Backwaters 2007 IIM Kozhikode

Simply superb - Backwaters 2007

2007-01-15T13:06:00.000+05:30

These three days were simply superb and finally an year of hard work paid off. This backwaters was special for me as i was the part of the firstever IIMK band that performed during backwaters. I hope the tradition will continue each year. Here is a video of one of the songs that we performed. Our band includes-
Lead guitar - Marc
Rhythem guitar- Pinaki
Bass guitar - Donald
Drums - Amit Gaur
Vocals - Harish ( in this song he is the singer), Madhavi, Anis
Synth - Anis
Guest vocals - Abhishek , Shayonima

-- Amit Gaur

As Backwaters dawns...

2007-01-12T02:20:00.000+05:30

... K prepares through the night! Some pictures from well into the wee hours of the night before BW07!

Hello, Backwaters!

2007-01-12T00:22:00.000+05:30

Yo! Dis is TP!

Hi there. My name's... umm.. they call me CP.

Stay tuned, stay glued! BW is here, and we're going to swing into action!

Travails in a Treasure Hunt...

2007-01-11T21:58:00.000+05:30

It was a dark, stormy night. Flashes of lightning and a faint yellow stream of torchlight were the only sources of illumination. The light from the torch bathed the trees in macabre glory and made the twigs on the ground glisten like snakes. Dew from the plants fell and mingled with the sweat on CP’s face as he slowly made his way to the clearing. Just a little more, he said to himself, as he bravely tried to avoid imminent cardiac arrest when a moth hurtled past his face. Finally!! He shouted out. In front of him lay the clearing with a massive chest at its center. He ran towards it barely believing his good fortune. “Mine! All Mine!” a wicked voice in his head seemed to sing. He reached the chest and touched it. Magically, the lid opened (yes with all the accompanying sound effects of the best horror movies) to reveal CPs Dil ki Mallika sleeping as one dead in it. Just as he thought that fate had played a cruel joke on him and his little heart was awaiting the signal to explode, he saw a sign pinned on the inner lid of the chest.

Note: Treasure given sleeping potion to maintain freshness. Needs CPR to resume working condition.

As his eyes trailed off the last letters on the sign, his heart started off a series of joyous explosions. He bent closer to do his “duty”, but what was this annoying buzzing sound? He looked up to see a huge bee making a beeline to attack him. He tried to fight it off but the buzzing got louder and louder ….

THUD.

CP opened his eyes to see a pile of books and a poster of “How Einstein got his hair” showing Einstein with slicked back hair about to press a shorted out doorbell. Gone was the creepy clearing and the sleepy princess. CP rubbed his sore behind and the sleep from his eyes as the realization that it was all a dream dawned on him. The desire to wallow in self-pity was intense for a moment but the stern stuff that got him through chapter after chapter of OB and IT made him get up. After all, he might have missed his treasure in his dreams but there was still the treasure hunt to be won.

He made it to the starting point with 10 minutes to spare and briefly toyed with the idea of borrowing CP’s Tweed coat to invoke certain…ahem…useful ghosts. But trusting in his prodigious mental capabilities, he decided that the situation wasn’t desperate enough and turned his mind to sizing up the competition. Teams of 2 abounded all around but CP had dared to go it alone. The dinner for two at the Taj was too precious to share. Trying hard to not give into daydreaming about a dinner not too far away in the future he laughed politely at the weak jokes that were being cracked on stage.

“….and now”, the voice said (in too-hearty-to-be-true tones), “we proceed to the first clue”. “This is going to be a cakewalk”, thought CP, trying in vain to wipe the sneer off his face.

“Time to Meddle with the Middle,” continued the voice,
“As You Struggle with this Riddle,
Reach that which Divides 0 and 1 but Unites 1 and 2,
3rd Plant Bears the Seed, Count Well don’t You Fiddle!”

“What!!!” said CP as the sneer gave way to an expression of disbelief. “What on earth does it mean?” he darted panicky looks as everyone seemed to excitedly scurry off in different directions. “Oh what makes me get in the middle of meddlesome struggles? If that isn’t a riddle I don’t know what is! Think CP, think! “

A little hard thinking later, the clue miraculously resolved itself as he scurried away to the pathway that connected both the classrooms and correctly enough the next clue was hidden under the third pot. After this initial hiccup, the rest was fairly smooth sailing as clue led to clue. One hectic, sweaty hour later, CP was just one clue away from hitting the jackpot. He stared at the clue trying to make sense of it.

