A Concept Album

[Fwd: Thanks and congratulations from IBM!]

2009-05-14T23:08:00.000+05:30

Vishnu Sreekumar
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Greetings Vishnu,

Thank you again for your recent participation in the IBM Smarter Planet University Jam!

We are currently analyzing the conversation and preparing the summary report that will be published electronically in the next several weeks. In the meantime, we wanted to share some good news with you.

Our team of Jam Hosts, Facilitators, and Subject Matter Experts have identified you as a top student contributor to the Jam - congratulations! We are recognizing 20 students around the globe who made insightful and/or innovative contributions to the Jam discussion on how technology and business can help build a smarter planet in areas such as energy, traffic, water, education, and healthcare. Attached is a certificate of merit in recognition of your contributions.

When we publish the summary report, we will also recognize your contributions publically via the ibm.com/university website (please advise if you do not approve of the listing of your name and university).

Thank you again and congratulations!

Best regards,
IBM Smarter Planet University Jam Team

We also invite you to visit the following websites:
IBM - A Smarter Planet
IBM University Relations: Worldwide
START@IBM employment

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Thanks and congratulations from IBM!
From: "University Relations" <univrel@us.ibm.com>
Date: Fri, 8 May, 2009 2:03 am
To: vishnus@iitk.ac.in
Cc:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vishnu Sreekumar
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Greetings Vishnu,

Thank you again for your recent participation in the IBM Smarter Planet
University Jam!

We are currently analyzing the conversation and preparing the summary
report that will be published electronically in the next several weeks. In
the meantime, we wanted to share some good news with you.

Our team of Jam Hosts, Facilitators, and Subject Matter Experts have
identified you as a top student contributor to the Jam - congratulations!
We are recognizing 20 students around the globe who made insightful and/or
innovative contributions to the Jam discussion on how technology and
business can help build a smarter planet in areas such as energy, traffic,
water, education, and healthcare. Attached is a certificate of merit in
recognition of your contributions.

When we publish the summary report, we will also recognize your
contributions publically via the ibm.com/university website (please advise
if you do not approve of the listing of your name and university).

Thank you again and congratulations!

Best regards,
IBM Smarter Planet University Jam Team

We also invite you to visit the following websites:
IBM - A Smarter Planet
IBM University Relations: Worldwide
START@IBM employment

A Litmus test, with examples.

2009-05-02T09:17:00.005+05:30

This is my first blog post that is not a poem. This is a set of instructions that conclusively points out to you the people who are potentially good friends or more importantly, those who aren't. Concepts will be explained with nice elaborate examples. Lets start with one.

Case 1: You are "friends" with this guy for about 5 years now. You have been lab mates before, where you would do all the work while your "friend" would sit there reading Landau's Classical Mechanics. One fine day you say "You do the work, I'm going to read a book". He says "Get that screw", and you say "No, do it yourself" and then he stops talking to you for a few days. You then make up because you are after all, "friends" with the guy. Fast forward 2 years, towards the fag end of your life in college. You are even greater "friends" now with the guy. You go out on a pleasure trip to the pleasurable city of Kanpur. You are on the institute bus. Your "friend" is sitting behind you. He is known for his craziness and sometimes is even loved for it. So he is mostly forgiven by friends. He is also the youngest in his family, so that could be another reason why he gives shit to people and expects to take none back. So this guy now, who is sitting in the seat behind you starts whacking you on your head for his amusement. You put up with it. After the third whack, you thought it would be fun to whack him back in the same fun spirit. You turn around and you try to hit him over the head in the exact same way as he'd done and he moves away. Your hand hits his specs and his specs fall into his lap, nothing happens to either the specs or to the guy. Your "friend" gets super angry, whacks you twice on your head in fury. Now you get angry.. you have had enough of the shit he's given you. You stand up but you don't want to slap him as people say you've got strong arms and you might end up hurting him. He catches hold of your left arm. You had dislocated your left shoulder a few months ago and you tell him to let it go because you aren't going to hurt him and were about to sit back down and that if he didn't you may have to hurt him. Just as you are about to sit down, he gives it a slight twist. You put up with it still because you don't want to make a scene and because you hate violence. Your hand hurts for the next few days. You message him over gtalk the next day asking him to apologize and that it only takes an apology to set this right. He flips you off. He chooses ego over 5 years of "friendship" which I thought was true but he obviously had issues with me which had now manifested. I'm glad they did. Its always nice to know more about the world you live in.

Your other "friends" tell you that the incident was nobody's fault because this guy is seemingly sensitive about his specs. Yea, right. He is always forgiven for all such things.. he has this charm you see, that you possibly don't possess. You're the kind of guy that people love to hate, for many different reasons, one being that you're way different from them. We'll get to that in a while.

