The Survey!

Day:1
The morning of that day (7am) started with me trying to get my carcass out of bed due to the last day's stress. I cursed the moment i wrote in Facebook page that i will go to camp for 2 days. It was unbelievingly tough to get out of bed. At last the will succeeded and finally we went to the camp.
               Our NSS chapter of NIT Durgapur hosted a medical camp in which doctors come and do free check-up to the residents of that locality. Let me mention that we did a great deal of work in convincing doctors to take out some time and attend our camp. Medicine samples were also collected the previous weekends and graded out according to their compositions.(yes,we are busy bees and work even during our mid semester exams and i take pride in saying that!).
                          
             THE Camp started with few teams' division for surveying the whole area and finding out the population and the general problems they face in that region that could be solved by the government. I were to assist the volunteers in workshop for making  a teddy bear(believe me..i was not at all into it and decided to switch into surveying committee); and since it would start after noon we were to go for surveying the region.I felt relived as soon as that was assigned to me and we set out for surveying.

      
  

The scenario was completely different at the moment i set foot in the assigned area of survey. The people there know just Bengali and can't understand Hindi. Since it was Ranchi Colony, i took a logic that the people residing over there might me knowing Hindi properly. But i was wrong and thankfully my friend started investigating that barefooted  woman dressed in a traditional sari which she tied a bit above her waist and a pot full of  water which she intended to carry inside for cooking. I understood that their financial status is not at all good and she did say that she is an illiterate( my friend tick marked the 'illiteracy' point in the questionnaire and hence i knew). Even her husband is illiterate. And that look on her face while my friend was asking questions! It was like her hopes rose since we started asking about electricity supply and monthly income as that some help would be coming to save them. Standing in the hot sun and not knowing what to do other than staring at those painful and hopeful eyes...i wandered there and found out there are few people who can understand Hindi.I enthusiastically ran back to collect the other questionnaires and do my NEW job. SURVEYING.

                                The moment i took the paper, the utter truth dawned upon me that i can't speak Hindi fluently!! As they say-'if you can't explain something as simple as it can be, then you don't completely about it'; i felt that i may not even explain them my questions even in my mother tongue. That was a big revelation to me!!And so, with my broken Hindi i managed to complete the questionnaire for one family. While fumbling with the words about how to describe something, they enjoyed our freakish behavior and  laughed out.  The housewife greeted us with a warm and shy smile as we explained why we came to her house. And there was this one moment when i asked about the income of the family(of course it was in the questionnaire)...
         
           Me: "aapki aamdani kitna hoga?"
(meaning-what is your monthly salary)
         Woman:(she started laughing out loud)
 Meanwhile i wondered if there was any grammar mistake in my question which made her laugh so much. Everyone started smiling at me owing to the situation i was in.And i....I showed my teeth as in acknowledgment of her joke.
          Me: "toh aapki monthly income kitna hoga?"(this time desperately trying to get answer to my question)
          Woman:"aamdani matlab ab hum kya kahe madam,kuch hota nahi....aaj kaam        milta hai to kal kaam milne ka guarantee nahi hota"....."mera aadmi bahut kaam karta hai..majduri bahut kam milta hai...haath bhi uska toota tha
....hum gareeb log hai madam"
(meaning: we don't have any salary.there's no guarantee that we get work the next day. our daily wages are too low and even my husband's hand was fractured recently)
   
                   I didn't utter a word after that. Silently gulped in and proceeded to the next question.
Knowing is different from experiencing. I have heard,read about the critical situation of people under low poverty line.But experiencing it and trying to digest it is an altogether a different story.

We proceeded to different houses and there were hearty welcomes with warm smiles (they offered chairs and water too)and  irritated looks from a man who just consumed liquor. 

        The rest of the day was spent in boring ourselves(me and my Bengali friend from surveying) for long hours in medical camp by fetching the prescribed medicines by the presiding doctor.

                                      Day : 2
This was the second day and pretty much the same and that day, i could have had my jaw thrashed. Thanks to my survival instincts, it didn't happen.
     While we were asking questions about basic hygiene and trying to tick off the symptoms of the various diseases listed, we had to ask if they "wash their hands before eating" or not. And the bewildered public over there first passes looks to each other and said "Yes" with a nonchalant and obvious look.
   And then the most controversial question of rural India has come. My friend was bothered suddenly as how to pose this question and i took to her aid.

