STRONGER

When the world needed me,
I stood strong,
But today, I am falling apart,
And the world moves on.

They tell time heals everything,
but, the time has stopped it seems,
Smile was the most attractive curve on me,
Now, I sob even in my dreams.

When I try to collect the broken pieces of my heart,
I die in sorrow and loneliness.
They say, forget it and live,
But, I am still drowned in forlornness.

That dependence, that affection,
That promise of a lifetime togetherness,
Blocks me where I was with you,
With our silence and bliss of solitariness.

I feel like I am being ruined,
And for me it’s like slow poisoning,
I need you in my life,
But, day by day your hatred is blossoming.

You said, dream more,
Being happy is nice!
Seems like lying to myself,
Forgetting all your lies.

And I don’t dare to dream anymore,
All past dreams shattered like glass,
When the heart breaks repeatedly,
I can’t fix it, although your time seems to pass.

The emptiness you left for me for being a living corpse,
There is no more reason to smile any longer,
For me the lifetime seems to have shorten,
Without you, I walk alone, apparently even STRONGER!

--Srijani Mukherjee

Kho Naa Jaye Yeh Taare Zameen Par

I don’t know at what age I started feeling every bit of emotion on my own, but, from the very first moment of my life, I have felt someone’s abysmal love for me. She is my elder sister ‘Bhaiya’. I started ambling and talking at the age of months. You will be surprised to know that it was just two months after she had started. I learnt fast, she was a bit slow. But, I have never left her alone and till this day she always finds me by her side.

She is a cerebral palsy patient by birth. I have heard from my parents that, as a new born, she was very bubbly, but only when she was months old did my parents understand but she was not capable of talking, standing or even sitting. At that age, it was quite aberrant. After some medical tests, they came to know that their first child was a cerebral palsy patient. There was no looking back, no abdication. They took her to various specialists for her treatment. This attempt did not go abortive. It was the result of God’s blessings and their determination, Bhaiya kept improving. Each day was a challenge to them. From physiotherapy to speech therapy, everything was carried out with her. As a result, she is now 80% cured.

In this struggle of Ma and Baba, a new member came into their family. I was born when she was 5 years old. The nurse delivered the newborn into two unknown arms. I could not feel the love then, which made that person hold me tightly in her arms, although she herself had trembling legs. My Bhaiya touched me, kissed me, and found a new world around me. She started dreaming of a brighter world which includes this new member of her family, her sister ‘Bube’. She took care of that baby more than a mother, supported her more than a friend and loved her more than a lover. I could not realize when we became the biggest support for each other. My stupid stories used to start with her blank look, and ended with her innocent smile. She tried to imitate me in many ways that made her start murmuring one or two words.  From that time onwards she dreamt of achieving her goals with me by her side. 

Baba and Ma were happy to see us loving each other so much. In many families, they have seen siblings fighting with each other, one neglecting the other. But, our bonding was different and it was too strong to break. Now, she is more than a friend. She knows about every book, every copy of my desk. She is so aware of my studies that her interest makes me show my report card to her before showing it to my parents.

After passing the 2^nd standard she was admitted to a normal school to have better communication skill. Unfortunately our country does not provide an education system that can be conducive to this type of children. She struggled a lot, passed every standard till class 10. After that, she gave up, thanks to our education system. It has never helped such children to get promoted with a lower percentage. She learnt painting and now she is having training in a beauty clinic named ‘Shakambhari’.

In our society, most people are sympathetic, but these children don’t need sympathy. Yes, from my experience, I am saying that, they need support and love from every one. Negligence gives birth to inferiority complex in them, and this stops their progress. It is very disappointing that, still in this 21^stcentury, they are treated so badly that they forget to believe in themselves. Not as a sister, but as a human being, I request the society- please do not neglect them; instead try to encourage them to move on so that, breaking all the barriers, they can be brought into the main stream of the society. Like normal children, they also deserve a better chance to grow and look at the future. So, please provide them a supportive society and let their hopes shine.

Contributed by 

Srijani Mukherjee

The Good life begins with gratitude!