The grail she awaits, with open arms
Climb high atop the castle and claim her charms,
Don't look down upon the commoners,
Since that's where you came from
Surrounded by veils, look at the heart
Knighted you are if you read the writing in stone...
[Hint: Where you hone your academic skills]

“Ok, that means the library. Oh boy! Oh boy! There couldn’t have been a clue better suited for me” jumped CP in barely concealed joy. “That must refer to the topmost floor of the library”.

Breaking into a jog (calling it a run would be pushing it), he bumbled up his way to the library. Halfway there, he saw HER. Puzzling over the water cooler, trying to make sense of a clue. “CP”, she called out. “If you’re not taking part in the hunt can you help me? Will give you a treat in the NC….please!”

At the sound of that sweet pleading voice, all semblance of coherent thought deserted CP at that moment. So close to winning, he felt that the treasure hunt was over for him. “Ah who needs a dinner for two at the Taj”, he thought to himself as excited whoops of “the library, the library” reached him. “An aloo paratha shared makes much better memories”.

(Well, what eventually happened during the Treasure Hunt is another story altogether! But peoples, Backwaters is but a few hours away! Watch the CP and TP saga unfold as they bungle their way through event after event over the next 3 days!

If you're lucky enough to have made it to Kampus, have a rockin' time! Else we'll make sure you don't miss a moment! Stay tuned, stay glued!)

Chunduru Dance

2007-01-10T12:33:00.000+05:30

Pixar would never have imagined this ... coming backwaters you will have the privilege of watching the chunduru dance live on demand as many times you want ... so dont be left out and join us in the celebration called -the BACKWATERS on 12-13-14 January

-Amit Gaur

The morning after

2007-01-09T20:30:00.000+05:30

CP's waiting anxiously at TP's hostel room door...

CP: "Come on da machi! We're getting really late, re, for the quiz. Bad company I am in - what love does to good people! Shi!"

TP (inside his room) 'Pyaaaaaaaar humein kissssss mod pe le aaYAAAAA ...'

TP (posing for a thousand imaginary popping flashbulbs): "So ... whadyu think? Haan? Haan?"

CP's lower jaw slowly made its way from the floor to its usual place - an inch below the upper jaw - his nerdy pose.

CP "Is that ..." (chokes) " ... is that a tweed jacket?"

TP grins wider...wider...widest.

CP (mutters): "All you need is a magnifying glass and a missing ruby necklace"

TP: "Whassat?"

CP: (quickly sees blank look on friend's face, hastily continues) "Hurry up da! We're late! What's with the getup anyway?"

TP: "WhatdoIsaymachaaaan! Stayed up last night helping PP with the play practice. On way back to room - just a little after a beautiful sunrise - guess who I see standing and gazing dreamily at the cloud-covered hilltops? I coulda thrown myself at her feet right then! You know what ... she was shivering and I dinna haf a jacket to give her! I would have lovingly wrapped mah arms 'round her, but ..." (TP's voice trails off sadly).

(Early morning view of the rolling hills around K. Taken from Hostel C.)

CP (sneers bitterly and barks sarcastically): "Well, for your sake I hope that it snows... snows tomorrow, that there's an avalanche... and you and your dahling are the only survivors. Gah!" (voice suddenly softens) "Me, I'm still caught up in the weekend. I can't believe myself!!"

It had been a wonderful weekend though. He had been rooted to the spot seeing HER dance to a bhangra beat. Many beauties and beasts were practising in all the open spaces available and seeing three of his class nerds shaking their booty to Ishq Kameena had had him howling with laughter. But such temptations did not deter TP from his goal, his eyes only sought her gaze. And so, he knew, did many others. Which was why he had stood there armed with a notebook and pen, if he could get her to partner with him for the Treasure Hunt, the next day and win the cup for her, wouldn't she see and faint with admiration at his smartery! Yet when he managed to spurt out the question, she merely ruffled his hair and partnered CP's archrival, Supernerd Studious Sureddy. When ... when would the time come, he wistfully wondered, when his heart would go balle balle?

