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)

It is indeed rare to experience such moments, and the spectacular performance by Shri Sachin Patwardhan and Shri CharuDutta Phadke this Sunday, 4^th 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

“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

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

Here come the warriors, the champions of all

Kurukshetra in campus, standing tall

The game, its intensity will be matched by none

And none can take away its elements of fun.

Night outs are something which happen everyday

Kuruk is our work, and only kuruk is our play

We spend the whole time, every moment in kuruk

We live in kuruk, we dream in kuruk

We don’t care for lectures, we don’t worry for grades

Because in our mind only kuruk prevails

Its not just in my mind, it is in my soul

Kuruk is my aim and only kuruk is my goal

Life before kuruk wasn’t bad either

It was full of fun, frolics and glitter

Its just that kuruk gave a new dimension

And that I feel is worth appreciation

Hardships in kuruk will always be

Together we’ll fight and together we’ll see

Overcoming these hurdles is part of the game

We don’t do it for name, and neither for fame

Each & every kurukite feels from within

Whatever be the case, only kuruk will win

You may call us freak, we will never mind

As we are the only one of our kind

Kuruk rocks and rocks Xpressions

And we at XIMB are filled with jubilation

XIMB knows and so do the rest

That wherever you go, kuruk is the best

-From the fingers of an avid Kurukite…Ankit Kanodia

will catch you all in some days…in 10 days i think….it sounds short for a holiday starved MBA student….but a bit too long for the XPRESSIONS starved XIMBian…

till then…happy durga puja..hope u have a good time at home…

this is the maveric69 signing out

[p.s. : 69 cos the god mod caught hold of “MAVERICK” b4 i was born…]

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…]

the Bon homie that we share….after working hours in the CC…the satisfaction out of completing the work in scheduled time….the elation of fixing a bug…or an error…..the fun in watching people scurry to diff people in market to sell something..i think that the sleepless nights are worth it…. i dont think ther’s ne one who is complaining….. and this time am serious…..

sleep….wats dat???…..exactly the way it sounds…..

this is the maveric69 signing out

[p.s. : 69 cos the god mod caught hold of “MAVERICK” b4 i was born…]