3 Days at the IIT Madras

For small and medium  companies like MeraSport, it makes sense to network as much as possible, within the right communities. What better occasion, then, than one of the most important alumni-gatherings for the IITs - the Pan-IIT Global Conference!

Thankfully, this time it was held in IIT Madras (still don't know whether they call it IIT Chennai). The Inter-IIT was held the weekend before, and how much I regret missing it (especially since IIT Bombay won both the boys and the girls GC)! When I went to the gorgeous campus for the Pan-IIT confy, I made-up for 1% of that missed opportunity by visiting one of my meccas - the IIT Madras Volley Ground - where we once thrashed the maddus to win our volley gold (in my 4 'away' inter-iits - Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi - we have always screwed the home team in the volley finale, except for 2002, when we lost to the home team - Delhi - in the finals. Why that happened is a story in itself)!!

Amidst the hanging foliage (they don't ever cut the branches, it seems) and the variety of species (deers were in abundance, and seem to have gotten used to the human crowd - they were roaming around as freely), was the nostalgic setting crowded by 3000 IITians, all talking in the lingo that only IITians can speak fluently. Then, there were some celebrities who spoke well. 

The trouble was, not many of my batchmates were around - probably not even one. Probably 50% of them are giving all they can to the US Society, while the others would have found Chennai pretty much out of reach. It would have been much more spicier had some more familar faces popped up now and then. However, I did get to meet Parshu (H6, 3-4 yrs junior to me), and Kapil Tyagi (H2, apna pyaara bachcha)! Of course, I piled on in OP's home, so that was a bonus. Then, some Guwahati guys claimed to remember the name, "Topi" from the Kharagpur Inter-IIT, but could not associate my face to it yet ... it was good-feel nonetheless.

Amongst the celebrities were Vijay Amritraj, Anil Kumble, Vishwanathan Anand, Rajiv Menon (the great cinematographer), Amartya Sen, Orkut Büyükkökten, and Hema Malini. Here's some funny stuff involving them:

Vijay Amritraj was moderating a PD involving Kumble and 4 others. He introduced the other 4, and moved on to the PD. When reminded about AK's intro, all he could say was, "Now! You want me to introduce Anil Kumble to you?!"

Vishy Anand was with his wife, who was introduced as a chess fanatic herself - but of a different kind. The narrator/announcer said, "While Vishy plays chess, her wife enacts it in her family: the King is fixed, and the Queen has all the powers!!" Pretty-Witty.

Rajiv Menon was asked, "You didn't try to become an actor?" ... to which he replied, "Well! I was always a bad student - and never obedient. I liked to give orders, hence, cinematography came naturally, acting didn't!" Rajiv Menon's humilty reminded me of A. R. Rahman (and they are good friends in life).

Hema Malini started her talk with a simple comment which earned the maximum applause: "It's good to be amongst intellectuals ... for a change!" I was never a fan of the on-screen HM, but when I observed her, I was an instant fan. There was nothing artificial about her, no airs, no sweet-talk, no efforts to look graceful, no embelishments to look out-of-the-box, just nothing gaudy! Probably the most naiive woman I may have seen (you can guess how smitten-kitten I am)!

For once, I liked a trip to Chennai. The city sucks so much that I hated the Inter-IIT of 99, and another visit which I had made this October. Infact, apart from the Pan-IIT and the stay at OP's, everything else was still awful. 

Apna contingent for Inter-IIT bagged 97.75 points, 0.25 points short of the record that we set in 98! So, that was something pleasing (yes, I want that record to sustain - that's what the kid in me wants).

The more rocking story, however, was that this was the 1st ever time that some 'away' contingent had won the GC at Madras; and also the first ever time that the boys and the girls GC were won together.

I had my conversations with Appaji Sir and Edwin Sir, and seems that the entire group is celebrating and pretty kicked about it! Why not! I, sitting miles away, can feel it myself! I was disappointed, though, to observe that the bachchas managed some 7 points in marchpast. Violating all the rules of the marchpast has been the hallmark of the IITB contingent. When our 2001-contingent lost the KGP Inter-IIT by 2 points, never did once we regret our 0 points in the marchpast. Marchpast excellence was reserved for boring contingents like Guwahati, Madras, and off-late, Roorkee. 

Hopefully the guys sang "Lova Lova" loud enough ...