Thursday, September 29, 2005

RENDEZVOUS'05: THE OTHER SIDE

It's been almost 90 hours now since Rendezvous 2005, IITD annual cultural fest, ended. I didn't want to write about the fest at all, and not just because it's been mentioned by me in bits and pieces in several posts before, or because several ppl have mentioned several aspects and their own points of view of the fest already,[ or to be more honest and blunt, have already rubbished it and laughed on it several times over], but because I had a slightly different perspective to offer, and even though I'm neither favouring nor opposing anybody here, I didnt exactly wanna offend anyone with my opinions. Still, I've been repeatedly asked to write something, and thus this post...But I'll try to be extremely cautious not to tread the line here.
All right, let's face it, this year hasn't exactly seen the best of fests. Lots has been said about the [lack of] organization, the missing 'feel' of Rendezvous in the campus, the bias, the incapability of the G.Sec. etc etc. We, inspite of being inhabitants of the same college, have gone to every depth possible to ridicule our own fest, while surprisingly, the most encouraging comments I've heard have all come from non-IITDians. But that's Ok. Criticism is a good thing, and a lot of it here is also deserved, plus outsiders don't really know much abt the system, and obviously we have the luxury of hindsight and comparisons with the past.
Yes, Rendezvous 2004(the only one other than this I've closely watched, though I've visited a couple more) was more enjoyable, for the lack of a better word, than this, and what I hear from seniors the 2003 and other editions were even better, and I accept and appreciate that. I know how this time round the Professional nite got almost screwed up at one point of time, and how the sponsorships weren't adequate. We all laugh and ridicule, of crse other than when we are getting our refreshments/coupons/passes/protocol etc [for those who weren't involved with anything, yes, we laugh and ridicule all the time], but I somehow get the feeling we are doing this a bit too much. Rendezvous suffered from a lack of organisational manpower, but in the end, the very few working hands actually managed to pull things off very very decently if u look at it without prejudices. Even things that had to be conjured at the last minute somehow managed to be decent enough, and trust me the non-sceptic junta really enjoyed. Nobody even notices that there was a DJ from Europe for the RDX, that over 2 lacs worth of fircrackers were burst during the meganites, that most events (and infra reqts) were managed 'on time'. Yes, we had crowds less than last time, but blame the rains and the coinciding mid-sem exams of an astonishing number of colleges for that. Despite that, do you think it was easy to get entry anywhere for the avg junta...The crowds were still overflowing! AND, it was infact tougher for IITians to get fraud entries for themselves and kins. I know this contributes to a lot of anger within us, but look at it from an overall point of view. This only means more honesty, more transparency, better security and better organisation than ever before. Even ppl from the organising hostel had a tough time negotiating the security ppl. It might make u angry if u take it at a personal level, but then, sometimes one has to think at the macro level. So much for the bias allegation! And whoever just cribbed Poltu, well I definitely agree it was there. And I'm refraining myself from discussing the malpractices and the alliance breaches here, but wat-the-heck, don't things like this happen everyyear everywhere all the time!!! Wake up, this is IITD. And u know this don't u, that those who did all the ugly work ARE the ones who are gonna suffer the most in the aftermath, esp politically. The sad part is that those at the lower tiers, the fachas for example, who worked 20 hours a day doing menial jobs, carrying stuff, running around, doing the deco, and things like that selflessly and tirelessly, will suffer too.
I'm sorry. I neither wanna defend anybody, nor refuse the fact that things were a lot worse than they could have been, nor do I intend to invite another controversy on this blog.
My point is just this much, and not exclusively applicable to this fest only:
It's the easiest thing in the world to complain and crib from a distance. You have to be in it to now how difficult things can be. It's very simple to give advice, to sit back comfortably and shoot opinions, judgements, advices, whims and critique on what SHOULD be done and what not and how etc. This is India, and everybody here thinks they can be the Prime Minister!!!! But as much as one is free to give random advices and opinions, let us not, in our comfortable rubbishing of the whole world, insult the efforts of the few who gave their 100%. It pains me when ppl overlook the positives totally because of the negatives, and not just here, in general in life too. Tell me, is the 'ugly' really that much more attractive?

39 comments:

Mohan Kodali said...

