Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A Friend Named Rohit Mishra...

“I never liked Shah Rukh Khan until I saw the movie Mohabbatein”.

The year 2007. I entered college, placed my baggage, read the book ‘Five Point Someone’. With room-mates Tanmoy and Abhisek Kumar Nirala (Nirala, more preferably), our combination was pretty out of the place. While the two felt it was comfortable to communicate in Hindi, I could not speak the language but very well understood it. Anyways, this article is not about Tanmoy or Nirala (I will write about them later).

This article is dedicated to a guy from Motihari in Bihar. Rohit Kumar Mishra. Ask anybody in college (specially our immediate seniors and juniors) and they will tell you about Baba. That is how his friends called him. But I never called him Baba, because I never understood what qualified him for the name. Yea, I did ask our friends the reason but I was never satisfied with the reason. Our friendship dates back to the very first days of college and we struck an immediate chord. He called me Dada (yes, that’s how Bengalis are called everywhere).

He had a Sony Ericsson mobile with songs from the nineties. There were about half a dozen songs in there that became my favourites. In the first year, we had the English Communication class. He knew little of English in the beginning and he was asked to speak on any topic by our English teacher, Leena Ma’am. He stood up, went forward and proclaimed to the class of forty-five students, “My best friend is Dada”. I was taken aback, pleasantly. What followed was a roar of laughter and a warning from the teacher to refrain from using the word ‘Dada’ and use ‘Samrat’ instead.

He is a man of truth and highly daring. I can bet that nobody (who know him) can deny this. At least this is what I liked most about the guy. Later in the first year, something happened! We used to pull his legs with the name of this girl and then one day he revealed that he was in love with her. I am not going to take her name here. I don’t know if he ever made his feelings known to her or not; later he confided in me and said, “Main use kabhi pyaar nahi kiya, tu log mujhe karwa diya” [I never loved her but you guys instilled it in me]. :) :) :) Well, that’s how things happen in college!

He used to frequently stand up against the bad food that was provided in the Hostel. He was the most daring of the lot and for his bravery he was awarded – he was expelled from the hostel. That’s how the management at DRIEMS is!!! Autocratic! However, he always maintained that Hostel was the best place for him (with the comfort that it offered) and he made it back to the hostel (as my room-mate). He ran from pillar to post and the victory was his. His never-say-die attitude is something that gave him the victory.

Even Leena Ma’am once said, “Rohit, I know you can’t speak the language fairly but you are the only boy that gives his 100% when asked to speak”. Yes, I can guarantee he is now well-versed in the language. Bhojpuri babu, that’s how I would prefer to call him (though I never called him by that name); for he was proud of the Bhojpuri language and culture! Every step of his life from the way he talks to the way he dances show him as our very own Bhojpuri Superstar.

I should be doing a grave injustice to this post if I forget to mention the special relationship that he forged with my room-mate Nirala whom he used to call ‘sharu-bhai’. The reason being Nirala was in love with a girl and both their ‘princesses-in-dream’ were more or less sisters. That is the logic both had to offer. :) :) :) Rohit used to constantly tease Nirala and Nirala used to hit him with whatever he used to get in front of his hands. And Rohit used to shout and ask for forgiveness only to repeat the same thing the very next day. What would I do then? I would laugh rolling on the floor, ROFL! Even the other roomies Dibyendu and Prakash (he was our extended room-mate) would laugh and laugh until Nirala would stop hitting the poor fellow. :) :) :)

How can I ever forget the University strike experience? We had all gathered to postpone the semester exams and then thanks to the ruckus created by some students, the police chased us with batons in their hands. Dibyendu successfully got through to a shop that was pulling down the shutters fearing trouble. Nirala, opened his chappal from his feet, took them in his hands and ran for his life. He was nowhere to be seen in seconds. And then there was poor Rohit. He tried to run hard but could not! I caught his hand and pulled him, shouting “Abe, jaldi chal, bhaag bhaag” [Run, faster].

During semester exams it seemed that Rohit loved books and studies and they seemed to be an inseparable part of his life. And whenever the semester got postponed (which is more of a norm if you are studying at BPUT), he used to pack his books, open his laptop and we would all have a screening of the movie ‘Mohabbatein’ together. This was more of a trademark for this guy. It was after watching this movie that he became a huge fan of SRK. The only guy who had the complete collection of Ramayana and Mahabharata (downloaded from YouTube). That is how he is!

He is one guy who discovered the word ‘coalfield’, the meaning of which if you know is good, else let’s forget it !!!

