Exotics? What’s So Exotic About It Anyway?

After 10 years when this phenomenon of blogging initially started in August 1999, here I am writing my first blog. As you guys said you wanted some daily-news/information that might come in handy for your MBA preparation (Everyone around me is trying to improve their GK. Courtesy – MBA Preparation) I’m pitching in with this small piece of information for you. It was Pyra Labs that started an online diary service back in August 1999 with the name “blog”. Initially the term for “blog” was “weblog” which was later contracted to “we blog”, which leads us to our present day term “blog”.

That’s that! I’m aware that Exotics people want this blog to be a sharing cum pensieve cum information repository place, as clearly outlined in the blog’s description and in the first few blogs written by some of our members. But alas, can you help it! Such is the human heart, it wants to do things which so go way out of the ordinary. The thing is that my sole purpose for writing in this blog is to cherish some beautiful memories and experiences that I have with you guys. That means no putting up links to daily news. I know, that you guys asked me to contribute by even providing some GK facts from time to time. But being what I am, I do things which really allure me. Nevertheless I’ll try from time to time to chip in with something interesting as I’ve tried to do above.

After all we are Exotics, aren’t we? Someone has got to be different even if all the rest are same. So here I am being “Exotic” and in an ironical yet in a slightly amusing way if you try to see it, being different from you.

I had been invited to contribute to the Blog “A thing called life at a place called JUIT” in the last semester by my buddy Aditya. I didn’t promise him that I’ll write but that I’ll try to. Even though I have been an author of that blog for a long time now, I haven’t really written anything. That I regret. The silver lining for the Exotics to see is that I’ve written in this blog first! Aditya will surely kill me after he sees this. As far as I can see, I am staging a great competition for people out there to be the first to get my blood on their hands. Let’s see who gets me first. Wait! Unless they all conspire against me and plan to kill me just like Caesar was taken down. Just kidding folks. But even the hitmen set out to hunt me down know there’s some truth in this. For instance I’m sure Nikhil and few others (Abhilash was the recent new addition) is set out to slay me for delaying time and again in the delivery of the photographs. There are numerous others out there but keeping the list short here. For those of you who know me this will come easily to you. For the rest of you I’d like to say “Go Figure”. Don’t you worry Aadi, I’ll definitely try to come up with a beautiful piece in some time.

This piece of writing won’t go into making sketches of people. Nay. Tut tut.
Even if other members (Ankur, Rishabh and Utkarsh) hadn’t drawn those beautiful canvases depicting each one of us this piece would still have been what it is going to be.

Once upon a time at a place called JUIT there was a great discussion. I beg my pardon Sir, no it was not a discussion. It was a nightmare. There were all these different groups of Knights, Dark Knights, Thieves, Musketeers, Mad Men, Fellowship, you name it! There was raging a fierce battle amongst them over the claim for the most wonderful territory in the whole wide world. The crown was to be taken from the old King who was selflessly willing to give it to the mightiest among them all. The battle cry didn’t die. Not after a day or two or three. The battle raged on for at least two weeks excluding the cold war periods which spanned months. But fate had it wonderfully planned out all along, oblivious to all the groups and even to the mighty old King. It played its magic trick. The King got the elixir of life when he wasn’t looking. He became more powerful than ever yet remained humble. All the clans fighting for the throne shuddered at the mere sight of him. The battle cry finally died down. All clans owed their allegiance to the mighty King and the royal family “The Exotics” and the kingdom has remained peaceful ever since.

