Obituary of 2004!

Take 1
Place: Office!!
Occasion: Xmas Eve!
Mission: Have fun!
Status: Mission Accomplished!


The celebrations heralding Xmas Eve reached a high crescendo
competing with that of the joyous carol singers. Smitha and Tresa
really did us proud, along with Pratyush who joined along in their
rendition of 'Jingle Bells'.

The task of decorating the office was taken up like any other project
– with determination and enthusiasm. We had people competing with each
other for white space on the ceiling, or rather, for ANY space!! The
computer monitors weren't spared either… as Sumen's showed.
Everyone had their hands full, quite literally.. with cello tape!

Venkat showed his hidden talent – as a master tape-cutter(if that is
the word), cutting tape for up to 10 people per minute, definitely a
world record; using scissors stolen from me, I must add( that I had
flicked it from Sanjay is of no consequence).

Pavan emerged to be quite the interior decorator, doing his bit for
almost everyone! The Prod Support corner looked bright and
cheerful (no, I am not talking about Shuchita's presence there), with
electric stars lighting up the place. The .net team outdid themselves
by leaving a New Year message right on the wall, which actually is
made out to look like a face, albeit on closer inspection.

The cubicles decoration part of the festivities really brought out
talents that aren't usually put on show, be it Raghav's intricate
match-work or Nidhi's resourcefulness in putting up the ITPL Park on
her desk at the last minute. As did the Collage, in bringing out the
creativity and oratory skills of everyone. Liyon could have an
alternative career as a politician!

The best part of the day being Murthy's and Satish's visit. Their
appreciation of the SDP Team went down very well with the audience, as
did the delicious cakes!



Take 2
Place: ITPL Grounds
Occasion: New Year's Eve!
Mission: Have fun!
Status: Mission Accomplished!

After a team lunch at Food 4 Thought, all of us headed for the ITPL
grounds with nothing but Fun to look forward to. Venky kick started
the games with his 'Treasure Hunt', and everyone rushed to find
Brahma, after Nidhi unwittingly announced the answer to the first
clue. The next game to be announced was the 'King/Queen of Hearts',
after which every conversation became suspect, with people being
conned into giving up their 'hearts'. As everyone found out to their
dismay, 'All's fair in love and war and….King/Queen of hearts'!

One can imagine the look on unsuspecting Karan's face( who wasn't
present at the time of the announcement of the game), when Shuchita
asked him to give her his heart! The Races, held under Raman's
supervision, saw Ravi emerge as the champion of sprint and as
the guy who loves his motherland.(for those who dunno, he fell three
times!)

Dumb Charades saw unexpected talents emerging – Tanuja's lung power,
as Team C found out, and Jo's Kathak dancing, which Maqsood imitated
really well! The Family Game got over really soon, with Dog family and
Cockroach family sharing the same platform as the Bush family and the
Laloo Family!

Tambola was the game everyone had been waiting for, a chance to make
money hand over fist. This game saw seasoned pros like Vikram and
Venkat losing for the first time in their Tambola careers. And the
unexpected twist came in the form of Maqsood, the organizer, winning
'first house'. Any suggestion/indication of foul play is currently
under investigation, with his promise of treating everyone at 'Civet'
expected to be fulfilled anytime soon. Over to Maqsood.

All this would certainly have not been possible if not for Raghav and
Rajiv, from their immense budgeting skills(Chidambarams in the
making!) to their organizational skills and people skills, to name a
few. The enthusiasm and sportsmanship of everyone, goes without
saying, to show that we are, indeed, some of the best in the world!

Wishin u all a very happy New Year and hoping we get that treat from Maqsood,

Rush