Understanding inflation the historic way;)

THE PLAN 

The map of Kurukshetra lay open on the table. The only source of light in the room was from the zero watt bulb that was swinging slightly over the five heads that were pondering over the map. 

“This”, Arjuna moved forward “is going to be the venue for the war”. He circled the place with his fingers. 

“Hmmm..That is Harayana. Is the place affordable?” asked Bhima scratching his chin. “The price of land is high”.

 “That is very true, but Nakulan and Sahadev have agreed to part their money for this purpose”. 

“Why only them? Why not all of us?” asked Draupadi with an accusation tone. She was clad in simple salwar kameez .Draupadi was the only wife of the Pandavas or “Kissi Se Kam Nahi Hum Paanch(KKNHP)” as they call themselves which is an adaptation and an idea inspired from the Ekta Kapoor serials. It was not meant to be Polyandry but done out of desperate measures as the Shaadi.com showed Draupadi to be highly paid in an IT industry and each of them could not afford  to waste money on the marriage halls and food individually.

But all the excellent planning backfired as IT industry was not doing good leaving the entire family to worry on the basic necessity. 

“Because they are the only ones in the medical field and it is the only profession that seems to be least affected by the recession”, explained Arjuna. Nakulan and Sahadev nodded in agreement.

 “Is this war really necessary?” asked the wise Yudhistra. 

“Of course!! If we do well, that is slap well, Lait Modi has agreed to take us for the next IPL with Deepika Padukone as our promoter and Cheerleaders from France.” said Bhima. 

“Really??”,asked Yudhistra innocently. 

“Duh no!!I was just kidding. The war is just for dignity purposes and I am very sure that the Kauravas are in same dilemma as us. We are just 5 in number but them?!! Even the 99 couldn’t afford an eye operation for their father. It’s a national crisis.” 

“Let’s quit this Kurukshetra place and call for a war at the beach”, put forth Draupadi. 

“Brilliant idea!!” exclaimed Yudhistra ,It is  almost priceless and we can buy Bhajjis for lunch and dinner.” 

“Lunch and dinner??” Sahadev moved forward to get a better look at Yudhistra, “How long is this war? Not just a day?” 

“Hmmm..true.Lets not have it for 18 days. Let us make it just one day. Ok, finally the place is at the beach and the war is for a day. That is decided then.” 

“Will they agree on all that?” offered Sahadev 

“They would definitely agree with all the terms. The understanding is mutual. I am hungry. What is for lunch now? I smell Biriyani” 

“Biriyani?? Are you out of your mind? Do you have any clue about the prices of vegetables and cereals?! , yelled Draupadi and the Pandavas acted like they were busy looking at the map. 

“These men have no clue about what is happening around…..” Draupadi left the room grumbling to herself. 

“Now for the arms and facilities needed. How many swords do we need? Do we need to recruit any more people or manage the whole thing ourselves?”, asked Arjuna as he jotted down everything that was being discussed. 

“Oh oh..swords of steel?? Highly impossible”,said Yudhihstra. “And don’t worry about their strength. I heard that 50% of them have shifted to UK for work. Another 20% are very desperate to do their higher in some foreign country. 10 % are under fed and cannot fight and another 10% have gone to negotiate the nuke deal. That is only 10% who are left or just 10 people and I think we can very well manage them.” 

“Drat!! Karna is with them”,said Bhima. 

“So what?” 

“Don’t you realize he has the Kavacha Kundala of gold? Just imagine the amount of gold he has!! And considering the gold prices now, it is a bumper prize.”,moaned Bhima. 

“Is it possible to drag him to our side? We can lure him.Tell him that we have quotas for positions in the war and make him chief of army”, offered Nakulan. 

“Chief of army with just 5 of us here?! I don’t think that is necessary. He is a generous guy, so, would have parted away money for everyone’s education. His gold won’t be a great threat to us”. 

“High prices and low income is getting on our nerves. There must be some way to fight this war, otherwise we wont go down in history as the great Pandavas but as the people who fought the inflation.” 

Everyone agreed with Arjuna. 

“Arjuna,I think it is high time you dismissed your chauffeur Krishna.We cant afford to have him anymore.We cant afford the car in the first place. The amount I paid for the petrol and Krishna for last two years is four times the value of the car.” explained Sakadhev. 

