Group Study @ PSG Tech Hostels..

Hostel life brings relentless fun and memories long cherished. Being in hostel for FIVE long years gives you a huge plethora of events to talk about. "Group Study" was a concept unknown to me until I joined the hostels. In the initial years, I found everyone pouring the lecturers words carefully into their books lest they should miss out any important points. That was the school-ish attitude in everyone.

But several years hence you find the following :
(Conversation among friends on the most hottest topic a day before the exam - "PROCUREMENT OF NOTES !!")

[Its 4:15 pm and the lab session is over]
Params : Machi, nalaiku test da ? Notes irukka ?
Raga : Pathukulaam da, somebody wud have ! Will go to hostel, have some sleep & start studying ok ?
Params : Dei, avalavo laam thevai illa da. Will start after dinner.
Raga : Seri, but machaan I have already bunked first test da. Need to write tomo test better.

[We go to hostel]
Deepan : Dei, unga kitta notes irukka da ?
Raga : Wat ?? U dont have a ?

[All of a sudden we realize nobody has bothered to even xerox the notes]
Deepan : Seri, seekkaram poi Pallavi Notes laam xerox pannidalaam da.
Params : Machi, enakku oru copy da. Kaasu nee potudu, aparam tharen :-)
Raga : Dei enakku also da. Get one biscuit packet also while coming da.
Arula : One appy for me!

[Varalu just entering the room]
Varalu : Enna da idhu. Oh xerox a ?? Overa padikkadinga da ! Seri seri, whatever u take, get me one copy, ok ?

[So couple of guys go out get the notes xeroxed and return to hostel. After dinner...]

Raga : Dei, start pannalaam da. There's lot to study.
Params : Machi, orey-oru Video song da. Then will start.
Varalu : Aaman da, appa thaan da body warm aagum. Podra podra, seekaram podra.

[And so I fish through the drives on my system which contain limitless collections of video songs of different languages. We begin the first one. And everyone starts to pour out his feelings and demands his favourite numbers]

Varalu : Dei, kaaka-kaaka ondra-renda song podra.
Arula : I want 'Aal-thotta bupathi' da.
Params : Dei, First alizee da.. Wait everyone !
Deepan : Vennengala, its getting late da. Stop it.
Varalu : Tutorial laam periya vishyama da ? Life-la varum pogum. Enjoy pannanum da !!

[Its 10 now. Time for TEA in the mess]
Params : Guys, come for tea !
Arula : Vaada polam.
Vasanth : Seekaram poitu vaanga da.

[So we go down to mess. Have tea & post-tea gossip. Come to room by 10:30. Sit around and stare at the notes. Everything seems Greek & Latin. Not a word to be understood]

Raga : Enna kodumai da idhu !
Varalu : Idhallam class-la eppa da nadhathanaanga ??
Varun : Last class la sonnganga da.
Params : Bloody Eli. Onnume puriyala !
[We study for some time, teasing each other]
Params : Podum-da-ba, lets take a break.
Vasanth : Snack bar polaam da. Vaanga da.
Deepan : Yea, let go.
Arula : Enaku oru chips packet & one kadalai vaangitu vaa da.
Vasanth : Panni, Mooditu vaa !
Arula : Dei, naan konjam neram rest edukaren da.

[We walk to snackbar discussing the lighter moments spent in hostel, about the heroic tales of our Tech-Watchmen, etc. On the way back, we stop at the stadium and sit down to discuss about some issue bothering the country]

Deepan : Come da. Lets begin studying. Lots left.
Arula : Dei, enaku thookam varudhu da.
Params : Me also feeling sleepy da. Shall we study tomorrow morning ?
Raga : Aaman da, ippa padicha no use !
Sreekanth : Dei, Mahesh Babu's new movie super a irukku da ! I am gonna watch couple of scenes in it & crash.

[We walk back to room, watch some video songs and collapse planning to wake up the next morning & study. But it doesnt work. We are woken by arula screaming at the top of his voice]

Arula : Dei goyyalungala ! Its 7 o clock da. Test at 8:30. Wake up !!!!
Params : Oh my god !
Raga : Innaiku aapu thaan..

