LAPTOPS NOT ALLOWED

Ridiculous and baseless rules and regulations are nothing new to most of us. Yes, some rules are there to enforce discipline and order but the plain existence of some of them defies every aspect of logic.

 I went to the library’s main section today as I wanted to refer to some web development books. I take my laptop out and walk in. No sooner, I’m kicked out by the guy who sits at the table at the library entrance. “Laptops allowed illla boss” was all he had to say. My requests for further explanation were turned down nonchalantly.

One can understand the rationale behind banning bags in the library but banning laptops? Are the library authorities so paranoid that they think I’m going to type out eBooks of all their prized collections and outsource them for profits? Or perhaps they think I’m going to smuggle a book by squeezing it between the lid and the keyboard of the laptop? Or even worse, they think my laptop has a 10 Gigapixel spy camera that is being routed to the Al Qaeda!

This is the qualm of a student who seeks reason for this denial. If a student has a passion to learn something and knows how he wants to go about it, there is no justification to reject his access to the appropriate resources. The age of the pen is all but gone and laptops are used to store notes and ideas.

The library is meant to be a sanctuary of knowledge and I have every right to tap into it as I see fit. Encourage my endeavour rather than to blatantly throw me out.

My laptop doesn’t bite nor is it a transformer that is going to transform into a Decepticon anytime in the near future.

By,

Girish Kumar

Sub Edited by: Deeksha Awasthi.

WHY SO MANIPAL-ISH??

“Kya re, aree baba, baap, boss, anna, dude, yaar”

Ever wondered why your friends say, “Hey you’ve changed after going to Manipal.” Ever wondered why you call that grocery store owner “Anna” instead of the conventional “Bhaiya” as soon as you go back home or even for that matter ever wondered why your car suddenly seems more comfortable and cosy during that drive from the airport or railway station. If you have experienced all of the above or most of them you are “Manipal-ish.” So what does this term “Manipal-ish” mean? Well, I’ll explain that to you.

When we come to Manipal as freshers, little do we expect ourselves to be speaking a dialect of “Hinglish”, something we would have never even thought of speaking before. It is said that animals adapt and we humans being one of the most developed animals adapt to our surroundings very quickly. Away from the comfort and luxury of our home, the warmth and affection of family and friends, we find ourselves in a place unlike no other. One is suddenly filled with the thoughts “ok, now what?” and before you realise it, you are speaking to your neighbour in the hostel. He goes and introduces you to his school mates who have also come to Manipal and within no time at all you have a group of friends with whom you share stories, jokes etc. Manipal which may have seemed lonely at first now seems more cheerful and full of life.

One week down the line, your friends and you decide to go out and explore Manipal. You take an auto from KC and say”Bhaiya, CCD le jao”. You might not have even noticed but the auto driver is giving you a rather stern look. Little do you realise that in Manipal only Boss and Anna works. Nothing more and nothing less is needed to get your work done. Your hangout spots change from Café Coffee Day and Dominos to places like Pizza King, Parota Point, Burnout and Cloud 9. Suddenly its not Hard Rock Café or Hype, Deetee and Blue Waters are the places you want to be in. Attendance, a thing you might have ignored in school is worth its weight in gold and getting a 10 on 20 in your sessionals seems to be pretty decent or above average score and daily bargains with the auto-wallah for some 5 or 10 bucks becomes a normality.

Another interesting thing Manipal teaches you is how to interact with different people. Your friends from Northern India would use a lot of “bhai and yaar” in their sentences while the ones from south would stick to their “baap and dude”- though this isn’t the case always. Although there is a certain degree of regionalism in every college, most people see past this and look at it as an opportunity to know other places in India better by interacting with people from different states and cities of India and in case of Manipal, even abroad. The kind of diversity it brings to this college is just amazing.

There is so much of hustle and bustle in our day to day lives over here that we forget how time is flying by and before we know it, the semester has almost come to an end.  We almost seem to forget what it is like at home. As the end semester exams approach, MIT is buried in it’s books with students giving it their all in as a last ditch effort to get good grades. After all it is what they came here for ‘essentially’.

