for our country! I mean I
12 by The Princeton Review. UW–Madison has long don’t admire the culture much but some things are
held a reputation for academics, political activism, just perfect! And it has spoiled my habits now. I’m
and drinking; the last of these can be understood in going to find fault with everything when I come back
the context of the state’s traditionally high level of home! Things are so different here that sometimes
alcohol consumption in general.” the contrast really hits me. Let me explain.
Well, I’m guessing that needs no explanation!
America: 5 different types of cheese on your pizza.
So y’all must be thinking “Pooh, these Americans!
Atleast. And different kinds of cheese for different
Wooo!! We’re so smart and clever”
types of food. And you’ll even learn to name them.
WRONG. They could clobber us in any aspect of life. India: Brittania/Amul.
Sports.
America: You smile at the bus driver and thank them,
Academics. hold doors open for people, wish them a good day
Fitness. whole heartedly and generally mind your P’s and Q’s.
Oh and nobody honks. Ever.
Yep. People here work hard and party harder. And
India: Before you even know it, you would have been
casually run miles in shorts in the cold wind while
cussed and honked at by irate drivers on the road,
talking at the same time. Which just amazes me. I
leered at by random jerks, had the door slam in your
can’t even run for 30 seconds! Let alone talk while
face as you’re walking in and been given strange
doing it! “Wheeze wheeze, huff puff...dying...must
looks by people for smiling.
stop...”
Engineering College in India? Oh. My. God. We’re so America: Professor turns up to class in shorts and
far behind, we can’t even dream of catching up! (No, flowery shirt. And whaddya know, he’s young AND
cute! YES. Point is, this is what school should be like! Yes School,
India: ‘Sir’ turns up to class in ugly shirt and he’s not College(I speak American now). Freedom from
ancient. I really don’t have more to say. people giving you shit about everything.
Don’t snicker when you see a boy and a girl having a
America: Dude falls asleep in class and nobody cares.
conversation or spending time together.
He starts snoring. The professor says, “Hey, it’s okay
to sleep, but you’re snoring!” Don’t judge folks and label them as nerds or partiers.
India: “You! Get out of my class!” *throws chalk if People aren’t stereotypes!
deeply impassioned* That guy who sleeps in class and/or drinks all weekend
may have the brain of a genius and you would never
America: Dude spreads open paper and reads in know because you wrote him off. (Totally true. This
class. The professor says politely, “Could you be a bit dude slept through half the class sitting in the front
more discreet about reading the paper?” Dude: “Oh, row and then woke up and asked some really smart
sorry!”. Folds paper and continues to read. questions. No shit. I was like ‘Sheesh, I need to grow
India: “How dare you? Get out of my class!” *throws a brain’)
chalk for good measure*
Everyone should feel free to be who they are. And not
America: Dude eats pizza in class and writes notes at be constantly thinking about how people will react.
the same time. Nobody cares!!! Everyone should be allowed to grow intellectually
India: “Get out of my class!” *chalk??* in their own ways and not be bound by all these
ridiculous rules and protocol and horrid, meaningless
America: You can write your assignments/exams/
text books.
notes in a writing instrument of your choice (read
pen/pencil of any color) and in any format. You can When you feel true freedom in a country in which
even scribble. No need to write in a weirdly formal you are a visitor rather than in your own country,
way, no protocol. No need to draw margins! Imagine then you know something is definitely......... fucked
that! up. Pardon the expression.
India: “GET OUT!!” Actually, don’t.
America: It’s normal for there to be a day when a ....................................................................................
street is shut down so people can get wasted all day ‘Born Confused” is a third year computer science
and parade around. engineering student currently on a study abroad
India: Ahahaha! Probably a bad idea. I’ll leave it to program in Madison, WI, USA. She enjoys junk
your imagination. food, writing(to keep her brain from rotting), yelling
‘superfish’ at odd occasions and making fun of
America: Do what you want! Nobody really gives a people who don’t know what ‘superfish’ is.’
flying rat’s ass. Nobody will judge you.
India: Beware the gossipmongers. Oh and the
teachers too for some reason. Though why they
should have any say in our lives, now that we’re
adults, I simply cannot figure out.
 Literature
InsideThe Character’sPersona
Phileas Fogg
- sayonee ghosh roy
I
t takes a man of great courage, spirit and