It pains me when ppl overlook the positives totally because of the negatives, and not just here, in general in life too.

Its not only because of the nagtives that many overlook the positives but also because they want to comment (in the case of any work like fests)....and there are not many people who overlook all the positives.
the remaining ones' i guess its better not giving a damn about them.

Kaala Kavva said...

@chandu
well said

@the last czar
itni lambi kahani likh daali...
end mein kehta hai relax!

@dead bird
chapaat 2 u

Anonymous said...

i am provoked and i will waste time to do a rebuttal :|

"Irrespective of how rendezvous was, lets appreciate whatever organising team could manage under constraints of time, money, protocol, and regulations." If thats what taru is trying to say, then i second her and appreciate her for that spirit.

However, having done that honour, the next process is to learn why and what went wrong. Whomsoever is found to have not acted in his/her full capacity or wherever a process is found flawed, it should be condemned. I think you are denying people the second process. These people can very well be those who had nothing to do with Rendezvous.

Truth remains that the standard of rendezvous this year was as low as it could have been and is WORTHY OF NOTHING EXCEPT BEING RIDICULED. I dont want to be caustic but i cant help smiling when as evidence of good rendezvous, you tell me that 2lakhs worth crackers were BURNT, and a DJ from Europe!!! was called. This when the prizes for clash of titans was 2500 and for lifestyle(team of 10-15) just 5000!!!

i think ive let out the steam so i'll stop here without engaging any further. I would however suggest that you go visit some DU fests being managed with shoestring budgets and you'll know.

And its such a pity that IITians have lowered their standards and started to accept "very decently", "somehow managed to be decent enough"!!

Phoenix said...

@chandu

so u say that just to say smthn ppl crib....hmm...true maybe.
just like it is sad and true that the little black spot on a gleaming white cloth is all that ppl notice and talk of.
Fair, I dont know!

@tlc
thanx fr another post in the comments:P

well, trust me, i did not do much myself personally. Seriously..neither did i ever take rendezvous or its organisation or anything to do with it as my own thing puh-leeeease...DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND THAT.

I have no connection at all with the fest and it's organisation, infact I myself criticise and praise just like any other 'visitor'.
The only tiny difference is that perhaps I've had the chance to 'see for myself'very closely the ppl who have been working. I've seen the way the second and the ifrst yr has worked. I've seen the amt of sleep ppl have lost because they were makin up for others'share of work.

so, I'm chilled out and relaxed(I've NO personal affinities with Jwala or the organizing team:P)

All i said was that just like criticism, respect also is due where it is deserved. that's it.

(I noticed one thing though, no matter which hostel organises Rendezvous, over the last 27 yrs of this fest, the hostel that's probably worked the most is Kailash:))) Which fest happens without the bandis....no facha works without the fachis, and even token representation means our entire hostel is involved!!:D:D:D:)

Phoenix said...

@Anon

I really respect, and somewht agree to ur views(YES I REALLY DO!). I wish u hadn't posted this anon. If u're brave enough to let out the steam, I wish u were brave enough to lend it your name as well. This is just a blogpage, nobody is holding it out against u in a court of law, so own up to wat u think is right.

Anyway, abt ur views..well...

1. I respect ur rebuttal, and I like ur spirit.

2.Thanx for the honour, but it's totally undeserved. I'm just being honest here.

3.Whomsoever is found to have not acted in his/her full capacity or wherever a process is found flawed, it should be condemned.
Agreed. 100%. That's what i've said repeatedly in my post. Let's condemn what was wrong, but in giving our sweeping statements over an all-pervasive lack of effort, let's not INSULT the select few.

4. Having aid that, I'm denying nobody nothing. Everyone has a right to opinion, and the right to express that, freely.

5.about the crackers, that money did not come out of Rendezvous budget, or any budget, for that matter. My limited knowledge tells me that Parikrama Inc, an event management company sponsored pronite and blitzkreig only in the form of KIND[read crackers] and they joined in very late. That's all they were interested in, and they were allowed to do that.

6.I absolutely and vehementaly agree, support, yell and ridicule that the prize money for the events was obscenely low. I KNOW that the profs are supposed to ahve a say in deciding that, but that's as tardy an explanation as there cd be. THIS IS SHAMEFUL THAT OUR PRIZE MONEYS ARE SOO LOW, AND IT'S EVEN MORE SHOCKING THAT THEY HAVE REMAINED THUS FOR SO MANY YRS AND NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT THIS..

