Nostalgia #4

Nostalgia #4

And, It was not the classes alone that I took, which has shaped me! Something more than that! It was those corridor discussions, those naughty and sincere friends, those benchmates, the Project mates, the lunch times, the IV's, the extra classes, those very many mistakes that I had committed, Keats, Ayub Guhan, Sandy, Jithesh, Mukhs, Amina, Gowri and all - each and every one of those 42. 

I was even blessed with a very very good bunch of seniors, Sathya, Nishil Bhayya, Sho ka, Ravi Shankar,Tharani ka, Shyam Sundar, Anand Shankars, Ezhil, Gomz na, So much of them! Who often would try to gimme piece of mind, helping out in very many things, still, they must have had a tough time in managing me! And for those lil buddies as my juniors, oops, their love to me was too much to take, Niranja, Prabhu, Geetha rani, Praveen, Sriram, Ranjith, Rowdy, Gomz Mach,Charles, Dhivya, Asokan, very many to say! they shared such an eternal love which was too too much for me to take, but I enjoyed their companies a lot! 

It was those interactions with PSS sir, I should say, a perfect role model for me in very many aspects, A flawless leader, a vibrant man whose infectious smiles would be contagious the moment you encounter him! It was those sessions with Dr.K.T. a good managerial Principal who had taught the time managements, who had simplicity in his deeds and actions but he was no ordinary man! It was from him, I learnt few human values! Yeah the vibrant man I should also mention, last but not the least, N.C.B sir, the placement Co – ordinator! If it wasn't him, I would have never picked up the knack of interview clearing! Oh yeahh, he was a man of contagious enthusiasm shared a lot of value additions to me!

Though, at this juncture, I am sad that the college life, Kinda Heaven for me, was over, and I am no more a Student, but an Alumnus of KSRCT, I am equally happy and all the more satisfied that this has happened! The four years' of life had made me a century wiser!

Now, things have changed, Alumnus to distinguished Alumnus or whatever! I will be receiving calls from the department Alumni co - ordinator, Prof. Karthik, asking if I am free enough to attend an alumni interaction meeting! For some untold reasons, heartthrobs, lungs cave in and feebly I would feel, if there were any egos left behind, the egos would crumble, the scars would heal and with more pride, more and more joy, wear on a smile, and say, "Yes, I would love to"! For, that is the bond of me with KSR - DBT!

Here after, an Ex- Student of the KSRCT - DBT! A Passed out of 2011! All I can now do is, to support the college to grow more, to be happy on hearing the credentials that my Alma Mater has got, getting and will get! I can show to my kids the college and say, Oh dear, to me, heaven was once here! But, I CAN NOT be a STUDENT anymore !

DOT

Nostalgia #3

Tummy started twitching and turning, a strange feel of.., Something something un expressable… I was about to say Goodbye to the place where I lived, where I created memories, where I enjoyed , where I had caved in, where I grew up! I was about to bid with shedding tears, to those places which had seen me smile, which had heard me laugh, which went damp with my tears, which were kissing away my tears!

There were days that were long, short, jolly good and splendid, all - all at the same time. I had many friends who hung over, some had even hung up, we cried. we laughed, we fought, we supported, we loved, we went naughty, we roamed, we escaped, we got scolding, we researched, we made friends with, we slept during class hours, dozed and fell down during an ongoing lecture, We witnessed a campus that go from barely any to hundreds, to thousands and hundred thousand! The campus bore so much of children like us. We flooded into the deserted canteens, the uninhabited laboratories, the sound free class rooms, the hidden seminar halls! We infected all the others with smiles, carrying a pride that we were from the Biotech Department! We showed off as if we were the only folks on earth to carry out researches! We still managed to prove we researched! We had a gleam of pride to flick our collars to say that we were bestowed with the best bunch of teachers! We fought over being a pet to one or the other lecturers! This four years was that span of time which felt like, it is for ever ... we We WE WE WE WE WE . . .! The We was those 41 more muskeeters who made my life at KSR CT more meaningful!

I realized I had 'grown up'. I reckoned on the very last day, that, the department of biotechnology at KSRCT was more than a mom to me in my life. I understood, my eyes were sweating, when I stepped in to the Microbiology lab and the laminar flow chamber for 'One last' moment. I conjectured I had the best time of life in this four years. I surmised that this was that department which watered my love for biotechnology. I felt the tears welled in my eyes, then dripping from my cheek to chin, when I had to witness the last locking up of the microbiology laboratory! I still remember, asking the junior friend of mine, Prabhu suppose, to lock it up, only after I left. I understood that I am not going to be at logger heads with the HoD any more, I understood, I am not going to concept on very many Science facts and lacunae, with the team of staff members any more. No more sessions of doubts, no more scolding sessions, no more enjoyments!