[We try to wake up Varalu]

Varalu : Machi oru 10 mins da. Romba thookam varudhu !

[And so we frantically bury ourselves through the xerox sheets and try to atleast go through the entire crap atleast once. By 8, we wind up, surrendering the rest to almighty]

Varalu : Poda poda, enna padichalum anga poi bla bla bla thaan.
Arula : Dei, exam endha hall da ?
Ant : Y-202 da !
Sreekanth : Pistu da maama. Database da nee !!
Ant : Adhu engalukku theriyum da. Adangu !
Sreekanth : Its late. Come quick.
Params : Dei, pen, pencil edhuvume illa da !!
Raga : Aiyo, me too da. Evano nayeee suttaan da !!

[And so we leave the hostel at 8:25 sharp in hurry to the exam hall]

Mini Marathon ..

After a long forethought, i decided to give it a try. PSG-Tech "Mini Marathon" was scheduled to kick off @ 7 am yesterday. Making my pair of shoes available the night before, i dashed into my slumber @ 1 am. I was diligent enough to see that any resolutions made by the toughest minds in the world were bound to liquify before the tyrant of all emotions, passion and sincerity - "SLEEP" ! And so had to be cautious enough to set in an alarm & two reminders at 5:45 am to make it to the Marathon.
Things went on well, i woke up successfully and gazed out from the veranda. I could some "Aarva Kolaar Jantoo" jogging around the field and yelling "Machan, Vaa da.. Warmup Pannalaam..". The first years block was a 'cacophonous mess' with most of the guys exchanging their anticipations on the Marathon and bantering each other on his outfit and mannerism.
I put on my shoes and moved on to the stadium to get my chest number, "385" - pronounced the volunteer there. Pinning it to my chest, i wiled away the few odd minutes watching the preparations going on around.
It was 6:45 and the Physical Director voiced the rules for the race. The whole track was 8 kms long, meandering across the campuses of PSG-Tech Hostels & PSG-IMS&R respectively. I wondered if i would be able to complete the race !
By 7, the principal flagged off the race & the crowd tumbled through the road ahead. The initial 15 minutes were a total chaos with people speeding across excitedly as though determined to win the race. It was a dense swarm of shoes tottering on the tar ! After a mile and a half, the crowd diluted to my satisfaction, as few souls remarked "Machan, Mudiyala da.. Ipadiye odna deadbody thaan! Ambulance kooda kidayathu da.." Most of the guys slowed down within some distance, panting out. My senses started abusing me for tiring them at such an hour when they ought to be buried in the bed. Not wanting to stop, i continued carrying myself in brief trots.
The mob diminished in front of me, with few struggling at the same pace as mine. The sight of track stretching way ahead into the PSG-IMS&R campus wringed all energy out of me. It was highly tiresome to run around the football ground, watching the "co-panters !" It was probably half the distance when i thought i would come to a stop (not withstanding the 5 km continuous run), well aware of the fact that once i lay my legs to silence, i would find it a herculean task to start-off again. I came to a standstill & it was an eternal bliss for me then. An auroral warmth hit my face drenched with sweat. I turned back & spotted some fellas dragging themselves towards me. Not wanting to deteriorate my position which i guessed was beyond a hundred, i started off.
The next few minutes pricked me like hours with each step desiccating me to extremum. Moving along in ant's shoes, i completed the race at 7:55 - duration of 55 mins. I wondered what position i would be in, which i expected would be in three-digits :) I chuckled @ this very thought. The man @ the endpoint, handed over a chit to me & i glanced over. "58" it said, so this these senses of mine managed a decent finish,"Not bad", i thought.
Being intensely evaporated, i dashed on a chair waiting for the elite members to receive their medals & trophies. My turn came after quarter-an-hour & i went up to collect my Certificate of Participation.
The race though weary, was a tonic experience indeed :)