The Would Be Intern (TWBI) is very happy. If this is not all, even the mom, dad, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors of TWBI are very happy. And why not? The very fact that TWBI is TWBI makes them immensely gay.

It so happened that after months of preparations (read: writing and e-mailing hundreds of cover letters along with her resume to hundreds of organizations and institutions in India and Abroad), TWBI has finally bagged a prestigious internship with Freie Universität, Berlin in the Department of Neuro Biology. TWBI is a student in Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology in New Delhi (a very prestigious institute to be in, mind you!). This fact, now you know, made anyone even remotely connected with TWBI immensely happy.

Now came the part where formalities kicked in. She didn’t have any passport, and applied for one in April itself. but got one made pretty soon. (She had a slight adventure to get that, though. There was a month’s delay in getting a ready passport in her hands! Blame the Indian Government System )

She required a No Objection Certificate from her college authorities, and she acquired it after some fight. (Oh yeah! She had to wait for a whole day, sweating out in her college to get that! The concerned officer was supposed to come at 10:00 ‘AM’, but only showed up at 5:00 ‘PM’) Meanwhile, as things were progressing here in India, TWBI started getting emails from Freie Universität about the kind of work she was required to do while in Germany. TWBI started to acquaint herself with the software program she was required to use. Also, the University had also worked out the details of her lodging and other mundane things. Also, the university had agreed to provide her with €2000 for her passage to and from Germany and for other expenses.

Visa was the next hurdle, and this was the very hurdle that brought about an end to this endeavour.

TWBI, in her visa application, had filled in ‘Internship’ as the reason for going to Germany. Now, working as an intern in Germany requires a certain type of documents known as ZAV (read the rules here). As stated in the document, nationals of certain countries are not required to submit ZAV. However, India is not in the list.

Prof. Dr. H.C. Randolf Menzel, who was coordinating TWBI’s visit from the German side, suggested that the apt term for her work in Germany would be ‘Study Visit’, rather than ‘Internship’. In that case, ZAV was not to be required.

Feeling happy, TWBI went ahead and corrected her VISA application. As she was positive that her VISA application was bound to be accepted, she went ahead and booked her passage to Germany as well, for a sum of Rs. Twenty Eight Thousand. Things started going bad from this point onwards, sadly.

The German Embassy in New Delhi reiterated that ZAV was required for her visit to Germany, even when her visit was termed as ‘Study Visit’. Perplexed, TWBI contacted Prof. Menzel, who reiterated that ZAV was not required. Prof. Menzel even got in touch with the Embassy officials directly, but to no avail. The ZAV was required, after all.

The VISA interview date was nearing, and though the ZAV was in process, it was expected a moment too soon. Thrice the interview date was postponed. Thrice the airline tickets to Germany were cancelled and re-booked. Thrice TWBI had to endure the pain after excitement.

Until it was too late.

The costs of this endeavor were escalating, for when an airline ticket is cancelled, the full amount is not refunded. The VISA application fee was going in vain too, for the ZAV was nowhere in sight. The VISA interview date was fixed on 24^th of June, when the tickets purchased were for the 20^th. Time was running out fast, and nothing else could be done.

Sadly, TWBI did not remain TWBI. The internship was called off.

It should be noted that TWBI had to let go of a tremendously good opportunity for a mere formality. If only people were more informed! Some mis-information and some mis-communication led to this fiasco, which could be easily avoided. The visit would have been a great addition to TWBI’s CV when the employers came recruiting in her campus. A mere formality!

This aspect represents a sad reality about… things. We have too many people, who have too many talents. If all of them were to be recognized properly, consider the progress we would have made in any field possible! But we are lazy, and don’t want to work, and let those talented ones run around in circles gasping with mis-informations. We can’t change, can we? TWBI’s story is not an isolated one, and I know that.

Whose mistake is it, anyway?

This is a true account of things that happened this summer. However, for privacy reasons, I am not permitted to use TWBI’s name. The rest of the details are correct to their best possible extents.

This post is dedicated to my dearest friend, Pritha. It is because of her that I got the inspiration to write this.