Fewer things in life make you ponder over more than a good movie. Well, writing a movie review is not my forte but some movies are so compelling that no matter how unemotional or how controlled a person you are, they make you sit upright and think! That’s what happened when I saw the movie “The good lie”. It is based on true incidents depicting the after effects of war on Sudan and how the people who get left behind as survivors have to wage a constant war to keep surviving.

For most of us, who have been born and brought up in the security and comfort of a home and parents it gets difficult to imagine a world where there is no certainty of survival. A world where you do not know if you would wake up awake or perish in your sleep, a world where all you think of is how do I dodge this bullet to live? That is the kind of world that exists parallel to our world. The movie revolves around the fate of a small group of young kids left homeless and orphaned by the war. These kids survive amidst deaths of their family and friends. They are determined to live even if it means compromises like swallowing your own urine to survive. Yes, makes you nauseous even in thought. But that is the reality for many around the world. That is the kind of nightmarish life they lead.

Despite all odds, these kids nurture dreams to be educated, dreams to live normally among the millions of other people. The right to be educated, the right to eat good food, the right to sleep peacefully, these are the things bestowed to all of us yet appreciated by how many?

We curse the bus when it is late by a minute, we curse the education system when we are burdened with assignments, and we curse our room mates who do not get along with us for making our lives miserable! What happens when you compare these miseries to the ones that actually matter? Imagine the variance in the magnitudes and realize how blessed a life you live!

If your day does not start with the thought “Will I live today?” appreciate the life you are leading. Many would die to be in your place. Every time you throw left over food in the dustbin, think of someone who could use it to curb his hunger. Every time you raise your voice to complain, sit and think of the parallel world. The world is beautiful and if you have a chance to be a part of it, be a beautiful and happy part that the world is happy to have!

Cheers

Divya

Learning From Houston!

Life takes a completely new route once you leave India and come to Houston. Same old lines and same clichés to begin with! So what do I begin with? Well, I will begin with two things about Houston that fascinated me the most.

Like every student living off campus I too take the Metro everyday to reach college. In my initial days here I was shocked one day to see a female bus driver! Yes, the Indian in me is not used to such sights!  And I was filled with fascination at first and later on with admiration. We proclaim girls are catching up in every field but what is the reality? How many of us have seen female traffic inspectors or bus drivers or for that matter female police inspectors in India?  Very few may be. Frankly, I had not seen any. Agreed that these numbers are increasing in India too but it’s a long journey as of now. So for the beginning, I raise a salute to all the minority of women in India who are coming forward to take the less travelled routes! You go girls!

Another heart warming incident that shook the Indian in me happened yesterday. At one stop in the journey to college in the bus, the driver stopped the bus at a stop. All of a sudden, he got up from his seat, lowered the floor of the bus and helped a person with disability to embark on the bus. He fastened a belt with the man’s wheel chair and asked him if he was comfortable. After making sure that he had done his job satisfactorily he started driving again. Well, sensitivity towards people with disabilities is one area that our country needs a lot to do about. Here, we find separate reserved parking spaces, special accommodations in even the washroom made for people with special needs. That gesture speaks volumes about the sensitivity level of the community. This is one change for which I would like to work once I go back to our country. Even if on a small level we can show that persons different from us are also part of us, that would truly be a service to the great nation we come from. 

Signing off till the next time I write!

Cheers

Divya 

Houston!!Your second home :)

Houston!!Your second home.

 

Before I actually start writing this, I want to give a heads up on a few words which are said in a different way here.

 

INDIA                                USA

 

Petrol                                 Gas

Trash Can                          Dustbin

Toilet                                  Restroom

Lift                                      Elevator

Bill                                      Check

Shop                                   Store

Spectacles                          Glasses

Tire Puncture                       Flat Tire

Pin Code                             Zip code

Tissue                                 Napkin

 

 

The temperature today is currently 96F, 4F short of 100. Pretty soon it will reach 100. Houston is very hot during summer and I do not like the winters here. It rains, is windy and is too cold during winters. For some one who gratifies going deep into the blanket and putting on layers of clothes, just wait for January!  :D

 

And at times it gets unpredictable. Sunny in the morning, rains like cats and dogs in the afternoon and is cold during the night.

