Help Gaurav Tandon!

Hello there, Earthlings and Orkians! Kayo!

Its just the hangover from wiki-ing (like googling) about the old American sitcom Mork and Mindy lately and my personal favorite. Used to watch it in my school days on Star World.

A few days back, a fellow musketeer from our band of four; informed me of Gaurav Tandon and his hardship. Gaurav suffers from a rare disease (Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer) and needs immediate medical attention or treatment. The costs of the treatment would surpass a crore Indian rupees and is beyond the financial scope of his family or his relatives. His wife teaches in an Engineering college in Mumbai and thats where my fellow musketeer studies.

He is suffering from AML and needs bone marrow transplant which might require treatment in US or UK or Singapore. The treatment initial cost is being estimated to surpass 1 Crore Indian Rupees. His regular health and news updates are constantly being put up on the http://helpgaurav.com website.

More Details about the person, his health, contact details, Reports, Updates and others can be obtained at,

http://helpgaurav.com

So how can you help ?

1. Donate money yourself


2. Spread the word and request people to donate money


3. Help us find right Donor for Bone Marrow Transplant


4. Help us sale Gaurav's Flat at Thakur Village in Kandivili, Mumbai.


5. If you have, share information such as important contacts


6. Pray for speedy recovery


7. If you have time or resources at your disposal and still do not know how you can contribute, please write to Vishal Kekre at vishalkekre@hotmail.com.

Money can be donated through various institutions, wires, and even paypal.

Tragedies can and will strike anyone with no prior intimation. Though we have little control over it, we can make a difference by ensuring Gaurav gets the treatment he needs. People speak of encountering such appeals everyday and every hour and face a dilemma of whom to help. We must help all possible people we can help, as someday the roles can get reversed and we could become the pleaders. Like a doctor, we must not loose hope or loose vigor and must help those in need in all feasible ways and leave the rest with the Providence. Please help him and help bring back happiness in their lives

Ladies marooned on the Atlantis. Where r the Boats ?

Ladies marooned on the Atlantis
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Ladies queuing up on the right pavement, contemplating how to cross the river (I mean once a road!). I must say now Maruti Suzuki and Tata must concentrate not on Rs. 1 Lakh Car but on Rs 30,000 or around boats. well might save many lives in future.

Mumbai on Wheels n Legs

Mumbai on Wheels n Legs
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Man! Travel by 4 wheels or 2 Wheels or legs, you aint anything infront of the mighty Mumbai Monsoon and clogged drains.

Worst part, this ain't the normal rain-water, but the water gurgling up from the drains and getting diluted with the rain water !

Location : S.V. Road, Bandra, Mumbai

Mumbai- The New Atlantis

Mumbai- The New Atlantis
Originally uploaded by prashant maxsteel

Mumbai is THE NEXT ATLANTIS !!!
It is low lying, with major portions reclaimed from sea. So going by the book, what u take from the Sea needs to be returned back. Now the Sea seems to be wanting it back !

Oh Come On! I don't blame the BMC completely for this at all ! They have other problems like Pot-Holes , open man holes, etc.
This photo was taken at S.V. Road, Next to IIPM, Bandra, Mumbai.
Seems like BMC fails to manage the road next to a buisness management school !

Ending of the Semester !

Yup! Thats an engineering student towards the end of semester !

The semester is ending and study leave will start ! Nay man! still no respite! In fact this is the tightest time of the semester. Daily Oral Examinations, Experiment Exams, Journal Certification, Submissions and what not!

Everyday, notice-board vigil is kept. Any day the examination dates and Practical exams n vivas can be displayed. Its also the time when the empire strikes back ! Professors start displaying Attendance Lists and Defaulters' List is proudly highlighted . Those who fall short of attendance (75%) can be seen running from pillar to post.

Everyone assumes the role of Note Scouter . Every suspicious page or bundle is assumed to be some study note and charged upon. Photocopying shops are crowded with every thing possible being photocopied! Libraries are noisy with paratroopers creating strategies on which book to issue and where it probably lies! Intellectuals fail to safeguard their study notes and Copyright fails to look right!

This is the worst time to pick a fight with Lab Assistants and Peons.

Why is it some people find pleasure in other's hardship and pain? What causes them to play brother to devil ? Sadistic Pleasure is what they seek. How much i abhor them! Engineering Colleges play host to many such two legged sadists. Most of them are the Lab Assistants and clerks . Every day we face their tantrums. A greeting fails to bring smile on their face. At most expect a grin! Sarcasm are the vowels in their language. Asking for apparatus or college utility or urging them to carry out their work is considered sin. They consider themselves elite, in fact many professors don't dare to come in their way! Practical examinations are when they lash out at students who have rebelled against them. Cross their path once and you will be marked forever. They will go out of the way to put hurdles in your path. Project and Semester File submissions are made Hell. I am fed up of being nice to them !

This time of the semester, Engineering seems more of paper work and HR management. This is surely MBA where marks are our sales target; projects, files and assignment are assets to be safeguarded and Peons, Lab assistants are the people to be buttered up to achieve Perfect Sales!
Still got some more semesters before I pass out! Profits are to be Maximised and Pangas (Fights or Tiffs) are to be minimized! Got to hold my nerves intact and put up a smiling face !