Case 2: Another of your "friends", a person who's not read a single work of fiction in his entire life (the only reading he's ever done in life is of text books, as he himself admits and is seemingly proud about it), who normally tries to prove to the entire world that he hadn't prepared for his exams but you, a 5 pointer, had studied your ass off and yet managed only 15-20 marks less than him(I think he's extremely insecure about himself and about his own intelligence and about the fact that he isn't really good at anything but studies, mugging up and acting like he didn't, which he tries to make up for by external displays of condescending attitudes and trash talking people).

So one week before the end sems, you are returning from the canteen and your "friend" says he's going to study for his topology exam. You remark to another friend who is with you that if you were the person who were to make this comment, this "friend" would have ripped you apart with comments like "Maggu.. yeh dekho.. he's studying one week before the exam!". Your "friend", obviously doesn't take it well, and says "This is topology, not stupid idiotic psychology". For the uninitiated, I'm going on to do a PhD in Psychology (shifting from Physics, one major reason being the kinds of people this dept is infested with).

So anyway back to the story, you then say that it requires a bit of talent to do well in the social sciences and humanities because you remember clearly about the time when your "friend" frantically ran around 4 days before his sociology exam because he was tensed about it. He now claims that "Sociology, Philosophy, Psychology, etc are easy.. I've done all of those too but topology is not like that, its not like your stupid Psychology". So you take it as just one of those ignorant statements made by a moron who's not read a single bit of fiction or anything that requires you to use your imagination or creativity and somebody who is ignorant about the existence of something called creativity. So you let it go and go back to your room and later forward this guy an email from your Sociology prof who had given F's to half the class because of plagiarized term papers (you have an A on the same paper). So this guy suddenly gets really mad at you and says "Don't think you are the only bakchod guy in IIT,.. I agree I'm not special, but you don't assume that you are!" That came almost from nowhere! Nobody claimed he wasn't special or good for nothing or whatever. So the hypothesis about his insecurities has now been validated. It was this moron who gave you attitude in the first place. Even if you did give it back, it was only fair. So he blocks you on gtalk and vows never to talk to you again :P Remember, its only a few days away from all of you moving away for good. You'll probably never see each other again. So you email the guy asking him to unblock you on gtalk and to quit acting like high school kids. He tells a friend that he cannot do that. So there, that's the story of another of those "friends".

Why is this post titled "A Litmus test"? Well, this is a really good way to find out who your friends really are. If you do what is described here and if your "friend" turns red, it means its dangerous to continue the "friendship". Some of them resent you deep inside and it sometimes manifests in such ways, at times when you least expect it. So this is a really good Litmus test. If you speak your mind and if your "friend" does not appreciate a guy who speaks his mind, you probably shouldn't be friends with the guy. Say you are going in a tempo with friends to a treat and a discussion comes up about some topic, finance related, arranged marriage or some such topic. Everybody starts arguing, and then you make a point and a "friend", this time a wingmate, is not comfortable with that and says "You have to speak everywhere, don't you? Whether its on the ngs, or here...". WTF! This guy could speak shit but you couldn't because you talk too much?! Sometimes when you speak the blunt truth, they just can't take it. These people are dangerous.. they act as if they're your friends but in times like these, those deep fragments of resentment manifest their ugly heads and a whole new world of experience and knowledge is open for you to learn from.

I came to IIT, made no friends in the first few years, kept totally to myself and my music. I had the best time of my life here during that period. Even when I did keep to myself, these was the occasional nut who'd come up to me and say "You don't deserve to be here in IIT, you don't study, and you don't seem to care". I have a take on that but it will take one whole blog post to break that down for you. There was this other chap who came up to me after I had missed out on a KVPY scholarship and said "Leave something for us normal people,.. you have your music, why do you want to prove yourself in physics too?". Remember, I kept to myself during those days and did nobody any harm, not even with words. I seldom spoke during those days.

I then thought I should socialize and that my take on "these people are idiots" was possibly wrong and I should treat them with respect. So I did. BIG MISTAKE. Turns out I was right all along.. a person finds topology tough like hell and still does it (because he really does not have the ability to do anything else) because that's (math) the only thing he's studied all his life. He isn't aware of a rich exterior world where people actually use their imagination and creativity to contribute to the quality of human life. He (and some of his "physicist" friends) think that the social sciences and humanities serve no purpose. Yea, right... studying black hole entropy does!