7. Expectation...well...I wont comment on that. I dont want controversies here.Just like Nitin's line... I know how exceedingly tough it is to pull off events to public satisfaction!

Kaala Kavva said...

@phoenix
tu bhi 5-6 page bada comment de ke likh de... relax :)

tlc, no offence intended

Kaala Kavva said...

@tlc
u have to comment on comments when the post is too much too read...

u c im the fraction, who choses to remain unaffected by such lilliputian issues.

Anonymous said...

A great blog I have to say.
Another addition to my bookmarks.

By the way, wont to like to have a little fun whilst you've enjoyed or not enjoyed Rendezvous so much. So how about
clicking here

Kaala Kavva said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Good blog you have here.
My blog is related to all this rendezvous stuff.
Free Jobs and security items for free

Phoenix said...

oho mani
shut up!
wat r u doin here..itna wela hai kya!

Kaala Kavva said...

theek hai yaar.. tu kehti hai to nahi comment karunga :(

sorry and bye :( :(

insane said...

Though theoretically being an "outsider" IITD is like a second home and having watched Rendezvous for the last 3 years...i can say vehemently that it is by far the best i have seen..the quality of fest is too good..something which we try to match...so dont crib so much..i know it is frustating when one expects the best and doesnt get, but one cant get everything in life.

insane said...

It is true, for many, the negative is attractive...maybe for me too.But dont u think it sucks to bask in the glory of the few positives and turning a blind eye to the negatives ??

Anonymous said...

My blog's link was also given in your post so I thought I might clear my position. I wasn't offended or anything, but just listen to what I meant (and it might get very long). Even otherwise, I had thought of writing an article for CR (which I still might if I see any point to it) after I saw the first day of the fest, and this is too interesting a topic to not give my two cents of gyaan on.

I chose to rubbish (in great moderation) this year's fest because I genuinely believe that this has been the worst Rendezvous since I have been here, and you'll agree that's some experience.

I appreciate how irritating, and offending, it can get if you see everyone (and especially people who have never done a day's work as far as organising a fest is concerned) taking pot-shots at the organisers, and I also appreciate that there might have been some good things about the fest. You also need to realise that fests are criticised by some people every year, mainly because they weren't involved, or they didn't get passes or for some other reason.

But most people that I have found criticising this year's fest, or at least the ones whose opinion matters, are those who do know a thing or two about organising Rendezvous, or at least some event in it. At least I do. So this criticism is not entirely unfair.

Many of the areas where this year's organising team finally managed to save face and get a decent job done cannot be taken as a sign of their competence simply because those problems shouldn't have arisen in the first place. There shouldn't have been a crisis two-three days before Pro-nite. Rendezvous teams in previous years have organised better fests, and better pro-nites, with lower budgets.

I had mentioned to a few friends that the rains on the second day were actually god-send because now the organisers can blame the rainfall for the low turnout. There have been exams in colleges clashing with R'vous earlier too. There have been days during earlier fests when this was coupled with blistering heat. I never saw a lower turnout on any of the R'vous Fridays. There had to be something wrong elsewhere.

I am not criticising the organising team because of some political leanings or because of personal problems. But when the organisers alienate the entire batch, in the process foregoing the chance of getting help from several better and experienced people, one is forced to cast aspersions on the planning and organisational potential of the core team and the team leader.

The marketing team this year was more high-profile than ever before, but they managed fewer sponsors (I hope everyone appreciates the practicality of having a greater number of sponsors over too few sponsors giving all of the money), with the main one being a public sector firm, which is never very intelligent. But that's still a decent job. The sad thing is that the core team was enjoying their marketing job so much that they almost forgot appointing the coordiantors and ac-heads till very late.
Spending on getting personalised T-shirts for the coordinators, and getting huge banners made only to be put up at the wrong side of the main building, are only few of the other examples of bad planning I was referring to.

The fest looked like Rendezvous only on the final day, and that was after Podium was shifted to WindT. I still feel that it was a last-ditch effort to show some crowds to the sponsors. Whatever the reason behind it might have been, it worked, and even though the noise got disturbing, it was fun to see people having a nice time.