Welcome to Houston :D

 

Our campus is located at the eastern side of Houston. Lot of options to commute

 The campus is not an architecture marvel but has everything you need. I am not going to say anything much about it,I will let you to explore it.

The best thing about Houston is that, you will find a lot of Indians and get quickly accustomed to the place and the people.

 

You get all types of Indian grocery, a 4 packet Maggie is 1.79$, Easiest thing to cook :D . I am not really good with numbers but there must be around 50 Indian restaurants in and around Houston:D

 

Be it Diwali , Holi or any other Indian Festival it is celebrated here. Temples are there; ISCKON opened recently.

 

Delhi, Bombay, Hyderabad or Houston Cricket follows us. We might not have a cricket ground but there is a small court in Holly hall where we play. They even host league matches and is real fun. I played last year and enjoyed it thoroughly :)

 

Seniors will help you in initial stages with your groceries and other stuffs. These are some of the important things which I think you might require when you move in to your apartments,

 

Microwave

A Table

Few Chairs

Comforters\Bed

Iron box

A wifi connection

 

There a few others things , I am don't remember it at the moment.

 

Be it SRK, Mahesh Babu, Dhanush every one's movie is played in theaters here. Tickets cost around 8-12$ :D

 

Houston has been great to me. It has given me a lot of good friends and experiences. I for sure can tell you that it will be a home away from home for you guys also.

PS: Pack your bags, get on the flight. Do not worry much :)

 

       Be on the lookout, you might get a free red Tshirt every month :)

- Karthik Thiyagarajan :)

Maitri 2011 Teaser Video

You don't want to miss it :)

It's going to be LEGEN....wait for it....DARY

Maitri 2011 is here - the countdown has begun :D . You have no business not going there :)

See you on April 9th, at 5:30 pm at the Cullen Performance Hall at University of Houston. You don't want to miss out on the fun - and well of course, there's gonna be food ;)

For tickets, visit http://www.tickets2events.com/maitri2011.asp

See you there

GISO

Are you doing what you really want to do in life??

The other day, as I was just lazing around in my house, I just wondered, ‘If I had all the money in the world, what is it that I would truly want to do with my life?’To my horror, I did not have an answer. Then I tried, ‘What is it that would give me real happiness and satisfaction in my life?’ Again, no answer.
Then, I thought of trying this on others, just to figure out if it’s just me. I made a quick phone call to my friend back in India and asked her the same question. She replied ‘ummmm, good question. Let me think about it and call you back.’ She never called back with an answer.
 I asked another friend. She went like ‘I really want to do something with my dancing. It’s my passion.’ I said to her ‘then why don’t you? I’ve seen you dancing. You’re awesome at it’. She replied ‘arre, nahi yaar. Dancing mein kuch future, kuch paisa nahi hai!! (no buddy, there’s no future, no money in the dancing).’ 
Another friend replied ‘I love photography, but I’m not a professional and I’m not very good either.’
This really got me thinking.
In my opinion, the reason for the unhappiness, the frustration and all the chaos around us is twofold-
1. We do not know what will lead us to happiness
2.  We do not have the courage to pursue our dreams
Let’s look at them.
Steve jobs once said ‘You’ve got to find what you love.’
This is one of the greatest guiding principles ever. If we do not know what we enjoy doing, what gives us satisfaction or what is it that we want to do with our lives, how on earth are we going to be happy?
Try this exercise. Take a blank sheet of paper. On the front, pen down 10 things that you enjoy doing. It could range from poetry to algebra, from dancing to dissection or from social work to statistics.
Next, work by elimination. Cancel out things that are not as important as the others. Eventually the last one left is something that you truly enjoy doing, Take it up. Pursue it. It’ll take you places.
There may obstacles. Truckloads of them. Your passion may not fetch you enough money, may not sound ambitious to your friends and peers, may not go down well with your family. But, if you’re doing something that you really have your heart and soul in, trust me, you’ll be highly successful in the long run. For instance, if you take up gardening as your career, do not think, ‘what will others think of me? Will they think I’m a loser who has no ambition?’ It is not important what they think. They are not the ones who will live with it for the rest of their lives. It’s important how it makes you feel.
There may be failures in your way. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. You've got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
Think about it.
Ruchika Agrawal
Editor – Dautya (GISO)