I definitely had to mention, had it not been those good bunch of staff panels, I would be worse than what I am now. And if it wasn't for those four amazing years I spent at KSRCT - DBT, I would not be writing this article which you are reading now. I would not be able to know what a lab was. I would never had become a Scientist, I would never have known what research was. I would never had known how a laboratory must be! I would never be able to give you some piece of mind, I would never have started my career with a biotech FMCGG, I wouldn't have a job. I wouldn't have my amazing friends. I wouldn't have the memories.

If it was not for Punieetha mam, I would never have known to handle people, I would never have known informatics. She was one of the few who was more than a teacher, a mentor, a guide, a philos, or fit in any good splendid adjectivized noun for that matter! Dear mam, Lemme tell you, now, I jus love you for everything that you had done to me! I am proud even now to be associated with you in one way or the other! 

And if it was not for those people, need I to mention, Anitha Mam, Kappu mam and all , I would never have known how an observation ought to be done. Had it not been for SRS mam or Ramya (Jee) Mam, I would have never known how to handle situations unbiasedly, being so very diplomatic! Nadhiya mam's PAGE works do need a very very special mention here! Oh yeah, Balki sir’s paper works, definitely was an eye opener! Those crazy mathematics sessions with Mohan sir brought to lime light about mathematical modeling, which is now one my my favourite areas of interests in my CV that runs for pages! Had it not been for Arul sir, I would have never known what patience is, what practicability is! Was it not for Sriniwash Sir, I would not have built in tolerance level and little more confidences!

I was also the apple of very many eyes at the Science and humanities department! The department which had too much of Einsteins, Ramanujams and Mendeleevs, Shakespears and T.S.Elliots! I just enjoyed the splendid time with Radha krishnan sir's discussion, Physics talks with Mohan sir, Mani sir, Chemistry HoD R.P sir, Palaniappan sir, Geetha mam, Mallika mam, CC sir, and Whew, that was again one department where I felt at home! However, only a couple of people handled classes for me, NO one at that department was a stranger, or I should put it this way, I was stranger to none! :-) Again, but for the S&H team, I would have lost my smiles and laughter; I would have even gone not enjoyed a quality time on discussions and idea sharings!

It was not just the classess……..

… to be continued….

Nostalgia #2

The first year had the sema starters - ground subjects and common subjects like Phyics to be applied with Mohan sir, communications skilfully delivered by Radhakrishnan sir, Parimam handling how Chemistries were applied again, little of programing done by Punieetha mam, Electrically engineerng us to listen to her, was the effect by Krithika mam, meddling up with mathematics was made easy by Mohan sir, Nano stuffs with Mani sir, EnviSci with Padmanaban Sir, EGD with some mechanical faculties, never knew the name so far!! Now, these were just the starters, of the four years' life! 

Here is the main course, The straining classes (definitely for the lecturer to manage me) on how to stain microbes by BB mam, the application of maternal inheritances and its biological significances by Ramya mam, the tantalizing structures and of course, the impositions in the Biological aspects of the chemistry that worked out between me and SRS mam, the DNA – duplications and replications – trying to understand at molecular level with Nadhiya mam, technologizing stuffs with computers with Puneithaa mam, the instrumental areas with Premelatha mam and plant rearing up with Poongothai mam, euphoric state of equilibrium and the enzyme heats and stokes explained by Kappu mam, getting into the animal cells with Selvi mam then trying to know how they stemmed out to be cancerous from Subbiah sir, yummy yummy foodie sessions with Anitha mam, those reactors alarming your mind giving a neutral feed back with Arul sir, Ramesh sir, Gnanavel sir and Sriniwash sir, engineering the process with HoD after ethically speaking with Balki sir you try to be bio entrepreneur thru Arul vel sir, the trials about clinical aspects with Muththiah Sir!

The full course meal ends with fortune cookies like, practicals, projects and mini projects, reports and thesis! Oh My, references, results, observations, records and all that! 

Now, for the desserts, you had seminars, conferences, inplant trainings, symposia etc., 

The whole full four year course meal also had some gala sharbaths like Annual day celebrations, culturals and those jolly well Industry visit named tours!

It was time when we were just out of teens, squirming in our classroom desks, swanking through the corridors when a junior pass by, crumbling again if it were a senior who would put all your strutting to rest! It was one of those ties when you really wanted to zone out of the department for having done too much on you! There were those lazy Saturdays and sundays, tannings happening at the quad, sleeping in the class, Caught for eating in the class, transforming the class room to a place where every thing else was possible, except attending the classes! Every thing else – the sorority dresses, placement formals, labcoats, Hair dos!

