THE ELEPHANTS HAVE LANDED- By Anushka Kalro, CD IInd Year

So things at college have been regular. Some class, some bunking. Some work, some goofing. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. And just when you think things are going to continue in a wave of highs and lulls, along comes January with its bouncy elephants. The Fundamental is on its way, and you have a feeling that for the next month, it’s going to be all rise.

It all began with a box, not so long ago. It hung amidst our spiralling stairs, catching everyone’s eyes and stirring much curiosity. Suddenly, college had metamorphosized. Banners in vibrant saffron hung from high above. Chatter about the unveiling flit through the air. And before we knew it, the elephants had landed. There was dancing and strutting the ramp and rock music that set the stage ablaze. Our dear first years, oblivious to the insanity that is the Fundamental, were pleasantly vexed by the unveiling. Maybe we should disillusion them.

What you think is fun and frolic is actually, well, part fun and frolic, and also all of the following:
1) Insane amounts of work
2) fun!
3) Sleepless nights comprising of aforementioned insane work
4) Aches and pains courtesy all the dancing, walking the ramp in painful shoes, sore throats from all the singing and play practice
5) Heightened organizational skills
6) Banging of heads on desks and walls due to elevated stress levels
7) more fun!
8) Interaction between all the batches. It’s when you finally know people by name and not just face!
9) Ego clashes
10) Installations
11) Collapsing of installations
12) Re-doing installations
13) Catching up on sleep during class
14) Much more fun.

Phew! And I speak not of the blessed third years, but us mere mortals with meager levels of involvement. After a gazillion Fundamental meetings, much conceptualization at the tapri whilst sipping maushi’s chai, scrutiny from the teachers, taunts from their seniors about how no Fundamental shall ever parallel the one they organized when it was their turn and rounding up sponsors, a website, the events, it’s a miracle they don’t walk funny.

After about 8 months of conceptualization and planning on their part, we have before us the theme of Fundamental 2010- Create. Destroy. Sustain. Keeping with an ongoing theme of sorts, these inspire the names used to categorize the events into three days- Jod. Tod. Mod. Now, I presume you’ve visited the Fundamental 2010 website and have a feel of what events you want to take part in. If you haven’t checked the website out, well, you deserve a kick on that bum of yours. Go check it out now, now, now!

http://www.sid-fundamental.in/

So now that you’ve perused the events and the schedule, you have a rough idea of what to expect. Unlike last year, this year’s events have been described with a slight tinge of ambiguity, which one can safely say means that there’s an unwritten twist to everything. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now, after a month of exhausting preparation, and three days of events back to back comes the Samplaa. Everyone strolls around in their nicest Indian wear. The boys looking dandy in their mundus, lungis, chudidars and kurtas, and the girls sway sweetly in their saris and salwar kurtas; A fantastic feat considering the rollercoaster that has been the last three days. A new set of SUPERB awards. And of course, what all us Second year students await eagerly, the announcing of the new Core Team. Thus, begins a new cycle of chaos, insanity and sleepless months of bringing to SID yet another much awaited Fundamental.

Fundamental 2010 is a little over a month away, and I, for one, can’t wait. Bring out the mental side to every funda, because that’s what it’s really about. Before you know it, our dear Elephants will be back on their way to their home planet, and we will be back to the routine highs and lulls. So dive into the insanity, the endless work, the dancing, the head banging, and the masti that is the Fundamental.