This episode was too big to be a part of 'Beyond just a B.Tech' so I am putting it as a separate one.
Back in first year we were all new to each other except for seeing each other in the mess hall. The were gangs, there were groups and nobody could tell where talent was. Classes had just started and we wanted to do something different before it turned into a routine lifestyle which nobody loves. In college something should keep happening all the time. And so something came up.
Gokulastami! And as part of games Tug of War was an event.
In school I had a little experience as my house Tug team vice-captain (due to my size, captain was a senior guy). That was my first try with the rope. I must say it was a strange feeling holding the rope and knowing that either you will be dragging somebody to your side or worse, you will be dragged to the other side. For the first two rounds we were the ones dragging but after they took us on a ride. I still remember how upset Girish (captain) was. Even though we got 'dragged out' it was a great experience and I personally got to learn a lot about the physics behind the sport.
So what is the first thing you look for when you want to form a Tug team? You go for the big guys. The ones with the power and weight, not the ones with just the weight. So my first target was Raghulan(6'4 tall and around 120kg, from IT). Now thats our hulk! After proposing the idea to him, our primary job for next few days was to hunt for other probable team mates. And yes, it was not that easy at all. We had trials in my room. All the other guys would gather around to see who would be selected and it was real fun watching the show except for the warden trouble. The warden thought we would end up getting ragged by seniors and all (The guy was not even 5 feet himself). So are next find is Gimpson (truly the son of the gym), this guy had muscles at places where one could not even imagine. Then we hit upon Gopu (Mechanical). Now its really tough to compare Gopu or Gopakumar with anyone living, this guy is the only piece on Earth. Never wake him up while he is sleepin and never irritate him, both can end up you breaking something in your body. Sriram (IT) was this guy whom you couldn't move from where he was standing. Then we had Rathish (CSE), Anoop (EEE) and the almighty Devaprasad (almost a twin of Raghulan from ECE). Sad I don't have a pic of the team cause this was one hell of a sight everyone wanted to see. The team was registered and accidentally i was the captain (we hadn't decided who was going to the captain so the first name was taken).
But then we had our own set of problems. Nothing comes easy, does it? Brick walls everywhere. On the day of the event Shriram got fever, Anoop was nicely sleeping in his room. Luckily we had two subs: Ashwin and Upan (later they disappeared into the canteen). I drag out Anoop and Shriram manages to come too. So finally our team is ready and we reach the ground. Now this wasn't expected. The place was crowded with so many people and the sight of eight huge human beings attracted everyone. Seniors hadn't expected a first year team at all.
We easily passed all the initial rounds and reached the finals quite effortlessly but happiness was short lived. Our opponents in the finals was a team filled with all the body builders and weight lifters of Amrita (both MBA and B.Tech). We decided that we would just give it our best short. The whistle blew and we were literally waiting to be dragged over the ground but that never happened. Basically we were just balancing their pull and it took a few seconds to realize that the rope was not moving either ways. I realized this and screamed 'PULLLL... PULLLL'. Trust me, there is nothing better than being on the winning side. The rope just came in nice and slow. And then the ground rocked, a shocking victory even for us.
Our first victory taught us to be together, to respect our opponents, to be there for each other, to do what you are supposed to do (do your karma and the rest will be taken care of) and take a days leave in advance cause your body is going to scream with pain. Gimpson and Rathish had skin come off from under their feet others had sprains all over the body but we were all happy, very very happy. I loved this team cause it had variety, it was diverse and it was strong.
Our first victory was sweet not just because we won but for the way our opponents of our finals (the muscle puffed guys) treated us. When they called us to the gym we were pretty sure this was going to be a nice ragging session. But to our surprise they wanted to teach us weight lifting and body building. They were in their final years (what gentlemen, loved their behavior) and they wanted to ensure that Amrita continued winning the weight lifting and body building medals in the future. They could have screwed us royally but they didn't do that and instead they treated us with respect and dignity. I will always remember this. It was a great lesson for all of us.
In the next three years we lost a few players like Gopu (leg injury for 2 yrs), Devaprasad (in final yr) and Gimpson (left the college). We had new additions like Gurumoorthy (ECE), Sathyan (ECE) and Joshwa (IT). But even then the winning streak didn't stop. More in Part II.
Back in first year we were all new to each other except for seeing each other in the mess hall. The were gangs, there were groups and nobody could tell where talent was. Classes had just started and we wanted to do something different before it turned into a routine lifestyle which nobody loves. In college something should keep happening all the time. And so something came up.