The law of seeds

Have you ever had a close look at an apple tree? There might be around five hundred apples on the tree and each apple has ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds!
One might wonder, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"
Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us:  “Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow”.
So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."
This might mean:You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seeds", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.
Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.
Successful people might be the ones who fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
-You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
-You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
-Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry!
-Because that's what miserable people do!

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
-Friends SHOULD return favors.
-People SHOULD appreciate you.
-Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
-Everyone SHOULD be honest.
-Your best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy:
Demand less, and instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I would prefer this, but if that happens, it’s OK too!" This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind. You prefer that people are polite.. but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day. You prefer sunshine.. but if it rains, it is ok too! 

To become happier, we either need to:
a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A Nutshell It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your expectations and attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.
It's not what happens to you that determines your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you that brings you peace of mind!
Think about it!

Ruchika
Editor - Dautya
Graduate Indian Student Organization

Inception for Dummies!

Christopher Nolan has done it again...after a string of hits, he’s come up with another fist thumping block-buster movie.


Made on the scale of his previous movie “The Dark Knight”, “Inception” has been shot in 8 cities dotting the globe from Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris and even relatively unheard Kenya’s second largest city Mombasa. The movie might not have an as taut and gripping plot as the director’s other movie “Momento” but it has his signature style storytelling that makes you jostle your brains to predict the next move or scene.

The plot is simple. You ask a “dream stealer” to reverse his act. Instead of stealing gold nuggets from a bank vault, you pay the thief to plant counterfeit money into the vault. Only here the vault is a person’s mind and the fake gold is a dream – an idea, an idea that is external to a person’s mind and an idea that could prove to be self destructive to the person in question!

Hmmm... The best way to enjoy a movie is to immerse yourself into it completely for two hours and imagine that you are the movie’s protagonist – the “hero”. In our case the lead actor is Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Cobb the dream stealer. Leo’s team, in other words, my team, comprises of Autur – my man friday, Ariadne – the young and Brilliant “dreams landscape” architect , Saito – the money monger , Eames – the impersonator and Yusuf - the chemist. Ellen Page plays Ariadne while Marion Cotillad plays Mal, a “projection” of Leo’s wife in the dream world.

Ellen’s job as an architect, is not easy. Designing landscapes in the “dream world” residing inside a person’s head involves architecting places that donot follow the laws of physics. Entire cities can fold over themselves as shown in the poster, with no calamities occurring what-so-ever. Staircases could be made to appear infinite in the dream world with the staircase neither having a beginning nor an ending.

However, “Time” does follow the constraints of physics though. Dreaming within a dream could prove to be a great time stretching act. It follows the pattern of an inverted pyramid where in five minutes of reality could seem to be a 10 hours long drive for the dreamer in the first “level” of the dream world. And if the dreamer begins to further dream within his dream, his 10 hr long dream in level one could stretch out to be six years in his higher dream level, level two. In short a person who thinks he is “living” a span of 50 yrs in his dream world level five could only be in the state of deep ( err, very deep in our case) sleep in the real world for about 5 minutes.

Uh I got distracted by the director’s slightly skewed logic …we were talking about the movie characters right? Characters! Speaking of characters, Ellen the architect is supposedly better than Leo himself according to Leo’s mentor. She proves this to the audience at a later stage.

As for my dear Marion Cotillad, who played such a lively character in “Jeux d'enfants” , she is reduced to a mere sleep walking demented character who cannot differentiate between the dream world and the real world. This is even more dangerous considering that in a dream , if you try to kill yourself , the worst that could happen is that you wake up – not so in reality!