Life is full of paradoxes, but they tend to break the sad monotones. — Rajat

Do you remember the times when you were a child, and frequently used to hear your elders say that childhood is the best thing that can happen to a person? That childhood is the best phase of one’s life? Perhaps you hear such things even now. And, if you are somewhat nostalgic, you may even frequently dream of becoming a child again, isn’t it?

Being a child has its own advantages. You have no decisions to make, no responsibilities to fulfill, and certainly no tummies to fill except your own. A child can be as carefree as a bird, believe in fairies and wait for Santa Claus! A child knows nothing about secrets, of relationships, and perhaps about love?

Recently, I had the chance to meet Pritha after a really long time. It must have been a year since we talked, if you know what I mean. We spent the time catching up with each other’s lives. It is amazing to think how fast the time flies, isn’t it? One moment, we were the best buddies in school. Another moment, we are meeting up in a random mall trying to figure out how much time has passed since we had a proper,  heart-to-heart talk.

It is very easy to feel nostalgic during such encounters. While talking to her, I was invariably reminded of the fun times we used to spend at school. About how we were virtually inseparable. (So much so that even some of our teachers used to think that we were having an affair! Jokingly perhaps, but nevertheless.) About … well, just about everything! It was an emotional bliss, if not anything else.

Invariably, our discussion ventured into relationships. Amazingly again, we found out that we had something in common this time around too… Broken hearts! It so happened, as we found out, that we had been in relationships with people (one each ), and had to suffer the misfortune of ending them. However, that is not the point. The point is how much we have learnt from these separate encounters.

While she was filling me in about her (mis)adventure, I had this peculiar feeling that I was able to understand her better than I would have, say, a year ago. And I have this shrewd idea that my misadventure had a major role to play in this.

It is very easy to lose your head when you are young. Appreciating a situation for its complexity is an art young people do not possess.

In my case, when it was clear Shreya* and I cannot move along together without some obvious differences, I decided to call it quits. Even my elders (actually, its only one of them who knows about this ) appreciated my line of action. I myself regard my handling of the situation as the best I’ve ever done. In fact, I regard it among the wisest decisions I’ve ever taken in my life, and that too, without losing my head. I did that because I had appreciated the situation for its complexity.

Perhaps that is why, I regard growing up as better than being a child. You get to worry about a lot of things, agreed. But you get to understand various things in a better way, something you couldn’t have done a couple of years before.

Some people (read: adults) still want to become children all over again. Because they want to be away from all their worries. They are stupid. And they are cowards.

I have a lot to learn before I am ready to face this big, bad world. However, I shall be a little less concerned from now on. The clock is ticking away, and I am getting older. I’ve already come this far, and I’ll get to learn all what I have to, perhaps at the right moment too.

* – Name changed.

Peeves the Poltergeist : 

Oh Sanny Macsy! Sanny Sanny Macsy!

Teaching Maths Fancy and giggling like batsy!

Ever since I have dreamt of enrolling for a particular course from a particular pedigreed institution, I have dreamt of joining a particular institute located at a particular place in Delhi – only because of its particular reputation!

One of the particular reasons why I want to enroll for that particular course is that I want to do a particular kind of job for some years as a start up for my career. After that, I have thought of engaging in a particular kind of activity to satisfy me, both creatively and on financial grounds.

Again, one of the particular reasons why I have chosen that particular institute to join because I want to do my best under the best possible guidance, so that my chances of coming through that particular pedigreed institution become very high. 

See, I’m such a particular person!

That particular institute is known as SANMACS; that particular place in Delhi is Karol Bagh. As far as that particular pedigreed institution is concerned, I ain’t telling you yet… Nazar lag jaayegi naa..!

As many of you might have noticed, the title of the post is a satirical variation of the name of the particular institute. Exactly what the intended satire is, I can’t tell you – because I have failed to notice it. If you do, please tell me, will you?

About SAMNACS, then.

Apart from located in Karol Bagh, which happens to be in the list of my favorite places in Delhi, SANMACS is the premier institute of MCA entrance coaching in India. (See, you got to know about that particular course too!).