I am not debating (ok, maybe I am), but the point is that people are not being unfair in criticising this mess. IITD junta have a right to be more vocal and critical because it's their fest. When a man takes up the responsibility of organising the fest of his own accord, and then spoils it by treating it as his personal fiefdom, imagining himself to be bigger than the fest, he should be made to realise where he has gone wrong (that's about the only personal comment, but I couldn't help it). This would at least make people daring to take up this job in the future realise that this is not meant only to be a bullet point on their resume.

The year before I came here, Jwala had organised the biggest Rendezvous ever, and that is said to have brought the fest to the grandeur it is associated with. Unfortunately, the same hostel would be held responsible for making it small again. And this feeling was shared by a group of my hostel seniors visiting the campus on Sunday, who had been in the 3rd year during R'vous '99, including a guy who had been the house-secy in my first year.

I should copy all this - will save me the trouble of writing an article all over again :) Sorry for taking up so much space. Could have made a separate post on my blog, but this place seemed more apt.

Anonymous said...

Just read your comment about prize money in R'vous. This year's was lower than what we had in 2003. Don't know about last year as I wasn't involved. But the G Sec and the BRCA Events coordinator in 2003 had tried (and succeeded in) increasing the prize money by quite an amount (though I agree it still was far from being a king's ransom) and it could have easily been managed by this year's team too if anyone really cared. Profs do have a say in it, but if one is going to blame them for things handled stupidly then we might as well let them organise the entire fest too.

Phoenix said...

[Arnav]
Thank you for your two cents of gyaan Mister_The_Learned_One. I knew something like this was bound to happen the moment I finished writing that post, though avoiding any controversy was the prime reason I was initially averse to write anything of this sort. I knew I was taking on a whole world full of 'intellectuals' and 'Prime Ministers' who will not get the very simple point I'm trying to make and turn this into a debate when it's not one simply because nobody is opposing the FACT that it was a bad fest. Yes sir, as many times as I've already shouted this, let me say this again: I'm not saying it was an excellent fest! Debate if you please to, but not against me. I do not want to be labelled the criminal here for just being a little honest. but now that YOU have pronounced me thus, let me for the last and final time, clear my stand out, and then others can continue to curse me for my shortsightedness.

One thing that I wish to clear out write at the beginning is that I AM NEITHER A FRIEND, NOR AN ACQUAINTANCE, NOR A SYMPATHISER, NOR A FAN/FOLLOWER NOR THE PR MANAGER for Mr. G.SEC who was responsible, [or should I say who's been called the Mr. irresponsible]and who has been sufficiently ridiculed already over here. There were several things that form a part of my opinion which I hadn't written in the post, and I had mentioned this there. Why just you sir, even mere mortals like me had and do intend to write an article on this in the next CR(or am I not worthy enough to try that much, in ur Godly view). "Malfunctioning in IIT" seems just too apt a theme!

So this criticism is not entirely unfair.
Should I start quoting myself now? I've said dozens of times that the criticism is fair and deserved.

There shouldn't have been a crisis
Absolutely, they should have foreseen KayKay's sudden hike in prices.

I never saw a lower turnout on any of the R'vous Fridays. There had to be something wrong elsewhere.
True, there was. I can tell you exactly what. The Great marketing team did not manage to get confirmations from sponsors(the MoUs)till almost the last day. Gross incompetence. Because of this the final posters could not be printed and when they were, there was too little time to put them up at every possible place and college outside the insti to give a sufficient cushion for junta to read, know, make up their mind and turn up.
It's equally true that we did not get IITK(they come every yr) and IITB participation (yes, both were coming, in 100+ official contingents, with permission) solely because of a head-on clash with exams. So is the fact that this yr's clash of exams was astonishingly far more precendented. Yet, I do not intend to offer an excuse here. Why should I? It's not as if I've failed at my job. I did more than what I was expected to, and did that reasonably well. Nobody has pointed out any fingers at me. So I should chillax. Why am I fighting it out here for justice? For a little consideration, for only the few who did THEIR job perfectly. For the second yrites who had ac-headships(!!!!yes shockingly they had ac-headships, again sign of *you-name-it* by the heads) but worked MORE than their co-ordinators and the absent ac-heads as it eventually appened. They SHOULD NOT have been dping what they were, nor are ever the volunteers supposed to know and do as much, they were at the wrong time at the wrong place for no fault of theirs, and had it not been for ppl like those, this fest wd have been a national shame bigger than anybody's imagination. I just pleaded for a little respect for them, and the few others who put all their energy and passion in a thankless job, to manage what ppl above them had ruined DECENTLY ENOUGH to save face, and for the rank outsider not to know. If that is lowering of standards, I dont care and I dont mind.

