Old complaint, fresh frustration

Yet another complaint that I tried to put up on a government website for a good six months. The content inside got expired but the site wasn't up in the time span. .gov domain sites in AP at least are existing just for their namesake existence and are not really functional. Okay then the linked list of complaints wouldn't end, but read on my original initial complaint.
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Respected Authorities concerned,
The following complaint might be penned down by one individual but carries in it the voices of thousands of vigorous upcoming bright youthful minds. Nor should this be understood to be something emerging out of adrenaline rush. It's a properly thought after appeal that I (we) are putting forward.
This is in the light of tribunal's report of late, which annulled the eligibility of 2004 graduates for APPSC Group 1 service cadre main examination.
Terms and conditions (or Rules and Regulations) for any application process or any venture for that matter always are debatable, because natural languages by themselves are context sensitive. But they are mentioned so, wherever they are mentioned, only to be followed in the true spirit of what they mean. Just because a few people who are capable of 'manipulating' things file a petition and try to maneuver their way out to their personal advantage government/judiciary should not yield to their intents. In light of the latest 3 member tribunal expressing its consent to annul the eligibility of over 3 thousand 2004 graduates who have proved their capabilities in Preliminary exam, shows that such kind of yielding is happening. When for over 50 years of APPSC Group 1 exam conduction fresh graduates have been made eligible, why, that this time, should there be an 'emergency' situation sensed? Is it becuase IQs of these freshers are far better than the 'mug-up n forget' marathons who have been there in the race for AGES? Some lawyer raises the point of 'lack of enough experience about society'. Well! what less does such an elite examination test if not awareness about society in the first place.
And more specially making the eligibility of fresh graduates once they have successfully cleared the Preliminary exam and not at the time of filing applications makes it blatant even to a lay man that the decision makers involved are either against the true spirit of the examination process, which is to make available most meritorious officers to the State or that they have been lured and captured to delivering such an irrational verdict. Its high time that the authorities concerned look into what would be the loss because of such incomplete judgements both to the state and to the individuals involved and set out to rectify things immediately.

Anticiapating fruitful action to take place in this regard

Thank you,
Jayachandra Sekhara Rao

Shall I call it a closed chapter?

Jayachandra's Blog
Certain things in life are not reciprocative. And as a matured individual one should accept it and accordingly move ahead without giving a damn for the turned down expectations. For a guy like JC, that is even more an easy approach to implement than lament on why was I rejected. "If not this, then its grandfather!" << That's the spirit. You have got far many botherations to worry about. Life is already on a high tide in your case, don't let useless extra commitments jeopardize it any more. If you don't get back even a quarter why give out a gallon?

Hi all, IIIT alumni

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Last wednesday, Padmaja m'am wanted a few alumni members to be present at the instiute and talk and share with the media any experiences they might be having. I've contacted a few but the notice being a short one, no one turned up. Finally I was the only alumnus around in the campus that day. So the SS channel guys jacked in a microphone at my collar and asked me to speak something or the other about the institute life and also share experiences about the industry life. That was an impromptu for me, for I was expecting to answer the specific questions they might be having and also hoped I would be given time to frame the answers. Nevertheless, I spoke (need not be verbatim) - "To express in one word, this institute is an amazing institute. It has in it serious guys who don't let you sleep without delivering their projects, and at the same time have in them that 'fatherly/brotherly touch' with which they boost your confidence and let you drive your way to the accomplishment. As long as I was in the institute I never knew I was acquiring umpteen skills that any corporate firm would even typically expect to be present in a fresher. Facilities wise the institute stands at an elite stature. Faculty is the best you could ever get. Students even get ample industry exposure. With all the infrastructure in place and the cream of the students who get admission here, this institute remains to be a vibrant one."
Then the co-ordinator of the event, expressed his wish to hear about my pay package. For that I spoke (again not a verbatim) - "Pay package is a little tricky thing. As students we never knew where our skill sets are ranked in the industry and have our expectations very low during the placements season. I was no different in getting absorbed for a modest 3Lakhs/annum with my employer. However after 13 months of IT industry experience and having seen the contributions IIIT folks are doing in whichever domain they are placed the average pay package for IIITians as it stands today is really an undermined package. With all due respect to my employer, I'd say that IIITians can be placed at a rather better pay scale than what they put me in. Considering the changes that happened over the past two years, be it b'coz of performances of alumni or b'coz of better software firms lining up for campus placements I hope the incumbent 3lakh/annum average package is destined to go up. However, quite a good number of students and faculty members are thinking in a different angle. A job isn't enticing any more to IIIT students, many are aspiring to make it big in their respective streams that they choose to specialize in and are opting to do MS, MS by research and other such courses. This I think is definitely a welcome phenomena in the history of IIIT."
Thats all I spoke. Excuse me guys, I didn't have time to deliver a more perfect speech about IIIT and also that being an impromptu session I stammered a bit while delivering the note.

A Friend Forever!

