The Mystery of the Missing Chicken Leg Piece

This could draw flak from various quarters. Notwithstanding my designation as a final year (who are supposed to be aloof of petty and minor things), this is a controversy that I am determined to address in my blog before graduating.

Indian readers of my blog would not find it difficult to associate with the hostel mess system. For the foreign readers (if any!), a rough analogy would be a catered dormitory/hall of residence but without any kitchen system. So, rather than cook my own food, I depend on the mess for my fooding requirements for a nominal charge. Sounds like a nice little arrangement, but here is the catch. Mess food is possibly the closest I can imagine to what I might be given to eat if I were to serve a term in Kala Pani.

It may sound gross. But even though it is a widely known fact that mess food is nowhere hygienic and close to the minimum prescribed quality (what with stray puppies/dogs and kittens roaming the dining hall!), no attempt has ever been made to change it. The blame has been squarely put on a corrupt bureaucracy that nobody can do anything about. If I were to have lunch, I would wait for a spoon (which would smell of soap water) for 5 minutes near the washing area with flies buzzing around my food plate. The washing procedure has been aptly described as being very efficient, “Dip in hot water, dip in soap water and finally dip in cold water.” While a new dining hall costing 15000,000 INR could be constructed (which eventually served as a ‘pathway’ to exit the first dining hall!), it was considered a waste of resources to buy a handful of new spoons.

Ok Ok. But what is this mumbo jumbo all about? What of the missing leg piece? A simple way to understand this would be a two port network. Dozens of live chickens arrive at the mess in the morning, and after some processing inside a black box, what remains is a few cooked chicken bones (sometimes with a little bit of flesh), invariably without any leg pieces! In one particular instance, a chicken leg was found but with minimal flesh. A possible surmise for this rare occurrence has been attributed to the spread of polio to chickens [really?! ;) ]. If this reminds you of Food Inc., fear not, this is much worse.

The scale at which nutritional deficit occurs in this arrangement is unimaginable. Think of 10,000 students at one IIT and multiply that by the number of IITs in India: 15, and you begin to get a small glimpse into the problem. Every week, without fail (summer, winter or rain), the same course is served for lunch: Chickpea, random vegetables/fish, chickpea, random vegetables/fish, chickpea, random vegetables/fish, chickpea. I have a start up idea for the IITs. One that could compete hand in hand with the “VLCC weight loss program”. Some possible success stories:

“Believe it or not, I lost 5 kgs in one week of mess food. Yes, its disgusting and smelly, but it works!”

“Before coming to IIT, I was always depressed because I was taunted about my weight. Now I am even more depressed but I have lost weight! 15 kgs in two weeks! Beat that.”

A rather clichéd question has been: what purpose would such a critique serve to changing the system? My answer: if we cannot solve it at the ground level, the problem is higher up, or somewhere else. By reaching out to a wider audience, it might be possible to bring in policy changes at different levels. I do not intend to provide any solutions (other than possibly advocating an optional mess system and a more subjective feedback system). This has been discussed over and over at various forums. More than anything else, if there is a willingness to change things, I am sure improvements will happen and for the better. Looking forward to fatter and healthier IITians when I come back to Kgp 5 years from now! ;)

PS1: Writing after a re-a-a-a-lly long gap! :)

PS2: Does this sound like an SOP (Statement of Purpose)? Happens when you’re obsessed with applying to universities!

PS3: This one is a really long (and acerbic?) post, but I hope to receive some interesting and constructive comments!

Campus Happenings: Potpourri of Activity

It’s been a while since my last post, and after all the Finnish stuff, it is time to get back to ground reality in India. Even though it may not possible to compress a semester’s worth into a single post, a few keywords have essentially looped throughout the last few months in bhaat sessions – Apping, placements, BTP, grades, HHSS Ravi Shankar, SOS (Sociology of Science!) blah blah blah …

The most exciting event however, has been the arrival of a new carrom board to our wing (with much ado and fanfare)! Yayy! Fervent battles have been fought, delicate shots have been played, “Jacuzzi shots” have been invented and State District level players have been toppled – all in the last few weeks.

JAcuZZi shot., /jəˈko͞ozē SHät/ 2011, CTE (name of wing) proprietary phrase, originating from “a random carrom shot hit by Jazz that cuts across the board and pockets at least two coins in at least 50% of the attempts”. Now a general term for any shot that works on the probability principle (higher the coins on board and higher the power into the shot, higher the probability of pocketing) and gives an aura of a “Rube Goldberg shot”.

This brings me to another interesting point that I wanted to make – I don’t approach placements in the same way I approach carrom. Although most people here approach it in the “JAcuZZi way” consciously or unconsciously (a discussion on this isn’t something I intend here), I’ve been making a deliberate effort to be somewhat narrow and focussed this time around.

This is possibly because of two interesting events that have really stood out – visit of HHSS Ravi Shankar to our campus lately, and a fantastic book that I read - “Code Name God”. It is about the saga of a man of Physics (from IIT Kharagpur, and that does strike a chord somewhere) who became blasé with all the worldly pleasures and found respite in the ancient art of meditation and Yoga. In the process, he also attempts to unify science and spiritually. Quite a read!!