“Oh!!I will miss my sarathy . If I sell my car,how do we go to the war? It would be pathetic if  we walked.” 

“No worries.I am planning to get the Nano car.”, assured Nakula.

The occupants of the room smiled at each other.The room was silent again. 

Everyone was startled when Yudishtra suddenly stood from his chair. 

“Hey!!I have an idea.An idea how this war can be fought.And here it is………………’ 

“Great idea Yudhi!!Well done!!Somebody pass on your mobile please.I will tell this to Kauravas.They are bound to agree”,said Arjuna excitedly. 

Each looked away. 

“No balance” said Nakulan.“Validity over” said Sahadev.”I left it in my room” said Yudhistra. 

“Chill Chill!!I have Virgin mobile.You can have mine”.Bhima passed on his mobile and Arjuna explained the plan to Duryodhana. 

 D  DAY 

14,410!! Come on Arjuna!!You can do better than that!! 

“Oh my god!! Karna is on 15,820!!” 

“Arjuna!!the left key.. the left key!!ahhhh…fast fast” 

The war happened.Yes,it happened.Not on real ground but on Orkut online games.

 

The price of the war –internet charges were to be paid by the losing team.

 

Extravagance

Our colony never missed out an occasion.Be it children's day or Independence day (aree..valentine's day bhi..) and Diwali was no exception. There were huge surprises like game stalls,chaat, dinner, crackers and so on.

The game stalls were put up by the members and very innovative. After food,we hit the lawns where the Tambola event took place.(Drat!!I hate these luck based games.But that didn't stop my sister and me buying couple of tickets.).After having a miserable time watching other people get huge amounts right under our noses,we waited for the cracker show which was supposed to be the highlight of the evening.

Whhhhhhhhoooossshhhh..flew rockets in different directions and displayed the finest scenes.Many crackers and rockets were let to burst that I began to realise that the Chinese Olympics' opening ceremony was far  less spectacular than this.At first,it was exciting and couple of guys shouted for every cracker that went up.After half an hour so,they were drained out but continued to watch.

We thought the show was over when they unfurled something that seemed like a thousand wala but was styled as rockets.Only when it was lit did we realise that it was a hundred rockets which were to burst simultaneously one after the other. The cracker went on and on like never ending shallow seas(ok,I exhibit poetic skills to show how irritating it was). After waiting for ages, I realised I couldnt see my neighbour as the whole lawn was covered with smoke.

The nation is in financial crisis but there are people who seemed least affected.The thousand wala thing cost around 3 lakhs (more than my expected annual income :( ) and the result was smoke,pollution and wastage of money for the 30 minutes pleasure of audience. 

It would have better if some under privileged children were allowed to spectate this or the money was used for something else. 

It would have been wise if people knew and cared for the environment.

It would have been worthy if sweets or clothes were distributed among the poor.

It would have been considerate if only games and less crackers were used.

It would have been better if I had voiced my opinion there rather than writing a blog like this :( .

Meow meow

"See,3 lakh applicants for CAT this year".

She turned towards me and gave a lazy look.

"But as the probabilty goes,only 50% would be serious which brings the count down to 1,50,000", I said and looked if she was still interested.There were no signs of irritation and I continued.

"In that,first attempt and beginners who don't know how to go about it are 50%.So,its 75,000 of competitors."

"Mock takers are even less-35,000 in TIME,20,000 in IMS and 10,000 in CL and other institutes.Moreover people doing dual mocks are to be counted.Eventually,around 40,000 are mock takers."

"In that 10,000 would be employed full time or with heavy work load which means they cant cope up and this leaves us with 30,000 people"

"Lets say around 10,000 of them are GRE and GMAT takers.Yes,there are people who do that and place foreign degree as their first priority which now brings the CAT people to 20,000."

"In that 20,000,I could be better than say, 25% of them which now makes my competition as 15,000."

"A 98 percentile which might get me an IIM call or SP jain or MDI means I need to be in top 300.I know atleast 10 people personally who will make it to the IIMs,another 20 through forums.So,say roughly around 40 people.So,260 left are my real competition."

Considering the skills or even language or luck,lets say 80 are behind me.Now its just 180.Hmmm..possible na??" I asked with earnest.