TP wraps the tweed jacket tightly around himself as he sits down to take the quiz and mutters darkly "Something's gotta give ..."

(Sunrise at IIMK. The kind of view you'll get on an ordinary morning walk!)

(So what did happen during the Treasure Hunt? Stay tuned, stay glued. More coming up from the famed Hill-top campus of K! Even better, meet this Dynamic Duo in person! Come to Backwaters! Seeya here!)

Welcome to IIMK, folks! Backwaters 2007 awaits you!

TP and CP take their first baby steps...

2007-01-06T10:28:00.000+05:30

CP and TP are sitting together in class. Boys will be boys and soon...

TP: Psst - CP - listen na - like a big stud I tried solving that Nicks and Lessons yesterday... the finance quiz! I got so screwed machaan! What all they asked maan! I was like, why would people want to do this stuff?? Anyway, so I googled half the answers, put tukkas for the rest and sent it. Let's see what happens!

CP: But it was a rather easy quiz, most of it we will be learning in this semester in Financial Management 2...

TP: (groans) - Oh man.

CP: ... but guess what I tried out yesterday.

TP: Analysed the thetas of all Sensex stocks for the last... umm... 100 years?

CP: Betas, you doof! No, I tried my hand, or foot I should say, at that Bhangra dance they're staging for Backwaters - but, dammit, I made such a fool of myself! I have two left feet. But think - with that Bhangra I'm now well on my way to becoming cool, na?

TP: Humm - Backwaters is just what I need! Have you checked out that Ops game they have, Opium? It looks real cool, dude. And Oil Raiders, I gonna need your help with that…

CP: Sure! But only if I can find time to help you. I'm looking forward to the Cultural nights at Backwaters. It’s the first time I will be in a dance on stage and the first time I will go to an actual concert. I hope Euphoria play 'Mae Ri', I love that song.

TP: CP, its cool how K is kicked into action about Backwaters. People really seem to have gotten into it maan! Organizing events and Dance practices and blah - Culcom's into a higher gear and the volunteers look like total enthu cutlets. And I'm waiting for the crowd from the other colleges to get here, know what I mean ;)

CP: Yeah that really will be a great experience sharing our thoughts and ideas with our fellow students and finding out how things work in the other colleges.

TP: (rolling his eyes) Dope! What am I going to do with you??

Prof - CP, TP, continue your discussion outside. You two seemed unnaturally excited about something and I know for sure it cannot be my class!

TP aur CP ki anokhi kahaani...!

2007-01-04T22:19:00.000+05:30

TP (storms into the library, strides upto the corner): Machaan, it's happened. I did it!

CP (looks up from behind his Operations Research text, blinks. Aargh - TP's dressed in his trademark bright orange and gold tee again): Now what?

TP: I went ahead and told her, d00d - that gal I was telling you ab...

CP: No kidding! I talked to my lady too!

TP: Oh, man! This is.. like phenomenal, man! You go first!

CP: Humm. Now I needed to create the right atmosphere - delicate task, no. So I ask her if she's done with the Ops Research assignment. Would you believe she's still got problems dealing with the coefficient of regression, and with multivariate... (TP's eyes glaze over - he's had problems with calculating the mean/median/mode in Term 1. Such talk quickly gets beyond him). Errm, anyways, so we get talking, and there's this exquisite pause in our conversation, and I popped the question! (CP's eyes begin to shine behind three centimeteres of glass. The thick black spectacle frame doesn't help much, though).

TP: Yo, man - this is like...

CP: Yeah, yeah - but all's not right. She says, "CP, there's so much I adore about you" (TP gulps involuntarily) "but you know, you're too much of a nerd. You need to..." (CP makes a face like when he'd tasted the bhindi-ki-sabzi in the mess for the first time) "You need to get a life. You need to be more fun, more outgoing! I need to hear more from you than stock betas, futures and forwards and market securities lines. If you can ease up a bit, you'd be perfect, CP, perfect!"

TP cringes, remembers the time when CP had had a disastrous date with his "lady" at the Taj Malabar. He'd insisted on demonstrating the parallel of the buffet with an assembly line, and had demonstrated with great aplomb, how they could implement synchronous manufacturing concepts. Great analysis, miserable date. The Ops pundits would've applauded, the LoveGurus would've hung their heads in utter shame.

