Monday 23 March 2009

Ideaz - A Thesis on Cogni

Yes, today (yesterday) it happened. Efforts spanning over three months finally manifesting themselves as a brilliant three days was a pleasing sight. This being my first experiance with something so big made it all the more special. Albeit my job involved mainly sitting in the Cognizance office, I'm glad to have been part of the event which seems to have redeemed some lost glory after last year's abysmal show. Throughout the last three months, I have only looked forward to the event and now it has come to an end.

During my great sittings in the office - chatting with arbit creatures, studying the patterns of cracks developing on the walls (and hacking Jetty's facebook profile), I learnt that sitting can often turn out to be a regretful experience. Not only does your backside get numb after a while, it also leads to a highly vela (jobless) and destructive mind which only calms down (on further sitting) due to sleep. Nevertheless, as I was saying, I had looked forward to the event... and perhaps to the temporary periods of plush greenery on campus ('Think Energy. Go Green.' - it was always there for a reason).

Today, the curtains finally fell... (can I take a bow here?) and it was definitely better than I had imagined it to be. In fact Cognizance grew into something so big (amplified by the absence of mishaps during the event - apart from the falling of ceiling tiles at the string theory lecture) during the three days that even the anticlimax, being Anushka (who was bad; apart from the mini) and The Aryans (who were worse and didn't have the mini), couldn't cloud the aura. Even HHH stealing my icecream didn't dampen my spirit! (That's saying something...) The only regret which remains is the fact that I have wound up richer by not a penny (read: I did not participate in Ideaz).

I don't believe in lifting others' years of sweat and brilliance, putting it in one concise 10 slide ppt (or pptx) and winning myself two or three K (which every random guy seems to have done). If Ideas weren't enough, there were a more paper presentations - Prakriti and Urja, Ruraisle, and zillions of other such events attracted people from far off and wide - transcending states (and nations?). But these definitely satiated the monetary requirements of the Roorkee junta and also promises a number of chapos in the month to come. I'm disturbed by the ease with which people have made cash. But then again - maybe I should have entered one? Why blame someone else for my abysmally (yes, I've taken a liking for this word ever since I learnt how wrongly it can be used) dry Cogni!

The quizzes were there again... This time, more than the others, I regretted sitting through some of the torturous finals (esp. General - which gave even the finalists a headache and MMS - which I thankfully didn't sit through). I organized and I participated, but whatever I did - all the quizzes could be described by the great word - "Arbit". In fact it changed from arbit to arbiter to the  arbitest.

'Arbit-Quiz'-manufacturer: Any answers?
The-Biz-Whiz: Pass.
Arbit-fact-collector: That is an artists's depiction of Europa being kidnapped by Zeus! (what?)
'Arbit-Quiz'-manufacturer: What a nonchalant response!

Whoa! I came. I saw. I got Arbitted! As matter of fact, even Bizztech (to the great frustration of Ghajini) was arbit - reasons may have been many: the less time we'd got; we overslept etc... still. I nevertheless congratulate the winners of all  the quizzes whilst I'm still thoroughly perplexed as to where, how and why someone would gather such strange trivia!

Today, the last day of Cogni'09, was the first day I actually went out in a quest for events, but alas, there were none! As usual, the great saviour called Bakar was there yet again.... Though a certain Akhilesh's (who?) losses livened the atmosphere at UG. The day almost ended in a high but the cacophony at Pro-Nite quickly brought us down to the Earth and firmly rooted our feet in good ol' Terra Firma.

What I was looking forward to, since the holidays, has come and gone, leaving behind only a TS, an end-semester and lots of classes hovering ominously in our path. Talking about classes, what about tomorrow? (or is that today?)

P.S. We are the champions of Chandigarh... I congratulate the Biz Whizzes as well as Lit-Sec whilst I condemn Biz Whiz #1 for not showing restraint and rationale in his single handed 'completion' of certain purchases.

P.P.S. The aeroshow rocked. I didn't expect IITR to put up something like it...

P.P.P.S. Guus Hiddink is a magician.

16 comments:

  1. Oh, sorry Sonny for stealing your little Iche-kreem. I didn't know you'd be so pissed about it. Haddu tells me you were on the verge of tears!

    And, btw, the real star of Cogni 09 was an arbit character called Love-lesh who didn't take his card for the entire three days and the announcements for the same were more regular than even NSS's!