Now consider the task on my hand – oops , the hero’s hand. I need to traverse from one dream level to the next higher dream level of certain person’s mind, and be able to come out of it by falling through each level.Failing at any stage would imply that the person would enter the state of “limbo” – a state similar to which my wife Marion Cotillad is in … ( Marion – my wife – ah – this dream feels so good! )

Ken is the character who wants to implant a self destructive dream/idea into his competitor business tycoon’s son’s head. He goes to great lengths to do so. As the quote goes:


Cobb: For this to work, we'd have to buy off the pilots...
Arthur: And we'd have to buy off the flight attendants...
Saito: I bought the airline.
[Everybody turns and stares at him. Saito just shrugs]
Saito: It seemed neater.

And another crucial member of the team is Eames – the forgery expert. Watch out for hilarious consequences as he sets out to impersonate characters inside someone else’s dream!

In all this madness of mine, I have my dear totem to hold on to ( see pic ) – which deserves the spot of a movie character in itself. If the totem spins wobbles and falls, I am in the real world .However, if it continues to spin endlessly, I am – you guessed it right – in a dream world.

Then there is the dangerous incursion into your memory areas while designing a dream. Watch the movie to know why the collision of memory area and the dream world could lead to disastrous results. The movie plot is exciting in the sense that you are in someone else’s mind and anything that you could possibly think could go wrong might go wrong! So what happens when a person in the 2nd dream level is interacting with a person in his 3rd dream level? In other words, how would it feel to interact with a same age friend who appears 50 yrs older to you in the dream world? How do you know whose dream are you in? As Ellen Page says at one point “is it his dream or her dream world that we are entering?” ( or something similar to that effect )

How do you make a person “fall down” and inturn wake him up from inside a dream if you cannot rely on non-existent gravity of the dream world?( to dimwits who watched the movie and can’t follow what I am saying - I am referring to the “lift” scene in the movie)

The highlights of the movie include the quick and quite convincingly logical transitioning from one dream level to another; the parallels drawn between a person’s real world and a dream word wherein water splashing on the lead actor’s face in the real world percolates to heavy rain in the dream world; liberal doses of CGI graphics blending seamlessly with real world locations and last but not the least, a well budgeted cinematography.

The part that I didn’t follow was how even after the billionaire’s son dies in the third dream level, he could continue on to accomplishing his mission. Ellen page explains this but apparently she and her thinking is beyond my league. The second half of the movie set in snow capped mountains turns out to be quite a drag at times.

Supposedly even a few of the movie actors didn’t understand the plot .However, pay close attention to the beginning and end of the movie. For, as in “Memento”, this movie’s end too is a jigsaw puzzle solution. It leaves your mind still tethered to your theater seat, even after you walk out of the movie hall.

Inception, the movie – one would either like it or hate it. I loved it! ( I played the lead character remember? )

-Sandeep Belure

Barish ki Boondein......

बादलों में निकलो, घटाओं में नहाकर तो देखो..
दोस्तों, ज़िन्दगी क्या है छतरी हटाकर तो देखो!

[Walk under the clouds, drench in the rain..
throw away your umbrella, feel the life!]

-Ravi Goyal

San Antonio Trip!

I had an amazing time with my friends on July 4 - The American Independence Day!! We were a group of 6 people and after lots of fancy plans, we decided to go to San Antonio!! A dream vacation spot with the most picturesque Riverwalk I have ever seen.

We arrived in San Antonio at 11am and the whole city was festive and colorful. I instantly fell in love with that place. It had the old European architecture with street lamps from Harry Potter movies and baskets of flowers hanging on each lamp post. Flowers blooming everywhere, narrow roads with lots of people walking on the streets in colorful summer dresses, buggy rides with flower decorated carriages, lush green trees and a cool breeze made this place a treat for the eyes & soul. The weather was perfect too for this wonderful day!