Jayachandra's Blog
Today I sit here in my office, cursing my fate all the past week long. Vinod my next-to-ownself buddy is leaving to U.S of America today evening. He has been making his preparations (many at a reluctant pace than an enthusiastic one) all the past week. Call it job, or call it nagging granny with all her over concerned medical state, or call it Dad's visit, or call it the swamp of philanthropy that I dug myself deep into, or call it the CAT prep I've undertaken I couldn't even spend a few hours of lighter moment with my buddy whole of last week. I was there with him, just for the party he arranged for all the college friends. How mean of me! Sorry Vinod, I just couldn't make it. As you can see from the past so many years of our interaction, loosing a chance to spend time with you would be the last thing I'd ever do. I was doomed to run out of free time.
Even if there was any remote chance, the subconcious worry I had might have not even let me see it as a chance to meet Vinod. The worry was... since the past 4 months I wanted to keep myself isolated from Vinni. So that neither would I go shock at his departure to U.S, nor would he. As the apothegm says it, to lessen the impact of nostalgia in either of our minds, being 'out of sight' is the best choice. But... good old days have so damn footprints that I couldn't still (after 1 month of isolation) accept the fact that I will not have Vinod by my side to watch a comedy movie. The day I want to freek out I wouldn't have him at a bike ride reach. The first mobile number I memorized and still remember almost as clearly as my own mobile number is 9848173538. It's a six year long relationship I had with that number. Last time I browsed through my phonebook trying to organize the content inside it, the idea that Vinod<->9848173538 mapping will have to be deleted, almost brought tears to me. But life should move on, it's worth living the night to welcome the sunrise. Same is the case here. I'm eagerly looking forward for our reunion whenever that is to happen.

Yahoo mail irks me

Jayachandra's Blog

Time taken for Login verification: 45 seconds
Session span: Not even for 5 minutes, that too while I was active composing a mail all those 5 minutes.
Relogging : Doesn't succeed even for 8 tries.

What do you call that performance, irk is rather euphemism. I should say 'SUCKS'.

Gmail is way many times better than this, honest. I rather should have made mary fernandes choose gmail.

My initial thoughts on Alumni initiative at IIIT-H

This ought to be blogged on February-March timeframe. But the I had no singly standard blog then. Better late, than never...
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A few days back, Diwakar and myself discussed a few things regarding the direction of alumni activities. Here is the jist of what we felt was a useful discussion.

The moot point 'Alumni Intiative'
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Yeah! it's expected that we contribute whichever way we can to our almamatar.


Before we even can talk something about 'Alumni Initiative' we have to be clear on what constitutes an Alumni. Certainly this is not going to be named 'GDIT2K initiative'
Most fundamentally a well-informed alumni group is needed. Not just a GDIT2k group.
Things should be gradual in the sense start with smaller things to test the waters than dream about materializing something substantial.

Currently three BTech batches are out and one is on its way. A centralized *active* group of all or majority alumni members is lacking. Creating one and pooling people into it is far far from feasibility. However, individually each batch has some kind of group/mailinglist which is quite active and has most of the batchmates as members.
As a first step towards building this sense of cross-batch interaction, we can leverage the activity that goes in individual batch wsie mailing lists. The idea is simple, at the end of every fort-night interested members inside each individual mailing list, would consolidate and make a brief overview report of useful discussions, happened in that 15 days span, that are generic enough to be broadcasted to the whole alumni. And this digest report will be sent across to other mailing-lists with appropriate subject. Slowly people of other batches get to know what a particular batch is thinking and if interested they too will provide their inputs.

Next issue is start from the first step.
Foundations of Alumni presence should be strong in the institute. This can happen if alumni activities evolve maintaining continuity rather than being poured down once in a while.
I see any initiative that has something to do with money as a major alumni initiative and as one which is deemed to get procrastinated indefinitely. No one is to be blamed for that. Anyone who would want to disagree pose a question to your ownself giving the state of alumni at present, can such an initiative be a success. If so, detail it. Nevertheless I don't discourage efforts in that direction, it's just that one should allow all the time such an initiative takes to materialize without worrying too much about it. Discussion and thoughts are always helpful.
So I see financial intiative certainly as something that is not step 1. Then what can be called as first step? My answer to that question is, any activity on which whole sovereignity lies with a single individual and which would not cost him more than the time he/she can spare for it. Example, a guest lecture on what you learnt in your workplace/life. I would like to hear more thoughts from you guys n gals as to what can constitute immediately deployable alumni initiatives.

Self composed Mantraalu!!!

Jayachandra's Blog
What good can 'mantraalu' do?

I just discovered 'Mantraalu' have lot to offer. Especially the ones you coin as per your mood. For instance, they can satiate that urge of going into a valley and yelling out at the peak of your voice. I don't know about others, but I sometimes feel like doing so. Btw, for no good reason other than mostly when I feel elated at work or at home. The contortions you make when you utter them, either aloud or within your own self seem to do something satisfying.

Just see this magnificent mantra I composed today.

Abudidham Thooom Phattttripchikal Kaal Kaal Ayoginascha!
Alabai alamanamilam... ... AMEN!!

I uttered it within myself some two to three times. Boom! the magic happened. I am back to a work mood from an elated mood where I wanted to dance for one of the rahman song's drum beat and the office ambience really hindered me to do so.