But when the organisers alienate the entire batch,
Why just the batch in their own hostel...apart from THE EXTENDED FAMILY, as it has now coem to be called, which is a handful of ppl in jwala and nil, the whole institute was alienated. Again I dont want to go into the politics and alliance breaching, but everyone knows it right. what r we, or wat is anyone debating on here, wen everyone agrees!

The sad thing is that the core team was enjoying their marketing job so much that they almost forgot appointing the coordiantors and ac-heads till very late.
I'm really the wrong person to be harping on this, so I'll stay shut on this, but I cant resist saying this much at lst: the core team had 4 coordinators and 8 ac-heads, and all of them knew this way before. infact I guess marketing was the only team perhaps where this was known so much in advance. But if ppl choose not to work, and 1 coordi+3 ac-heads manage most of the show till very very late and the higher autority[u-know-who] does not do anythign abt this imbalance, it's bound to be shoddy.

EVERYONE thought the giant dropdown was on the wrong side of the building. Except the sponsors, wh're god, and the one practical aspect:there was no lighting at that point on the other side of the building. so the 20000 bucks wd have meant nothin wen it was dark. Still, even I fought twice with the co-ordi to do smthn to get it to the other side.

When a man takes up the responsibility of organising the fest of his own accord, and then spoils it by treating it as his personal fiefdom
Agreed. 200%. The pitiable, horrible [and all those adjectives here] composition of the organising team on whatever basis it was makes me cry, Infact I've yet another valid reason to CRIB about this, which is th fact that Kailash and not himadri were in the alliance. Still, the amount of sidelining we suffered and the way the other hostel got so many privilege from the so-called personal account is outrageous. And everyone knows who worked and who didn't!! I could as well cry and ask, why! why did we work?

this is not meant only to be a bullet point on their resume.
That's why I HATE THE IMPACT POLTU HAS IN IITD. The weightage decimals and fractions get over simple merit. One of my most optimistic of fantasies is to imagine a reform at the next time the P-Slot resurfaces, so that ppl see more sense than simply some alliance and some carpet-voting shit and think abt WHO is getting WHAT job.
Ha!Me and my far-fetched dreams!

Unintentionally, this has become longer than my post I guess. I know I'm being laughed at and dismissed as this little foolish junior who knows nothing and yet wants to fight(??) over God-knows-what with the know-alls and the be-alls of this institute. So be it!

No offences for anyone, but I'd rather be quiet now. I'm an absolute nobody, but I just wish to say that I care, and I don't care if nbody else does.

Phoenix said...

I remembered one more thing, and thought that I just might mention that too: this yr a college saw a very very shameful incident happen at the wind-t the first night:some girls were allegedly misbehaved with, and it was definitely a serious enough issue because of which ppl were not permitted to hang around wind-t after 12 the remaining days. thus a lot of the so-called junta were IN the hostel, or outside. so much for the missing feel.
O!How i hate ppl who do things like that. Someone getting drunk and nasty, and animal-like at a place like wind-t is a bigger shame for the institute than any ruined fest!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I forgot to make one thing clear. I have a problem only with the core team of this year's fest. Not with the ac-heads or volunteers or even the coordinators who came in later; the efficiency or the capability of the general team does not vary much every year, only that of the core team does. And it's probably because of these 'non-core' organising team members that the fest did manage to have some semblance of sanity and competence, despite the GSec and his family.
Having been a volunteer, rep, ac-head and coordinator, I KNOW that a lot of effort is put by someone who wants to work, and it feels bad when the end result isn't great because the ones with the real control mess up.
I was afraid my comments would be seen in a similar way as I have responded to some 'debaters' recently on my blog. I am not laughing at anyone. There are things you'll learn only with greater involvement in the coming years, and in fact I was as passionate about the whole thing as you seem to be now, but realised only later that there are things working at levels you can't really comprehend unless you are involved at a closer distance. You do seem to know a lot more than most 2nd yearites anyway, and I am not making fun of that in any way. Caring is a good thing, and thankfully there are reps (and students in IITD) who care.
Again, I am not debating AGAINST you, but only trying to clarify that things that go wrong in a fest could either be because of bad luck or because of bad planning. In this fest's case the latter seems to be the reason more often. Even in the case of Kay Kay's supposed sudden price increase, which doesn't happen normally if the person contacting the artist discusses things clearly with him initially, it wouldn't have become as big a crisis if it had been done a few days earlier with enough time for contingency plans to fall back on. Bad planning again.