Little do we realise this but after our last exam, its time to say goodbye for a month or so. We all get excited by the prospect of going home and meeting our loved ones. Once home, everything seems so new and strange. An air of awkwardness surrounds us when we meet some of our old school friends. Many have moved on and so have we. We have become more independent and aware of how to judge people. I remember I would casually give my own clothes for washing, clean my room, get up after setting an alarm and pick up my own dishes after eating. My parents were surprised at this change. They would ask me what has happened and I simply had no answer. Folks after four semesters in Manipal I have come to realise that the answer for this is plain and simple. I have become very “Manipal-ish”.

By,
Rohan Tuli

Sub Edited by: Deeksha Awasthi.

TO SHIFT OR NOT TO SHIFT

This article is being written for all those students who find the hostels dissatisfying and are looking to move out to another place, i.e., out of campus area.

Shifting out of the hostels and moving into apartments in and around Manipal may seem like an extremely lucrative and easy option. Well, it is not so and believe me when I say this because it is my personal experience. If you would like to shift out here is how you do it- the first step is obviously your parent’s approval. Once you have made up your mind on shifting out, it is imperative that you inform your parents. Not doing so will only make your life miserable with you finding yourself in an enormous amount of debt to your friends. Once this is done, find the right guy to shift out with you. It is best that you shift out with a good or close friend as the complications decrease by a significant amount. Shifting out with strangers or acquaintances bring a great deal of formality in your day to day life in the apartment.

The next and perhaps the most important step is to find the right apartment for yourself. Some of the options I might suggest are Mandavi Emerald, Mandavi Pearl City, Shambhavi, Pavitra, Regal Embassy etc. Now your selection of apartment should normally be based on one primary factor, location. If you don’t mind shelling that little extra from your pocket to hire an auto and go to college everyday, I would say Emerald is the best option.  These apartments are new and you will be the first ones to use them plus they come from a rather reputed builder Mandavi, a common household name in Udupi. People wanting to shift in here are guaranteed with a very luxurious lifestyle. The disadvantage though is that it’s a little heavier on the pocket as you have got to buy the appliances in the house as they are new. If you are one who does not want to shell out much on appliances like TV, fridge, stove etc., you should probably opt for the adjacent apartments, Pearl City. The disadvantage here folks is that there are certain rules that a certain section of people might not like. I would probably not give out many details on that. Also if you have a transport of your own i.e., a car or a bike, then Mandavi is the way to go.

If location is a very important factor, then Shambhavi, Pavitra and Regal are a good choice. They are strategically placed in heart of the town. All your favourite hangouts are close by and so is the college- ann excellent place to live, especially when your college is about a five minute walk away from your house. The disadvantages here may include a lot of noise and commotion. They are also not as clean and tidy as Mandavi, but if you chose to ignore that then you are going to the right place. The security deposits and rents are way lower than Mandavis’.

Late but most importantly, the issue of cost. I would say that at the end of the day apartments come out to be cheaper than a single AC room and this is when you are not even sharing a room with someone. If you do so, your cost comes down drastically and you might even end up paying less than what you pay for a double AC room in the hostels. Obviously Shambhavi, Pavitra and others are a more cost friendly option.

Shifting out certainly has its advantages. Your food becomes tastier and you have a wide variety to choose from as you can order from different places and you get more privacy to yourself. You also do get a very homely feeling once you’re living outside.

Finally I would like to conclude by saying that if and when you shift out, do keep your apartment clean and tidy because a house is built by bricks, but a home is built by heart. I hope I have given you a useful insight on the life outside.

By,
Rohan Tuli

Sub Edited By: Deeksha Awasthi.

When Cupid Struck 2012 – Valentine’s Day

“Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day is a holiday observed on February 14 honouring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine”– this is how Wikipedia describes Valentine’s Day but you and I both know its real meaning. It’s much more than just a celebratory day, it is how our beloved character from the popular sitcom ‘f.r.i.e.n.d.s’ Joey Tribiani calls it– “ A day of giving, sharing and receiving.”  Love is in the air on Valentine’s day.

Valentine’s day has evolved into such a big concept nowadays including chocolates and teddies being the “thing to give” to that someone special. Valentine’s Day now has a full celebratory week including rose day, hug day, kisses day, chocolates day and much more. All these lead up to valentine’s day in somewhat of a drum roll, a grand finale if you please. All these just make this day even bigger than what it is.

