And the Spirit carries on......

"Catastrophes make history. In the past 4 years Kharagpur has provided diverse tastes of making (and breaking) history ranging from bitter to sweet, to downright unpalatable. My present reflection, however, is all about yesterday.

We in Kgp have our own self -confessed Woodstock once a year, in the form of two events which are effectively the necessary stepping stones to a successful career (yes, it is almost a career) in a highly coveted performing art.. MUSIC. These events are somehow very indiscreetly named Eastern and Western Groups [hmmm, why not rings, cliques and fields] and during the past years have led to decisive turning points in the biggest competition of them all. The GC: General Championship. Seven teams of music gods and not-god-yets battle out relentlessly for two days trying to snatch those noble championship points. Lateral efforts are not spared too, as fancy lighting, excessive dramatization, showmanship, and poltu are used to complete effect. It is the most sacred stage a KGPian can play on.Period.

Now for the real thing. The last paragraph is a complete farce. Our attempts at understanding the sheer complexity (and lunacy) of a GC tussle falls miles short of target."

You'll notice that the above piece of text is in Quotes +italics. That's because I wrote it sometime back, when we couldn't finish in the top three in Inter Hall Eastern Groups a few days ago [Makes, sense. There is irony in the above]. It was a performance with a lot of heart, but with help from a couple of power failures and some rules pushed too far, we couldn't make a spot in the top three.

A lot has happened since then. We secured a Bronze in Inter Hall Western Groups today. This is also our third straight bronze in this event. Wow! 10 days worth of hard practice and I should be really happy about it..... But somehow, I read the quoted text again ( I had planned to post it sometime but never got it completed) and it seemed more apt than ever.

As far as I am concerned, I don't give a tinker's cuss about the GC. And I can say this because today I am not in a position that makes me vulnerable by saying that [this is an obvious reference to many dudes who are on the prowl these days for funda]. Trying to win the soc-cult GC is like throwing eggs into a dark room. Find the couch and your egg will survive. Find the concrete and it is over for good.

Find a qualified judge and you get what you deserve. Find a noob...and OUCH!

It is the blatant nonlinearity in the entire process of acquiring points in the GC that is so scary. Which reminds me of Stewie Griffin:
"You know Lois, our life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get....
YOUR life however, is a box of active grenades."


But, as the title says, the spirit carries on.. [which by the way is a very good song :)]

So we still toil and moil for..don't know what. I guess it is pleasure, the charm of performing together, the bonding that keeps up going. But there's not a lot besides that. The GC is a tool in the hands of people most of whom could not become particularly good at anything worth mentioning [of course forming the minority are the few who became good at everything, and I really respect them]. So this majority take it upon themselves to ensure everything else goes well. But I cannot blame them. That's their job. This is mine. In the end we are all going to be separated anyways. Who's gonna remember the GC?

Pick up a skill. Be a good leader. Excel in your muggai. Be a good sportsman. It's all in the game, as long as you do it for yourself...because your self is the only thing you'll carry out of this campus.

And I am sure the GC will take care of itself.