Pandit Ravi Shankar was a revelation. Far from the preaching Sadhu that I expected, he was very modern and talked in fairly simple terms avoiding complex Sanskrit shlokas and references. Some have been really useful, and I’ve been implementing them (with somewhat limited success). For instance, I’ve started being more alert (awake 70% of the lecture) in classes by “being mindful” of my thoughts and breath.

Of course, all of this doesn’t mean I’ve become all spiritual. It is just a new perspective that I’ve found and an interesting topic to read up upon! That’s all for now! More after placement season. Cheers!!

Moi Moi Suomi

So, after a somewhat short stint in Finland: I finally return to India. I won’t go into my reverse-culture-shock (honking cars, hot & humid weather, crowded streets, no drinking water in Hall, no awesome-laundry and red tape were some key words #welcome-back-to-India) when I returned as that may not be so pleasant for the readers.

Canada Day: My best ever!

However, the last 15 days may have been one of the most memorable moments of my life, starting with Canada Day on July 1st. Though I had no idea what it meant, the idea of French-Canadian Crepes (sounds like a treaty!) with maple syrup was enticing enough to bring me to the lab kitchen. To me, it was a cross between omelettes and Dosas, but never mind: it was quiet good.

B’day parties!

I wasn’t going to miss anything. Oh, so you’re going to a bar for the party? Ahem, mm, well … ok, I’ll get some juice. Bottoms up, anyone?

For the other party, there was a variation of dumb charades with personalities. Keywords (read pseudorandom guesses) were Nelson Mandela and the pyramids (Tipping point, Scrabble, ellipsis anyone?).

Hula Hooping & Barbeque. Any takers? Hello? #pre-last-15-days

No one? Well, at least there is one such gentleman that I know of. Very good exercise for the tummy, especially after a good meal of steaks, bread, cheese and all the other stuff.

Oh, by the way, if you are looking for moves to start off with, do drop in here: your one stop guide to hooping! (The playlist deserves special mention).

Berry bee goode

Blueberry season finally arrives. Not knowing that the berries are also meant for the bees, wasps (whatever) and the rest of the animals can be somewhat hazardous.

But some effort (police in black dress in black speed-boat? #all-black. No, you don’t get arrested for picking blueberries. Long story) has to go in for a really tasty blueberry pie.

And it all ends with a glass of juice

Mbar, one of the most happening places in Helsinki. Quiet and almost inconspicuous in the day, it springs to activity in the evenings:

Live DJ, clinking of glasses and the ambient noise. Truly a treat for the senses.

Might have come here daily if I knew of it before! But as someone remarked, it was all planned out to the minute.

Moi Moi Suomi!

Update: Just realised that this was my 100th post!

Aye, aye Vice-Captain

C: Hey! Watch out!

Boom!

VC: Aah. That hurt. What was that?

I will never forget the name after that. Hard to tell if that was meant to be onomatopoeic but that was a tough way to learn the name. Sailing is not for amateur photographers like me. But you can always steer the boat for a few miles in the open sea without crashing into many things.

Subtleties Involved

There are certain subtleties involved like you always have to take the boat on the right of the green sticks (so that you don’t go to shallow waters). Then you have to keep saving your location on the GPS and check the map once in a while. Other than that, if you know the ropes right, you are all set to sail! According to the captain (C), one week should be enough to learn how to navigate the seas independently.

Bastards & Fishy Business

One could see the sea gulls following the ships in search of fish that had been thrown onto the surface of the water because of the movement. Then, there was a really beautiful view of the famous fort of Suomenlinna from the sea. And not to forget the racing yatches, barges, ships and boats in the sea that come in all shapes and sizes (and colours).

One particular yatch kept following us around for no reason at all! At times, World War II era propeller bombing aircrafts could be seen droning away in the sky. On the whole, apart from the cool breeze, it was really calm.

I was about to relax but hey! what is that?! A pirate ship! Heading straight at us. Ok. Brace yourselves.

Danger Staved off.

The important thing to keep in mind is to keep having some Karelian Pasties. This not only ensures that you are never hungry but also lets you look you super calm and scares away the pirates.

Talking about amateur photography, how about a small collage of photos taken while sailing and sailoring?

Now I know why Finnish people spend long vacations (going to different countries even! The Greek islands are pretty much preferred) in the sea on solar powered sailing boats equipped with refrigerator, kitchen, bedrooms and complicated toilets. An amazingly eco-friendly way to have an awesome vacation!

Moi Moi.

PS1: If you are wondering who the bastard is, click here. I didn’t do the christening!

PS2: For a possible origin of the name above, see this.

PS3: Some fun facts about sailing:

1. No sailing license required for privately owned non-motorized boats!
2. You always wave your hand to someone passing by. Really nice sea-culture.

Regular readers must be tired of the long postscripts. But that wasn’t the end of the post. The post ends now.

Hei Hei.

PS: Could I call this a nested post script?

