Centurion

Runs are hard to come by, with the ball not really coming onto the bat. With boundaries not possible in this format of the game, batsmen are made to toil for each and every single they take; an insurmountable task if dashing between the wickets didn't seem so much fun! But there's a flip-side too - all this sprinting saps you of juice and Fatigue, the slayer of giants, pays you a visit. And then, the cramps - the scavenger which feeds on the dying. The moment your guard is lowered, you die.

So it is indeed a monumental moment when a batsman reaches his century - as it is a victory of human-will, nothing less. And as I'm doing precisely that today, I raise my bat. It has been a very satisfying knock.

I can hardly believe that I have lasted four years in this world where more blogs are indiscriminately discarded than created. Only a blogger, and an avid one at that, would probably understand how much this little space on the web means - something as special than a friend you share most things with, a brother who understands you completely, standing by you through good times and hell.

Since the probability of you being here for the first time is rather low, I suppose you've already witnessed my meaningless rants, random philosophy and sullen melancholy. Usually, this blog has just been a voice of dissatisfaction trying to break the run-of-the-mill days and chase one foolish dream after another. There have been moments of bliss, but as all moments of bliss should be, they have been ephemeral.

And since Life is all about running after a mirage, there will surely be more stories to tell. There will be victories and there will be losses, but they'll all be experiences. And hence the scoreboard will keep ticking.

Thank you, dear reader, for keeping me going all these years; without you, this space would be nothing more than a personal diary... and where's the fun in that? Anyway, here's hoping for a hundred more! My fingers are crossed.

Holi's Hypocritical Heaven

My 20 has seen a lot of ups and downs; oh yes, very many. And each crest and trough has been religiously documented on the Konfessions, serving to rekindle warm memories when videos turn to stills, as memory fades. But each experience leaves behind a change; good, bad or ugly, but a change all the same. I once thought I would dedicate a post to my half century, but now I'm reserving it for the ton which, god willing, will come. So here is my fiftieth. Here's another change.

I just got back, having alighted a heavily overloaded bus and being made to walk half a dozen kilometers by a pleasant bus-conductor who very politely refused to move an inch closer to IIT R, a distance which I negotiated in a dazed stupor with passers-by leaping out of my way thinking I was at inebriated ease. I'd have loved the experience had I been awake to see it. Oh well, I just returned from Pinky's house.

It wasn't my first time, but nothing could have felt more different. To put things blandly, I felt much like a Guppy in lemonade; the surroundings are sweet, but it's still out of water. For one thing, I realized that Garhwalis are the true Mountain-folk I used to imagine when I was a kid; a happy and cheerful lifestyle, quaintly boisterous folk-music, energetic dance with loops all over. I hate to admit it, but Chetan Bhagat in his fourth nonsensical best-seller has some irrefutable arguments: However cosmopolitan you think you are, when you are some 2k length-measures away from home ground, you feel like the aforementioned Guppy!

I celebrated Holi for the first time in IIT R last year; the first year saw me sneaking away in the shadows escaping a Mud-bath. In the second year, I was caught unawares; WONA assaulted us - a sad day indeed... But this was the first Holi-at-home kind of situation. The water caught me and so did a few colours. I hit back, though rather meekly through half-hearted attempts, unlike the Pink marauder who soaked anything between 5 and 95 years of age, irrespective of gender, species and vehicle being used. All the while the neighbour's snow-white Pomeranian was seen donning Tiger-hues. All was well until now. Then came the dance.

A few strange, incomprehensible, quintessential mountain tunes filled the air and people began to dance, and how! Yours truly managed admirably, dancing with great composure and grace, leaving the crowd in wonderment, even as they imagined how similar the great Woolly Mammoth would look were it to dodge a Panzer raid. But when it came to food, I came out with straight A's! No matter where you go, my eating gospel remains the same: 'Eat as many things as you can, in as large proportions as is buccal-ly acceptable.'

No Pinky celebration is ever complete without a copious amount of photographs shot, which finally lets me understand why they had to shift out of the 'reel-system'. They simply couldn't make enough of them. As usual, I remained camera-shy or wished, in retrospect, that I had. And that was Holi-2010.

