Far far away was this place, XIMB, the Jhabierville…away from home, the world of dreams…the magic land. We came here with dreams in our eyes; to this place which we sometimes feared coming to; to this place where we sometimes thought life would be difficult. But definitions change when you step in. The magic starts playing. It did. It kills us…but wow, what a killing it is; it keeps us awake at nights, but wow, what memorable nights these are. The magic land is playing its magic. When suddenly you realize that the calendar moved a day ahead and the date changed a couple of hours back (and you didn’t even realize)…you know the magic is playing. You look back and realize that it’s been days since you slept properly, and are still unsure if you really want to hit the sack…you know that the magic is playing. Then suddenly you also remember the quiz the next morning (in a few hours), but all that you can still think of is the party the next evening…you know the magic is playing. When you can hear the music all the time, not just the loud music that comes from your neighbor’s room, but the beautiful music of life that comes from within; Joy, laughter, smile, pain, ambition, sacrifice, passion, success, failure, victory, surrender…when life becomes more of a life, and every moment a lifetime, you know that the magic is playing. We welcome you to our story…we welcome you to the Jhabierville Diaries…
Let me just wind back the clocks a day and I find myself in the middle of last evening.
Diary entry of Aug 14 and some
I am beleaguered. I am battered. I am chronically sleep deprived and also in urgent need of pencil batteries. Sigh, another day at XIMB; the recurrent cerebral grind topped with a bit of self doctored ambiguity. In fact this is often my only rationale in a life frighteningly deprived of leisure. It also reminds me what a lazy slob I can be even after I’m granted leisure time.
So where do I stand now?
- Submitted the assignment? Check.
- Done the alarmingly confidential task for IlluminatiX? Check.
- Stress tested the developed games? Not exactly.
- Want to, given your schedule, which is tighter than denims that are four sizes too small? Nah!
- Arranged for the missing batteries to power the camera, mp3 player and the rather polite alarm clock? Check, check and check!
This could mean only one thing after a very hectic day. Unquestionably and unequivocally, the right to sleep! However, I prove myself wrong by wading out and joining the socially responsible rather than being bodily responsible (the increasing frequency of such acts must have it up in arms by now)
Very soon however, my drooping body is enlivened by a sudden break from monotony. I can also use my camera which has been provided a new lease of life to capture its first ever candle march. My enthusiasm is built and so is that of four hundred and nineteen others. But the Gods are not satisfied. They want to test our resolve and throw at us a lot of their surplus water; something we mistakenly term rain.
Now who has ever heard of a candle march in the middle of God’s spring cleaning session? Well they ought to have dropped in at XIMB and observed first hand, evidence to the contrary. We don’t let rain deter us; from dancing, from washing clothes and very recently, from lighting candles. (Although our departure to the MPH later on doesn’t help the point I’m attempting to make)
Quite ironically, our independence from monotony and general rain response etiquette coincided with our Independence Day; a day in India’s history that marks freedom from oppression, to free will and the freedom to feel. I speak of the freedom to feel for the person next to you, to feel what he feels and enable him to feel a whole lot better. Somehow, lighting a candle and witnessing a hundred other people doing the same carries a lot of powerful undercurrents.
You are not random points of light distributed in space but an assortment of diverse individuals who sensed a common circle of belief and decided to join in to form one collective whole. Don’t you feel comforted by the fact that during these brief moments you are surrounded by people who absolutely believe in everything you do?
Sometimes simple acts can achieve more than they set out to achieve. I feel that not only have we extracted the joy associated with freedom from continuous control, but also the freedom to feel for the other; something that may have brought us all a little bit closer than before.
(P.S. forgive me if the representation of the whole in my pictures is slightly skewed)
Have you ever had the uncanny sense of being intensely alone, even though you were amidst a huge crowd? Have you ever experienced the sudden joy of being all by yourself, disentangled from the myriad worries that cloud your mind and rule your existence? Have you ever felt a surge of adrenaline by the sheer energy of the music around you.. You succumb to the physical awareness of the sound, as it throbs in your veins and courses through your blood.. Feel at one with centuries and generations of culture, given as a wonderful gift from one human being to another?
It is indeed rare to experience such moments, and the spectacular performance by Shri Sachin Patwardhan and Shri CharuDutta Phadke this Sunday, 4th August, 2009 gave us an unexpected chance to feel such emotions.The classical performance by these talented artists was a remarkable example of how the intangible power of music can make a huge tangible difference in our lives! This event was organized at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, under the aegis of SPIC MACAY Chapter of XIMB. Shri Sachin Patwardhan, disciple of Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was at the Sarod and electric Mandolin, and Shri Fadkade performed with a Tabla.
The soothing ambience of the auditorium set the stage for the performance, as the artistes slowly built up the tempo, shaping up an entire universe of notes, rhythm and feelings with just the movement of strings! It was enchanting to see them synchronizing their performance seamlessly, communicating with each other only with their eyes and a smile. An impressive display of teamwork, it was an illustration of the power of music, which doesn’t need any language or words, and yet has a profound emotional influence on the listener. They concluded every piece with thrilling crescendo, answered with a resounding applause from the audience.