If we take the example of India, V-day was such a taboo some 2 decades back but the present generation not only follows it with all their heart but also publicises their relationship status. After all, being in a relationship is nothing to be ashamed of in the present era instead, it’s a thing to look forward to. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past. People now, increasingly prefer to marry the love of their life, their majnu and laila.

Photo Courtesy:Internet

It is said that love is blind, universal, knows no boundaries. Everyone from rich to poor, black or white and European or Asian celebrate this day with the same spirit. Love unites and perhaps on this day this feeling holds true. Everyone seems so happy and harmonious. It is not necessary that V-day be celebrated by only couples. A mother can show her love for her son and sister for her brother. Just as Republic Day signifies patriotism, V-Day showcases LOVE.

Manipal too does justice to the spirit of V-day. Florist Anna’s get their sales to a yearly high and KC is just brimming with excitement. All fights are forgotten and hatred is thrown out of the window. Every nook and corner of Manipal is occupied by couples. Not only that, the auto drivers make a decent fee by charging extra for ferrying couples on different romantic locations in and around Manipal. But all this profit to the vendors and transportation means one thing in Manipal. The coming week after Valentine’s Day, or even weeks are going to be very tough for those in a relationship, especially boys, for here are where single people take the prize away. Their monthly expenses are still low from buying no gifts and celebratory V – Day dinner. There are girls too who buy gifts for their boyfriends but the singles take the cake.

Valentine’s Day will always pop the image of a rose, a couple and a box of assorted chocolates in between them, for the common person. There still are those who believe it is nothing but a capitalist scheme of earning more money. Whatever your belief be, there’s just one message for all, spread the love, not just today, not just tomorrow, anytime you can. Happy Valentine’s Everyone.

By,
Rohan Tuli

Sub edited by: Deeksha Awasthi

Where to? DeeTee!!

It is not often that one gets to write on a topic which is as much fun as this one. That is God’s honest truth. Another one of those is that you just cannot have a college town without a token pub. And when you live in a town where the juice is as free-flowing as in Manipal, you have to make the pilgrimage that all believers do.
It’s two letters, but it means a whole lot more to this place. Enter DeeTee.

Why someone would actually lengthen an abbreviation, completely flies by me. Maybe the owners were inebriated, or maybe… well, we’ll never know. What we do know is that DeeTee has gone from being just another small town bar, to being the place to be at on a Saturday night. Personally speaking as a freshman, I have not frequented the joint as often as some of our more devoted patrons, but the account I have gotten from my visits, places DeeTee right up there with the Hard Rocks and the Blue Frogs ( Pardon me, I’m from Mumbai), sans the pretentious pseudo-intellectual crowd.

My first impression of the place was not much, to be honest. Not that anyone’s is. It is stacked under a lodge with illegal-grade tint on the glass doors and a cheaply painted sign that says ‘Welcome’. Not your taste? You couldn’t have been more mistaken. Push through those gates of Olympus and what greets you is a Garden of Eden. Just kidding! You’d be lucky not to trip over a minimum of 14000 legs if you go on a Saturday night. But the soothing effect starts from there. Your ears are greeted to one of the best playlists you would have ever heard, the invisibly tucked away speakers belting out classics ranging from Queen to Pink Floyd, peppered with a few unbearably annoying Hindi remixes. Worry not reader, for this is when the magic of the mojo kicks in, enabling you to sail through those bad songs and worse small-talk. For all our friends from the metros, the liquor prices in Manipal are a little more than half of what you pay. I know it’s unfair but that’s life.

So whether you just want to kick back and relax after a hard day’s work with that icy-cold pint that was seductively calling to you or want to drink the night away on the occasion of your friend’s party (Never err a friend who pays for your drink. College lessons 101) or getting that internship you always wanted or … meh, like you need a reason, DeeTee is the one place that you would want to be at. For all you Happy Feet out there, they do play quite a few tracks to shake a leg to (that is if you can find the space to move) but do not go around poking people on the pretence of dance. Chances are that they will not take kindly to it.

A slight problem with the place is its lack of proper lighting. Not that you need night-vision, it’s just a little hard to manoeuvre. But when you make your way through the joint at least twenty-one times, piss drunk, trust me, you’ll be drawing the layout of the place on your Engineering Graphics sheets all year long.

