Proud of my sister :)

Parents from middle class families never know much about the future of their ward. They are unaware of the education system going on.  All they can do is put their ward in a good (or famous) school in the near locality and have faith on it. If you are economically slightly better than a typical Indian family, at max parents will arrange a coaching for you. But they themselves are totally unaware of what their child is learning. They can't monitor it. Even my mom-dad didn't know anything. Parents come to know only when one of their children has gone through these times. My sister was elder. And my dad didn't even have the slightest hint of competitive exams. They just knew these is something called PMT. And neither the schools provide such info to the kids. Who cares for all 120-200 students informing them about the competitive exams? So, my sister was left with unawareness. She gave her first PMT in haste and trailing behind her classmates. So, it went all messed up. When she couldn't clear even the 'pre', she came to know what this competition really mean. By the time, I came to XI, she decided to have a drop year. Now there opened an academy in Bhiwani. Someone told my dad that coaching helps in clearing exams, so he put both of we siblings to that local institute. Plus there started family problems in our home. Those tensions couldn't let her study. As a result, she lost another year there gaining nothing. Again she couldn't even clear CBSE-PMT pre.

Now I came to XII and she was broken completely. My dad raised her, hugged her and said "Beta tu ek try aur le. Main tere sath hu. Chinta kyu karti hai?". He gave her determination. When your family is with you, when they support you, it is a great help. My sister is a little slow at understanding concepts. She grasp topic a little late. So it was obvious that her performance would improve gradually. She stayed at home. She used to study late night with me.This time, we both were to attempt for PMT together. And we both cleared pre. Alas! None of us could clear mains. In BHU, I was unable to clear pre. She cleared it. In GGSIPU (for VMMC and ACMS), I again failed in pre but she qualified for the mains also. She could get an admission to ACMS as her rank was good but our financial conditions were not that good that my dad could afford huge fees of ACMS. So, didi told my dad "last time you asked me to take another shot. This time I ask you to take another chance. Believe your daughter. I will crack the best govt. medical colleges this time". I salute that determination of my sister. She is a little slow at studies, but she is way too ahead in social and human nature. And she dropped again while I came to AIT Pune. And she really did what she said. She had 6th rank in whole Haryana, cracked ACMS again, cracked BHU, JIPMER, COMEDK and many other exams simultaneously. But this year, ACMS had dropped its fees to a lot of extent and it had also gained a lot of reputation in its first year. Plus, career is more secure through ACMS. So, leaving all other colleges (including PGIMS Rohtak), she opted for ACMS only.

My sister is a great example of determination and hard work. Besides being a little less capable than her peers, she overcame her weakness with immense hard work. And ultimately she succeeded what she decided to achieve. And I am so proud of my sister. No one can sustain so many failures and then rise with immense success. Most of her classmates either dropped for at max 1 year and then opted for BDS etc or went for BSc. which even my sister could do. But now she stands higher than those who lost hopes early.

Today she is one of the best students and among toppers in her MBBS class keeping her pace and hard-work in coherence. I am so proud of her.

PG for NG in Bangalore

PG 1

View from 6th floor, Spectra Cypress

For few days after my joining, Mu-Sigma made me stay in Spectra Cypress Apartments at Kundalhalli Gate. The address was mailed to me long before joining. And I was given a 14 days time to find my own place to live. Within a few days, I shifted to a PG in AECS Layout. Finding a PG in Bangalore is easy, but finding a good PG is tough. I was habitual of Pune. It is preferable (and cheaper) taking a BHK in Pune. In Bangalore, flats are costly. My PG was providing me
1) Food (which is not suitable for north Indians at all)
2) Wi-Fi Internet (and the signal strength was almost zero. Somehow, Google home page opened in 2 hours)
3) Attached bathroom (for a combo room of 4 guys)
4) Promising private cup-board (which I didn't get till I was there)

So, though I was paying for all these, I didn't get profit of any. I had to pay separately for lunch, dinner in restaurants and internet connection of my own (10Mbps, 50 GB FUP, Rs 999 per month).