This vivid performance gave me inspiration for retrospection, and I began to wonder how we can relate to this beauty that I had just witnessed. What struck me was the rigorous melodious improvisation, requiring prodigious technique and knowledge, and delivered with mathematical precision. You could see everything created out of nothing, lifting your minds and spirits and providing your thoughts with both roots and wings. And even more amazing was the realization that these ragas have been handed down as traditions across centuries, and have remained pure and untouched in their sublime splendor through the years!.
As part of this impatient generation, we find ourselves constantly moving from one pursuit to another, and perpetually dissatisfied with whatever we have. This performance made me realize that there are greater pursuits than the worldly quests we are constantly engrossed in, and the ability of create magic out of thin air is indeed one of the noblest ones you could pursue!
Posted by Afrozy Ara on 5th August 2009
Strains of Texas Flood fill my ears as I quietly brood over a cup of coffee. Wondering how life would have been without the blues , Stevie Ray Vaughan and XIMB.A month and half stint here has brought me closer to myself.19 months of work had left me low on life quotient. They claim b-schools leave you breathless with little time for anything else. I nearly bought that argument. Somehow the culture of Jhabier has curiously made sure that you have that little window for yourself. The campus has had a calming influence , unveiling a erstwhile hidden place of refuge after intellectually-sapping sessions during the day. Maybe its those pristine morning skies hanging over the trees lining the avenues of XIM reminding you that you can probably live more. Listen to sounds that were drowned in the cacophony of meandering meetings masquerading as corporate talk , see the sights obscured by company forecasts, the smell of rain-soaked grounds and more. It could be the famous culvert outside the hostels or even the benches in the football fields beckoning you to stop and give yourself some time. Time to reflect, introspect and rule the kingdom that is your Self. Time to find peace in the maelstrom of quizzes and assignments. And to know that the best company you have is you.
“Amidst the prevailing chaos
Of words lashing all around
You seem to hear my silence
And the echoes that resound.So glad to be born this way
Not even death can do us apart
Because I am you and you are I
And I’m your only friend.”Maddi
A NEW JOURNEY to a new place
we don’t know them neither do they
It starts with a hello, innocent and kind,
no expectations, no preconceptions,
and slowly turns to heartfelt thoughts,
consideration and sometimes toleration.
Through good days and bad, always there
words of wisdom and encouragement.
Advice always welcomed, advice always lovingly giving.
Loss and win are part of life but to understand
them through words is an art of life and
these words were always there, always close, never far away
distances shortened with every word they said.
True feelings of concern, for health and happiness
a deep trust growing for them which once were strangers.
Honesty, trust and love of a friendship always growing
for my long distance friends, now and forever.
What started as a HELIOS is now my rock, Solid and dependable.
THANKS to everyone.
- Karan Garg , CET Chandigarh
XIMB XPRESSIONS 2007 (MR BLOX) (FID)
The Xpressions Vid!
for nu comers….JLT spells out to be Just Like That….we had our Kurukshetra dry run feedback meeting at 11….and trust me the way the meeting was going….i thot we’d miss the one precious JLT before we reach XPRESSIONS……but naah….the gods and of course our SENIORS..(this is also a thank you message for u guys.. :D) we wound up the meeting in a jiffy ….i actualy slept thru the meeting….was not feelin well at all…thot i’d give the JLT a skip and go sleep…but then as i was coming out of the acad block…the beats and the strings started alluring me…by the time i reached the mess front…i had made up my mind….or rather shud i say my legs had made up their mind….they had already started jumping to the beats of the music..our nu inhouse DJ …DJ Ashwin it was….the mood ws pretty damp cos of the heavy work that everyone doing thru the week..but then,…it neva bothered me…and off we went….danced and danced….from 12 to 4:30….now dat its over i wish it went on for a bit longer….
but the JLT was worth every second of it….people started getting into the groove and there was no stopping them after that… the music …the punch …and the sound system…jus blows ur heart out….the JLT no doubt is one of its kind….cos it has us….the XIMbians….and we do know how to party….oops i remembered now…we also knw how to study…or rather attend classes….i have a class at 9 tmrw….so gotta go….will try to mess up your head again….pretty soon…so dont worry i’ll be back again….
this is the maveric69 signing out
[p.s. : 69 cos the god mod caught hold of “MAVERICK” b4 i was born…]
…and finally there is no looking behind. The trip to puri is happening (..after the havoc rain gods played last time we thought bout going ..it certainly looks like an acievement..) and its happening for good. But hey did u check out the mail that our very own dear Dinah sent about the rules and regulations..Maaan….it certainly seems like one helluva junior bucha guide book..lol…
have loads of work to do b4 i can actually start preparing for the trip, havent slept last night and tonight it seems to be a repeat performance…(…but then..i kinda make up for it in the class dont i ;)..) dats it for now…will come back with some nice snippets of wat happened in the trip…will havta edit them for sure…cos everyone seems to be in mood for some big time uncensored fun
this is the maveric69 signing out
[p.s. : 69 cos the god mod caught hold of “MAVERICK” b4 i was born…]