And sometimes it’s not just the alcohol. It’s the casual banter, the odd shrieks of delight (or of utter disgust, when the guy behind you decides to make public what he had for his previous meal) and the general atmosphere of unhurried carelessness that greets you when you enter the establishment. It becomes a part of your weekly schedule. It becomes one of those things you tell your children about, nostalgically recanting your college days. Well, maybe not. But it still becomes one of those places which no matter how many times you land on the doorstep of, makes you never want to leave the place, in person or in your memories.

As homage to all the students who have passed through the steps of DeeTee, I write to you, dear reader, for you have to be there to feel it.

By- Ujan Sengupta

Movie Review : Silk….er ‘The Dirty Picture’

Around the end sems- for the MITians or during the vacations for the rest of Manipal University, a common phrase ‘Oh la la’ is becoming rather famous- its the item song  from the movie The Dirty Picture

All the music channels are flooding with the music video for this movie and looking at Vidya Balan one wants to know more. Is the movie worth a watch? Is this just a publicity stint or is this something worthwhile?

With a powerful cast of Vidya Balan , Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah this movie is worth every penny, a script based on the life of Silk Smitha is a lot more than what the movie needs to keep numbers going at the box office.  A movie which went much deeper than just the skin,  on her birthday December the 2nd ‘The Dirty Picture’ was released. And yes, for the first time, the whole of India loved buying dirty, talking dirty, watching dirty and being dirty for the two and more hours! Oh wait this is not a porno! This is just surface level dirty stuff with dialogues like “Holi khelne me shauk hai, magar pichkaari me dum nahi” and an ‘A’ certificate .If you are planning to go to watch this movie with your family please don’t ,you will be embarrassed with more punching double meaning dialogues that shakes you in and again during the movie.

The story as we all know is about the rise and fall of reshma a.k.a ‘Silk’ who goes to Madras (now Chennai) dreaming about acting in movies .She is rejected time and again but by a stroke of luck she manages to get a pervert dancing role in one of the dance numbers in a movie, then there is no looking back! Her hot scenes in the movies are all that the viewers look for and so it sells like hotcakes- every director,hero,producer and fans want a piece of ‘Silk’ .Gradually the craze dies and loneliness hits Silk’s life and strangles the life out of her.
Director Milan Lutharia made sure that the word ‘Silk’ would stand for more than just a textile after this movie- just like Apple inc. displaced Adam’ Apple- Yes! I’m talking about that kind of an impact here.The portrait of one’s life is always said to be difficult especially in movies .Anything wrong and dissapointing and people will flock the producers office for justice .Ekta Kapoor comes far off her perch by producing a film like this .Vidya Balan surely deserves a filmfare for her acting .I really couldn’t imagine Vidya doing this role with flair and class before i hit the theatre .She gives justice to the role of ‘Silk’ she plays .Naseeruddin Shah tells you time and again as to why he is considered to be a legend in bollywood .You cant expect anyone else to play playboy at 61 can you?Tushar Kapoor does well and so does Imraan Hashmi.overall this film is entertainment,entertainment and more entertainment.so do go and watch it.

Our Rating  4/5

by
Karthik Bhushan
Manipal Institute of Communication

Garrisoned at Turtle Bay

The last Sunday of January, bored out from pool and the movies, it was the perfect day to go to the beach and just relax. I know what you might say about the beaches around here: crowded, litter everywhere, dirty water, vendors eating your head, blah, blah… You thought you were going to the beach but you actually end up at the bazaar! But it is the truth for most beaches in India. I said ‘most’, well, fortunately enough, for us, there was Turtle Bay.

With the excitement for a picnic, the lust for a tan, the craving for seafood, a big bottle of spf-45 and a bag with an extra change of clothes, we set out on the journey. And for most of us here at Manipal, ‘journey’ translates to ‘bus ride’. Alright, so we spent almost two hours on the bus, chatting, singing and sleeping when finally the conductor shoved us off the bus and told us that we have to walk a kilometer and a half from here. Not minding him the least, we treaded on and finally someone shouted ‘BEACH!!’