Message 4 Amar : Amar Sudhar Ja! Before It is too Late !

A new term and a new approach towards life

So finally the 5th semester of Chemical Engineering has started!
For a student, this semester is special in many ways.

• His vision is clear(for some it begins to get clear). He sees his aim in front of him.


• He has become more career and indutry oriented.


• He can be seen preparing himself for the Industry.


• The attitude change can be felt and seen among the students.


• Reading Newspaper especially Editorial section has gained importance. GD (Group Discussion) and Debate start making sense


• Students can be seen preparing for GRE/TOEFL/GMAT for US university MS/MBA programs or GATE for Masters in India or CAT for MBA from India or for On-Campus Interviews and Placements.


• They see PCT and Final BE Project in everything Chemical!


• Finally all subjects sound chemical.

They know life will take a new turn after BE. They know or start knowing that the coming two years are their springboard to reach out for their dreams. Most understand the importance of the coming two years.

The Two years of Engineering has passed swiftly and now we have reached the mid of our BE course. It has been a fantastic experience with ups and downs with lots to learn and understand, be it technical or non-technical.

SO Welcome to 5th Semester! Best Of luck to all!

Ant and grasshopper Revisited

I suppose everyone might have heard of the "Ant and Grasshopper" story as a child.
If u havent, this is the original story;

"The ant worked hard all summer, building his house and stocking up supplies for the harsh winter. The grasshopper thinks ant is a fool and laughs and dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper neither has food nor shelter, so he dies out in the cold."

The Story has changed.

The Modern Version:

"When winter arrives,
The grasshopper calls a press conference & demands to know why ant should be allowed to be warm & well fed while others are cold and shivering.
Media shows up to provide pics of Shivering grasshopper next to video of an ant in his confortable home with a table filled with food.
The world is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor fellow is allowed to suffer so?

Activists stage a demonstartion in front of Ant's House.
They go on fast along with other grasshoppers demanding their relocation to warmer climates during winter.
International Charity Org. and World body criticizes the Indian govt for not upholding the fundamental rights of grasshopper.
Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper.
(many promising heaven and peace for support else Wrath of God)

Opposition in Indian Parliament stage a walk-out.
Left calls for "India Bandh" (ie. strike) in W.Bengal n Kerala
In Kerala, law is passed preventing Ants from working hard in heat to bring about Equality of Poverty
Rail Ministry allocates one free coach to grasshoppers on all Indian railway trains, called 'Grasshopper Rath'
POTAGA (Prevention Of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act) is passed.
Education Ministry, makes special reservations for them in edu. institutes and Govt services.

Ant is fined under POTAGA, house confiscated and handed over to Grasshopper in a cermony covered by Media.
Grasshopper is invited to address UN General Assembly.

Many years later.... Ant has migrated to US.
He sets up a multi-million $ company in Silicon Valley.
Hundreds of grasshoppers still die of stravation despite reservation somewhere in India.

As a result, we are loosing a lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshopper, India is still a developing Country...."

This is a story i came across as a forwarded email, a few days back. The message it carries cannot be ignored. Even though it is written with an Indian Backdrop, it is valid for many other countries.
This point of view towards Social Justice cannot be ignored when implementing it.

college_days_in_thakur

Blog 1

Subject : Remembering My College Days

I finished my 11th ,12th from a college in suburban mumbai . These two years were the most decisive years of my life. It changed my entire perspective of life and fueled my likening towards programming and computers.

On the very first day, i met Fish and in between our conversation i came to know that he had come from gulf and has studied up to 10th in CBSE school. The two things Gulf and CBSE mean a lot to me. Gulf is special to all Malayalis as USA n UK is to Gujuratis and Punjabis. CBSE is more flexible, knowledge oriented, and tougher to crack than State syllabus. Hence Fish pictured in as clever person from Kerala-2(i mean gulf). Then sequentially i met PepJ who is also a Malu and BigDaddy. We always used to sit in the first two benches of the row near the wall with the door in front. We sat there for only one specific reason, to look outside when we used to get bored of the lecture.

Chemistry Practical was one of my favorite sessions. Fish and I used to perform all sorts exploding, bubbling experiments banned by teachers. I even liked Software Pracs. as we had C++, VB, Html. I used to find Physics Pracs. little tedious and generally had to manipulate the readings. The class was good and always in joyous mood. The teachers were good in their capacities.
The college had a UP majority(Hindi speaking North Indian state) students and same with teachers. Unfortunately, they were always the butt of the joke. The hot topic those days was about a lecture by our Physics professor in an adjoining class. He had a thickish UP Hindi ascent while talking and really talked like a illiterate being forced to teach physics.

(1) Open all the Doors of the windows. Let the environment come in.
(2) I have two daughters, both are girls.
(3) (holding a duster in hand) Imagine this is a duster!
(4) Draw a straight circle.
And many more!

PCT Notes

I am providing links for the PCT (Presentation, Communication Techniques) notes and slides created by Dr. Rita Shrama (Humanities Dept.) and provided by DC.
Will be updated from time to time.

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Syllabus

Time Manag.

Time Manag.1

GD

Technical Report

Meeting Doc

Meeting2

Assertiv..1

Team Building

Emotional Intel

Formal Report

Book Form Report

Types of Comm.

proposal

Leadership

Interview1

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