She took a deep breathe. "What was your Data Interpretation mark in last mock??Did you manage to clear the cut off atleast ?",she asked.

I looked at the book that lay in front of me.Some things are better untold.

How to write answers in AU exam?

Very often I wonder what have I gained in 4 years of my college life (apart from the kgs) ?

 

Technical knowledge? Hmmmm..

Practical?  Huh?

Ah!To write effectively.Yup.Bingo!!

Now,I am a very creative writer.

So,in this post,I am to explain "How to write well in AU exam".

Lets take an example: 

Question: What are logic gates?

Answer: A circuit that uses binary inputs  to perform a logical function.

Before you start,chew on this.

Rules:

1) Never stop an answer in a single or double line.

2)Let adjectives and adverbs be your strong point.Master them before your first semester.

3)Implement longer sentences.

4)The most vital point.Carry colour pens-the more you use them,better the scores.

Remember to sit for a longer time in the hall.Not that you are going to score more but it will definitely scare the peers.

To proceed with the writing part:

Answer: A circuit that uses binary inputs  to perform a logical function.

1) When you have no clue at all

(or asked for 2 marks)

 Logic gate,as the name suggests,is a gate of logic.Since it is logical to use it,it is also known as logic gates.The gate or electronic circuit (as we are electronics engineers we tend to use more of electronics) that has the ability to perform the logic using the logical functions on the electronic circuits is widely known as (also known as ) logic gates.

2) When you have partial idea:

(or asked for 4 or 6 marks)

2) (a) ..Oh yeah!Forgot to mention.If possible ,try to write in points and use all Roman numerals and alphabets available.Stick on to Indian alphabets ,otherwise they could be mistaken for formulae.

so,here it goes again.

2) (a) Logic gates (double underline)

Draw diagram

*It is the basic element.The most fundamental element that make the electronic circuits.The vital part of all digital system.

*It is a gate.

*It uses logical functions

*It uses and implements logical functions on gates

*It can be used in electronics.

*It is used to perform a logical function.

2 (b) Another way of creative writing

(or asked for 16 marks)

*What are logic gates :(double underline and double space)

Draw diagram

They are gates used in circuits.

They are logical gates using logic.

 * What are gates?(double underline and double space)

Draw diagram (same but horizontal view)

They allow inputs.

They provide output.

*What is logic(double underline and double space)

Draw diagram(same but vertical view)

The circuit that uses logical functions.

They are used in electronics.

*Why are they used?(double underline and double space)

no idea

Staff did not teach

I did not listen

I am stupid

I am subs

* When are they used(double underline and double space)

Whenever anyone wants to use it.

When people are bored.

*Advantages of logic gates(double underline ans space)

It is relatively simple

It is compact

It is compatible

It is easy

It can be used with everything

* Disadvantages:(double underline and space)

It is not relatively simple

It is not compact

It is not compatible

It is not easy

It cannot be used with everything.

Conclusion (Double underline and space)

They are gates used in circuits.

They are logical gates using logic.

3) When you know the answer

This situation never arises.If it does,it does not appear in the paper or it is considered out of syllabus.

 

Now you know what to write.

Write legibly.

Use as much as words as possible.

Drag sentences.

Colour the paper.

People benefited from above post can leave comments below.

The comments will be used in the book to be published.

This and that(2)-Theatre musings

1) Four of us went to a movie called "Exorcism of Emily Rose".We didnt intend to go to any particular movie and so the choice was random.The movies with the exorcism tag has always scared us which thrilled even more.As soon as the movie started,my friend Indu shut her ears(a natural response when the horror movie starts).The first half was only some stunts performed by the protagonist or the ghost or the lead role(all same) .In the interval we had a discussion of what had happened so far.The Hindu review had claimed the second half to be very scary esp the part where the ghost reveals itself.The lights were switched off and the movie started again.

This time, all of us shut our ears and looked..looked ..looked..waited..waited..till..

"This story is based on true life story.

"The End"

2)After watching dasavatharam for the the second time,five of us came out of the theatre battling the crowd.Two of the policemen outside were doing their job of directing people.One of them turned his head somewhere near our direction and shouted

"Arivu irruka?Thalu..ada chi thalu..%$^&%*^&%^%(&(^&*"

He was getting heated up.

