Wednesday, August 6, 2008

1 Rupee a day can change a life

1 Rupee a day

The idea behind this concept is to help needy with the least possible contribution any one can make, say 1 rupee. A rupee a day is not a big contribution as on average every one of us spends more than at least 20 rupees a day. 1 rupee might not be a great contribution.

Then how are we going to make it a useful donation with this single rupee? Here’s the answer- a drop of water may be just a drop, but such drops can make an ocean. An ocean doesn’t start in one single step. The drops form a tiny stream, streams combine to form a river, these rivers form the seas and these seas together are known as an OCEAN. Similarly, one rupee is a just a drop, but combine it with the every one rupee that others donate and that’s lot of money.

This can be enough to change one child’s life or save an old,diseased person. I would like to stress on the children and the aged. I think the middle aged ones have options, but the children and aged do not have much of an option. The children are the future of this country they need to educated, protected. The aged have worked all there life educating and protecting and are then left to old age homes by ungrateful children.We may not change how people think but we can help these needy ones. Think for a minute is it just enough if we are happy? Shouldn’t we help others? How many times have you felt that it would have been good if someone helped you in your tough times? This is an opportunity to show you care about the way things stand.


Here are the estimated figures:

You donate 1 Rupee a day

1rupee x 30 days = 30 Rs/month
30 x 12 months = 360 Rs/ year

Now a pizza cost 200 Rs, a movie ticket cost 100 Rs, think of it is 360 Rs really a burden for you.

There are approx. around 1500+ students in our college and all the faculty and staff.
Say out of all these 1500 members are willing to donate a rupee a day.

1500 x 1 rupee =1,500 Rs
1500 x 30 days = 45,000 Rs/ month
45000 x 12 months = 5,40,000 Rs/year

Now you can see that this amount can be used to help a child, he can be educated. One educated child is a gift to the nation. He can help several other people. The aged can be provided with medicine and comforts .

If not approaching the needy directly,the money can be directed for the same through established and credible NGOs, say CRY or Help age India.
Every single rupee can be useful in helping the needy.

Help someone, your help can make there life.

p.s: This idea new has been considered before by my seniors to be implemented in our college. It is still in the developing stage and has not yet started running. We'll keep you updated on its status. In the meanwhile, think over this idea.

p.p.s: This idea is being implemented in the world by an organization called “1 DOLLAR A DAY”. It aims to help the poor in the world. Visit www.1dollaraday.org

Friday, August 1, 2008

Book Review: One night@ call centre & The 3 mistakes of my life.

Let me get this clear: I chose to write both the book reviews in a single article coz they really didn't deserve 2 separate ones.
One night @ the call center :
Chetan Bhagat's second book and quite a let down too. This book talks about the lives of a group of call center employees with their myriad problems and attitudes. Their life takes a full flip when one night ..they receive a call from God . Yeah..god..as in..'God'!! That's the story simply put.

What was clearly lacking in this book was sanity in the final circumstance. Chetan probably had in mind an inspiring book, but it somehow just failed to make me think deep. While few people really liked the book, most were not happy with it...so i guess it just boils down to this -'Read a borrowed book and if ya like it, well and good and if didn't ..if wasn't at least a waste of money!'


3 mistakes of my life:
Chetan's most recent book and frankly I can't say which is more boring...this one or one night...! This book speaks of 3 boys Omi,Ish and Govind(the guy who commits the mistakes!).
The book's biggest negative was the freaking-huge number of clichés used. Cricket,India,Nerd,Gujarat,Goverment- all of these issues were repeatedly used and abused.
Sometimes the story went too over the top and all "masala movie-ish"! Though he more or less stuck to the mainline of the story, it was quite painstaking to sit through the book.
I can only give you guys this piece of advice- "If ya want to kill time brutally or if you have real interest in chetan's books, go along and read it. If you are short-tempered, for sanity's sake, forget it!!"
In the very wise words of a Cnn-ibn article
"Picking up the book the 3 mistakes of my life is a big mistake" ! That explains a lot!


Monday, July 21, 2008

Get your excuses right!

They say, we realize some parts of our brains and intellect existed only when we have to conjure up excuses, the worst being for 'Why didn't you come to the college yesterday?' . If its a friend asking the question, you happily give away details. Chances are you were driving maniacally around highways or cozying up in a movie theater.
But hey, out of the blue, your much-interested lecturer catches you on your way the canteen and asks you the same Q - "So, what Miss/saar..what were you doing yesterday? Y didn't you come to collg?" .
Instant reaction : Weak knees,quivering mouth.
You think..Damn! I should have known that was coming...Now, thinkk,think,think (read lie,lie,lie)

You say "Sir, I was sick..fever"
Sir looks at you like you gave the most boring excuse ever made-up. I don't blame sir...Fever is the most repeated,worn-out, not happening excuse !! Sometimes, I think even if i did have fever...I wouldn't give that cursed excuse...cause I wouldn't even have the lecturer sympathizing with me(cause they don't blv it). So much for actually suffering.
One day in class, every boy who stood up and was questioned about their absence said the same thing - "fever sir" . It would take a coincidence of sorts or a really dumb lecturer to have believed them. Sir got mighty put-off when even the very last boy mouthed the same excuse and said hastily " Ok.Then, get the doc's prescription paper!!" . I was happy the boy dint argue further saying that he didn't go the doc..it was mild ..or sm such stuff.
People talk creativity, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. Our old fever- excuse could surely do with some 'makeover' .
"Brain fever" ? .. haha..pretty believable ;)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Book review: Five point Someone.