CP: Ah, never mind. You go.

TP: Man, I dressed for the occasion today! Whaddayasaymaan! (Beams at his yellow-and-gold T-shirt with "Stallion" written across it. CP shudders, but manages a watery grin). So, like I track her down at the gym, she works out there, right, and - there's no one around, ok - walk straight upto her and tell her All! Seedha! So, like, she say nothin', d00d, and I think I got it made - but she say "TP you goof around too much. I don't know when to take you seriously. All those constant parties, drink-until-sunrise binges... you're caring and I know you've got a heart of gold, but... you need to settle down! Be serious when you need to be! If you can manage that, TP, you'll be perfect for me!" WhatamIgonnadomaan, CP!

CP: Well I think I shall take part in all those fun events at Backwaters. It's only about a week away, and it'll be just what I need to show that I can be as fun as anyone can be. Mr. Backwaters, I could be - wow!

TP: Hey don't they have like all brainy stuff there too? Like all Operations, Finance, Marketing events? Games and quizzes and seminars and all that dingdang? TellyouwhatCP, maachi - I'd show my gal - I'll win like this grand prize at Backwaters - and she'll think I'm an Intellical!

CP: Intellectual..

TP: yeah, yeah - Backwaters it is, d00d! 12th, 13th, and 14th this month, right? Not too far away! You do the cultural stuff, and I'll do the Intell.. err management stuff. Rock on, d00d! Gimme 5! No, not that coin, dunderhead...

Backwaters Tshirts

2007-01-02T01:05:00.000+05:30

Selecting a T-Shirt design is never an easy task in a zone full of creative people. An event like Backwaters with a million things to talk about makes it even more difficult. Finally,however, the design chosen was one that reflected IIM K's simple message to humanity- Walk Tall. Be a Champion.
Front Design

Back Design

The colors available are white background with red writing and black lines and the other combination is blue background with white writing and lines

-- Amit Gaur 9846862221

Bands performing during Backwaters

2006-12-31T02:22:00.000+05:30

Finally the time has come to announce the name of the bands that will be performing at the scenic campus of IIMK; yeah God's own campus

Euphoria for Kolossos and MotherJane for Mayhem. Here is a brief on the acheivements of the two bands -

Mayhem : 13 Jan

MotherJane

Motherjane’s song Mindstreet was chosen for the GIR compilation album 2003 and the band was chosen to perform at the biggest platform in the country – Levi’s Great Indian Rock 2003.Kudos followed from abroad as well later in 2003 as the song Mindstreet was featured on US Radio in a play-list boasting of rock heavyweights like Rush and Genesis.Currently, as on September 1, 2004, all of Motherjane’s album is being aired across 14 international radio stations.Motherjane’s album Insane biography then became the only Indian Rock album to be featured in the Asian Rock Rising Festival in Japan on November 1,2003. Channel V could resist all this as they traveled all the way from Bombay to a small island of Vypeen in Kerala for an interview and shoot with Motherjane. Motherjane’s doorbell rang with another good news from Japan in 2004 as the song Soul Corporations became the only Indian band’s rock song to be chosen for the Annual Japanese compilation album M & I Records Motherjane’s song Mindstreet – the first one to hit the US radio stations and the one featuring on GIR’03 compilation is now an AIRTEL HELLO TUNE.
Motherjane is still equally well known for what they used to do the best – Having one of the most diverse playlists among bands in the country including some note perfect covers of Dream Theater, Iron Maiden , Metallica, Megadeth, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, Steve Vai Scorpions & Pink Floyd An act that has headlined some 100+ shows from Roorkee to Trivandrum to Pune to Guwahati, Motherjane has some of the biggest festivals in its “Rocked” kitty. For more information check www.motherjaneindia.com