"Who is the idiot blocking the way?" ,I asked my friend.Both of us turned around and scanned.There was no one in sight.We looked in front,realized our folly and moved out of the place.

3)First day ,First show- very rare, but we accomplished this and the movie was "shock" which was a remake of Ram Gopal Verma's hindi flick. The theatre was full and it gave us the immense satisfaction.The sound effects were so great that the calling bell rung in the movie sounded even horrendous than the intended noises.When the movie got over,we realised the guys who sat in the front provided more entertainment than the movie itself.

4)Movies with college friends are fun ,provided you go to the right movie.We bought couple of tickets at Rohini for the Movie mayavi.The first shock was that the theatre itself was empty except for you-know-whos.We were in the last seat trying to make the maximum noise and annoy others in the theatre.It was kind of ok in the first half.When the second half started,we tried the same.It went on for few minutes and after that...

"Subha..subha..hey.."

I got up suddenly ,looked around and realized where I was.

Looked at the screen-it was blank.

Occasionally,I am that pathetic.

5)My first movie at my most favourite theatre sathyam was Ayutha Ezhathu.I went with couple of school friends after the boards.I was fascinated with everything-the ambience,the stall and even the big dhabba of pop corn.I got the pop corn.It was very huge and could be generously shared.I passed it on and started talking to my friend on right.After few minutes,the box came back as expected.It was empty.

The gesture

My courtesy starts with a 'hi' and ends abruptly with a 'bye'.The rest is just curiosity.

One fine morning,or almost afternoon,I was looking at my hopeless hairstyle when the phone rang.It was my friend from banglore -my classmate in school.I was pretty surprised because we occasionally spoke and shared news for not more than five minutes.

"You home? You free?",she yapped.

I was wondering why she was so excited.

Looked at my watch like a big shot and said "Absolutely free".

"Come to waves then".

I was again surprised.Took me time to even realise what she was saying.Waves,the apparel stores,was like ten minutes drive from my place and a person from Banglore cant be there.

Wait!!..

"You here in Chennai? When? Why?What?How?"

Ok,Only a fool can ask more than what  wise can answer.

"You come here na.Will explain everything."

Excitement can do wonders.I was outside in another ten minutes.

While on road,memories flashed.I remembered her only in uniform.By the time,I could even visualize my school days,I was inside the shop.

I scanned the entire women's section.hey!!that could be her.nah!!This??Too tall.Must be the one in red shirt...

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii subhaaaaaaaaa" came a voice from behind.

I turned.Same enthusiasm.Simple.Sweet.Same.

I stood like Zombie.I dont know why I do that .

Suddenly even before I could realise it,she hugged me.I didnt expect that.

What did I do?

Stood like zombie.

"So,how are you??How is life?'

"Everything good.And you?"

Even spoke like Zombie .

The story part is over.Nothing funny or memorable.An incident to show how nice some people can be and how stupid one can be.It is all about gesture.

Why am i writing this?

Because I  dont know what I should do first when I meet my 'good old days' friends.Should I give them a hug?

I really havent found out.

Hidden n not able to seek

Childhood is all about innocence and energy .The enthusiasm never dies out.The colony where I live carries my fondling memories and I can relate each and every tree or building to an incident.People moved out and in ;I even made good friends but when I think of what I did as a kid,it makes me smile.I am surprised at my own vulnerability.Here is an experience from my good old days.

We (or rather a huge gang of guys and girls) had  unique game every season.Once it was hide and seek.Once you start playing a game;you find out the tricks and gradually the interest fades out.Innovative we were;we always framed different rules to make it exciting everyday.The rule of that day was -the girls were called "seekers or catchers" and the guys "hidders or sneakers"(i don't know how we came about names.Now you ask me think of a name for something or someone,my mind freezes.We even named a game "Greaxe") .The game began around 6 p.m.

The girls (as far as I can remember-Gifta,Prathyusha,Amrutha,Ramya,Monisha,my sister and me) started counting.We count till 100.how??1 2 3..8 9 10 and that ten times.he he he..we were math geniuses.By the time we counted,we also cheated.Open our eyes and find out which direction the guys run and even make strategies like which girl has to seek in which direction.