Now, here is a book that any person, regular reader or not, can pick up and read on without thoughts of food and water!

Chetan Bhagat's first and by far his most popular book, Five Point Someone(FPS) is an engaging, light-hearted take on 'what not to do at an IIT'!

The book starts off in the typical 'Chetan' style of making the story seem real. The story looks into the lives of 3 friends -Hari, Ryan and Alok and a thrilling series of events which they go through during their term in IIT. Ryan Oberoi is the rich,smart,rebellious, uber-cool guy while Alok is of the total nerdy sorts, thick spectacles and all. Hari, the narrator of the story is the average plump boy , a Ryan-wannabe.



The story kickstarts with the 3 of them being ragged, clothes-off on their first day at IIT! What follows is a strong friendship between the three, complete with their nutty ideas to 'screw the educational system and live for the moment'. Meanwhile, Hari develops a liking for Neha, Prof. Cherian's ( their ultra-strict HOD) daughter. With all this going, they realise that they are the lot who stand last in their class with 5 point something GPAs. The book goes on to elaborate on how they mess up big time(complete with Vodka and smoking grasson the campus roof) and end up realising that they were wrong all along. The move on from being 'five pointers' to five point someone, gaining an identity though not without unnecessary pains.

What you'll first observe about the book is the totally lively way in which the characters are dealt with. Although it is criticized of not having any literary value(as it is meant to be), it doesn't bore you a bit. Chetan's adjectives rock...'teeth ten years late in meeting an orthodontist'!! His language is laden with typical college lingo and humor. Being college-goers, we can easily relate to the thought process of these guys, though I must say, their adventures were far too fantasy-filled(a touch of bollywood!). But, on the whole, the book is a must-read. Its a reminder that 'shit happens' when we don't think and act straight. Whether you like reading or not, this book is a real stress-buster cause it has a familiarity by being based in India and speaks of hormones and highs.


My advice :Go read it. Half of India has read it !

Extra info. : The books is being made into a hindi movie!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Extra Classes all the way!

The institute has come up with something helpful and innovative for 3rd years.

As is common, most of the grinding for placements happens in the 3rd year.

Our college this time has appreciatively out of its way to put in its two cents into helping students to get placed well.

We third years now have 2 hours a week set aside for the training in the following fields

  • English and communication skills
  • Personality Development
  • Aptitude and reasoning.

Most jobs look for students who are adept in the above mentioned areas, apart from having a good grip on the subject.

Last week, our aptitude class went on pretty perfect with every single person in the room wanting to learn. The questions although simple, were calling on our hibernating 10th math logic. Time spent was really worth it.

Our English class though is another different story. With English grammar basics to begin with, nobody seemed as interested in concentrating to our sir! I hope things are better next class on!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Free Software Foundation Seminar.

Last saturday, a seminar on Linux and Free Software Foundation was organised by students from our college. The session began in the afternoon and lasted for about 2 hours. The first speaker -Srikar, from VNR college gave an impressive start to the seminar. He went on to list out the main limitations of Windows Operating System (O.S) as against the USPs of Linux.Here are some of the main points from the lecture.

-Proprietary software is that which is a "private ownership" so that common man cannot excercise their access and claim to it. MS Windows falls in this category.
-Free software is that whose source code is available i.e. people have the opportunity to modify and see the actual code behind every front-end execution.This gives scope for user freedom, thus leading to higher efficiency of the software and greater levels of security.
-Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds were those instrumental in making the Free software and Linux a reality.

The talk was accompanied by a few videos shown to reinstate the fact that Linux and free software is a gainful option. There was another short-lasting talk by one Srujan from VNR.The seminar on the whole was a huge success with most of us wanting to know more about the same.
Those interested in widening knowledge and helping to spread awareness among people about the availability and advantage of free software; can submit their names to any of the volunteers-Madhu,cse3 ; Charan ece3;VishnuKanth cse 3;Rohit,ece 3;Raghu ece3.
Special thanks to the team for taking up initiative ,making things work and enlightening us.



Thursday, July 3, 2008

More Rules!

When circulars come around to the classes, another fresh batch of rules is what can be most expected. The same did happen recently...
-No shirts w/o collars and jeans are a strict no-no
-Canteen has timings during which its open. Around an hour in the morn,aft and evening.
-Library too has got timings ( What the ..!!)
-Library, which was famously known for its leniency in the book-isuing process i.e. you can issue a book for half a year w/o being so much as questioned; has now become extremely strict about the same.

The incoming batch this year ll probably miss out on some major fun we took for granted. Buckle up, guys...we are getting 'professional'!