Hi all,
A post after ages! Quite busy these days, for a change! I took the evening off today and went for a carnatic jam session here. It was amazing! Fifteen people taking turns singing, or singing together; sounded superb! (and no, I didn’t sing 
). Met some second and third years there, and nothing was odd. Now it hits me – its 4 years since I was a second year guy!!. My brother is in his second year now!! Ya I know, 4 years would have passed in 4 years only, but to me it seems as if I was in second year just a few months back, and bang.
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This set me off thinking of stuff that happened in the last 3 years. A LOT!
The highlight of second year (and a bit of third as well) was friends – sponsorship for college symposium, gang TT at Sujatha’s place, Diablo II for 4 hours a day (Level 87 Necromancer, Level 60 Assassin ) and discussing it for a few hours, hanging out for 5 hours at a time at some Barista, roaming the city, hanging out as a gang at a friend’s place, phone chats going for a few hours per day, 100+ messages per day, mischief as a gang in class, punishment as a gang in class, impositions!, golu rounds as a gang!, night-out the day before as a (semi)gang, nicknames for each other, “test driving” each other’s bike, cricket as a gang, cleaning the college as a gang, gang politics… Gang, gang, gang, friends, friends, friends! Arvind, Cheemu, Krishna, Lavanya, Priya, Sujatha – thanks!
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Third year and beginning of fourth was the beginning of obsessions. First was GRE. For six months, nothing else. Excruciatingly detailed planning, near-perfect execution. Clinically methodical preparation. Obsession. I used to regularly dream of the new words I picked up that day. I could do so much preparation only because I was already passionate about English. I never really got over English after GRE. Still browse online daily for some etymology and flip through the flash cards I prepared.. Of those six months, I don’t remember much else. Flash cards in pocket, browse them in class, while having lunch, while walking, while having coffee, during model exams! and everywhere else.. The result was very very satisfactory. 1560 / 1600 
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Immediately after GRE, it was GATE, in fourth year. For 8 months, ONLY CS! And that too, ONLY the subjects I liked in CS. It was heaven .. No syllabus (virtually), no restrictions, just read what you like.. Regular night-outs with Anish, Pawan and PK, which were some of the best times I’ve had. Kitchen adventures, competition to see who kills and collects more mosquitoes, music, creatively comparing PK’s size to various objects (70gsm A4 sheet, for example ), applying concepts learnt in irrelevant and relevant real-life scenarios.. A time of intense learning, pressure and fun. Exhilerated at all the fascinating new things learnt all by ourselves, terrified of the exam looming ahead. Attending mock tests, plotting and tracking performance, devising tools to improve efficiency. Great times.. Then came GATE, and the Big Depression. Severely underperformed in the real exam, and ended up with a score that ruled out direct admissions, but thankfully was on the outer fringe of interview cutoffs (AIR 242). Was in a haze of disillusionment for a couple of months. I studied so hard and deserved a lot more than this. So why such a bad performance? Intense pain and surprisingly, a sense of loss. Then came the travel phase; a time of attending interviews at different IITs and IISc, and clearing almost all! Aahhh.. the thrill, after depression that too, gave me such a high that it still hasn’t fizzled out! Got to understand and love and relate to the phrase joie de vivre.
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First year of MS was probably the RICHEST year of my life. That deserves a full post, or maybe two.. I might write a few detailed ones when I’m in the nostalgic farewell mood.. Music would be one word that summarizes quite a bit of the last year, though not all. Started listening to carnatic, became obsessed with it, started listening to hindustani, started learning the violin carnatic style, became obsessed with it, started getting into the theory of music, became obsessed with it, tried out a thousand new things never done before in my life. Also worked a bit for my MS now and then 
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And here I am. After the most eventful four years of my life, and thinking that the four years didn’t happen over four years in reality. Days dragged, but years flew.. Probably the very fact that it was so eventful is the reason it seems so recent.
BTech seems to have been a kind of checkpoint for me. The kind of point/event which tempts you to do a before/after comparison. A defining phase. My schooling was in no way uneventful, what with me changing three schools in 12 years. But that period pales in comparison to this phase of great development and change. Even though it was 4 years ago, I still remember the assignments I wrote, the exams that copied, all my wanglings and finaglings and fights. Incredibly detailed memories..
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Is this the case with everybody? Seems so. But why?
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I’m on the threshold of another major phase. My MS completion is in sight, but everything beyond is extremely nebulous. Exciting! Of the 18 or so years that I remember being, I liked being the 19 year old, second year college karthrags the best. I would have been mentally 12 years old then, and I’ve not grown up much since then
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Are you wondering about the point of this post? Nothing! Its just a bunch of semi-connected thoughts running in my head.. What about you? BTech a defining phase for you as well??
–
karthrags
). I’ll just lie back on the floor, back aching, shoulder aching, leg numb, but with my ears and fingers still vibrating, remembering the music. I’ll be basking in the afterglow of the music. Bliss. Listening to music is a joy, but creating music is something else completely.. You don’t need a masterpiece to move you; sarali varisai is also music 
are nice!
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