The Anna University Gang

Anna is one amazing place. 550 hectares of prime real estate right in the heart of the city of Madras. It's located almost right opposite IIT Madras, so we do have a high concentration of brains in and around Sardar Patel Road, Adyar !!! If you want any more information on my university, it would be worth checking out http://www.annauniv.edu (our college website).

Coming onto my gang at college:

SIMILAR (??) ASPIRATIONS(Vivek Iyer, M.Elavazhagan, Bala): Yeah thats the name of our quiz team. The name may sound weird to a stranger, but it's worked wonders for our quiz team! Well, it all started off sometime in September 1998, when I casually spoke to Vivek Iyer about my passion for quizzing. He told me that he had been a good quizzer during his school days in Delhi and Guwahati and was on the lookout for 2 people to form a team. So we started off as a 2 member team and called ourselves "Similar Aspirations". We won the Agni Quiz at our first attempt beating a couple of gods of the AU quizzing circuit like Sunil Laxman and Krishna. We continued to be on the lookout for our "third-man" and finally M.Elavazhagan joined Similar Aspirations as its 3rd member. Since then we've won a few quizzes, and also conducted a couple of quizzes; and of course we are members of the Quiz Foundation of India (QFI) and Quiznet.
ELA : Also known as the "Smoking Gunn". Ela was a member of SimilarAspirations. He's damn good at cracking the toughest of quiz questions. No one can even come even close to him when it comes to classical Tamil stuff. He lends a sort of balance to our team, and makes up for Vivek's and my shortcomings in the Tamil deptt. The guy next door for him is a certain M.K.Stalin, Mayor of Madras and also the son of the current CM of Tamil Nadu, Mr.M.Karunanidhi. So we love to kid him about the security he gets thanks to Stalin. Cricket is Ela's game- he's the Tendulkar of our gang, dispatching the hapless bowler to all corners of the ground! Ela too reads a lot, his authors ranging from Kalki to Kafka! He too has been sorta inspired by Feynman. Ela's doing Industrial Biotechnology (IBT). The unforgettable quote:" Assumption is the mother of all f***-ups".......This quote has been twisted to read something else....:-d
Ela's now pursuing his PhD at NUS, Singapore; as part of the SMA.

SUNIL LAXMAN (LINUSLAX): Sunil's a whole 2 yrs senior to me, but I've got to know him thanks to the quizzing. He's an amazing guy who can dish up some delicious spaghetti in a matter of seconds. Man, he's my guru@annauniv.edu
The God of quizzing....the coolest guy in CBT...what more can i say about him....He's doing his PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle. He's intro-ed me to some of the coolest music ever created like Pink Floyd, The Chieftains and The Gipsy Kings. LinusLax, the dedications are there for u in the songs section!
Sunil has set some amazing quizzes, both on Quiznet/QFI, and also in college. He keeps winning stuff at Saarang, the IIT Madras cul-fest. So maybe once he's off the scene, we'll get 2 win some cash at Saarang!!! He's the king of the Rascal gang. After all the advice he gives me on life, I discover that he's now conveniently bent his own rules to suit himself - but after all, isnt that what life is all about???!!!!
The unforgettable quote:"Go make ur life and then bother about __________"

ANKUSH: The man from J&K, Ankush is probably the most bindaas guy on campus....He lives life to fullest, and always has a wide grin on his face. He loves playing tricks on ppl.....still laugh at the nasty but hilarious things he's done to some poor souls. He gives Salman Khan a complex (and I rest my case there!!!). Loves scribbling graffiti.....u just have to read the stuff written outisde his room...Anna Kournikova....Sushmita Sen......Aishwarya Rai.........and of course SmtVL. The unforgettable quote: "Bala, u gotta realise that I dont believe in guns.......I believe in ______"

Ankush now works with Infosys, Bangalore.