We headed first for the Alamo fort which is significant in the battle of Independence for Texas. It was in the middle of a park with a wishing fountain and a band playing patriotic music. There were people who were dressed as soldiers from the 19th century when the war took place. They made us sit on benches there and narrated the story of the Battle of Alamo. We next went to the museum which contained the weapons (bowie knife, rifles, pistols, cannon balls etc) used in the battle. The museum itself was in the fort, so it had raw granite walls and flooring. The striking part was that the list of the names of all the soldiers who participated in the battle was put up there.

We walked to the Riverwalk at 1pm and on the way, we saw the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium with all kinds of weird stuff and the Magic Mirror on the street which made u look like Johny Bravo - big body n short legs..hehe.. 

 

 

Atlast, The RIVERWALK!! yippiee..it was beautiful like Venice and a perfectly romantic place. The river flowed slowly in the middle with lots of restaurants, small stores and colorful umbrellas adorning the sides, arched stone bridges to cross sides, tall green trees, sunlight peeking through the leaves, colorful flowers on the sides, playful ducks in the river, small boats taking people on tours... oooooo.. so so perfect!

We clicked lots of photos and walked around a bit absorbing the beauty of the place. Soon we were hungry, ravishingly hunggry!!. So we headed to a Mexican restaurant and had a hearty meal of enchiladas, quesidilas etc. I loved the ambiance which was totally Mexican with the ceiling decorated with pinatas and paper lanterns. 

After the heavy meal, we hurried up to see the Tower of Americas, a 750ft tall tower with an observation deck at the top from where you can see the whole city. We reached the tower, which had lots of water falls and fountains at the entrance. So we had a photo shoot again. We finally entered the tower and an elevator with glass on one side took us to the top. There was a restaurant at the top and the observation deck was beyond that. Gosh! It was open from the sides after a 6ft tall glass covering. The city was beautiful from the top. It was very windy at the top but it was not scary because we couldn’t see vertically down. We came down from the observation deck and watched a 4D movie about Texas and its attractions. It  was superb. There was a scene of a snake coming near our faces and spitting on us with real water sprayed on us. Then it disappeared from the screen and we could feel something moving near our legs and we screamed.

 

We headed back home after this short & sweet trip. The drive was exotic, as if we had come in the middle of a forest. Tall pine tree forests on both sides of the road with patches of vast green grasslands and ranches, horses and cows grazing peacefully in the setting evening sun reminded us of the beauty of the simple village life. I dozed off in the back seat dreaming about this wonderful day spent with my buddies!!

-Rajatha

Things to do in Glorious Summer!

Summer is here!! Yippiieee!! The heat and humidity ensures that you stay indoors for the entire day and venture out in the evenings. Lazy laid back days can hamper your thinking process & creativity and by the end of summer you will be one dumb bloke.

So kick-start your systems and have an active, productive summer.

1. Join a class -
Not the boring academic classes which is the only thing which pops up in a graduate student's mind. I'm talking about dance, music, aerobics or even workshops like Skillport for software classes (Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc.)
Look out for free classes, there are plenty offered on campus and in apartment complexes.

2. Become healthy -
Get a nice trendy dress for yourself and begin working out at the gym for the sake of looking great in that dress. This will provide a nice motivation specially for girls. The guys can hang out with their buddies and play a sport - tennis, football, cricket, swimming (please ask the girls to join too!!).
After sweating it out, make sure that you also eat healthy. Eat a colorful dinner - a portion of rice or roti, a generous helping of daal, sambar, curry or lentils, an egg or omelet, a bowl full of fresh fruits & veggies (grapes, strawberries, apples, oranges, baby carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce etc) topped with yogurt (add sum sugar for a delightful fruit dessert).

3. Be Creative -
A typical trait of Indians is shyness to experiment. But since we are living in America, shed your inhibitions and get creative. Go Stylish with your clothes, wear bright cool colors and mix & match them, try on new accessories!! Get a brand new hairstyle and let friends figure out who you are! (LOL)
Coming to food, try out exotic dishes - Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Chinese - Houston offers world cuisine at an affordable price. Better still, try cooking them at home and involve your roommates. Its time to bond!