Memories are forever, putting them in words is as difficult as holding to water in your fist…

Sunday, August 19, 2012

'Don Bosco'

I had already got the call to attend the interview but I was in the washroom giving final touches to myself. I was the only one left! The man in charge of sending us in one by one for the interview called 'Samrat Roy Chowdhuri'.

I got up and proceeded. In the mid-way I was confronted with a well-dressed man. He was in his early sixties, smart and confident. I knew at that very moment that it was the HR and he was going to interview me.

"Are you Samrat Chowdhuri from Don Bosco Bandel?", he asked me.

"Yes", I replied.

"Please come in", he said and guided me to the room where I was to be interviewed.

I went in and took my chair after his permission.

He started, "So you are from Don Bosco?".

I could see the gleam in his eyes and understood that he was happy to interview some one from Don Bosco.

"I have seen many Don Bosco students and you know what, they have scaled heights in life", he continued.

These very words increased my confidence. I was now sure that the job was mine and nobody could snatch it away from me.

The interview continued. It was a pretty informal one and he even asked me about my Principal and Vice-Principal at school.

Cut back to school when I used to stand in the Assembly and Father would tell us, "The name Don Bosco matters a lot. Whenever you say that you are from Don Bosco, the whole perspective changes". Most of us then had laughed his words off!

But on that very day, after my name was announced with the ones that got selected, these very words rang in my ears and it sent a shiver down my spine (it did the same now as I am writing).

Just wanted to share this experience with you all, especially with my Fathers, teachers, friends back at Don Bosco and other Bosconians. Cheers to DON BOSCO !!!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Infosys, Mysore - Food (Part 2)

…Continued from Part 1

Amoeba – Situated near Block 84 and Block 90, Amoeba is the food court thronged by the male trainees mostly. It is in the midst of Boys’ Hostels and a popular food court. It’s more crowded during breakfast and dinner time, and you might not get anything if you hope to be there for dinner after 8:45 PM. The food court is mainly managed by Dilli Darbar and other kiosks include Juice Junction, Dosa Delight, MDP, American Sweet Corn (mini-kiosk). I never had a big inclination for this food court except the Chicken dry and Chicken Kebab whichare really good. The idli and aloo paratha during breakfast are good too.

Maitri – This food court is in between the girls hostels and it is one food court where you get to see long queues at 7:30 PM itself (the official time for start of dinner). I loved the chicken hyderabadi and chicken fry that was served. Also included is a Juice Junction, Aroma Bakery and a soda-lime kiosk. The soda-lime is simply superb. Try out!
There’s a Tandoori Nights held every Friday. To enjoy the Tandoori Night delights you need to be pretty early in order to avoid the queue which at times is really annoying. Priced within 80 bucks, the tandooris are a delight. Also available are the Paneer Tikkas which are mouth-watering. So if you are a vegetarian and want a change for your taste buds be there!

  Vista – This food court is where all your pizzas get delivered from. Most of the time it remains empty and you can always go there to enjoy a pizza with your friends!

Magna – The most crowded food court when it comes to lunch on any working day. Situated in B2 of GEC-2 it is served by two vendors – Pathankot and Madhuram. Pathankot is relatively North Indian and Madhuram specializes in South Indian servings. I personally enjoyed the breakfast that Madhuram offered and Pathankot servings never delighted me. However, you might try out the Chicken Biryani there, it’s good (but no where near to Oasis or Arena). There’s Aroma Bakery, MDP, Dosa Delight, Juice Junction, Dilli Darbar. Dilli Darbar is a small kiosk, however it attracts large number of trainees and it is very famous to those hailing from North India, particularly Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi. The queue at most kiosks are long and frustrating at most times.

ILI Food Zone – Situated behind the Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI) this is one food court where you get Pav Bhaji, it’s quite a craze and if you really want to have one, be there by five in the evening. I also liked the Idli and Upma that it offered during breakfast. Not a fan of this food court, otherwise!

Arena – Another food court that gets crowded during lunch time! Whenever I hear the name of Arena, only one thing comes to my mind, the Chicken Biryani(it's a two-floor food court and you will find chicken biryani being served on the first floor). It is the best in the campus, so you should never miss out on the biriyani served here! I once had a Thali here, but didn’t like it. It also offers north indian and south indian meals. Juice Junction is a good kiosk and you get to buy fruits from here.

