Examzzz suck!

Its been a while since i penned down something... didn't really get time coz of the examz that never seem to end here at NMIMS!! Have been cursing myself since the day i joined here because of the stupid trimester system... almost reminds me of the hectic schedule in medical school!!

The only difference is that the stress level is not that high here and this i realized when i spent the last night reading Brisinger(the third part of Eragon series) and still did reasonably well in the exam... guess the rigorous medical training makes all this feel a lil easier than what we were used to... plus my room mate kept telling me that i shouldn't complain as i had topped in the previous trimester ;) Ha ha ab in engineering walon ko kaun bataye MBBS ki dard bhari kahaniyan... Anyways m glad they'll b getting over soon and then we'll b left with just one more trim to go thru!!

Sign-up Campaign for F.A.T.E.

Yesterday was the Sign-up campaign for F.A.T.E. in the University for the official launch of our society, and boy did we receive an overwhelming response!!

What started as a project for IMC class, turned out into a much bigger thing.. After a lot of deliberations over what project we should do, the unanimous decision was to start a campaign against terrorism.. the recent attack on Mumbai had shaken us all and we thought it was a great opportunity to launch something which could make a difference to the society and which we could take forward even after the project was over..

After the initial hiccups we faced in getting our leaflets and posters published, we finally set up the desk in quadrangle at the time of afternoon break. Not a moment had passed when we had our first signatory ready.. the chap was highly motivated and I have to thank him personally for further motivating his friends and classmates to come and sign up for the society!

Thanx to the teaser mails I had been sending for the past two days plus the posters we had been posting in the college campus, there were quite a lot of people who were aware of F.A.T.E. which, by the way, was a pleasant surprise for us :) we had decided to use the colors of the Indian flag for taking thumb impressions of the people and it turned out to be a huge hit!

The sheets for signing up were full of saffron and green and so were the hands of people in the University ;) At the last count we have received at least 400 sign ups and the number of people joining the online community is also steadily growing..

Finally today we had a human chain which was planned by the SVKM management (after a lot of cajoling by the F.A.T.E. team).. all colleges under the Mandal came together to form a human chain defying the bomb scare in the city.. With this, we have taken our first baby step and we hope to take more steps in the right direction..

The purpose of F.A.T.E. is to make the youth think about what they can do for improving the state of affairs in the country.. After all our FATE is in our hands..

Gateway Peace March

As I came back from the gathering at Taj last night, I was wondering whether Mumbai will ever be the same again.. what was on display there was the anger of the people against the establishment which failed to take the necessary steps to safeguard the lives of its subjects as also a deep hatred and anger towards the arch enemy Pakistan... it was the gathering of all Mumbaikars and Indians irrespective of caste, color, religion, region, bank balance and fame..

As I walked amongst the millions gathered there, rubbing shoulders with the celebrities and the bourgeois alike, i realized that this attack has changed the way people think in the city.. we are no more eager to show our resilience and famed 'Mumbai spirit' and bounce back each time the city is hijacked by terrorists with twisted agendas.. this time Mumbai means business!

There were millionaires walking besides paupers and filmstars walking besides school children.. never before have I seen Mumbai so resilient and willing to be on the offensive for once!

There were slogans against politicians and Pakistan alike and people were burning effigies of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Raj 'rat' Thackeray and Shivraj Patil.. there were candles lit in the memory of the brave soldiers who saved our city from a terrible fate.. there were street plays motivating people to wake up and raise their voice against the injustices meted out to them..

As I got a glimpse of Mumbai's beloved Taj Mahal Hotel, it was heart-breaking.. there are so many memories attached with this edifice that it is difficult to even try to put them into words.. I realized how lucky we were that the terrorists did not attack more than one city at one time!

And when I joined the line walking towards the exit, I shook hands with the security personnel thanking them for their bravery and support to the nation.. indeed the best moment in the day came when the crowd gathered there, celebrities and all, clapped when a security van carrying police personnel came inside.. these are our real heroes and the nation salutes their bravery and courage.. This event was a salute to the spirit of Mumbai..

Jai Hind!