eccentricity to wager half his fortune on a ludicrous
bet that he can traverse the entire world in less
than three months. And Phileas Fogg is the man! And
the story of his incredible journey is documented in
‘Around The World In 80 Days’, a classic travelogue by
Jules Verne. Please don’t say “Oooh! I know all about
it! I’ve seen the movie!”…
Read the book.
/* You are forgiven even if the movie in question
is the 1956 version and not the 2004 one where
Jackie Chan, curiously, plays Fogg’s devoted servant,
Passepartout, who is supposed to be French, for
God’s sake!
The original version gives you a good idea of the
Western perception of the East, back in the old
days. The filmmakers were apparently under the
impression that a royal funeral in India warrants the
presence of elephants, which would be probably be
a whole lot truer if it were held in Assam because
those pachyderms barge in almost anywhere! But
they got the part about cows right. Our society gives
them an extraordinary amount of license. But in
any case, it’s more accurate. Okay, I admit, Shirley
MacLaine is not very convincing as an Indian princess
but atleast more so than Jackie Chan passing off as a
Frenchman! */
Fogg, in spite of his riches, leads a modest life. But
his mannerisms are every bit the snobby aristocrat.
It is well within his right to fire his valet for bringing
the shaving water one degree colder than asked for.
Enter Passepartout as the replacement. The duo
then embarks on this ambitious voyage carrying the
remainder of Fogg’s fortune as travel expenses. At
the station, Passepartout suddenly remembers that
he left the gas on, back home. But Fogg, instead
of losing his cool, merely brushes it aside saying
that they should anticipate a huge bill when they
return. When he is accosted by a needy woman
for money, he gallantly places a thick wad of 5000
pounds in her hand. These two actions consolidate
his position as a man of magnanimity and generosity,
in Passepartout’s mind.
But all of London, sadly, doesn’t share the same view.
Fogg’s departure could not have been more ill-timed,
thick in the midst of a bank robbery! The staggering
amount of cash involved, the unbelievable gamble
 Literature
and his unfortunate physical resemblance to the bank
robber, set tongues wagging. And it doesn’t take long
for Scotland Yard to believe that it’s put two and two
together and send Detective Fix on his tail.
Inspite of Fix trying to thwart his plans at every step,
Fogg remains more or less on schedule. And because
he arrives in India early, he devotes some time to
being a knight in shining armour to a distressed Indian
princess, Aouda, who was forced into Sati. Fogg, like
any civilized being, finds the practice abhorrent and
hatches a daring plan with Passepartout to save her
and make a cross-country getaway. But this servant-
master equation is tested in Hong Kong, where they
are separated, courtesy Fix. Perhaps Fogg trusted
Passepartout to take care of himself and rejoin him
later or maybe he didn’t give a damn about him.
Completing the journey was of utmost importance.
But he is overjoyed to be reunited with him in Japan,
so their relationship isn’t devoid of camaraderie.
America holds quite a few surprises in store. The most
powerful economy in the world can owe some of its
contribution to Fogg as it is the colour of his money
and generous bribes which help him stay on track in
this country. And then there’s always the train heist
and fisticuffs with Red Indians and cowboys, just like
a good old Western. Possibly the most physically
taxing leg of his journey, what with all the punches
he’s required to throw around!
But the story’s yet to finish! Foxy Fix eagerly awaits
his return to England where he is pronounced under
arrest and locked up in the slammer for an entire day.
By this time, Fogg is at the end of his tether and loses
all hopes of winning the bet. All his determination
and struggles had come to naught. When Fix
comes to apologize to him, saying it’s a case of
mistaken identity, Fogg gives vent to his feelings in
along with Passepartout, live happily ever after with
a gentlemanly fashion, by punching him in the face.
no worries…….except for that gas bill, maybe.
Sitting in the drawing room of his home, a broken ........................................................
and bankrupt man, Fogg confesses his love for Aouda
but tells her he is incapable of providing her with
material comforts. But Aouda says she would have
him regardless, for she loved him for his character
and not for his wealth. Fogg sends Passepartout to
find a priest to bless them but Passepartout, bless
him, comes back saying that they had not taken
something into account, the blessed International
Date Line, which means that there was still some
blessed time left! Fortune, truly, favours the brave!
So Fogg wins his bet and marries Aouda and they
 Social

