The Lasts

Now this being the last semester of my stay in KGP, it has finally begun to dawn upon me that in three-and-a-half months I will be getting out of KGP for good. This place has been home for the last four-and-a-half years, and suddenly you're outta here.

While you always know that you will be going away sometime, certain things can rub the reality into your face pretty hard. For me, these things were "The Lasts". Some of them are small enough to be overlooked, but some are pretty huge to escape from.

I have already talked about the "first last", the registration for the last semester (damn it was one crappy day), there have been further events that make you realise that the clock is ticking, and days slipping out of your hands. Be it the last "first mess meal" of the semester or the last "first class" that you attend, you are always dreading the moment when these things will be no more. And then the big one hits you. The Last Spring Fest.

Four days of an endless series of events (OK OK, it stops officially at 11:30PM each day), star nights, competitions, dancing at perpz, eating good pizza(the only time of the year this is possible in KGP), and hanging out with your friends, with the mind free of all worries, atleast for these four days. But for me, this was the last one. Perhaps the last time hanging out with friends like there is no tomorrow. And when you think of something like this, whole of the last five years flash before your eyes, times with friends, having fun, no worries.

Afterwards, you are left with a horribly empty feeling, and I can't make out what it really is. Just plain despair at the thought of having to lose times like these. Maybe ten years hence I will be able to look back and cherish these times and memories, but right now I cannot think of what I will do after 20th May, away from my home of five years.

Anyway, I still have a few "lasts" tucked away, to unfold as the semester passes, and the only way to be happy is to hope that you have your friends around you at these time :).

EDIT: In Koba's words of a year ago, leaving KGP will hurt, It will really hurt like hell.

Potholes on the highway!!!

Let me come straight to the point. So far, 2006 has not been as good as I wished it to be. Not that any of the following things are of much significance, but they sure add up to put you in a bad mood.

First of all, there is the academic registration, which has quite a few hitches in it. Of the four subjects offered (two to be picked) we have already done two so it is back to the usual, forced electives. And on top of that, the remaining subjects are not the most enjoyable (not that subjects ever are...). Anyway, uttering the word "Whatever" once more, I take these subjects, but not before another even tougher subject (which I wouldn't touch with a fourty foot pole) is wrestled into the options by deliberations with the HOD and letters to the DOAA.

Anyway, elective subjects are not the matter of prime concern these days. Its the (unseasonal) placement season and hence we gotta worry about placements. And while the placements are going well for KGP as a whole, the picture is a bit gloomy for us belonging to the 2001 batch. We are sandwiched between the B.Techs of 2002 batch (Magguz with hoohaa CG's) and the Post Graduates, and things are not as we would like them to be. Anyway, with some more people placed and a wingoo getting a schol, things are getting better now.

All this would have been OK if it wasn't for my bruised knee. Curse the "Under Construction" road that has been all mud and stones for the last seven-eight months, and the useless bicyclist who does not know any road manners. Shoulda run him down into the dust.

Hope that things get better soon. Don't wanna go into SF with such a lousy mood......

A Bonfire and "Patthar Paneer"!!!

This is what we did at New Year's Eve this time around. :). Let me explain the full story in chronological order.

Planning for the eve
First of all, there was supposed to be a trip to Cal on 31st December, with the New Year's Eve being spent in some party. This plan could not gain wide acceptance. So it was scrapped. The second plan was to go to Chandipur and spend the eve at the beach, but watching the susnset, spending twelve hours on the cold beach and then watching the sunrise was not everyone's cup of tea. So this plan also goes down.

So when Cal and Chandipur were both outta the picture, we decided to stay back home (KGP) and do something. A bonfire was on the table for the Chandipur trip, and its location was shifted about a hundred miles into the C-Ground of LLR Hall of Residence. And then there is always some grub required.

Of "Patthar Paneer" and the like
When the venue was decided to be our backyard, we also decided to prepare our own grub. Thus we went about marinating Paneer(cheese) and boiled potatoes with curd, mint paste, chilli paste and coriander leaf paste. The plan was to roast/bake/fry these on a stone slab heated by charcoal fire. Or something like that.

The Appointed Hour(s)
So finally the appointed hour arrives. We try to burn the charcoal but it turns out to be more or less black mud cakes. Whatever wood burns cracks the stone slab, so it is rearranged to a smaller size and using wood fire, some paneer and potatoes are prepared. They were awesome. The rest of the goods like chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, potato wafer chips and sodas were all right. But nothing like self made hot "Patthar Paneer". :))

At midnight, there was a small gathering of people from the Hall and it was time to exchange new year wishes, and take a GPL. I was perhaps the first KGPian to get a GPL in 2006. Not a very good start to the year eh! Anyway some music and weird steps dancing later, it was time to get to bed, and that's what we did.

The first and last New Year's Eve in KGP was really good. I just wish that I can have times like these in the future also.

:wq 2005.year (sorry Dipanjan, this was too good to resist, the geek inside me is more powerful than ever.)