When these people tell you that "Topology is tough unlike Psychology", you could easily retaliate with "Well, this is a challenge, I can study and write and do well in a topology exam, maybe as well as you if I set my heart to it and study like you've done. I only need a few semesters worth of courses to do that. Now in return, why don't you play the piano at an audition and get a few good comments, or just sing at an event and entertain people". You don't say it because you know better. You know that had this guy been exposed to the kinds of atmosphere you'd been exposed to, and received the kind of training you'd received, he probably might have done as well.. there however is still an argument about inborn talent but you are not really a huge subscriber to that view. In any case, you choose not to retaliate in that fashion because it would only pick at his insecurities even more.

So you made these friends and associations to test if you'd belong.. turns out you don't. You need to be a real prick to belong to this set of condescending "physicists". These are the people who will be the faculty here in IITK (and such places) in the future. For social reproduction to take place, these dispositions are absolutely necessary. You need to learn how to be a condescending closed minded prick if you are to "do well" in this business of physics (which is what it has become these days). These people keep the "business" going.

I worked with a professor for 2 years, I did all the work myself, wrote it up myself, sent it for publication myself, did 4 courses with him, got 2 As and 2Bs, did another project of publishable quality.. all done totally independent of him, without his guidance. After all of this, when I ask for a letter of recommendation, he asks to see my grades and due to low grades in certain engineering core courses, he says he cannot write me a good recommendation letter. He also says "I hear that you are lazy". This professor has to be one of the laziest guys here and its a general opinion. He went to Brussels for a year and I was supposed to work on the project staying back here in the 50 deg celsius summer heat. I did and was very enthusiastic about it. I had no other means of contacting him, so I'd write him slightly longish emails full of ideas on how to carry out the study. His reply would be "Vishnu, don't write long emails". How in hell was I supposed to communicate then with a guy half way across the globe who was supposed to be guiding me in my work? So if you need to be like this, you need to be a real prick and I can honestly tell you that my "friends" are on the right track. I wish them the best and with that, lose all hope that we'd ever have a physics dept in any of the IITs here that has a friendly and healthy atmosphere for creative and productive research.

People with deep rooted insecurities, people who see something in you that they'd hoped for themselves, etc are the kinds of people you'd be better off staying away from. I once had this really close friend who was very frank and open and came told me on my face that "I hate you. Seriously. I see the good in you that I will never be" These were his exact words. I'm glad he was honest because now I would have certain expectations about his attitude and behavior with me.. He had done quite a few evil things during school days that I took in the spirit of one of those high school moronic things but he explained to me that it was much more than that and he still harboured those feelings. So once when I had a 102F fever, he came and poured cold water over my head (this was in Delhi, 6 years back). I had just moved to Delhi and was away from home for the first time in my life. He taught me how to deal with life. I got up from my bed.. I couldn't get up 5 mins prior to that to even go have food but I got up this time, grabbed the bottle, beat him up and poured the water down his tee shirt. He made a man out of me. He never tried those antics with me again.

I leave, satisfied with the lessons IIT has taught me. I go from here much wiser, much less naive and better prepared for the shit that the world will possibly throw at me. I thank all my "friends" who've aided me in giving myself the necessary training.

The world gets my third metacarpal.

Tomorrow (written by Trishna, a chat friend of mine on yahoo. Its been 2 years since I logged on to yahoo)

2008-02-06T11:56:00.001+05:30

In the cold dark corner
Comfort, is not what I seek
All alone with my thoughts
And cobwebs of memories
In the shadows today,
I choose to remain.
Is it okay,
If I shine tomorrow?

I try to cry
But in vain
I rest my troubled head
On the cold window pane
My turmoil today,
I choose not to explain.
Is it okay,
If I cry tomorrow?

This shell around me
I ache to shatter
I suffocate
But does it even matter?
The strength today,
I do not have.
Is it okay,
If i break tomorrow?

To forgive myself
Is what I pray to learn
Else, though I'm frozen now
Tomorrow I might burn
Death today,
Is what I yearn.
Is it okay,
If I'm reborn tomorrow?

(I loved the cold window pane, pain analogy and have employed that in my poem, sold. I hope you will forgive me for that)

I have composed music for this song and I really like it. I will record it soon and will put it up on my soundclick profile soon : http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=723510

Sold

2008-02-06T11:26:00.001+05:30

Saturday, July 15, 2006

A sun-tanned face, blistered heels,
This little girl, her insides bleed
A tear stained face, writhed in pain
Pressed against the cold window pane.

Staring across at the overcast skies
Remembering silken words of blatant lies
A promise of love, a promise of life
Tomorrow she'd be sold to grief and strife.

Prison walls spring up from the moist earth
Wring out the last strains of childish mirth
The world outside shuts a thousand eyes,
While she to a man's will complies.