           Me: "Aapke parivaar mein kisi ko AIDS hain?"
( shocked looks from the public.)
Definitely they must have thought i am a devil who has come to slander their family's name in the public!!
        And the fattest woman among them came forward .
       Woman: "haan, pucho kya puch rahi thi.... phir se puch ke dekho!!!!"
She was a belligerent woman i have seen in the recent past and i couldn't even utter another word.I silently prayed to God,looked at my friend gesturing that the work is done...and we slipped off from there.

I was saved finally!phew!

     I did enjoy going for surveying. Played with the goat cubs, talked with people over there and understood vividly what's their lifestyle.I reckoned that there are greater worries and problems out there in the society and i should stop bothering for petty things like my professor barking at me for not doing graphs of some experiment properly and being "insincere" and "dishonest".

Finally, at the end of the camp, i felt content and there was bliss altogether in spite of the body cramps. Only can wish and pray that the survey report goes to the government and suitable measures are taken.

The story of my mobile phone(s).

I used to have a thing for mobile phones when my dad bought his first Nokia mobile-the kind which doesn't break or get damaged even if you want to damage! I still remember the yellow screen and the games i played in it. My favorite past time used to be playing the snake game in which the tail of the snake becomes bigger and bigger as it swallows the food. And then the generation of mobile phones changed.And even i changed.Never took another look at the oldie Nokia.

 Slide phones, Bar types, 3-G mobiles, Smart phones what not!
My first mobile phone was a Samsung GT-S5320(bar type). I was so delighted to use it . My family and peers saw nothing so dazzling as i saw. it was my first mobile phone and it had many features like 3G connection, PC-suite,3.2 MP camera all in 6000 bucks!
     
 First few months i loved it. The black color of its body shined and the back of the mobile was like a mirror.And soon all the lustre of my mobile faded.And moreover it started hanging all of a sudden!!! Few months later, it became a pain in my nose and at last......it DIED.

Next comes my Nokia N73 mobile. Well, it was under my brother's service for 2 years and then when he finally felt that it doesn't deserve to be with him..i took it under my wing :P
 It has 3.2 MP camera, PC suite, Bluetooth,Infrared,Life blog and a lot of apps. I loved it when i started using it. Used to be euphoric that it has a front camera and a nice camera which can give print out too!
With its advantages i was blind enough to not recognize the reasons behind its cast away. 1 month of its use made me take away the blind folds. I coudn't receive any messages, nor any notifications for missed calls. And so  i had to abandon it too.

So back to square one!

Now is the time i have decided to use a phone which is of lesser cost and last at least an year with all new features like android,touch screen and stuff. And i bought a Superfone Punk A44 (Micromax) . Many people objected my decision before placing the order because its a Micromax mobile. But then i thought, its an Android phone coming just in 4500 bucks..and surely it will last atleast 8-12 months.

 Then started the story of my third mobile phone. I have to admit that i was irked in the beginning with its delay in response..but then i was impressed with the music player, dual SIM and all. And slowly it became my friend. And the number of delays decreased too. I started downloading apps with play store...and i loved the 'offline dictionary' and 'smart phone app locker' apps very much. Customizing my phone to highest level such that only i can operate on it...and the live wallpapers are too good in the smart phone. Had  fun with it and started recommending it to others saying its a handy mobile and comes in just 4500 bucks. I was literally happy with it until recent episode....!

     I got a new screen guard --the original one for A44 model so that it looks good unlike the previous one. And hence i wanted to have a glance at it every now and then. I stopped using the mobile pouch for it. Fate cursed me and the mobile slipped from my hands one day. Its battery came out and i thought it happens every now and then and not a big deal at all!!   But no!! The display of my beloved mobile has colorful lines in it. For a moment it was funny and i freaked out once i understood what it meant.

Right now its undergoing an operation by the people from service center.

                                                 
                           And i am missing my dad's old fashioned, hard rock kinda cell phone which never betrayed me and which was true to me.

I 've always LOVED YOU my dear Nokia phone! Its just i took time to express my feelings and understand you....that's it.

The "senior" year!

                            Been a long time since my last post and many things( some good and some not very good things ) happened...And after so many months writing makes me feel that my actual self is back now.Oh! how badly did i miss this feeling to blog! Anyways, don't want to be mushy right now.
     