4. Attend parks and theaters -
There are plenty of parks across Houston - I would recommend Hermann park on any evening. It has a calming effect on you specially at the lake side. The Miller theater at Hermann park hosts lots of musical & dance shows for free during weekends (http://milleroutdoortheater.com/default.asp?id=1). Spend an evening there with close friends or a special person.

5. Visit Museums & Zoo -
Houston boasts of the Museum district which houses museums for every taste - Science, Arts, History etc. The Natural Science Museum has a free entry on Tuesdays from 2-8pm. (http://www.hmns.org/). It is truly marvelous with holographic displays and touchscreens for each exhibit. You will be fascinated by the wealth of knowledge you will accumulate about the world around you.
The Houston Zoo (http://www.houstonzoo.org/) offers to bring you close to a wide variety of Animals (rare ones like Red Panda too) in their natural habitat. And the Asian Elephant Shanthi recently gave birth to a playful little Baby Baylor. Check out the video here http://www.houstonzoo.org/baby-elephant-baylor/. If you are an animal lover like me, you will absolutely fall in love with this place.

6. Go Adventurous -
American culture involves a lot of outdoor activities. Camping or Hiking in the picturesque northern states will give you a respite from the heat and give you some quality time to explore Nature and enjoy with your buddies.

7. Plan your weekends -
Tired of working the whole week and wasting your weekend thinking what you can do?? Devote a small time before going to sleep during weekdays to plan for the weekend. This will also ensure you have nice dreams and keep you energetic for the next morning too.

8. Do Community Service -
Helping others brings in a sense of joy & satisfaction. Get some blessings by helping people. Search for children homes, old age homes or even cuddle up with the Abandoned pets.

9. Discover the City -
There are many nooks & corners in the city which you can visit. Try catching a bus which you have never boarded before and explore the places where it goes. Here are some free things to do in Houston - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1966360/25_free_things_to_do_in_houston_texas.html?cat=16

10. Develop your personality -
Okay this is a tough one!! To get out of the geeky, boring personality and becoming a charming, attractive person is not a overnight journey. It takes determination, efforts and a constant urge to sculpt yourself into a better person. Find a person you always wanted to be and try to integrate your personality with some of theirs. This blend will bring out a new flavor in you. Goodluck with that journey!

Hope you guys have an action-packed summer. If nothing works for you, don't worry, have a yummy cup of chocolate ice-cream topped with nuts and caramel sauce and Chill Out!!

-Rajatha

Yummmy Peanut Chutney

Perfect with Dosa, Idly or simply Licking it off from the bowl!!! This is a 5min mouth-watering Andhra recipe and you will end up wanting more and more! (Thanks to my roommate Tripura for this delicious receipe)

Ingredients
1/2 cup of Peanuts
3-4 Dry red chillies
2 Teaspoon of Tamarind paste
A pinch of Salt and Sugar
1 teaspoon oil
A pinch of Mustard seeds & Jeera

(All ingredients are readily available in Hillcroft grocery stores)

Method
Dry roast the peanuts and red chillies (5-8min) until the skin of the peanuts turn dark brown. Allow it to cool down a bit. Remove the dry skin of the peanuts by rubbing them with your hands. Now you have white peanuts and dry red chillies.

Put them in the mixer and grind. To this powder, add the tamarind paste, salt & sugar. Grind again until it forms a smooth paste. Add some water if it is too thick.

Pour out the paste in a bowl. Heat oil in a small bowl and add mustard and jeera seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, pour it onto the paste. The Chutney is ready!!

Ready-to-pour dosa batter is available at Hillcroft. Invite your friends for a round of dosa & chutney and receive their compliments. Enjoy your summer with some native cooking and spruce up your creativity.

-Rajatha

Graduation!

There is something very surreal about graduation - one day you are a student at the University and the next day you step out into the big corporate world. People tend to believe they will stay the same but this one day changes a lot of lives.