A few hundred nights of solitude past
A pang of desire pricked her heart
To let not her life go unwitnessed
Which with love nor hate she had led.

The wrinkles in her heart must be undone
In all her dreams she saw her son
A smile on his lips, kissed her brows
While half her bed lay at the whorehouse..

Comments: (This poem is dedicated to the woman who gave birth to me, a very strong independent woman)

Pradip Somasundaran said...

Vishnu, please add some pieces that you have played on the piano, and see me filling your blog with music lovers all over the world!Let your blog be full of life and activity!

11:09 AM

Meesum said...

awesome...
keep it up and write more often.

10:55 PM

Vinitha said...

AMAZING poem !!!
y dont u write more often??
even ur blog is not updated...
and yea...u'll only be write songs in here???
methinks u shud make a 'general' blog n write on anything n everything...i'm sure u've quite a LOT to say...hehe ;)

7:32 PM

basit said...

wow
now this is a poem....
these days all i do is blog hunt to have something to read...
this is amazing... just great...
makes me feel bad that i call myself a poet...
absolutely amazing

Cranberry Delight

2008-02-06T11:11:00.001+05:30

A scented night of cranberry delight
I first saw the ocean of life
Sailed with the breeze over the calm waves
Images of breast-shaped tides, navel and curves.
Eyes wide open, I submerge
Among psychedelic colours and weeds,
I find you hidden away in a coral cave.
Oh, woman of the night, for you I crave!

Way down in the sandy blue depths
A faint beam of sunlight caresses a blade of leaf
Waking it up from days of neglect
The submarine weed now stands erect!
The windows break open
A haze of pink tender lips and glazing fingernails
Black cascade of hair, sweaty bodies blend,
Moments later, I lay spent..

Dreamy eyed smiles and soft candlelight
On that night of cranberry delight
I was a river gushing from a mountain spring!

I wrote this poem while locked up in a room in Pune (the bassist of the band had invited all of us to his house to compose music during the summer and he locked people up in a room while he was away working because he didn't trust us with his house. I've been friends with some pretty screwed up bastards..)
Comments:

kanika said...

Never got round to telling you when you mailed it long back but this is one of the most subtle and beautiful poems I have read :)

3:30 PM

Vishnu said...

Thank you :)

Deja Vous

2008-02-06T09:36:00.001+05:30

I lie down on the grass,
Gaze up at the sky.
A little white cloud drifts gently
Across the frame of my glass, now blue again.

Today was a day of deja vous,
I flipped tracks on the CD player,
The songs changed but I heard nothing new,
Memories of the future linger on!

The piano stands still in a corner of the room
A witness, not a silent one
To the rantings of an aching soul, her son
She shows him a path through the wall.

Big black clouds stain the glass,
But these are the clouds of certainty.
Drops of water fall,
Washing off the stain, the pain..

-Vishnu (2005 AD)

This was something I wrote in my second year (in IIT, sitting in a man-made park, IIT's full of them) but I didn't like it very much. I composed music for the song which I liked better than the lyrics. I don't like songs without good lyrics. Hence this stands discarded.

Serenade

2008-02-06T09:32:00.001+05:30

Into my ears the sweet music crept,
The sad song of a mermaid who wept.
She stood by the sea in solitude
Grieved by the sight of man's servitude.

Outlined against the scarlet sky
Was her overt body and her eye,
I fell in love but in former time,
Love, sweet love was held a crime.

A pearl of tear fell on the sand
As she bid farewell to my land,
Back to the sea glided the mermaid,
And came to an end the sweet Serenade.

-Vishnu (2000 AD)

Comments: (I really love it when people like what I write, since that signals hope that I will someday be able to communicate about certain ideas to fellow human beings.. most of who would ridicule them at the moment. My writings will become more "erratic" as time goes on, that I'm sure of.)

Meesum said...: awe struck i stand here...
wonderful !

rahul jain said...: mersmerizing...!!!

My Songs

2008-02-06T09:27:00.001+05:30

Check out http://bandaccessdenied.blogspot.com/ I will also copy them onto this blog.

Old Blog Inaccessible!

2008-02-06T09:25:00.001+05:30

So I started this blog under the same name as earlier. I intend to write more than just songs here. I've got lots to say but I speak very little (to the people around me). I say a lot of what I want to say, to a friend of mine, Deepak. He understands most of it. He is a drummer and he doesn't care if the world calls him crazy for his "outrageous" thought processes. I believe, that is exactly how a human being should think, not guided by the "visible" world around him.

I'm beginning to get to know myself more.. I'm quite an interesting guy! I'll let you know when I find out more..