                        Well,being a senior is somewhat awkward for me now.After one long year of carelessness and fun stuff..i am really feeling nostalgic for junior year. Coming to Metallurgy dept. itself changed half of the scenario. Full of work and frustration(this feeling occurs many a time) along with satisfaction of completing and learning something new has set a anew record in my life.Its really a roller coaster ride(well,i didn't mean its never been so...) and managing club activities and academics like a multi-tasker is.....i guess an interesting thing-unless- its just YOU working all night when the whole group must be burning midnight oil.
  
      And not to mention the "being a bitch" skill i have acquired recently to claim my favorite novel from a careless woman-well for that matter,i so loved being a bitch-that's my first you see ;D ,everything in me is changing at a fast pace and yet "THE ME"-i mean the prototype is still lurking to maintain the distance between my transformation and the old self.

 It gets interesting day by day...and sometimes gets tangled and confusion prevails.
                                         But, 
                                                "Life goes on...Come what may!"

                                    

My Reaction: Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff

Read it somewhere and felt like blogging

My Reaction: Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff: It’s half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on… PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing… And who’s at work? Most of the...

17 again!!!!!!!!

WARNING:The following post can do nothing better than waste your  time.And...it wasted my time too; so think before you read.


My post starts with "too bad".I am pissed off.And the most irritating thing is--i don't know why!So many thoughts rush at once.I have many things to do.There's this adrenaline rush to write an article for Topgifter.and i don't know what to write!Simply ignorance can make me so agitated-i never expected.
 And of all things i see my mom smiling,no,actually grinning ear to ear while talking to dad.I suddenly felt that she is the most beautiful thing on earth.And then i want to watch the movie that is being aired.old movie-but i want to watch it again.And there's this novel waiting for me in another window of Google Chrome-actually shifted it from tab to another window to avoid distraction.
                           Finally i get it-i am completely distracted and confused.Nothing is clear in my head.
i even stopped talking with the rest of the family and am sticking to the mono syllables.Tomorrow i should get up early and go for hunting the right gift for a friend.For that i should sleep by 12;which i don't like.Staying late is somehow thrilling and gives my kicks.

I totally feel like a 17 year old- confused and lost.I thought i have grown up but i guess i am sucked into that black hole back.

Feeling so hopeless,so irritating,so uncontrolled......................i am groggy.duh!

Are you crushing on someone?

Well,did anyone of you laughed like an idiot to almost nothing funny?Did anyone feel hyper-ventilated while even talking/chatting with someone?Did anyone feel like an idiot and still laugh over it?Did anyone's heart started beating faster with each advancing step of someone special?
               Hell, yeah? Well,here's the right place for you to bitch!
 Seriously, i never thought i would be saying this-"its really hard to talk with a guy/gal when you are crushing on them without letting yourself look like an idiot"
Finally! I said it!
               Actually;this feels sick,delirious and a dozen mixed feelings all at a time bringing a Deja-Vu of your 10th grade(i used 10th grade because most people start having crushes once they are 14/15).All sorts of rational thoughts and maturity just vanishes into thin air and delusions begin to swarm in the brain,creating it utmost difficult to have anything sensible producing in mind.I wonder if it is the hormones or delirium.

       And the worst part is when you get the most awaited chance of talking with the guy/gal you just prove yourself to be a big idiot....; sweeping all the fantasies off the mind and bringing all the hopes to dust.This could be just me thinking aloud...but i reckon it also happens with a lot many normal people.
 
 What not do we feel for them to come walking towards us and talk?And how shitty do we feel when we mess it up!Not to mention the stupidity of searching his name in Google(in my case) just to find something new about him.....to amuse myself.Many people even imagine to marry their crushes(some piece of information i got when i read a blog long time ago).

Of course its not love..but still,its something which plays with your guts.Its a Crush-i think i get it now-they crush us with our feelings and leave us injured and wounded...well..for a little period of time.

All these things are even better compared to being committed(considering the -ve values of being committed-no offence to  those lovers who think "love is the best thing that ever happened to them")

 But when this fuss stops; and you turn back and  look at that hyper-ventilating ,freakish behavior of yours-i bet you will laugh over it.

     

Cheers to the freakiest,funniest, crushing moments of our life.

Image Courtesy: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com

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