SOCH'08!!!

Today is 29^th December 2008…a nice Monday morning…nice because I’m sitting at home, courtesy Christmas Vacations….but something nicer than these 2 week long vacations happened exactly 24 days back…on 5^th and 6^th….SoCh’08!!

I’d term SOCH as the pride of the students of the commerce department….our love for it made us probably work as hard as we have worked for it this year…

Coming into Loyola Academy last year, none of us had any idea of SOCH…we never expected anything of this sort. As far as last year’s SOCH goes[SOCH’07], since we were the 1^st year students, we din’t really have much of a role. The reason for that is the amazing group of super seniors we had…a group who handled each and every thing and saw to it that we won’t really be burdened with any work as such. I only remember moving around chairs and tables last year and believe me, it made me really happy...it made us all very happy to be a part of something as huge as it, even if we made negligible contribution!!

Entering into 2^nd year, the first thing we were looking at was SOCH’08, yes SOCH this

Year would mean more involvement from us, and we were looking forward to it.

But things din’t seem to be going our way as the happening of SOCH’08 looked bleak.

We were really desperate to have it and evidently we pushed hard against it, and eventually it was decided that , SOCH’08 will be on!!!!

Now that SOCH was on, we had to get things started, 1^st things 1^st, conducting SOCH aint no child’s play and the sooner we realize that , the sooner we’ll start working.

Realization came in as soon as it could, and we started working for it. The dates for the fest was decided as Dec 5^th and 6^th…so that meant we had the whole of October and November to work for it.

But, how could things be so easy for us, even though the whole of October was holidays, it came with a prefix “Preperation”…

Yes, these month long holidays were followed by the most dreadful exams, the semester end!

That meant we had to work during the first half of the month and cram during the rest.

So, October was probably the “make or break” for SOCH…and I can now say proudly, we MADE it!!

Going back to October, we decided to start working from day 1 of the vacation, and we did just that.

Going around for sponsorship could be very painful. Specially when the Sun is beating down and people don’t seem interested.

Anyways, we worked till the 23^rd of October, collected as much money as we could, and noted down on the people we need to get back to.

The semester end exams came by and were seriously very dreadful. At one point of time, we just waited for it to end and it eventually did.

With just a 2 day break, the next semester started and it was November 12^th already.

Time literally flew. .and probably flew in a Concorde!!!

4 weeks to go for THE day! And we were still short of the sufficient cash we’d need to set up the event.

Just when I thought things were going on track, controversies came by. But we managed to put them off for the time being. All in the interest of SOCH!!!

Since we were tight budgeted this time, the Rock Concert got scrapped and none of us were really happy with that. But then we had to move on and get other things on track.

The last two weeks before SOCH, went for publicity. We went around inviting colleges and sticking posters in hang outs.

Most importantly, during all this while when we were out for sponsorship, another group of students, worked on Street plays.

Days till December 4^th just raced by and sitting in college on the eve of the big event, we could smile and say with enough conviction.. WE DID IT!!

And after 48 hours of us saying that, we feel happier….infact happiest…because …WE REALLY DID IT..!!!

SOCH’08 was indeed a hit, an enormous one and being absolutely frank, 2 months prior to this event, we did not anticipate it...We knew we’d manage to make it happen..but thought we’d just sail through..But eventually we managed to cruise through and that makes each and every individual, who gave in his and her best for SOCH, really very happy and content…Thanks to this event, Life at Loyola seems rocking!! :) :)

***P.S :::

According to me, this fest would surely not have been possible if it wasn’t for that amazing group of juniors…Those juniors who came in and responded so well to what exactly we were expecting from them.

I remember this conversation I had with Ankur, where we spoke about how a lot would depend on the juniors who come in and take up the responsibility.

I think, on behalf of my batch, I can happily say, We are proud of them…

And most importantly, the amazing group that constituted the Street Plays, headed by Mary, was probably the Soul of SOCH'08....they carried off something they had never before...and surprisingly did it with style and panache and dealt with ultra sensitive topics with the utmost ease.....Good Job People...Great going!!

With the success of SOCH’08…we are now seasoned fest organizers..hehe... and SOCH’09 is going to be the biggest ever fest and we are already under way :) :)***

I am the Reason!!!

I am an Indian…An Indian who lives in every nook and corner of India and I’m the reason….the reason for so much neglected devastation.

I term it as neglected devastation because of the chain of reasons that is related to “I”

I am the one who is caught up…caught up in my own life…too busy to recognize my responsibilities towards my society…I am the one cribbing about the lack of taste in my salad every morning…complaining about the condition of our wonderful roads...trying hard to prove that “my life sucks”…

I am also the one busy celebrating the tiniest of my joys with a blast and not really worrying about anything in life….

I am the one renovating my house every month.