This year, I attended the Graduation Ceremony for my friends and trust me, it is one of the finest ceremonies I have attended. The stadium which housed the event was elegantly decorated and the moment you enter the hall, a feeling of pride surges inside you. The band from the Music School plays the most wonderful tunes for the occasion, giving the event the regalia it deserves. The event itself is conducted by a strict code of protocol which gives it an almost military style atmosphere of honoring the graduates.

The event started with all the graduate students taking a walk around the hall and being seated at their designated seats. Then the President of UH - Dr. Renu Khator and the Deans of the colleges, all dressed in the graduation attires lined with golden silk marched around the hall and took their places on the stage. Their attires reminded me of the cloaks worn by the professors in the Harry Potter movies. This followed by a brief speech by the President and other honorary dignitaries to open the ceremony.

Then began the actual process of hooding the graduates on stage and honoring them. It was a beautiful sight to watch with all friends & family members of the graduates cheering them up!! Its like a dream come true for them specially for parents who adore you the most. I could clearly see the twinkle in their eyes and a sense of pride, a sense of achievement that their son/daughter finally graduated.

I was dreaming about the day when I would graduate too..hehe..
Lots of pictures were taken to cherish this big day and when we joined our friends after the ceremony, it was one big joyful party!! I wish them good luck for their future endeavors and pray they make it big in their lives!

-Rajatha

Maitri 2010 - Report by the Daily Cougar

http://thedailycougar.com/2010/04/12/khator-gives-fashion-show-grad-students-thumbs-up/

MAITRI 2010 Teaser Video!!

MAITRI 2010.. The excitement begins!!!

Gear up for the biggest Indian cultural extravaganza - MAITRI 2010 organized by the Graduate Indian Student Organization at University of Houston. Join us for an evening of fun and frolic!!  Bring along your friends and family to witness a colorful blend of Melodious Songs, Soulful Music, Exotic Dances, a Trendy Fashion Show & lots of other surprises in store, and end the evening with a delicious Indian dinner!! Come and enjoy the incredible performances of some of the finest talents in University of Houston!!

The Counselor General of India - Mr. Sanjeev Arora will be heading the proceedings of the event as the Chief Guest for the evening.

Also enjoy the Arts & Crafts Exhibition at the entrance of the event.

Date:     Saturday, April 10
Time:     5.30pm onwards
Venue:  Cullen Performance Hall
             University of Houston
Ticket:   $8   (Online)        
             $10 (Box Office)

Hurry!! Follow this link & buy your online ticket today!!
http://www.tickets2events.com/maitri2010.asp

Earth Hour 2010

Its time to switch off you lights on Saturday March 27, 2010 and show your support for a better Earth!!

Climate change is the biggest cause of concern for the modern world. Please make your small contributions in saving Planet Earth!

Little Things..

Chatting endlessly with friends helps you realize stuff, and then, of course like it were planned, we return to the routine we whine about. A routine in itself one might say.

Kartik was struggling to find a topic the other day for one of his articles. Of course, I am of no help, but did criticize him for writing something, for lack of a better word, oh so serious. Toyota recall something something it was.

Frankly, I am so tired of reading these things (sorry TK). We are so consumed by all of this, its plain ridiculous. Death here, corruption there. Recall here, bonus there. Granted these are important things. Granted these are things that are part of that happiness we all yearn for. But would it kill someone to write something, happy? Like how they spent the day on the porch drinking coffee, reading a book and enjoying that down time. I am sure the editor wouldn't like something like this, but you get the feel of it. I can't think good thoughts anymore, for fear of them being crumpled by future bad incidents. Must be prepared for anything, and thus ruin that little peace . Anil, was to say the least, frustrated with this line of thinking- "Can't you be happy for once- happy for no reason to add onto that?" I paused for a moment, in shock to add to that, cause I never thought that I was doing something wrong. It was natural, it was the way one should think. That what if was already in my line.

We are so consumed by these, at least I know I am, that we work towards avoiding something that might happen, versus working towards that simplicity we've been cribbing about since lord knows when.

Yours truly, will go back to the routine within a couple of time units(unspecified cause I don't want to give you false hope). But here's to at least trying....


-Shreyasee Das