P.S. Why would you run away from colour and water when you want to get yourself colourfully dirty anyway? Bah.

P.P.S. Happy Bloggiversary, blog.

Root of all Evil...

Cognizance has tried hard. But cannot absorb me completely.

A day after I posed questions like "How many hours can you spend in the Cognizance office", "How do you propose to manage some ten things together" and associated interview-standards, I ask myself the same. January first saw the Winter viruses finally vanquished, as my body cooled to more acceptable temperatures. Ever since, it has been hell.

A month ago, I'd have laughed - had anyone told me I can make myself busy and place that strange 'red dot' against my status. I'm afraid my worst fears have been realized. While thoroughly enjoying the process of 'search-call-extort', I am finally beginning to see the other side of things. Those unending hours of velaness have all been killed in one powerful, crushing blow. No longer do I play PES endlessly. I don't listen to music for the sake of listening to music. I sleep as soon as 'work' gets done. The frequency of my trips up and down Mount Library have more than doubled. Why, I am no the longer omnipresent Green I used to be, on GTalk!

After a long time, I have managed to spend four-hundred rupees on a monthly phone rental at 50p/min, and I'm not too glad about it. While the wonderful warmth of the Cogni - radiator remains one of the few reasons which make me glad to spends nights and days there, the thought of negotiating that cold kilometer more than makes up for it. I still enjoy the task of Sponsorship - which, according to me, is the next best thing to Writing. Nevertheless, I have been severely chastising myself for ignoring my beloved blog for so long. Incidentally, it turns two, today! Happy birthday blog! May you stay healthy and live long.

I've got a phone call to make. Over and out.

Happy Birthday To You

Anirudh

My Blog,

www.konfessionsofageenius.blogspot.com,

The World Wide Web.

8 - 1 - 2009

Dear Blog,

Sub : Hearty Birthday Wishes

Happy birthday blog. Don't be surprised - today is your birthday. This is one thing we kept from you and I think now that the time has come for you to learn everything.

You were not born on the first of November, 2007. Instead you actually came into existance on the 8th on Jan the following year. Though others may believe that 'Of Soothsayers, Believers and Fools' marked your beginning, it was actually 'The Average Winter Day' which brought you into existance as it is indicated in the note following the P.P.S of the former. Read through patiently and you will understand everything.

'The Average Winter Day' was written on 8-1-08 and 'Soothsayers...' followed. However, due to some negligence on my part (of which I am ashamed) and some laziness (which I cannot help), some error in the dates crept in. I am unwilling to correct this error as of now due to some stupid sentimental reasons. Anyway, I am sorry if I have hurt you in any way.

I am also sorry if you feel that I have ignored you at any point of time. I try to make 1 post every month but as you know, sometimes this is not possible due to some of my prior commitments. I feel bad for you especially because I have been notified that some authors have been making 9 posts in one particular month! Well, I am sorry for not postingeven once in December but I promise you that I will NEVER make 9 posts in any particular month! (Maybe in three months; not even two) - By the way, this is the second for Jan. You had better note that down.

It has been one hell of a ride - this one year. You have stuck with me through thick and thin. You were with me when I braced for a 1.5 degree chill last year (and no doubt you will stick around this year too). You helped me face the wrath of the 10 registration cards; a daunting task had I been alone. As a reward of course, you have had the opportunity of sharing the lighter and happier moments of my life.

We have come through 365 days though it doesn't feel as many. Last year, this very evening I still remember making up the final draft of my first post. Yes, there were drafts those days; not the present day concept of "write + post in the same sitting"... It has been a bumpy ride or a sinusoidal wave (as HHH would put it) in terms of comments. We started with 0 and then up, down, up...  It doesn't really matter; though comments often motivate you to frequent this place more.

The year of 12 posts has finally come to a close. 12 is a good number. No? Anyway, that is how much I have managed. Maybe the next year will see more. (This counts as number 1 in those) I hope we see many more bloggiversaries like this. Cheers, have a great year!

Thanking you,

Yours in an 'Authorly' way,

Ani Arun

P.S. Same time, same place, last year - it was much colder. That's why I began to write in the first place - because it was too cold to do anything else.

P.P.S. I love P.P.Ss. Long time since I used them though.

P.P.P.S. Ditto