Just one more to go!

Tomorrow I take my last series test ever. Our teachers are going to give us a party after that:-) We are giving them a party the day after tomorrow. In between, we have to complete our project reports. That is going to be a herculean task indeed. And then, there are the labs.

Still, it feels great! I am going to be an engineering graduate in two months!

The only dampener right now is the fact that mom has gone to Kasargod to attend a function. Almost all my cousins are there. I am stuck here, taking exams. (as usual!)

I wonder how many exams I have taken since I joined the college. Let me see : 18 internal papers+ 9 university papers in first year + 7* (12 internals + 6 university ) + 12 internals this year, taking the tally to 165. Now I have six university papers. That's theory. I didn't count practical exams. They belong to a different category altogether. They are not exams. They are near-death experiences for the students to give them an idea of what actually hell is.

Ah! After two months a period of no exams, finally. No more constant nagging from mom. (I'm lying here. She gave that up long ago, seeing I'll never mend my ways) Reading anything till you get bored. No more assignments. No more worries about the 2.5 modules the teacher did not teach. No more tension about the lab exams. No more last minute cramming up. Life.....can be beautiful at times, you know. It depends on your perspective.

Always look at the sunny side! (If you are not in a desert, that is.)

Good golden days...

I am writing my final series tests at college. I will never be writing a series test again. But instead of feeling elated at the thought, I feel really sad.

These tests have been really enjoyable - cramming in four to five lessons into your head in just two hours. I still remember the series I wrote during my first year: everyone would start preparing a week before the exams. Now, in the final year, we ask each other, "For which subjects do we have tests today?"

Well, yes. Today marks the beginning of the cutting of the umbilical cord which connected us with the college. Within two months, all of us will say goodbye to each other, to the college, and embark on a new journey - to find what really life is, and who we actually are. We are going to be taken out of our cocoons into the world outside. It is going to be harsh, and while we can, let us enjoy!

My first vote

I cast my first vote ever in this Parliamentary election. I still get thrilled when I see the ink mark on my index finger. It feels great to be part of the actual government-forming process in your country. In spite of all the hardships I had to face to get my id card, I am hooked! Jai ho to the Great Indian Democracy.

A majority of my classmates voted. The fellows who couldn't were so depressed, I can't say. It is a good sign that the country is in the hands of people like this as well.

Most of the discussion in the classroom is now on who will win the Trivandrum constituency. The former U.N Under-Secretary General, Mr. Shashi Tharoor is contesting from here. Though he is popular, many people feel annoyed at his candidature-as he was virtually air-dropped here. Moreover, his association with a programme of  Coco-Cola and the case of dishonouring the national anthem will indeed have a great impact. The fact that he wrote an article advocating that India adopt Israel-like policies towards Pak have infuriated many. This is a state that supports Palestine though it gave refuge to Jews centuries ago. Jews still live here. However, the economy of Kerala is heavily dependent on the earnings from the Gulf. So naturally, the people here support Palestine in general.

The CPI candidate, P. Ramachandran Nair, is a native of Trivandrum and the LDF is pretty strong here. So he has a good chance of winning this seat.

 

The BJP will have to work harder to win here. Their vote percentage might improve but the candidate will not win, most probably.

The BSP (God alone knows why it is contesting here!) candidate, Mr. Nadar has strong support from his community, but little elsewhere.

 

The NCP candidate, I've heard his name and he is a well-known politician but he stands no chance.

My idea of what is going to happen is:

With only about 54% of the total votes polled and given the tradition of the Lefties making it a point to vote, the CPI candidate has the highest probability of winning. This, provided the CPI-CPI(M) and the VS-Pinarayi rifts haven't affected the voters much. The anti-incumbency factor, though moderately high, has almost been quenched by the lack of good campaigning by the Tharoor camp. Mr. Tharoor talks of twin city concept, which is well and good, but he needs to understand that the people here are more concerned with roads and regular water supply.(especially the latter!)

The BJP, BSP and NCP candidates are going to eat into the share of the UDF candidate. I sincerely hope I am wrong, because both the LDF and the UDF candidates are good, honest men who will work for the constituency if elected. It would have been better if the contest was strictly between them.