I am the one who is busy trying to achieve in life…which according to me ..or at least my teachers can be done only by mugging up the likes of giffens paradox and so many things on the same line.

I am that same one, who is waiting to finish my schooling and fly to an alien land to carry on my journey to achievement.

I am the one who is busy following the stock market and looking for my gains.

I am also the “patriotic” one….going to school on every Aug 15^th and Jan 26^th…pinning in the tri colour on my breast pocket….listening to the monotonous speeches about our freedom struggling…applauding even more monotonously each and every year and waiting to get wafers!!

I am the one who has been leading a very busy life, in every part of India.

But for the past one month, there has been a change in my life

A dastardly event that happened affected me....’me’ in every part of India.

Its aftermath leaves me devastated as well…

Devastated because I lost my loved ones in this horrendous happening..

Devastated because it seems unreal to me…

Devastated because I am really helpless and the fact that such a negative power taking over me is rebelling with my system to sink in and I am fighting it hard!

In this moment of devastation, what all would I do….

I am an Indian and roots of empathy runs in my blood for centuries now.

I watch the series of events unfold on T.V. where news reporters run haphazard to bring out the best coverage of the whole saga.

I would curse the inhuman people who carried it out…

I would even shed tears for the people who lost their lives and their loved ones…

I would also voice my anger against the “system”…

But but but this angered voice comes when something of this enormity just occurred..

Where was I when losers were elected and placed at respectable positions in our country…

Well I probably was caught up in my busy life...shopping for footwear with my girlfriend….

Or I was in my board meeting trying hard to pin down my colleague just for a lil higher moolah…

But I had no voice of anger then…I dint care who owned my country…All I knew was the person sitting in the middle of that round table was my boss and impressing him would mean I could get my new 25 inch LCD TV in my new apartment…

But coming back to my condition post the unfortunate incident, my blood began to boil when further news broke in about the level of destruction to human life..

I silently sob for those who lost their lives…

I pray to the almighty to save the innocent from such horror in the future…

I get back to myself and start cursing the system…

I go on a candle march…to show my solidarity against those who intend to destroy us…

But then I am an Indian which implies I m fickleminded...once the news channels stop airing live coverages, I will go back to my life…of course I will…

Coming back to the original me...this rambling of mine leads to just one difficult thing…responsibility…. responsibility is something that every “I” cannot see…

The best quality that I possess is the blame game…I can blame anyone for anything that happens the way it shouldn’t have…so that’s how my ranting about the system comes along….According to me, since something of this nature has happened, those sitting in the political chairs aren’t efficient....they should be immediately overthrown and new people should fill in…how would that help me and my nation?..well I don’t know…it would depict how we can react to such a situation…

But But I have another habbit…a habbit that exists in sync with every form of me…I will not vote…once I’m into my 18^th year of life..I will celebrate..throw a party...let the world know about it through an Orkut status message…but ..I won’t vote…why should I?...how is that going to help me?..how does it matter who runs our country…as long as I m safe..my family is safe..my job is safe and my incomes are safe…why would I give a damn?...I would continue to eat wafers on Aug 15^th and Jan 26^th and continue to be a hypocrite…a hypocrite by saying I care after all the damage is caused..a hypocrite by participating in online forums titled “war against terrorism”…I am under an assumption that by doing something like that I would make a “change”…

But as ironic as it can get, I AM THE REASON !!!

***P.S :: The tears of the people who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident will never dry up and I pray to GOD to give them the strength to stay composed and not break down…easy for me to type in but I really pray for it..I pray for peace…

I also pray to GOD to enlighten each and every version of “I” existing in India….

But as I go into my prayer I’m pretty sure that “I” will continue to be the same unless something like this happens to us personally…and that is really SAD…

And for those I’s who do not vote they have no right whatsoever to talk about the failing system because ‘I’ am the sole reason for their malfunction…I think its high time I really

Wake up!!!

--Disclaimer: I donot intend to hurt or offend anyone..the above views are solely mine and will continue to be that way!!*****

GoD....WhY??

From Fantasy to frustration…

From toys to tensions…

From sugarcandy to scrutiny…

God…Why did we grow up????

From long sleeping hours to being an insomniac…

From being pampered to being pressurized…

From being put in a cradle, to under the scanner…

God…Why did we grow up????

From being preoccupied to ever existing boredom..

From random doodling to heaps of homework…

From meaningless blabbers to serious seminars..

God…Why did we grow up????

From play school to college…

From A,B,C,D.. to Environmental studies…

From colourful clay to lab apparatus…

God…Why did we grow up???

From small wounds that ripped our knees..

To those within our strained hearts…

From shedding tears to complaining to Mom…

To self pride and big fat ego…

God…Why did we grow up????

From plastic bat-n-ball to net practice…

From baby food to pizzas…

From lullaby to loud music…

God….Good that we grew up!!!