VIJEE: The little pocket of energy from Delhi, Vijee is one guy who's tenacious. Man, does he study hard. He also plays some amazing cricket. Unforgettable quote: "Woh haraamzada Iyer/Ankush kidhar hai?????"
Vijee now works with Infosys, Chennai.

MANDEEP : Mandeep's also from Delhi, but did his 12th in DAV, Gopalapuram here in Madras. As Iyer calls him, he's the "Jat with the bike"......he'll be glad to take u on his bike at 100km/h.....a real speed merchant u'd say. But his bike makes so much noise that u can hear him a mile away. Manu's doing Chemical Engg. Ask him abt his adventures at the pubs of Bangalore and u'll be entertained for a lifetime.
Mandeep works with Cairn Energy Pty.

ANUP (Choos Lee): Yeah at last a Malayali..... Anup's a fun-loving character. He loves teasing me about a couple of people on campus, and I do return his compliments. Still remember flashing the thumbs-up sign at each other in the workshop, while some others looked on bewildered. Anup's in Singapore at NUS.

U.VIVEKA MAYYA (Ultra Violet): He's ultra violet thanks to his initials. Mayya's the simplest chap in the gang. Talks straight, walks straight and plays straight......no room for too many jokes. Loves reading self-improvement books, and will lend them to u any time u need 'em. Mayya was probably the only guy who had a smile on his face on our first day in Anna University, despite the fact that he had come to class directly from the station and had to haul his luggage all over the place.
Mayya is now pursuing his PhD at the University of Connecticut.

RAVI BHALOTIA: Ravi comes from Bhagalpur in Bihar. He's a damn nice guy, ready to help u out at any time. His brand of Hindi (which I guess is the stuff spoken in the Bihar belt) is a class by itself.

SRIPATHY (CHINTU): When u see Chintu, u'll wonder why an d how he ever got such a nickname. He's 6'3" and weighs around 90 kg. So when the Big Guy's mad.........u know u gotta stay out of his way. Quite a few guys have been the at the receiving end of his fury. The memory of Sukumar's specs flying across the Organic Chem Lab is still fresh in our heads. Sukumar had slipped a couple of ice-cubes down Chintu's back, and the next thing he knew was that he was down on the ground seeing stars. Chintu's got a special place for the A sisters.
Chintu works with Hindustan Lever Ltd.

M.KARTHICK: Karthick's my labmate. He's one great guy to get along with, cracking jokes every other minute. He knows just a handful of words in Hindi like "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge" and "Hum aapke hai kaun"; but that doesnt stop him from jabbering in his own brand of Tamil and Hindi......a sort of a megamix! He believes that he's a Hindi pundit.....lol.

KAUSHIK: Kaushik reminds me of a golliwog!!!! He's an instant fact finder...and can tell u the entire 1945 Indian cricket team which toured England. I doubt his authenticity.......and WHO CARES if Pataudi was the 12th man in the 4th Test of the 1960-61 series between India and the windies! His unforgettable quote is inspired by Iyer: "Aaja banchode"
Kaushik is believed to be working with Infosys, Bhubaneshwar ;-)

KARTIK B (NOFRA ka stud):

Yes, he's from good ol' NOFRA as in the Navy Nagar one. He was in Bombay from 1993-96 after which he came to Madras for his 11th and 12th. Met up with the chap after we got into Anna University, and we go "Weren't u in Bombay?????" Kartik graduated from the Industrial Engg deptt at AU, and now works with Cognizant Technology Solutions Ltd.

TANAY DESAI:
Tanay's my junior here at AU. His parents stay in Lokhandwala in Andheri. He's one chap with attitude. His views are interesting. He loves listening to George Michael, tho' I'm doing my level best to make him switch to other groups/singers. He writes good poetry. He shares a lot in common with me, outlooks/attitudes/passions etc. He plays the keyboard v.well. Been thru the NCC camp with him, and survived to tell tales about Rags and Black Coffee. Well he knows me inside out, and vice versa - crushes, etc etc. We are "proud" members of the Rascals Gang as we call it. 7 members and counting...Our musical interests seem to complement each other.