Gokulastami! And as part of games Tug of War was an event.
In school I had a little experience as my house Tug team vice-captain (due to my size, captain was a senior guy). That was my first try with the rope. I must say it was a strange feeling holding the rope and knowing that either you will be dragging somebody to your side or worse, you will be dragged to the other side. For the first two rounds we were the ones dragging but after they took us on a ride. I still remember how upset Girish (captain) was. Even though we got 'dragged out' it was a great experience and I personally got to learn a lot about the physics behind the sport.
So what is the first thing you look for when you want to form a Tug team? You go for the big guys. The ones with the power and weight, not the ones with just the weight. So my first target was Raghulan(6'4 tall and around 120kg, from IT). Now thats our hulk! After proposing the idea to him, our primary job for next few days was to hunt for other probable team mates. And yes, it was not that easy at all. We had trials in my room. All the other guys would gather around to see who would be selected and it was real fun watching the show except for the warden trouble. The warden thought we would end up getting ragged by seniors and all (The guy was not even 5 feet himself). So are next find is Gimpson (truly the son of the gym), this guy had muscles at places where one could not even imagine. Then we hit upon Gopu (Mechanical). Now its really tough to compare Gopu or Gopakumar with anyone living, this guy is the only piece on Earth. Never wake him up while he is sleepin and never irritate him, both can end up you breaking something in your body. Sriram (IT) was this guy whom you couldn't move from where he was standing. Then we had Rathish (CSE), Anoop (EEE) and the almighty Devaprasad (almost a twin of Raghulan from ECE). Sad I don't have a pic of the team cause this was one hell of a sight everyone wanted to see. The team was registered and accidentally i was the captain (we hadn't decided who was going to the captain so the first name was taken).
But then we had our own set of problems. Nothing comes easy, does it? Brick walls everywhere. On the day of the event Shriram got fever, Anoop was nicely sleeping in his room. Luckily we had two subs: Ashwin and Upan (later they disappeared into the canteen). I drag out Anoop and Shriram manages to come too. So finally our team is ready and we reach the ground. Now this wasn't expected. The place was crowded with so many people and the sight of eight huge human beings attracted everyone. Seniors hadn't expected a first year team at all.
We easily passed all the initial rounds and reached the finals quite effortlessly but happiness was short lived. Our opponents in the finals was a team filled with all the body builders and weight lifters of Amrita (both MBA and B.Tech). We decided that we would just give it our best short. The whistle blew and we were literally waiting to be dragged over the ground but that never happened. Basically we were just balancing their pull and it took a few seconds to realize that the rope was not moving either ways. I realized this and screamed 'PULLLL... PULLLL'. Trust me, there is nothing better than being on the winning side. The rope just came in nice and slow. And then the ground rocked, a shocking victory even for us.
Our first victory taught us to be together, to respect our opponents, to be there for each other, to do what you are supposed to do (do your karma and the rest will be taken care of) and take a days leave in advance cause your body is going to scream with pain. Gimpson and Rathish had skin come off from under their feet others had sprains all over the body but we were all happy, very very happy. I loved this team cause it had variety, it was diverse and it was strong.
Our first victory was sweet not just because we won but for the way our opponents of our finals (the muscle puffed guys) treated us. When they called us to the gym we were pretty sure this was going to be a nice ragging session. But to our surprise they wanted to teach us weight lifting and body building. They were in their final years (what gentlemen, loved their behavior) and they wanted to ensure that Amrita continued winning the weight lifting and body building medals in the future. They could have screwed us royally but they didn't do that and instead they treated us with respect and dignity. I will always remember this. It was a great lesson for all of us.
In the next three years we lost a few players like Gopu (leg injury for 2 yrs), Devaprasad (in final yr) and Gimpson (left the college). We had new additions like Gurumoorthy (ECE), Sathyan (ECE) and Joshwa (IT). But even then the winning streak didn't stop. More in Part II.
"Brick walls are there for a reason... they ensure you get something only if you badly want it"
4 comments:
Keep rocking dear...rock the world out of its feet so that it will fly!!
Continue writing....why not Anweshi carry sections of Asthan's blogs too.....so there is a new section coming up...so you never stop initiating new things...
Your juniors will surely preserve the legacy you bestowed on them!!
blog idea sounds good.. time to get hold of shivan ettans famous blog.. blog idea will be great..
so you do like, "my neighbour totoro" ?
what other miyazaki movies have you seen?
yes thats the only movie i have seen
are there others?
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