Pratibha A YUVA intiative

- Charul Bansal

N
ovember 14, 2010- This day will always bring back to us fond memories of the best children’s day
we have ever had. We visited 5 venues across Hyderabad to conduct the drawing competition
“PRATIBHA”, a YUVA and NSS BITS Pilani Hyderabad initiative, for 1000 underprivileged children.
The event was received well by the participating organizations like KRUSHI, BHUMI, CNN Thanda School,
Schools at Thimmapur and ANANDA MARG.

EXPERIENCE AT KRUSHI morning, akka” and children’s day wishes filled the
atmosphere for the next few minutes. Their manager,
November 14, 2010- This day will always bring back
Mr Robert, a retired principal, received us cheerfully
to us fond memories of the best children’s day we
and conducted us around the ashram. The place
have ever had. We visited the KRUSHI home to
was more than welcoming with its red building with
conduct the drawing competition “PRATIBHA”, a
garden on all its sides. There was also a football field,
YUVA initiative, for the children. KRUSHI is dedicated
a basketball court and some place for volleyball.
to orphans or children with single mother, started by
There were swings too in one corner for the tiny
H.E Shri Rameshwar Thakur and supported by the tots. Moreover, the ashram had to its deposition
Saikorian Association, housing boys of the 6-19 age a solar water heater, an RO water purifier and a
group. computer lab with about 20 systems. Catering to our
KRUSHI is dedicated to orphans or children with inquisitiveness, Mr Robert also informed us that the
single mother, started by H.E Shri Rameshwar Thakur children went to a government school nearby, where
and supported by the Saikorian Association, housing many teachers were paid by the organization itself.
boys of the 6-19 age group. He further added that a fair share of the elder boys
were pursuing a course in polytechnic.
We were welcomed with warm handshakes and
vibrant smiles. Greeetings such as “hi anna”, “good Shortly, the place was bubbling with activity. Kids

started pouring in from all corners. They were
delighted to receive their Mickey caps (courtesy
DISNEY) and cheerfully posed for photographs. They
were more than happy to accept the seven of us an
audience to their various talents: singing, dancing,
drawing etc. The children were very excited about
the idea of drawing and painting, and unleashed
their imagination and creativity on the theme “My
Education, My future, My Hyderabad”.
As soon as the sheets and the paints (courtesy
PIDILLITE) were distributed, they started painting
and drawing with great enthusiasm. The older ones
used rulers and other stationery to make huts, some
symbols etc. While the younger ones, abandoning
all boundaries, made animals, aeroplanes and even
India’s flag(they were recently taught the same
during Independence Day celebrations). Sixty-Three
of the total 80 children participated.
After collecting the sheets, we started distributing
chocolates (courtesy CANDYMANN) and biscuits
(courtesy ITC). Having painted for (an hour) the kids
came around in well formed lines and gleefully took
the eatables. Surprisingly they politely informed
us if by mistake anyone of them was being treated
Social
to a second helping. After this striking display of
honesty, next in store for us was a subtle reminder
of our duty towards keeping the surroundings clean.
Immediately after the drawing competition, they
started cleaning the place, wiping off the spilt water,
picking up the chocolate wrappers etc. but the most
memorable incident was the spontaneous response
of a 16 year old to a song about telangana. He said,
“We don’t belong to either Telangana or Andhra but
to INDIA.” Another small boy painted the tiranga on
our hands and faces.
We were totally bowled over by the gestures of
these young kids. Finally, it was time to bid adieu.
Gathering their goodbyes and thanks, promising
them we would come again soon, we started on
our way back. As they ran behind our auto waving
and shouting feverously, mixed emotions like joy,
satisfaction, sorrow and hope overwhelmed me. It
struck me that we had taken far more from them
than what we could give. And that realization is what
YUVA is all about.
........................................................
Siddhartha Mehra Police. Trouble identifying the troublesome student protesters? Put the images on
Facebook. They’ll tag themselves.
Prasanna Giridhar “The greatest thing about Facebook, is that you can quote something and totally make
up the source.” – George Washington
Shriphani Palakodety Don’t worry, there’s enough blame to go around.
Kartik Gala No, it is not Insomnia. It is called World of Warcraft.
Mahesh Kumar I dont care if u r dating my ex-girl friend...My mom always told me to give away my old toys
to the least fortunate anyways... :P ;) :D
Jatin Chuglani Voldemort should have made Rajni his horcrux !!!
Aneesh Vartakavi Sharing is a two-way street. When you share with another human being, you always get
back more than you gave away....that’s assuming you’re smart enough to share with a guy has more stuff
than you in the first place!
Prashant Tambey Joker: Why so serious?
Batman: Endsems..
Joker: f**k! wats the syllabus?!
Abhijit Kane Subway. The only place where you can convert your 6-inch to a footlong for Rs.45
Manvendra Singh Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
Madhu Garg Facebook is like jail; ..you sit around and waste time, write on walls, and get poked by people
you don’t know
Vijay Narayan I stop reading the newspaper for 1 day.....and the CM of the State changes!!!
Shambhavi Mohan There’s always a little truth behind every “just kidding”. A little knowledge behind every
“I don’t know”. ... A little emotion behind every “I don’t care”. And a little pain behind every “it’s okay”.
Tanmay Zé Shah We were all born equal. God knows what went wrong with you.
Anit Bagga Life is never about people who act True in front of U, its always about people who remain True
behind U...
 ONL
Y FO
R BP
HC

writing
competition

The BPHC Editorial Board is holding a writing

contest over the winter vacation.

Send in your entries to ontherocks.bphc@gmail.com

There is no specific theme and your entry can be any-

thing; fiction, poetry, journalism et al.

Please send in your entries before the 21st of January,

2011 and stand a chance to win prize money of Rs. 2000
and have your articles published in the next edition of
On.The.Rocks!
 Credits

inspiration
“CHALLENGE ACCEPTED”
- Barney Stinson

La Fin