The Turtle Bay Beach Resorts is located near Kundapura, Trasi. One of the cleanest beaches one can find in this part of the country, and also the most relaxing. It offers the perfect scenic amalgam of the Arabian Sea, the calm backwaters of the river Sowparnika and the lovely coastal plumage. The resort gets its name from the turtles which inhabit this beach during the mating season (around December and January).

    

Raging with excitement, the first thing I did was to run across the beach and jump into the water. Oh, did I forget to mention the water is perfect for swimming? We spent the day playing volleyball on the beach and only when we could hear our stomachs roar that we stopped. The menu the resort gave us made my jaw drop to the floor. Well, I maybe a sucker for sea food, but the menu offered fish of many sorts, squid, lobster, chicken and what not. There were also various vegetarian options, but I didn’t have place in my belly to try them, I heard they were quite decent too. After lunch, we all spread out the sheets and basked in the sun for a few hours. It was definitely very relaxing and I got a darker tan than I expected.

As the sun was setting, and we were taking a walk along the beach, feet immersed in the water. I couldn’t help but notice how the place grew tenfold more vibrant with the reddish-orange glow of the sun, the blue waters lashing against the sand and the palms swaying synchronous to the wind creating music for all the senses. And when I left that place, I took back with me some really splendid and beautiful moments, along with the awesome shells we collected.

N Point

There comes a time in Manipal too often, when you want seclusion. Hostels are of course no good, and beaches are overcrowded. Here is just the place for you.

Named after the discoverers (as far as I know), “The N Point (2010-2011)”, boasts of a very beautiful scenic view. It has about a 50m plane green land (which is pretty slippery), followed by a huge stretch of forest. All the are trees normally adorned by peacocks (you can see them as close as 10 yards).

It is on an elevated area and hence your view of the greenery is pretty good. It also has a thin path probably leading to a village below. The best part about this place is the solitude it provides. You can rarely see people, especially during the rains. The plane area ensures a reptile free place as well.

Location: Parallel to Black cup, towards greenwood apartments. Go further and there’s a rocky path to go down towards your right.

13 Tips to Explore Goa

Recently I went to Goa and found out a lot of things that I should have known earlier.

A little advice doesn’t harm anyone, so remember these —
1. Try going with an all guy gang. Easier, cheaper, safer, and unrestricted.
2. It’s cheaper if you go in a big group.
3. Buy tickets for going (general). For coming back at night, its not very necessary.
4. Do not take a cab at Mudgaon, go for a bus to the main bus station, and then another for Panaji followed by another to Calangute (the last one leaves at 9)
5. Look for rooms and don’t take the first one you see, everything in Goa is negotiable.(200 per person per day is fine)
6. Look around a bit and you would get cheap bikes (400 a day for a bike on normal days and 700 in peak). Leave early in the morning if you’re going in a peak season or holidays.

7. Buy alcohol from wine shops, 25 a pint MRP, 30 is decent 35 at night! If you are paying above that, you are nuts.
8. Roam around a lot! Goa city is more beautiful than its beaches.
9. North is the happening side while south is milder and more secluded.
10. If you can extend your budget a bit, go to the Tito’s area near Baga (2000 stag, 1000 couple)! There are other clubs around it with a min price 500 stag.
11. Tattoos are not more than 50 bucks ! So don’t settle for anything more. Everything you shop for would actually be around 1/3rd the first quote.
12. Leave for bus stations early, try not to miss the last one as cabs are expensive— Panaji to Mudgaon= Rs800, Panaji to Calangute= Rs500.
13. Final expected budget for a two night weekend trip for drinkers= Rs 2500 tops

THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY…

I was asked to blog for manipalthetalk.net and they told me that I could write on anything under the sun but uninspired as I was nothing seemed to interest me. But today I feel damn blah not because there’s nothing to do or too many things to do and no time but because I’m frustrated and I need an outlet to let go of it. I could go and drink. But I don’t drink. I could pick up a fight with my roommate or my matron but what good would that bring. And so I thought hard as to what I really wanted. And I realised I want music. I want a music room in this college where they have various instruments that you can go and play or a band that practices every evening or a choir which you can join and sing for. This college has a lot of talent. And I wonder why we don’t have a college western choir or an eastern choir. Cos if we had one that’s where I wanna be right now.

By,

Shivangi Singh