Yes, politics is the main reason for things going wrong. But it's difficult to predict before the election which of the two (or more) candidates would be a better R'vous organiser. A good rep doesn't always become a good secy, and a good secy doesn't always become a good G Sec, so even in case of a fully democratic and clean system things will go wrong, and not necessarily with any less frequency. Next year is probably not possible for you to make a change. You'll be in a better position a year after that, and since you'll be here for 5 years you'll have more time too. Try, and maybe something good will come out of it.

"Why just you sir, even mere mortals like me had and do intend to write an article on this in the next CR(or am I not worthy enough to try that much, in ur Godly view)." Comeon, don't do that! Have I once implied that I am looking down at you? I wouldn't even bother to comment at a blog that I think is not written well. You mentioned some genuine concerns in your post, but I felt it was being mixed at the same time with wrongful criticism of the people who are only saying things about the fest that are true, and not unfounded ridicule.

In the end it was my hostel and my fachchas (OK, they are final-yearites now, but I can't help it if I AM that ancient) who were in the core team, and it pains me more than most other people when I see them messing up R'vous.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know about that misbehavior incident, and it is definitely much worse and much more reprehensible than any badly organised fest. But it's not a very relevant argument because I was talking about crowds during the day. I have never been in the WindT during R'vous that late (mainly because I would be sleeping after a tiring day) and don't know if the crowds at night this time were any less compared to previous years.

Anonymous said...

I will comment intelligently and knowledgeably later (:)), for now lemme just say, I kind of sympathise with the general tone of the article -when you are a part of the enormous effort that goes into organising Rendezvous, you feel a little attached and a little more than a little personally offended if somebody rubbishes it. It might not have been the best R'vous I've seen, but what the hell, it was ok.
The organising and the marketing teams made mistakes, and I saw mismanagement at close quarters, but hopefully we've all learnt from it.
Basically, I don't think it was a fiasco, and the fact that it allegedly almost was one, does not make it deserving of all the criticism heaped on it.
This being a blog for the opinionated and the assertive, I must state for the benefit of all potential challengers that all of the above is strictly IMHO.(Actually, who else's opinion can it be, but mine? It's just a stupid thing that ppl say to deflect criticism pre-emptorily).
PS: I think it's KK, Kay Kay Menon is the actor in HKA and Sarkar.

Anonymous said...

On second thoughts, yes, as Shalabh said, the fest was not a FIASCO. As I had said in my first comment here, the main aim of all this criticism is for future organisers (and I am sure ma'am, you'll be playing even more active roles in the future) to learn from the mistakes this year, many of which were easily avoidable. Again, as I have so often said in moments of philosophical reflection, it's really really difficult to organise a R'vous that is REALLY GOOD, and even more difficult to organise one that is REALLY BAD. Things always fall in place finally because the work gets micro-distributed, and it's not possible in IITD to have each member of the extended organising team incompetent.

Anonymous said...

OK, one more final thing. I can't sleep so I'll try to finish off my role in this thing.
I was going through your comment in which you have replied to my comments sentence by sentence, and I felt that we are going slightly tangential in our arguments, with a common agreeing point that the core team messed up. You are trying to prove (if I am not wrong) that the rest of the team worked hard and they shouldn't be criticised, which I completely agree with, and I am trying to prove that not everyone who criticises the core team is an incompetent inexperienced jerk, which I am sure you agree with.
There, no fight at all. (unless you start calling me names again...what's wrong with the name my parents gave me?...why does it have to be God, or Mister_The_Learned_One, or any new thing you're sure to think up soon)

Let's see what you have to say to Mr Ghate's interesting statements now :)

VERTIGO said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
VERTIGO said...