Jugendstil Buildings of Helsinki

Helsinki is one of those few towns in Europe which does not dwell on castles and churches to paint its cityscape. The Jugendstil architecture of Helsinki is defined by a spacious and minimalistic look that is a vestige of the idea of futuristic buildings in the early 19th century. 

The stock exchange that you see to the left is one of the numerous buildings that were constructed at the height of the romantic movement in Finland. Although no longer used for active trading, it is one of those places that is a subset of must-see-Art Nouveau in Helsinki.

First up, on our itinerary though was the Pohjola building. Originally meant to be the offices of the Pohjola Fire insurance company but now turned into a run of the mill office building, one could clearly see the influence of Kalevala on the buildings: the beautiful spiral staircases ending in a skylight shaped like an egg (which apparently gave rise to the universe). And then you have references to the birds that laid the egg:         

It seems, many of these buildings were designed by young people who won architecture competitions. Most of them cared the least about reigning architectural styles. In fact, reeling under the repressive rule of the Russians, the Finns were looking for something that was unique to them and these young architects provided them with  just that! Then there was the Uschakoffin house now turned into a café. The original stained glass was no longer to be found. However, one could still find the owls that are quintessential of Nordic Art Nouveau.

And finally, the trip concluded with a visit to the Helsinki central railway station. Masterpiece of Eliel Saarinen, it stands testimony to the spirit of Jugendstil in Helsinki.

 

Suomi Diaries: A trip to Nuuksio

One of the really cool things about the supermarket in Otaniemi is that it opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 11 in the night.

For comparison, the Tech market in Kharagpur would open for 6 hours in a day and remain closed on all (inter)-national/state holidays and Mondays.

The other really cool thing about the Aalto campus is the cafeteria system for lunch – the staff have the same food as the students. Only thing - it is subsidised for the students. Browse through their menus and go to any cafeteria you wish.

Today was one of those rare days when both the cafeteria as well as the supermarket was closed! And you couldn’t turn to the latest Otaniemi Sensation because it wasn’t a Sunday. A trip to Nuuksio National Park was inevitable (unless I wanted to sit in my room twiddling my thumbs). Not really sure of what to expect, I jumped the bandwagon. It wasn’t very difficult reaching the place thanks to amazingly detailed descriptions of routes on the Journey Planner.

And then you could find amazingly detailed terrain maps in the Tourist Information Centres to navigate the area with information about location of camp sites, lakes and even about details such as the kind of trees (conifer/non-conifer) to be found at a particular place.

After a bit of a dilemma*, some crazy ringing sounds in the woods (read lost mobile phones), we finally found a spot that overlooked a lake.

Someone commented that the small piece of land in the lake looked like the famous painting of Michelangelo: The Creation of Adam. Come to think of it, even the colours seem to somewhat match!

One could find people going fishing, hiking, biking, swimming and picking blueberries. (It was too cold for swimming and it is a while for the blueberry season).

We picked up some interesting lines of conversation which I will not describe in detail here. Compressing a 4D event into 2D photographs does cause some amount of data loss. Maybe some of them could be the subject of a blog post!

Hei Hei!!

* We couldn’t really resolve*** our starting points and destinations owing to low signal quality on the mobile phone and an interesting fact** I learnt about how the sun moves near the poles.

**East to West via North/South depending on the season (summer/winter). The peak elevation remains about 60 degrees and not 90 degrees like near the equator. To compound matters, it was around noon: but the sun wasn’t exactly on top of our heads because the noon doesn’t always divide the day into exactly two halves. It depends on the rising and setting time of the sun!

*** See photo above.

Summers Finnished – Not Yet!

Moi. It has been an interesting one month in Finland now and if you have been wondering why there haven’t been any updates from me, that is partly because the Brain stuff has kept most of my brain occupied.

PJs apart, Finland is a beautiful country. Here are some nice shots I took from my digital camera.

  

As you can see, all of them are taken in the day. It gets dark for not more than three or four hours in a day. Of course, none of these are famous landmarks that you are likely to find on the Wiki pages. Some of them are taken on the jogging track (12 kms long!!), others from the bird watch tower close to my apartment and a few at a place called Suomenlinna.

But its really cold out here! No wonder Finland won the Ice Hockey Championships without breaking a sweat! Finnish people are very attached to their language. Practically everything from my work contract to items in the supermarket – everything is in Finnish.

Of course, almost everything here is highly advanced. Take for instance, the transportation system. From telling the time of arrival of the next bus/tram at the bus station, integrated travel card for all modes of transportation, cultural trams to live tram maps, it has everything that a passenger could possibly want!

Or the way in which the waste is disposed – different containers for cartons, metals, biodegradable, plastics and mixed waste! And not to forget the recycling centre at the University where one could exchange second hand items free of cost!

The litmus test for a techie is of course – the internet speed. Here are some interesting (crazy?) speeds I got. If you are more inclined to outdoor activities, a wide range of selection is available: roller skating, kayaking, Ultimate Frisbee et. al all inside the University campus.

I guess there couldn’t have been a better place to spend my summers! I have reached my word limit. More in the next post.

Hyvä päivä!!