Manipal Trip - 2 (Manipal Part)

Got up and nice and early the next morning too. Didn't want to be late for the bus. Reached there before time too.

Tragedy 2 -

Again tried to sleep in the bus as was kind of Hung-over but realized that it was futile. The road was very bad and was full of twists and turns. A/C and a Volvo bus were not able to help me. Two guys puked on the way.

Way to go!

Stopped once in between for Oota (Food). Had Idli-Sambhar in some restaurant (if it could be called that) . After 4 years in Bangalore and being in such pissed off state I had lost all my desire for good food.

Realized that I had forgotten my 2500 buck tie in Bangalore. It was hanging neatly in the closet where I left it so as not to get crushed.

Reached Mangalore at 6:15. 15 minutes too late it seemed. The next bus for Udupi will leave at 7. Had nothing to do so sat in the bus disgusted and thinking what to do about the tie. The bus left at 7:15. It was one and half hour ride which I spent looking 0utside. Saw Surathkal (of NIT Surathkal fame) was on the way and returned about 5 phone calls explaining why I am not n Manipal despite leaving at 9 in the morning.

Finally reached Udupi and then further Manipal at around 9. A full 12 hours after I had left. Rendezvoused with Anubhav, he was waiting for me outside the hotel

It was Humid as Hell! Thank god the room was A/C. Met the other dude who was with him. He was actually a DUDE. While we were reading the budget and C++ he casually rolled up a joint and smoked away.

Went out to eat and me and Anubhav were both surprised that the roads were nearly deserted and nothing was open here. Although guys boozing standing out of a rather well stocked 'Wine shop' and a couple intimately chatting in the night sitting at a bus stop lifted my spirits a little. And the best thing was 'No cops in sight anywhere' !

The next day was the GD/PI day or 'Hell day' as I will refer it to from now.

I got to sleep in middle of the bed and was worried a little too much so couldn't sleep.

Tragedy 3 -

I got up at 5:30 after sleeping at 1:30 (it would have generally meant me waking up at 5:30 in the eve, rather late by my standards too but this time it was 5:30 in the morning). I was the first to get up and get ready.

There was no hot water so had to take a bath from cold water only. This was one thing I thought I would not be able to do, but I guess 'time teaches you everything'.

Reached TAPMI, registered ourselves and sat for the the boring presentation. Saw a senior of our college there too.

We all 3 had different panels. So we went to our respective rooms for GD. A nice, friendly girl Renuka sat near me (at least she seemed friendly before the GD started). Got talking to her for a few minutes, then the faculty arrived. One lady (hereby referred to as the evil HR lady or EHL), the Snobbish Admission In charge (SAI) and one young idiot (YI).


Tragedy 4 -

The topic was "Are news channel losing their credibility ". We were 17 people in all and the GD started as a fish market. Our friendly Renuka butchered a lot of people's points and silenced many with her shrill voice. Yours truly was largely unfazed though, and tried to make a few good points. Few people were hogging all the Airtime and some people didn't even bother speaking up. The discussion lost steam and went banal in the last few minutes. Some idiot tried to play leader and invited the audience to speak, but they again repeated the points and some people couldn't shut up now too after howling for last 10 mins.

Then we were asked to write the summary of the GD in 10 mins. I wasted a few mins trying to compose the summary in my head, and then got to writing. But time was called before I got to finish it, I could have sworn it wasn't ten mins yet but no one else resisted. And anyways couldn't do anything about it.

Then we got to Extempore. The first guy spoke well. But after that many people fumbled. I was sitting in my chair comfortably criticizing everyone's performance. Then I got my two topics

Nothing is as easy as it looks.

It isn't over till its over.

Though I selected to speak on the 2nd one I was about to feel the former first hand very soon. I started off in style -

"When Thomas Alva Edison tried to invent the light bulb a hundred years back....."

But then fumbled and lost my chain of thought. Did umm, ahem... aaa.... umm.... for around 10 secs, was ready to throw in the towel there and but thought hey "It isn't over till its over". Picked up from there but the damage was done and couldn't conclude it.

We were asked to come after 2 PM. I asked EHL where would our room be but she got mad. Started ranting about how this is not Lucknow's bhool bhulaaiya and all, totally uncalled for. I stated hating the Inst and her then and there.

Went back to the Hotel to find that Anubhhav had the keys and there was no spare key in the hotel. So went off to some place to eat something. Got the keys after sometime and went back to the room. Anubhav came back after sometime and told the interview was very casual, no problem.

But I was soon about to find that won't be the case in my case.

Renuka was the first one to go in and soon returned all smiles and said they just casually talked. I was about to go in she stopped me and asked me to go in smiling. Little did she realize that was the last time I got to smile in that interview.

I was asked t0 explain my extraordinary performance in B.E. and my 4 backlogs. And then all hell broke loose on me. EHL, YI and SAI took turns punching at me. And I got to know what does a Pizza undergoes in the oven while we are waiting for it outside. SAI did one bad thing he started asking me about Automobiles, and soon realized that I was the boss there. But they soon got back to grilling me on my performance in BE and what was I doing in those 4 years in Bangalore. The YI read my SOP and laughed at it, and then I really lost my nerve. I will never get to know that was it a routine 'Stress Interview' or they started grilling me because they thought I was lying or maybe they didn't really like me. But the end result was I got badly grilled and I'm sure I must have made some mistakes due to the stress I was in.

Anyways went out fuming, and warned my panel mates about the grilling I received.

Went back to the Hotel and went out to eat. Was very much bugged already. Though got pleasantly surprised to learn that my Director's interview was today only and I was the last but one candidate.

Went to TAPMI at 6 to realize that the guy from 4 o clock hasn’t got his turn.

Got my turn at 8. I was in only for 2 mins, the Director kept reading from my form and I just got to say 'Yes Sir' to every question.

Was so bugged in the end that I took the first bus out at 9 of this God-Forsaken place without even eating dinner.

Tragedy 5 –

Was feeling a bit relieved after sitting in the bus, thinking that I would be in my beloved Bangalore in the morning. But my miseries were not to end soon. They guy in my next seat puked, and I got to sit beside him in the A/C bus for hours. And if that was not enough the bus broke down in the middle and I had to take a bus to Mysore and then a bus to Bangalore from there. Finally reached Bangalore at 10 in the morning.


No more tragedies from here on. Ate to my heart's content in Razzmatazz. Drank to my body's content in Bush & Bull. Drank some more in Ujwal that night. Had to good chat, though only for 5 mins in the night and dozed off.

Got up early again in the morning next day and was in Kota by night fall. Back to Home food and my own bed and no worries.

I'm loving it!