2 Lakh worth of crackers :O,I mean this is literally 'paise hawa mein uda dena',itna to pink floyd ke pulse mein bhi ahi laga hoga.Yadi itne ka kewal bill aaya hai to I can understand :D,meri party kab:P

Anonymous said...

RULE!!!

WHOEVER WRITES MORE THAN 4 LINES IN A COMMENT, MUST WRITE RELAX IN THE END



RELAX :)

Phoenix said...

OKAY, now I had decided I wont comment any more here on this topic, for I didnt want any [more] controversies. So I refrained last night and I refrained all day, but now I really want to say a few things, so wat-the-heck, I might as well say them.

1. First of all, I dont understand why everyine is getting so worked up. Arnav sir is absolutely correct when he says there is no fight anywhere. All of us are saying essentially the same thing, and again all of us are saying different things that do not conflict.

2. I have a problem only with the core team of this year's fest. Not with the ac-heads or volunteers Well, u shd have said this before:P.
But on a more serious note, NOT ALL AC-HEADS, just like the coordis really worked, or even turned up, trust me. Reasons:\
...It's not my hostel..
.. they havent called me up 15 times yet...
..even the whole Jwala isnt working..
...do I really need to?..
is there noone else there?...
..am I an ac-head?:O...
etc etc.

3.I felt it was being mixed at the same time with wrongful criticism of the people who are only saying things about the fest that are true, and not unfounded ridicule.
I'm sorry, extremely sorry, but I never meant to point out or criticise anybody's personal criticism and opinion on the fest. I only mentioned the links of ppl who had mentioned their views on rvous, and the talk of the criticism showered on Rvous was that by the ENTIRE insti, and that includes Yours Truly!

4, [Prad] Hey I never wanted any crediting or any personal leverage for Kailash or my batchees or myself. sorry if I sounded like that.. I was just a little annoyed, and I was only quoting an example. Yes,t he girls hostels work, but there's no choice, is there? Which facha team wd work if fachis are not there?:P
Ok kidding, wat I really meant was that beyond a certain level of top-notch money-siphoning ppl there are many who do work, but as u say their bad luck that they are in the wrong team. The ONLY REASON THAT I WROTE THIS POST WAS THAT WHEN 1000 PPL CONCENTRATED ON THE BIG THE FAMOUS AND THE UGLY, I AS THE 1001THE WANTED TO SPARE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE THE SMALL THE HARDWORKING AND THE UNKNOWN. I may still be alone in this mission, but I'm happy that at lesst I'm there.
Yes, I criticise the fest. But I respect whoever did work selflessly. Does anyone have a problem wih that.

5.thanx for informing ur view prad. I'm not fighting u here, I've seen several little things of cheatin and money-siphoning at various levels with my own eyes, everywhere, and not jus in this fest.

6.[shalabh] Thanx for being a little reasonable here. Also for calling this blog "a place for the opinionated and the assertive"!!
That was surprising!:)
I can understand why u understand things better..afterall u were an ac head too, u have seen both the effort and the mismanagement closely.

7.I am sure ma'am, you'll be playing even more active roles in the future
i. I do not understand ur use of the word "even" here.
ii. In any case, the answer is NO, I wont. This is the last time I'm, or was, involved at any organisational levels in BRCA or Rendezvous, or anything like that. I hate politics, that's one reason I detest my rep-ship, and in any case I plan to totally totally stay out of all this. Anyway nothing happens on merit here and I do not want anything out of an 'equation', and in any case even if it were, I do not think I deserve anything on merit anyway.
I was there this yr, because I'm a rep, and because I was pretty jobless, so volunteered for a lot of things myself. Never again.

8. [Arnav] Yes, we have been debatin over nothing. We both basically agree broadly with wat the other person is saying. glad u finally got the point.

9. And no, I wont call u any more names if u please. If u notice I have stopped calling u God(it even disappeared off my blogroll a few days back). Basically I liked bugging u a little bit, so I overdid that. But I realised that and stopped, and even stopped commenting altogether at ur blog. So obviously not anymore. Sorry.