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  2. @ The Ice-cream thief

    Oh, it wasn't the loss of the ice-cream which 'pissed' (as u put it) me... It was more the fact that certain people actually do such things!! Just when u think the child in you has grown up, it gets delinquent again eh?

    As for the star, losing stuff good never get more profitable... And many congrats on the podium finishes again.

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  3. Hmm... Biz-Whiz, eh? Who would have thought of it a year ago?

    Sorry to shatter the bubble but for all its workshops and lectures, Cogni 09 was nowhere near as good as 07. Nirula's, in the place of Sagar. Bandish for Pro Nite. Need I say more?

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  4. @ Biz Whiz #1

    Who would have thought of it a couple of weeks back?!

    Let go of Pro Nite please... But Aeroshow? Robosapiens? Even Chaos? And an IITR junta completely satisfied with Ideas... What more could you ask for? (Though Nirula's would have made it better, no doubt)

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  6. This seems to be an easy one...
    (lost in thoughts)
    And then, Rapster, unpredictable as ever
    "The 3rd king of France inspired the scribe on the Canadian coin, which in-turn inspired Henry Ford to name 'model T'...

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  7. Bizztech Arbitaap belongs to meeeeeeeeeeeee(angry indignance)..... How dare you take away the credit just for the sake of being diplomatic??? I am disappointed, Kondy.

    You should have attended MMS finals... Although i cannot be certain, as I did not attend the general quiz finals,I have been told that MMS had lesser arbit questions(infact it had a very foki video connect).

    And btw, i am still waiting for the elusive explanatory-cum-descriptive post. Never mind that it was so long ago.

    P.S : I condemn newly-coronated-BizWhiz #1 for the unrelenting self-publicity(never mind the fact that it is thoroughly justified and well-deserved).

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  8. @ Jetty

    :) Susaant was more intent on deciphering from Rapu's expressions, whether he knew the answer or not, rather than actually coming up with a reply (realizing the futility of the latter)

    All hail the arbit-fact-collector!

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  9. @ Ahuja

    I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way! Seriously, you are capable of making the most arbit questions ever... I shall not take away that honour from you. (the only contender if any was Mr. Dhananjay Shettigar himself and his 2 videos + 3 picture connects)

    And that post will come... But the time is not right now. Patience is the key.

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  10. Though I appreciate the hard work put in by the Cogni team, you've got to understand that this Cogni was nowhere near the last two ones. Due to reasons beyond the team's control obviously. Blame Lehmann. I mean, not a single debate this time.
    And you missed the quizzes, da. The General Quiz was amazing actually. Some very good questions. MMS, in my opinion, was too trivia based, though yes, the video connect was foki.
    What exactly were you doing in Cogni, btw?

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  11. @ Lefty
    This Cogni was way better than the last one any day... About the year before, I can't comment as I wasn't here. Even the participation was immense. I didn't miss the Gen Quiz; but it was partly why I left MMS early :) (I heard abt the video connect though)
    As to what I really did apart from my random wanderings, I'm still trying to formulate an answer to that.

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  12. I enjoyed 09. Can't comment on the previous ones.

    As for the gen quiz finals, it was anything but arbit. Infact it was anti-arbit. too specific. Hail rapster.

    P.S: All hail OpenID.

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  13. Don't know anything about the quizzes...and yeah...people like that DO exist...and exist grandly!
    Anyway...CONGRATULATIONS!
    GUD JOB...for watever u did...cogni was definitely better than the last year...
    Dat's what u were looking for I presume?

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  14. @ Shreyas,

    Anti - arbit eh? So maybe arbitness is good, u say? All hail Rapster, again. And the Open ID was a good response da. U saved Ahuja's face (though he loved his own arbitness)

    @ Prachi

    Ya, i do know such ppl exist... about the 'grandly' part, i'm not so sure! Ahh thank you for complimenting my part in it (what was that again?) I dunno if i was looking for that, but then i wont reject appreciation... and Cogni '09 definitely rocked!

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  15. This Cogni certainly seemed better, for the crowd part atleast; but yes, last cogni was spl fr me coz we finally won sumthing!! This cogni was mostly spent in those hallowed arena that was Ravindra Lounge! :D
    And the mms quiz was, as Ahuja put it, FBA (foki but arbit!)
    All in all, gud job guys!!

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  16. @ Rakesh,

    Ya, victory-wise - Cogni '08 was better for me too... when we pocketed cash without breaking into a sweat (We were both winners in TeChase '08 remember)

    And thanks for the FBA comment... (more for the F and less for the A)

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