Tanay's now at the University of Maryland at College Park, pursuing his PhD in Biochemical Engg.

VENKATARAMANAN:
Venky's also a junior here at AU, a great chap to know. According to Tanay, he doesnt stand a chance with the women in his class coz Venky's got the brawn and brain to attract all of 'em. If there's one guy who's brains are stable when it comes to women, it's gotta be Venky. Man, I bow before the chap. We've had fun...especially asking the poor CEG canteen bloke for Mutton Biriyani...I swear I cant help laughing everytime I see the canteen chap.
Venky is now at UC-Irvine!!!! He's pursuing his PhD in Molecular Biology.

PAVAN (Pappu):
The Tom Cruise look-alike! Amazing guy to know. U wouldnt even believe that he'd be a member of the Rascals. But then he seems to have problems connecting to the net, and often claims that he got "dic-connected". Bhillu (read below) and I have never stopped kidding him about that!

Pavan's at UC-Davis!

ARUN (Bhillu):
The man who intro-ed himself to me on his 1st day of college as "B.Arun Kumar from Chattisgarh". Impressive. We've had some amazing chats in the canteen. Like yours truly, he's an honorary member of CBT! He's generally spotted hanging around with Tanay and Pavan. I could say that he's the dude who inro-ed me to Ozzy Ozzbourne! I could say that he's easily one of the closest confidantes I had in college.

BHASKAR (Val Kilmer):

He's da man from Anantapur in AP (no man, not that AP)....Great sense of humour...Great sense of smell...Great place to spray deo!!!! Hahahhahaha
Bhasky is at NCBS doing his research on some hi-fi stuff.

NAVAL:
Naval's a junior from Bombay, who's doing his UG in Biotech at Anna. Phenomenal guitar player. Damn sweet chap.

YOGEESWARAN (Yogi): He's a junior of mine, who's got this amazing one track mind. Phenomenal sense of one-liners. Irritate him a lot, but he takes anything and everything in his stride. Yogi's got them values when it comes to gals! But then he's always been called the M*f*...

AMIT: Amit's the computer-whiz. Any problem, at any time of the day is solved in a flash. He's one of the coolest chaps on campus, and covers the 12 km from his house to college in a matter of 10 minutes. Sultan of speed! Amit's doing his PhD in Robotics at the University of Florida, Gainesville

KARTHIK: SK's also a comp-whiz, but unlike Amit, he prefers to use the good ol' bus. He's also one of my computer advisers. He's still trying to find "that female" on whom he has a major crush, and swears that she's from ACTech and that he's seen me talking to her......well SK....i'm STUMPED!! SK's was at UC Berkeley(!!) and is now working somewhere in the Bay-area.

PRAKASH DANIEL (PD/P-DO)

Prakash was a good buddy of mine in college, all thanks to that infamous/famous NCC camp. He was nicknamed PD, but then we changed it to P-Do (read it properly) coz he used to hang out with this kiddy cousin of his at the camp.

PD is now at Old Dominion in Virginia.

M.BALASUBRAMANIAN (Kabali):

Kabali is one of the sweetest guys you could ever meet. Since we have names which sounds similar, he was christened Kabali/Kadalai-Bala, thanks to his peanut-putting abilities. We grew a lot closer during the Infy experience. He's working with Infy, Bangalore. Can never forget the card he gave me for my birthday in 2002.

SUNITA SUBRAMANIAN:

Sunita's probably the happiest gal to have ever graced Anna University - always has a ready smile for anyone, however gloomy the day! She speaks her own brand of Hindi which is very amusing. Excellent sense of humor. Wont forget the Coimbatore experience for a long time, especially incidents like the ones at the Fair, then the "Super Attokaran Wine shop", and many others. She had Bhillu, Sujatha and me in splits everytime we met.

The man in the forefront is Amit Jayakaran. In the background u can see Harini, one of my seniors in college.