10. Finally, I hope there's peace everywhere at the end of yet another World War! :)

And ya, acc to the new rule...RELAX!:)

Extempore said...

I hate to join the party so late but I just wanted to say one thing - Phoenix, where were you when I was heading my own college fest?! I could have used support like this! You're completely right, it is so much easier to throw the brickbats than it to understand what the Organisers go through.

I should like to say another thing as well. I spent a lot of my time during college at IITB - some of those nutters are my best friends - thanks so much for taking me back there! :)

Phoenix said...

@extempore

You're welcome, anytime!
I did nobody no favours. I was just being honest with what I felt. And see the no. of ppl I offended.
Still, I believe in what I do.:)

vinal said...

yaar..i too wanted to write abt rendezcous but cudnt coz everytime i think abt rndvz i get angry.

u have talked about ppl who hav worked and ppl who dont see it.

but how can u fget the problems that were faced by us as working team. i was the ac-head of rdx.i was to manage the event and so i did. no one can say rdx sucked. in fact it was the best event this time.but wat did i get......mr.john yelling at me of nothing, prof.iyer pulling out the chord at not closing down event at 9.30. secutrity guard not allowing DJ's and their guests to enter.police using lathi on me gor standing near the entry(i was the ac-head dammit if i wont be there they cant start entry) and then sathi iitians telling me that wat ac-head i m that i cant even make their stag entry at wrong gate.

Phoenix said...

@vinal

All i can say is this is life. that's why i wanted to point out the other side of Rvous 2005. The top brass messed up several things,, the profs had their own ideas, and the junta has been very "considerate" with their rubbishing. everyone missed the minority who were tryin to give in their best, as if they r not human beings. wont this mean a simple thing, that nxt time, these ppl wont work, for they simply wont feel the commitment.
whose fault is it anyway?

vinal said...

@phoneix

i m glad u were able to understand my and many others' situation and its not over.
i am also suppossed to pay rs.1000 as fine for giving my i-card to friend for entry in rock show.

Kon ?? said...

NO COMMENTS !!

PS: tere post ki comments mere blog ke content se bhi badi hoti hain :)))
PPS: maine to koi burai nahi ki na fest ki ;)

Anonymous said...

soo many comments already....

wanted to write something but don't know what....if i try it will very long. U enjoyed ur fest ...now dont look at the negative side (other ridiculing it) c the positive side (some people do liked it).
god knows what i have written

Phoenix said...

@vinal
u hav my sympathies yar.

@kon ??
:P
ismein emri kya galti hai:D

@voice
got ur point dude:D:D

@silentecho
will it make a difference if i say sorry!
:(
i hope it doesnt put u off from comin again here.

The Reader said...

Unlike Arnav, I will not clarify my stand.

You said that it is slightly easier to complain from a distance when you are not working.

Believe me, it is all the more fun to ridicule something when one knows who deserved what, and what eventually happened?

There are a lot of things that you don't know. Also, there are a lot of things you should not know, hence I would not tell you those things.
What I essentially want to say is this - not many things that happen are as unjustified as they appear to be.

Phoenix said...

@Aidoneus

I take that..everything u say..word by word..not askin for any clarifcations, not askin to know any more things than I do(I have been told I already know too much), not asking for another debate. I'll just accept wat u say.
And I accept i'm wrong here..in sayin watever i have had.
Yes, ridicule is fun.
Yes, everything is deserved.
And yes, inspite of wat appears, EVERYTHING is fully justified.

Rendezvous was crap, the ppl were ******* and wth, whatever u ppl say.

I'm sorry for havin brought this up ever.

I rest my case.

Anonymous said...

Ha ha, I have the last word: what I'm unable to understand is why everyone is getting so red in the face attacking /defending Rendezvous.
It's over guys, wake up and let the matter rest.
Basically, I don't have anything to say, I just wanted to make this your 43rd comment: the number 42 distracts me-it is one of the side-effects of attendnig QC events.

Anonymous said...

The only good thing happen in Rendezvous is rock show .. the crowd OMG , Infact the capacity of the OAT is the maximum in delhi , have attended hundreds of gigs but the crowd , the energy which is in IITD fest is the BEST.
Nice place to headbangg :D ;)

Keep blogging balike ;)