Welcoming freshers in IISc...

A very true statement... Time flies by fast... I still can't believe its already an year since I came here... since I became a part of IISc, Bangalore. Seems as if just a few days back, I had come to Bangalore with three bags and an offer letter... a bit scared on how I am gonna survive here (had already heard that everyone here is very studious)...

Still unable to believe that I had already made it to IISc, I was almost reaching Yeswantpur station with random thoughts crossing my mind like “oh! This place is not at all meant for me”, “what if they kick me out after seeing my performance” and all when I received a call from IISc Student's Council volunteer saying that they were waiting for us at the station. I was happy and finally prepared myself to try and survive there for as long as possible (and I am almost half way through).

Hardly a journey of 5-7 minutes and I was already in the campus, green all around with buildings there... seemed as if the buildings have been constructed in midst of a jungle(was good to see so much of greenery after being in city for long). And then we started with fulfilling formalities of hostel and mess allocation, buying sim card,mattress, pillows etc. Admission procedure, bank account opening etc. was at the main building next day. Also, as I had come alone(yeah, I don't need my mom dad to keep accompanying me everywhere... I'm not a kid anymore :D ), I had to setup the whole room by myself... :/ :(

What a happening, exciting & tiring day it was...

Suddenly the alarm rings and I notice ... Whoa... Its 27th July 2012, exactly an year from the day when I officially became an IIScian... Feels as if yesterday I was a fresher and today I am on the other side welcoming the new students... Arrangements have been made for buses to keep shuttling between college and railway station with students, their parents and a few volunteers starting from around 6:30 am till around 9:00 pm.

With volunteer badges, Student's council T-shirts(free for volunteers... yippee!!), IISc placards, IISc banner and a help desk just near the exit gate, we have made sure that spotting us was not at all difficult even when the station was crowded. Seems that due to the large number of students expected(500+), we actually might have to make multiple trips for students coming in a single train.

Though I could not take many snaps(see, I am so busy working here) but managed to get a few nice ones when waiting for the students to arrive(kudos to Indian railways, most train were late). Anyways, I can listen to the train arrival being announced so better I get ready with the placards...

Thought of the day : “In IISc for a few years... but an IIScian for lifetime”

The Obsession with Pink

Yes! Though pink might not always be our favorite color(mine is lavender) but we girls do love pink. May be one of the reason is the way we are brought up. Each time I hear of any of my near or dear ones having a baby girl, the parents will get a whole lot of stuffs in pink, starting from curtains, cushions, bedsheets to dolls, toys and clothes. Not only this, even the walls of the room will be covered in pink. To add to this, everyone going to visit them will again carry some pink shaded gifts for the baby.

When not given a choice, the girl grows up surrounded with everything in pink and starts loving that color. So its not only the girl who is to be blamed for her obsession with pink. A few days back when in a shop, I saw a small girl, may be 4-5 years old with everything in pink starting from her bag, her handkerchiefs pinned to her uniform, her water bottle, clips... everything. Thankfully her dress wasn't pink because she was in her school uniform.

I still remember to have seen the fictional movie Legally Blonde in which the character of a blonde, Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon loves everything pink.Needn't say the way her room looked made me sick for a while. I never say to ditch the pink color, I myself like that color but there is a far more difference between liking and obsession. I too have a dress or two in pink, may be a nailpolish in pink and my love for pink ends there. Its always great to experiment with colors, when given a wide range of choices why be stuck with one.

The color pink has been associated with girls so much that guys in pink do look a bit weird(no offense meant). I know a color should not be such a big deal and guys too like to experiment with colors... but seriously... pink...???!!!

I thought of this entry when suddenly I came across this link http://pinterest.com/suzyames/the-obsession-with-pink/

Starting frompink purse, diamond ring, and sewing machines the pink color ranged to pink boots, shoes,clotthes, gloves and last but not the least... pink hairs. Seems the celebrities are picking pink color for their hairs instead of the usual purple or blue as pink is beleived to keep their “innocence”.

Whatever it is, one thing I have realized, if you want to get across with guys on pink, the only case when guys would go for pink is the music of “Pink Floyd”

Note : All the pics used here are from google.

The Joy Of Giving : IISc Notebook Drive

Today when volunteering for "help the needy" initiative by IISc, I was reminded of the wonderful experience I had as a volunteer for the "Notebook Drive". 

NBD or the NoteBook drive is one of the great students initiative at IISc like many other social & environmental initiatives that include help the needy, tree plantation etc. The objective of NBD is providing notebooks, stationery etc., to poor students who otherwise have to drop out of their schools simply because in course of filling their stomachs, they fall short of money to buy notebooks. NBD, started in 2002 by a group of students in IISc. Every year during May-June volunteers collect money from the students and faculty to support government schools in and around Bangalore. The support is not in money but in useful items such as notebooks, pens, utilities for drawing etc, given to the government school students.
 

This year too, it started with donation stalls outside all the three mess during the dinner hours. Beside busy schedule of everyone here, it was nice to see people taking out some time for the society and the amount of donation was generous. With the donation of around 6-7 lakh INR started the planning on what copies and stationaries should be brought in what quantities.

More than 25000 different copies and stationaries including pencils, eraser, sharpener, scale, pencil boxes etc were all kept in the staff quarter.

Though the distribution was scheduled for almost a week covering 26 different schools in and around Bangalore, I could volunteer only for a day and the experience was wonderful. Almost 10 hours on road and in schools, the experience was worth the time. That day we covered 7 schools and gave notebooks & stationaries to more than 700 students ranging from class 1 till 10. Starting with a very small school which was run in a single room, had just 15 students, class 1 to 5 & 1 teacher, we ended with a govt school which had more than 150 students, classes 1 till 10 and was divided into two campus, primary school & high school.

The journey that day started at 8 am from the college with 4 people on 2 bikes, one person sitting beside the driver's seat & two people sitting at the back of the tempo along with all the stuffs which included notebooks, stationaries & sports item for each school. Every school, however big or small, welcomed us with a big smile. The happiness and smile on the face of the kids on receiving the stuffs was worth thousand words, especially when some sports items including cricket bats, balls, frisbee etc was given for the school. Though not many, but I managed to capture a few smiles.

Each of these schools got lunch from Iskon under the 'Akshaya Patra' program and when at the third school, it was already 12:30pm. Thus when offered for lunch, we could not resist the offer and had lunch with everyone. With tasty sambhar, rice & curd, we were content with our stomach & at our hearts (seems the sambhar given there was better that what we get in mess).

By the time we all came back to college, it was around 5:45 in the evening and after being on road for 10 hours on a sunny day, we were all dead tired. But at end of the day, it all seemed worth.

That day I realized the true meaning of "the joy of giving". I realized that day happiest people are not those getting more but those giving more, that like love, joy also increases on giving. 

 

A beautiful and inspiring quote that sums up the essence of the NBD, is by Henry Drummond "There is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving" and the second "True religion ...is giving and finding one's happiness by bringing happiness into the lives of others."