PG 2

Hall in PG 2

Within a month, I found a better PG in Kundalhalli colony. The new PG owner charged a little more, but I had a small singlet room of my own, attached bathroom, hall shared by another room, TV (with cable) and internet connection with better signal strength. The other room (for sharing hall) was occupied by 3 college boys (there was a college nearby named CMRIT). So, It was sort of college-like environment when I was a BE in singlet and SEs were in triplet. Here, two of these boys were FEs and one was SE. But these FEs had no fear to that SE like in AIT it used to be (we AITians are proud of our ragging-traditions). So overall, I loved this place. These boys also shifted here the day I shifted. After a few days, one evening, few SEs from college came in the PG (this building had 4 floors with 16 residents per floor, almost all of them being FEs of the same college and few being SEs). Those boys came and sat in my hall with that other SE friend of theirs who lived aside me. They all decided to rag the FEs.

Soon after some time, the hall had about 6-7 FEs standing in tashan and the SEs trying to break off their ego. My door was open that moment and I was sitting on my chair making a pencil sketch. I paused for a moment and put my chair near my door enjoying the view. (They all knew I am a BE, and all used to call me Bhaiya. None of those SEs had that vigour as AITians have. Just giving a try (or say 'fight maar rahe the' in AIT's lingo) to rag. And the FE's, half awake, half slept, yawning, standing loose were reluctant to listen. It seemed to me as if SEs were being ragged. An FE yawning? What a shame to an SE. One of the SEs invited me to sit on the sofa in the hall "Arey bhaiya, wahan kyu baithe ho. Aaiye na". I nodded in no with a smile but then one of the FE did something which was forbidden in AIT if you are in front of a senior, 'taking cell phone out of the pocket, without a call AND without prior permission'.

After I became Mr. fresher of AIT in 2008, I was ragged enormously, the entire year, both semesters. And when I became SE, I indulged in this act of POP (as known in AIT) to just a limit. I did some entertaining ragging in my SE (entertaining to both, ragger and raggee). Today, those ragged by me are BEs and placed in few of the finest firms :). And I left ragging in TE and BE. Now, this FE instigated me. This cell phone was limit. And then, that night became the AIT night for those all FEs. And the SEs just kept looking. I made them do all AIT formations (including maharaja, cliff-hanger, namaaz, aarti, murga etc). And then they repeated in echo as asked "Jo garv se ragging dete hain, wo studd ban jate hain. Ragging se bach ke bhagne wale C*** hote hain".

Flat 1
Just after 12 days of my shift to this PG, one day I was looking at yammer in ITPL. There was a post regarding a 3BHK in Prestige Palms apartments (where I live now) looking for a flatmate. I approached the guys and saw the flat. It was heaven. I have never seen such a good flat. It was grand, and so was the rent. In total 32K. The 3 other tenants (and my current flatmates) were as follows
1) Vishwender Dalal - Delhi ka Jat, Ramaiah College, Mu-Sigma (Nick: Mighty Raju). I call him 'Bade Bhaiya'. He has a well built body. There was a time when this rich spoiled used to prepare for Mr. Bangalore
2) Naveen Mahto - Jharkhand ka Kurmi, Ramaiah College, Mu-Sigma (Nick: Mallu). I call him Muls. Full-time smoker and complete Bihari by attitude.
3) Ashwini - Bihari, Ramaiah College, some civil-engineering company (Nick: (None)). I call him 'Mote bhai'. The fatso of our flat and unmarried uxorious (or say poor pussywhipped). Nice at heart.

Overall, I loved this flat (and the flatmates). Me and Dalal wanted singlets (I have to make physics video lectures in silence. But why Dalal?) Naveen and Ashwini wanted to share the room. So the rent was divided as 9-9-7-7 respectively (plus electricity, internet, water, food, maid). So, At least 15K per month was to be spent on basic living. But after that, there was no expense. It was near my company. So, there was no travel expense now (earlier it was). Plus there were many other facilities which were not in my previous PGs viz. Swimming pool, Gym, Big-Really BIG rooms, 2 LCD TVs, 4 cupboards including dressing table of my own, your own private attached bathroom, a good society area, and luxurious (not uxorious) life.

So, to shift here, I quickly made my money settlements in the PG and shifted the very next Saturday. Now the only problem was money for security deposit. It was total 2 lac for the entire flat. So, for each of us, it was 50K. I called dad and asked for the money. Asking for some time, my dad managed to arranged that amount of money by the deadline.

Following are few pics of my current home :)