Floatel (Floating Restaurant) – Situated behind the Information Centre, this is the one and only place where you get lunch and dinner Buffet at the price of 210 bucks. If you want to treat your friends you can consider this place; however always know the menu for the day before you book. Again, you need to book only when you have more than ten accompanying you, else just inform them! Both veg and non-veg items are available here, however I never liked the veg here. The chicken and mutton preparations are good, however the fish items are awful and I would never suggest you to go there and waste your money and energy for the same! Sweet items are great. Let me warn you, don’t expect heavenly food there, you will be disappointed. Not much to tingle your taste buds, but a good place to have fun and food once in a while!

That’s all from my food experience at Mysore! Do reply and let me know if you liked my write-up and tips. Do share your experience on the food there at the heavenly campus of Infy Mysore.
Happy gorging !


Also read the following blogs on Infosys Mysore Training











Thursday, August 16, 2012

Infosys, Mysore - Food (Part 1)

The most beautiful campus among all at Infosys has 9 food courts and tell you what; you will get the best of everything that you can possibly think of at any company canteen. So let’s take a brief look at each of these Food Courts and let me tell you about what you should not miss at the heavenly campus of Infosys, Mysore. Let me take you from Gate 2 (the entrance).

Fiesta – The two-floor Food Court is a favourite hang out zone for both the trainees and employees. The ground floor mainly deals with South Indian and North Indian meals. I was no fan of the servings. But if you are veg, you might try out the meals. Some of my friends liked it. It has a juice junction and it is the only place in the campus where you get sugar cane juice. Try out and I am sure you will love it. I was more impressed with the first floor servings that had kiosks that include Dominos, Polar Bear, Khasta Khanna, and Idlys. Dominos Pizza is a rage for whoever goes there and don’t forget to tell them that you want your order from Infosys Menu. Khasta Khanna, one of my favourite, provides good Chinese combos which include Chowmien, Chilly Chicken, Chicken Manchurian, Fried Rice, among many others. Polar Bear is more of an ice cream parlour and you should never miss the ‘Death By Chocolate’ ice-cream. It’s the best in the campus and costs less than 140 bucks. Idlys are more about idlis, vadas, sambar, dosas; priced low and tastes good.

Multiplex Food Zone (also known as MFC) – This food court is operational 24X7 to cater to the hunger of employees working late night and also to trainees who prefer studying late at night fearing failure in tests. Dilli Darbar is one vendor that is quite famous and the food is good too. Long queues after movies on Saturday and Sunday night shows are normal. In the evenings, try out Panipuris, Samosa Chats and Dahi Bhallas here. They are good. This is another favourite hang out zones for the folks and you will always find it filled with guys chit-chatting away. Baskin and Robbins is an ice cream kiosk which one should never miss out on. Having ice creams with friends and chatting away, sure you don’t want to miss it. You can also have cakes and samosas from Aroma bakery. If it’s your friend’s birthday and you want to have a cake cutting ceremony, don’t forget to order for a cake here. The other kiosks include Dosa Delight, Juice Junction. You will also find an American Sweet Corn mini-kiosk here.

Oasis (near block 79) – Situated in the midst of Boys’ and Girls’ hostels, this ranks No.1 in my list. The simple reason is it’s more of a Bengali food court. So if you are a Bengali, missing Kolkata or home-made foods, make it your den. For others, it is one place where you get practically everything. It’s a one stop place for all your stomach-needs. It is a two floor Food Court and in the ground floor you can have meals, veg, non-veg combos (both North Indian and South Indian). Don’t miss the Chicken Biriyani here! Other kiosks include CafĂ© Coffee Day, Aroma Bakery. There used to be a sugar cane juice centre here but it’s no more functional now. There’s a Convenio Store also where you get everything (food) from breads to biscuits, Cadburys to ice creams. So, if you have a girl friend, beware (joking)!!! Moving on to the first floor; there’s a kiosk that provide only combos and it gets crowded after 8:30 in the evening. It attracts large crowd because the food is not spicy. There’s a Juice Junction where you can have fruit salads, sandwiches, juices, milkshakes with ice-creams. There’s Fusion Bistro that you will admire if you are a fan of Chinese Food. Try out the Chicken 65 here, at times the preparation is just awesome. This is the perfect place where you can celebrate your friends’ birthdays at the dead of night!!! Channa Bhatura is available on both the floors. That’s all for now. Join me in the second part for more on food at the Mysore campus.


Also read the following blogs on Infosys Mysore Training

Infosys Mysore Training Experience – Day Zero

10 Things To Do At Infosys Mysore

Infosys Mysore Training Experience In A Nutshell

Infosys Mysore Food - Part 1