The Kingdom was “Our Group”, then named Exotics for reasons yet unknown to me, and the clans were the contenders for the Group name. All others facts and figures in the passage above are true to the best of my knowledge. I was the one who started advocating the necessity of changing the group’s name. After all it didn’t make any sense, not to me and as far as I could tell to any other member of the group. We ever came so close to deciding a name in a return bus journey from Naldehra, but as I said fate wouldn’t have it. The group’s name remained “Exotics”. Though I was a full time member, I refrained from joining the group on our college’s great IP Messenger for no particular reasons. Not that I joined any other group. I was content sitting by the Username “::::Tushar::::” and Group name as “Jedi”. Then after a while (after this whole episode of trying to rename the group) I thought Shakespeare had said “What is there in the name?”. So then I said “Heck! I’m joining the Exotics on IP too” much to the pleasure of all group members who greeted me on joining the group. That didn’t go without me delaying in reading their greetings on IP and getting rebuked fatherly by Nikhil and Rishabh for the delay in opening the message. I’m telling you. One of these days someone’s gonna get me. :) . And yes, I’ve recently learned when I met my class 10th batchmates for Reunion after 5 years separation that I remember a lot. Even small things such as these.

Now firstly let me say sorry to Shakespeare as I’m about to go against your aforementioned famous saying. Now please don’t come haunting after me. Take me to task if you please when I join your clan up above (Sorry again to say that I don’t wish to!). Now I feel and coming to the point I was making all this while there can really be a lot in a name. Don’t do parents think a lot before naming their beloved angels. Sorry again for you poor chaps out there who feel otherwise. But you too should see this. A name must have a meaning. Try with all your might to get the essence of yours. I for instance will try with all my might here to get the meaning of Exotics. This is what I would have done in my first Exotics blog as I said above.

Now, I’ve been associated with many groups. With that I mean both full time and part time groups. In college and outside. So what is it that this makes this group Exotic? This is what I’ve been thinking for sometime now since the idea of leaving this place in a while crept into the labyrinth of my mind in the last semester.

You might not have noticed but for once this group as compared to other groups (by me) in JUIT is studious even though some members don’t really strive for academic excellence while few others are at it like maniacs (Missing meals during exam time. I try to reason with them but only if they would listen! Rishabh almost fainted last semester while giving exams due to Malnutrition (Ha Ha. Just during the exams) )and needless to say did badly in that subject). I can’t fail to notice that I seem to have really become a Computer Engineer, nesting parenthesis even in literature such as this (See last line if you aren’t an Engineer at least or can’t get simple nesting). Now this studious thing might not go well with some people. You may cringe saying, ”That’s so boring” or whatever. But what’s a fact’s a fact. And really that’s an excuse for others unable to excel or for bright people trying to be cool. I say being cool is being what you are and being proud of it (Not of your drawbacks of course; try to get rid of them!).

Now this in itself won’t qualify for something great? Not by my standards (Might meet IEEE Standards! :) . Let Mr. Rohit Sharma see this. He too will come after me). So what’s more exotic about it? The group is a bunch of misfits! Ranging from “Too Philosophical” Rishabh, “Nautanki Nikki” Nikhil, “Alarm Clock with limited Battery” Abhishek, “Professional Haivan” Dhruv, “Local Smart” Utkarsh, “Paranoid Dehati” Abhilash, “Debuting (Best) Actor” Vaibhav, “Still Single” Bakul Singhal, “Phoonkte Bache Chooze” Ankur. All these names are coined by me for the ones intended. Although this is a beloved notation for you guys rather than being an insulting one (in no way) you need to maintain a social distance of 1m from me. I’ve seen all your references to the new law in your blogs. Stay away or else you’ll face the fury of a Jedi! Disclaimer: All the allusions to the names above are purely fictitious although it may bear resemblance to the reality in which case I intend to take full responsibility of it and profit from it.(Now what can I do? Got a bit influenced from the managers of the greedy corporate world thinking solely of profit! Won’t think again). What else could I have done? You guys exalted us to the status of Greek Gods in your portrayals; reality had to be brought into the lime light. Hence, I thought of these nicknames. Now these are not character sketches. It’s just a blueprint with a tint of reality in it. So you may as well see what a bunch of misfits we really are. I may and I say may (don’t pester me for this now) draw the sketches of you guys later. It’s already done by some members so I may safely do it at a later time (Read “may”). I may best not describe myself. The group itself still has a lot to know about me. I’d again love to say “Go Figure”. Nevertheless, I have to say what has been written about me uptil now is correct and true to the best of “Everyone’s” knowledge and I’m more than glad to see you coming up with it.