The entire organic healthy feast to our batch was that our college went autonomous, and we happened to be the first set of autonomy! Anonymously, so much of changes, it took time for ALL OF US to understand what was happening or what to be done! Even politics had laid its hand on the educational system, that it does change the affiliations or even the university name as such! We never knew either we were affiliated or autonomous, or STAND ALONE!! Semesters or trimesters? Those class committe meetings and BoS meetings, Interactions with the HoDs, Princi about the new "Change" in the curriculum, every thing sounded Greek and Latin then! out of blues, you would be asked to chose an "elective" !

Wuff, ! after having cleared  all these stuffs, write the very last theory paper, there was this joy of doing some thing that was supposed to be unbelievable to you, graduating without arrears but with a distinction! I too had that moment of awe, finishing up all the exams, hanging out for a cinema, treat, a theme park and all that with my besties ! I never remember giving a sigh of relief of having stepped out of the college, but, a sudden feel of fear, a lacuna, a loneliness, started filling in my mind! Tummy started twitching and turning, a strange feel of. . .

… to be continued…

Nostalgia #1

Nostalgia #1

When you isolate yourself from the chaos of the external word, try to see deep – deeeeppp with in, you will find out, the four years of life, You as a Grad School Gurl, had filled so much – Sssoooo mmuucchh – in the pages of your life! Let me call it a throwback session or whatever! Every time, when you think of the fun filled grad life, Oh my, you are left with mixed emotions!

I can’t just believe, yeah, I seriously cannot! It is this long! Say, ‘bout four years since I stepped out of the heaven, where I dwelled for four years, I should say, on and off( that includes my on duties, sick leaves and all that ! ) 

To me, personally, it looks, weird! Weird of being out of the nidus that nestled me, had cuddled me up for FOUR FULL YEARS – A eight semesters’ stay at the department of Biotechnology of K.S.Rangasamy College of Technology! Whew, how I wish I reversed the clock re-lived some of the “bestest” moments there! Loads of pleasant memories, lots of Scolding and issues (of course, for my mischief!), tons of leave availed (for my ill health!), A score of mini projects, a double score of conferences and prizes, heaps of assignments (U can’t skip them buddies!), tons of internals (and retests too!), dozens of symposiums and guest lecture for compeering!

Inspite of so much of time that has passed though, I still freshly remember the first day, when, I stepped into the college, to meet the department facilities, with the gleam of pride, entering to the department, meeting, the then Director of Biotechnology, Dr.Kannan! AyyoH ! He was a man of about 60+ years YOUNG, I should definitely mention! With that soft smile, welcoming me, he started talking of my love – BIOTECHNOLOGY! A thrilling experience, I must say, getting introduced to the staff members, via the Director! Kwel, I felt jolly good!

Some people were really glued to my mind, during the ice breaking session, A special note must be for Prof. Dr.Punieetha Ma’m and AsP.Mohan.G., introduced to me as the senior people! Fingers crossed for attending their sessions; sheepishly I smiled back to both of them! Taking me across the lab facilities, astoundingly, I made my mind that, then, I gonna be a graduate student here, at that premises!

You would have never noted that institution earlier, but when you were put in that School of Biotechnology, from that minute, that second, milli second or even micro nano second, you will feel that, you are a part and parcel of this School of Biotechnology! So did I, jolly well, felt the same feeling of ownership and pride, (not in a literal sense though ;-))

I understood I was about to enter into a campus full of people with whom me gonna dwell for the next 4 years in life, a life filled with schools of thoughts and researches, I knew, I mite even blotch up or prune myself for a fabulous life! Though things were planned, preplanned, perfectly planned, the tingling feel in your stomach is what you can not resist!

So much of people were there, who bore my crazy naughtiness, who were patient enough to mould me, who sometimes even went red on me for tensing them up on a real high note, still, I felt loved when I was with these people. Never did I feel, I was away from home or whatever!

Facebooking was little new, Orkutting was chill to do, scrapped people, group SMS, the rate cutters and boosters to share an entire LESSON’s details over a SMS,  the random catch ups, the conference friends, the batch mates, college mates, the hostel roomies! Whew!!! Thank god that all these existed, but for them life would have been little tough!

Know what, to me life was simply superb many a times, a flawless flop some other times, without very many of the mentioned above. I randomly met people, became friends with, clashed for no reasons, faced few crushes, few more applications, very few true friendships and many times, got caught for being naughtiest of the naughtiest, doing craziest of the craziest things!

... to be continued....