SANMACS (as it claims), is responsible for sending a majority of students to a majority of pedigreed institutions offering MCA in India. Maybe because of that, I joined the institute five days ago. (I don’t want to miss out on my chances, you see!). Alas! For me, it is back to studies then. I enjoyed just 33 days of my precious holidays being busy in inefficient and unproductive somethings, which should be a World Record to say the least. (I’m known to waste an entire year in useless babble). With SANMACS, I’m back to finding out about of the chances of Q being S if some P’s are Q’s, and finding out the correct time after 23999999992 hours from now, and worrying about the wizard who lost his shoes while taking a dump. (Okay, I made the last one up!)

As far as my routine goes, the day starts pretty early, considering the fact that I have to wrestle with a sweaty crowd that greets me inside metro each morning as I make the short commute to that particular place in Delhi, and that I have to find time to read, write, listen, walk, study, and teach all at once. Teaching is over for now, and it does make the list considerably shorter. Yet, there are a hell lot of things to do. Sometimes I am amazed when I notice the fact that I always end up making myself terribly busy while being pathetically unproductive. 

See you guys later.

PS : I know I shouldn’t have written that horrendous piece of verse above. But ever since I’ve read A Suitable Boy, I cannot help treating various situations with kakoli couplets, and the above one is by far the best I’ve been able to do! Hope you didn’t mind… 

I’ve just spent the laziest day of these holidays. And no, I’m not happy!!

Today, I I woke up late. Didn’t practice my piano lessons. Didn’t read A Suitable Boy. Then I took a longish nap in the afternoon!!! I didn’t start developing the theme for this blog. Gave a very very very late reply to Prabhjot’s technical questions. Didn’t help mom when she wanted to look up something on the internet.

In short, I didn’t do anything.

I am dreading the day when my sanmacs classes start. Then I’ll have to go there, study, AND do all the stuff mentioned above. I need to be more productive. Immensely more productive.

Shit!!

It will be a while before I get the hang of regular blogging all over again. Remaining out of action for extended periods of time does have its own set of problems, you see!

Wordpress 2.8 has been released. I’ve upgraded. I guess you should do that too.

My piano classes are going great! I’ve learnt the C-Major, and now I can play an oversimplified version of Hickory Dickory Dock with conviction! In tomorrow’s class, I’ll learn the F-Major. Lets see what’s in store for me. 

People (read: Meeta Ma’am) were pestering Mohna to start a blog. She was unwilling. So I decided to take the initiative. I registered a blog for her. And now, our (read: Me and Meeta Ma’am) job is to cajole her to actually write something. She’s a bright girl. I believe she’ll come up with something interesting. Will keep you posted.

I’ve noticed that when I stop doing something, it becomes very hard for me to come back to it. About writing blog posts you already know. But you don’t know about reading them. Ever since I broke the vow of internet-celibacy (I took it due to the exams, you know), I haven’t brought myself to read Ritu’s and Freya’s blogs again. I don’t know why… but that’s the case. These two were the only ones I used to read with some gusto. Sorry guys, I’m working towards making myself click those links! Its not that I ain’t reading any blogs. The other day I was browsing IndiBlogger to look for some new, interesting ones. And I did get myself into reading some of them. But that’s about it. My old reading habits are destroyed.

Speaking of reading habits, I am currently reading A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. For those who know about it, don’t wince. For those who don’t, it is the sixth longest english novel ever — running for almost 1400 pages. I’ve reached the halfway mark in about 10 days. According to Meeta Ma’am (who has apparently read the whole thing), it is slow and dull. According to me, it is mildly interesting. I got it from the library.

Next up in my reading list is Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. I bought it from Om Book Shop. They are running a sale these days, with discounts ranging from 10–90%. This book is marked at 15%. The full set of Lord of the Rings is marked at 82%. Some obscure cookbook by some obscure author containing some obscure recipes is actually marked at 90%. You get the picture. The bestsellers are still expensive. The rest come cheap. The store has got a very good collection, though.

As you might have noticed, I have implemented IntenseDebate comments in Talking Talking. Happy Commenting! I’ve never liked Disqus, or WordPress’s very own commenting system.

These days, I’m watching a lot of things. Heroes, Prison Break, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, American Pie, Star Wars, Aliens, X-Men — you get the picture. Its my way of enjoying the holidays.

And I’m learning PHP too! But I guess more on that later.