Sunday, July 26, 2009

XL over the years.......A reminiscence

Well, recently I was browsing through the file server in XLRI and I came across this brilliant bunch of pics (some of which are on the right side menu).....of XLers from 1970s to the recent past....I thought this should be showcased so that we 'XL'ers- students and alumni alike go back to the good ol' days....the days of which every moment could be cherished for a lifetime.....
So, presenting before you.....'XL- a reminiscence':

Cross posted at: XL Campus life blog.

Friday, July 24, 2009

How Defense Officers become XLers....

Over time, XL has grown in size and in diversity - larger batch size, more and different kind of courses... 2 sections of BM and PMIR each, 2 sections of 1-year Executive-MBA, Satellite programs, 6-month Executive Management Prog for Defense Officers... etc. etc...

...and one of the concerns of many who have passed through the portals (when XL used to be a small cosy community) has been:
wouldn't so many diverse people change the very character of XL?

Apparently, it happens the other way round:
There is someting in the 'hava-paani' of XL that transmutates people - even those who come from so many diverse backgrounds!!

... as this short clip, made by the Defense Officers - who came to XL in January, and left in June - shows the transformation... and in just 6 months!!


XLRI! Here I Am!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

You know you're at XL when...

You know you're at XL when...

1. There's a 6pm class going on, and at 6-53pm, 97% of junta are busy pinging each other on Facebook to find out whether ANYONE has gone to attend the class.
Often called: MASS BUNK

2. A smiles at B, C reports this to D, who claims to E, F and G that A took B out. E, F and G tell I through P that A and B have been going steady for 6 months. They in turn tell all their friends, who tell their friends, who tell...
Next morning, A finds his Facebook flooded with "Congratulations! When's the Wedding?" questions from 1,479,456 users, most of whom have no idea who A is, but who just want the gossip.
In other words, GRAX.

3. There's no time to eat and even less time to sleep, because work fills all available time (apparently), but there's always time to catch three back to back episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, attend a Drac quiz and bungle it up, and loudly cheer a grainy version of Harry Potter and the HBP in LH 1 until2-30am. And then go back to the room and crib about there being no time to do anything.
Otherwise known as FRAX.

4. It's 3-45 am in the morning, the world is dead to all noise and movement, and inside a whitewashed room, sixteen people are asking at the same time for bread burji, aloo cheese sandwich, gobi aloo cheese paranthas, omelettes, fried maggi, cigarettes and nimbu pani. And they ALL get exactly what they asked for in record time.
The eighth wonder of the world: Bishu-da.

5. The class is in full swing, the prof is asking B for a two-line definition of Motivation; and Q jumps up and explains it in 3765 words, with two diagrams and a chart thrown in, as well multiple pointed references to the textbook authored by the same prof (and still doesn't manage to explain what it is to the class, which has by now fallen asleep with mouths wide open.)
In brief: DCP.

6. Prof asks for the meaning of Transfer Climate- and R begins: "Well, sir, to look at it from a general perspective, I am convinced about the veracity of the definitions given by Roiller and Goldstein, however, to put my own views in a nutshell regarding the subject matter under discussion and throw a clearer light on things as they stand"-
Pure, unadulterated-by-facts, GAS.

7. On July 1st, a deadline of July 15th is declared for a project submission. Till 14th, there is no reponse, only lethargy, inertia- and on 14th night:
At 11:00pm, with a sudden burst of spontaneous energy, people are darting into each other's rooms, asking if anyone else has done it.
By 1:00 am in the morning, mass prayers are being organised and Google worship is under way.
By 3:00 am, 50% of people are in Bishuda's looking like escaped convicts and groaning in acknowlegement of each other.
By 5:00am, 66% give up, put in arbit shit and 4-5 random graphs and hit the sack.
By 7:00am, the last few survivors vow never to postpone work ever again and collapse over laptop.

Next week, another deadline- same story.

XL meri jaan! :-)

- Ramaa Ramesh
PMIR '10 , XLRI

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Ratanjee Memorial Trophy@XL "Happened"!!

Monsoons are back... and so are the students... the campus is alive, vibrating with activities... once again

Like every year since 2000 - and this was the 10th year - Ratanjee Memorial Trophy happened...

... a (supposedly) sports event... and an amazing way of competing and coming together of the two batches who have known each other for less than a month

here are some pics (generously plagiarised from a postings by Dipti Sharma - Thanks! :0)





But who was Ratanjee? Why this event?

Ratanjee Jha, BTech (Mech), IIT, Guwahati (1995-1999), from Patna, joined in PMIR at XLRI. He had a score of 790/800 in GMAT, but could not go abroad for studies due to financial constraints in the family.

At XLRI also, he consistently ranked among the first five. He was known for his sharp reasoning skills and fast learning ability. His scholastic ability was acknowledged by the institute and was conferred upon by the Jubilee Scholarship. He was also a member of Socrates. Sadly, this bright spark got extinguished midway its journey, when Ratanjee met with a fatal accident during his Summer Internship in 2000.


...in XL, everything has a history behind it... we remember and celebrate those who passed through this portal...

Thanks, Ratanjee!.. for being here... and for having left a legacy behind...