the stone God!!

Salutations to my Master SAIBABA!!

Let me rush through a few preliminaries to get the theme better understood.

It was during the second half of 2005. I got admitted into the Computer Science Dept in National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. A matter of great pride to all my well-wishers!!
Earlier, my Master SAI told me that i should attend the AIEEE counselling rather than take a seat at the highly fancied RV College in Bangalore, which boasts of top class placements. Besides my bro did his B.E. there in CSE. My dad was at his adamant best to get me into RV, because else my seat in RV would be forever forfeited.
SAI assured me often that "I know best what is good for u..". Also HE had promised me that HE would put me in a place where my Faith in HIM would only increase.

Now come to the central theme.
I got into this beautiful college and the first year was only about making friends around and getting ragged by seniors. Life seemed to be floating in air. People told that NIT has a great tag and can offer one a great future. Some others told that life was not easy in a NIT. To me all this was only a matter of conversation and timepass. After the exams, which i knew i had not done well (for still a 'school boy' attitude, i thought i may not get a CGPA of 8). Vacations were fun at home only for a week, because i had an uninvited guest.. viz EXAM RESULT!! It was a mere 5.9 !! Life for once forgot mercy.. i was shocked and my Faith in SAI was easily shaken..
People around i.e parents, cousins, relatives, well-wishers, etc were bogged down. Dad was convincing me that a NIT is a high level University, and that it is not easy to get a pointer. I was only worried about my dad's reaction. SAI Willing it was a clear path.

Next sem.. 2nd sem.. back to college.. i was worried about how teachers would react to my performance.. in the train i was contemplating continuously as to how others such as seniors, prefects, friends would react.. and whether i would be labeled a NULL? !!
After entering the college i realised that SAI saved me from flunking in 3 subjects!!!! two DDs and one CD. Phew! it was a close shave indeed!! i was close to becoming a discontinued student.

My roommates were preparing for the JEE again.. I too thought of doing the same, so that i could remove the blemish in my academics. I was vexed as to how would i manage another 7 huge semesters, especially in computer science which according to seniors was a low scoring branch. Now i realised SAI has put me into a trap, a vicious circle rather!!

Each time i would go to the Mechanical dept for the Engg-Drawing class, i wud see a small stone-built place of worship, which would hardly be 1 foot both in height and width (on the way to SBI bank). I earlier never considered it as a temple, thanks to my seeing massive, huge temples (whose areas in the order of hectares) in Bangalore, in TN, etc. This turned out to be the HERO of my VNIT life!

Now i see the HERO of our story beckoning onto me. I was perplexed. It was 9:10 am already, thanks to the mess workers' laze in serving masala-dosas. !
From the college canteen(Don't confuse it wit the above mention of mess), there is a sidewalk to the mech dept, via the workshop. Before turning left into the sidewalk, we get to see our HERO at a distance of about 15 metres.

Now why was HE beckoning at me? and what was HE trying to convey? I somehow felt like saluting to HIM and ran to the class. Prof.Warade asked me to come to the teacher's table. Good GOD!! I remembered i just wrote my internals the previous week. I took my eyes away from the marks, but took the sheet to my desk. It was 14/30. A terrible performance indeed!! Now my mind was upset as usual. I realised that my brains were useless and that engineering. was not my cup of tea. Even the previous night dad had encouraged me. hehe!! what was the point!!

My mind wanted to divert. It wanted to trace itself back to the hostel. I walked back to the hostel. When the sidewalk led me to the canteen, my legs didn't move. They were stuck. I saw my HERO signal again. Just then i felt a hand touch my back. I ricocheted back to class! My friend wanted to go the teacher and hence wanted me to move. I saw that the whole class was there in front of his table. I learnt that the teacher has given a grace marks of 6 for a question. I was thrilled!! Getting 20/30 may not be great, but to me seeing anything above 15marks seemed distant.
My mind was beatified. I got a satisfaction that i had never seen in the whole of 1st year so far. I was at my jovial best after a long time to my friends. While walking back to the hostel after the class, i felt my legs getting stuck again n that too at the same spot!!

I then realised.. " hey it YOU SAI!!!" I cried out, "YOU are there with me!!.. DUDE YOU are there with me!!". Now i understood that even getting a GOLD MEDAL here is not going to be tough. This one instance was enough to prove HIS all-Pervasiveness.

JEE got over. 2nd semester got over. It was results time!! It was a meagre 7.1 again; but dad was happy to see my entry into 7 from a 5. A few days later JEE results out.. and i was not selected.. (i never deserved it for my efforts were negligible..). And then i realised that i have to live with the 5.9 n 7.1 in my first year! So far, i was convincing myself that i would make it to IITs for a fresh lease of life.
Seniors in computer science dept told me that it is extremly tough to score and that teachers judge with respect to pointers in first year!! "oh SAI.. where are YOU now?? why this scary situation again?" Just then i was informed about Prof. Kakde that he excruciates the students, and flunks the students. (Contrary to this I have become a great fan.. and am ready to do anything for his class.. i pity those who haven't experienced his teaching!!)
"enoughhhhhhhhh!!", my mind shouted.
3rd sem classes started. Now while going to my comp.sci. dept via the canteen, at a perpendicular angle i could see my HERO beckoning. HE day-by-day convinced me that i am not going to fall to anything further. I would have tears in my eyes.. and would thank HIM, and carry on to/from my dept.
Now grading became relative against the 'absolute grading' which was until last year!! Soon the first sessionals approached( now, 2 tests in a day!!). After the last test, when i came out of the class, people were standing outside the dept, all checking some papers. It was Prof.Moghe's( the GodFather of our dept) paper.
I ran to his cabin. Now my heart was beating worse than an earthquake. Bhaskar was questioning Moghe Sir about the paper correction. It all looked the more tense. Moghe Sir signaled me to get in. He gave me the paper. My eyes refused to open. And then, it was a 23/20!!! yes.. 23/20!! (Moghe Sir's pattern was very interesting.. He would give questions for more marks than the alloted. So it was very encouraging to the students.). This was the first test at department level. n i topped!! wow!!! I felt like this after my 10th std results.. or perhaps more!!
Next sessionals same thing.. Moghe Sir's paper i topped.. 22/20!! hahaha!!
Final exams approached!! Other subjects turned out to have a decent internal score. However Analog Circuits seemed to scare me.. i had a 20/40. Fear engulfed me, that i might flunk!! but i knew this would not bend me to my knees anymore.. because my HERO was there guarding me!!
3rd sem results.. 8.39 !! my dad was excited about my performance!!
My HERO now told me that my Department was the House of Lordess SARAWATHI, and that SHE ever blesses all.
4th sem , 5th sem, 6th sem, 7th sem.. there was no turning back.. my HERO promised me that HE wont let me down.. n i know that HE would even chop HIS Head to stick to HIS Words..

Meanwhile i got 2 jobs. 1 at PSL and another at AVAYA. During the Avaya interview, i was praised for my "comeback" from 5.9, or as some of my wellwishers told i was a "phoenix"!!
Little do they know the truth!!

Till date, i am unable to convince anyone of the truth that the STONE GOD was the true HERO.. nobody would accept if i tell that HE wrote my exams.. that HE evaluated my papers, because even my mistakes fetched me marks!.. that HE entirely took me in HIS Shoulders..
Life would have been so dead without HIM !! But HE is always there with me..
i thank YOU, my HERO.. the STONE GOD!! my SAI!!