We never went alone when seeking.Not because we were scared or anything but the guys run so fast that it's impossible for 'a girl' to catch 'a guy'(pun unintended and a call for quotas).Gifta and me were the accomplice for the day and we were to seek the darkest and creepiest places as we were the eldest in the gang!!

At this point,I have to atleast describe the colony.It's huge and a paradise on earth.Now and not then.It was under construction or say, not very well built.This gave additional opportunities for guys to hide themselves in every nastiest corners.Some even climbed buildings on the rope that were used for construction that it takes 4 girls(two on the terrace and two down) to catch him.The colony was a complete amaze and a maze.

Gifta and me first went to a place near the car shed.Very dark and spooky.

"Will he be here?"

"I saw him run this direction"

"He must have seen us and taken another"

"Lets anyway try na".

We always spoke.Speaking was like soothing.It made the place seem less scary.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh.....

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttt?? I screamed while both of us took to our heels in some direction.

"snakeuuuuuuu"

where?where?(like the snake awaited my presence)

Dont know .green de, green.that plant snake.(yup,even our colony snakes had their own names.)

We looked at each other and slowly went in the same direction.there was something worse than snake.Ranahexadactyla..err..thats the scientific name for frog..huge one..green ..slimy..ok,stop.

Frogs are even scary than snakes.Dont ask how but to us they were.Snakes crawl on seeing us frog jump on us.See- the difference.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...

Out of that place.

Next,we went on to search every building's terrace.Terrace is a lovely place.Breezy and scary; still lovely.Our favourite hideout due to which it was taken out of "the hidding" places in some games.

We spotted no one and heard shrills all over the place.When we looked down some4 girls were chasing a single chottu guy and he was running for his life(exaggeration but thats how he ran)."prasanth out,prasanth out!!",the chorus was sung to defame and dethrone the guy.

In another hour,a very sweet long hour,all the guys were caught except one-Jobin.Jobin ,Gifta's brother was  the athlete of our colony.Unmatched and unsaid king.7 girls and the guys met and discussed strategy yet again.The boys would join our team when they are caught.You might think it's sweet.No,it was annoying.They would keep screaming"Jobin!!run!!Girls on terrace","Jobin run!!Girls in the library".This way, the undisputed king would run to different places.

Each of us went in a different direction talking,discussing and even analysing.30 mins passed..60 minutes passed..90 mins passed..120..ok,stop right there.It was late night.

"where is this fellow hiding?"

"Aswin sollu da"(aswin tell us)

"I dont know".

"nee sonna nallaiku,neeyum naanum MAD gamela partners"(If you tell me,we will be teammates in the game called MAD).

"I  honestly don't know"

We were drained out.Completely.Defeated..oh..that we never agree upon.We were tired "of" the game.

After quite sometime,it was getting panicky.All of us started shouting his name aloud(at the same time annoying all the dhaadhi maa's who were gossiping in the park).We even made the younger guys to check in the gents restroom in the club premises.

"What if he had gone into that Atreya basement?",asked Monisha

Atreya Basement was considered haunted(Not by ghosts,come on, we are practical) by generation of mice.They squeak and we scream.Thats what happens.

"I checked there",said Aswin and we looked at him like he was the God.

We searched frantically and everywhere.So the guy has got a place that no one knew before.

"This is getting scary.What if he suffocated?",I asked.

Everyone glared.This is what happens when you ask sensible questions.

Now everyone began to give an idea like this.

"Stop it!!!!Let's go home",Gifta said.

"Go home?What about Jobin?",Prathyusha asked

"He will come back when he is tired or bored",Gifta said.Jobin and Gifta were siblings and when a sibling says that,all of us had to agree.After 10 minutes of gossip ,we vacated the place.

Sister and I were dead tired.We were half scared and half worried about Jobin.If he told our parents,they would come up with their own theories.Some things better untold. We went to our rooms,acted like studying while discussing where Jobin would have gone.

The phone rang.

"hello subha!!"

"oh Gifta,tell me"

"Jobin has been home since 7!!"

"what??!Oh!!never mind,bye"

"Bye".

I didnt know whether to cry or laugh.Slumped on the sofa and fell asleep.