I may write several more reasons for “Exotics” being “Exotic” but as its 3:40 AM, and I had planned to get 4 recently arrived Rakhis tied tomorrow morning at 9 (which I don’t see possible now) and the fact that I’m ill (Again the old unyielding Tonsillitis and his best buddy Fever. Now Dad was after me when I broke the news to him. He repeated for the umpteenth time the importance of doing gargles daily and I gave my reply for the umpteenth time (modifies a little but essence is same) that I can’t manage/forget to do gargles) I am writing this most important last reason.

“What’s clouds without thunder” and “what’s relationship without fights”? Although we don’t exactly plan on it but every once in a while there is some quarrel only to be sorted out within a “Exotics Guaranteed 2 hours”. And then once again the sky is as clear as ever with all the hues gifted by the God’s Brush for the day. The group had its share of ups and downs and twists and turns and the occasional trip to the Topsy Turvy Land. Mostly we had one on one. Especially the mini sub dinner group if I may coin this term, (Here comes the all important concept of Exotics 1, Exotics 2, and the largely amusing Exotics 1.5) including Rishabh, Nikhil, Abhishek and Me. I guess the hectic 3rd year took its toll on all of us. You know what comes with a hectic life its best friends - a Preoccupied Mind, and maybe in some cases Frustration. Now they often tend to invite Anger and/or Intolerance and/or even the Mr. Unreasonable for dinner. What follows is I’m giving to you for free. No thinking required on this one. A quarrel before, during or after dinner. Two of the four would fight. The other two would try to calm them down. What ensues is I think the best and somewhat hilarious part. After the fight, with dinner done, the matter still unresolved (but well within 2 hrs Exotics Guarantee) we go for our night stroll on the mall (For aliens this is not the shimla mall, it’s the exclusive JUIT mall.) divided into two groups based on the opponents. We walk till we near the Temple. I don’t know what everyone else prays for that night (and I’m not divulging my prayer). Then lo (Not the hindi word; for MBA aspirants Exoticians), behold, the non fighting members change groups. Then we walk back to our own rooms in the hostels. Then again such is the human heart, we come out again (Don’t know why do we go to our rooms when we had to come out in the first place. But you see that’s the beauty of it!). We assemble in a room after coming in a random fashion. Then within the 2 hr deadline we resolve the issue and can be seen laughing again. There is an alternate method which is sometimes followed for resolving the issue. We use our great IP Messenger again, chat through it and lo(same as above) the matter is resolved!

You must be wondering if there were the four of us where was the rest of Exotics? Here I’ll elucidate the concepts mentioned above. You see, whenever there is a commitment on one side the commitment at least very very slightly loses on the other side. Fact remains if you’ve got a new girlfriend you’ll have dinner with her. This is what happened here. Now some of our members got committed and shifted to Exotics 2. We remained in Exotics 1. Now comes the wonderful charming part. Exotics 1.5 are the contenders for fluttering between the two sub dinner and other activities groups. There is even a poll. And can you believe it they are asking for votes already! Now Utkarsh loves to give new names. I have one in my mind “Bin Painde Ke Lote”. How’s that. Again, I know that you know that I’m kidding about this name (Wish could stretch this know thing longer as done in “Friends”. Exotics do watch this before you leave college), so there’s no need to take it by heart. Although it’s really unnecessary as they are asking for votes already. They’ll have to bear with my little jokes.

You must’ve gotten at least some essence of Exotics by now.

There’s more to come later.

Wishing these glorious days of comaredeship never end!

Tushar

P.S.: Its 4:42 AM. Started writing at 1:07 AM. I’m posting this online now. All the clans are raging another gruesome battle in my stomach for God alone knows what! Anyone for “Apki Rasoi”? :)
Good Morning!
See you all today.