Kolossus : 14 Jan
Euphoria
Euphoria has come a long way since first taking the stage in 1989. With its music set to Hindi and Urdu lyrics, this premium, six-member "Hindrock" band has been giving Indian music lovers a pulsating mix of rock, rock and roll and retro rock. Their first album Dhoom in 1998, with its chart-topping numbers Dhoom, Tum and Sha-na-na, sold thousands of copies all over India. They have succeeded in "making waves" on the festival circuits and are enjoying the growing patronage of Indian listeners.On May 17, 2000, Euphoria became the first Indian band to participate in the prestigious annual Beale Street Music Festival held in Memphis, Tennessee. Every year, this festival features a country, and after carrying out a survey of the rock scene in India, they selected Euphoria. The band believes that it is the melody of their music that impressed American audiences. "The adulation we got goes to show that any song which is melodious can easily catch the pulse of the audience," said Palash Sen, better known as "Polly", Euphoria's lead vocalist. Euphoria's latest one-song album release is Mantra, and it revolves around the eternal theme of love.Current members of the band include: Christopher Powell (Chris) on the drums; medical doctor Palash Sen - vocals; Debajyoti Bhaduri (DJ) - bass; Gaurav Misra (Gary) - guitar; Hitesh Madan (Rikki) - guitar; and Benjamin Pinto - keyboard.For more info. visit http://www.dhoom.com/

- Amit Gaur 9846862221

Backwaters 2007 teaser video

2006-12-26T04:38:00.000+05:30

Yeah yeah i know i know you were waiting for this since a long time so just scroll down the page and have a look at teaser for Backwaters 2007 cultural nights.
Njoi

Amit Gaur

Stride of Champions!!

2006-12-16T15:07:00.000+05:30

Choosing a theme for the biggest event on campus can be really difficult, especially with 350 people sending in suggestions and 9 emotionally charged people hotly defending their personal favorites into the early hours. There were many contenders, from the really inspired to the really bizarre.
Stride of Champions won through all the clutter. Not only does it have the right ring to it, it is a perfect fit with everything we are trying to say. It's an extension of last year's theme, which was about aggression and fighting to the finish. This is about victory! About the glory achieved by those who triumph!
More importantly, it perfectly reflects our sentiments on completing a glorious decade at IIM Kozhikode. A champion is not about that one moment of glory, a champion is about all the blood and sweat that goes into achieving that victory. And a champion holds out a promise for the future, a promise to exceed all past records. And this is what we want to celebrate this year, the spirit of a champion.

- The Backwaters Team

Backwaters is back !!

2006-12-13T02:06:00.000+05:30

There is something about milestones. Makes you look back fondly on those haunting memories, makes you take stock of what you have achieved and if you've done all that you had planned.
And when, as in the case of 10 years of IIMK and Backwaters, those achievements far exceed all expectations, it makes you want to pull out that bottle of champagne and raise a toast for the many many more milestones that are to come!
Backwaters is back! And for all of us in the co-ordination team, it is going to be a culmination of a year of planning, brainstorming, strategising, collaborating and finally slogging it out! And all this for 3 days that will rock your world!!

Backwaters is all about the best things in a BSchool: late nights, tough competitions, celebrations, debating with friends on just what colour the ppt should be, nerve racking suspense before the results are declared and most of all, letting loose and partying like mad!

- The Backwaters 2007 Team

Backwaters 2006 - A phenomenon

2006-01-25T10:32:00.000+05:30

It's not often that I get kinda senti...But Backwaters 2006 must be one ofthe best fests I've been a part of...The cul-nite was a manifestation of so much talent that it gives me great and immense pride to be in a batch like PGP09 and an insti like IIMK. Just about every non-IIMK participant I talked to was bowled over by the performances.

Indian Ocean was the icing on the cake. I've been to many rock concerts,and I enjoyed Indian Ocean more than most of the others put together. No jostling for space, people stepping on toes, struggling to see the band members etc. IIMK's gotta be the only place on earth where one can lie on the grass, take as many pics n videos as one wants,smoke during the show,and talk one-on-one to the artists on stage!

A special thanks has to go out to the BW committee. This year the work for BW started very early(Sep,I think). I think BW 2006 will become a starting point for many more BW's of even grander scale and popularity in the future. Composed a lil poem abt Backwaters yday,which I'm pasting below:

Performances n parties n contests galore,
Talent that u never knew existed next door,
If in the end you weren’t left baying for more,
And crying yourself hoarse ‘Encore, Encore’,
Then u aren’t in the right B-school, u bore!

B-plans for the nerds and parties for the rest,
A chance at cul-nite to give out your best,
Pros like Indian Ocean playing at request,
Pride certainly wells up in the chest,
When I say-“Man, Backwaters was MY fest”

It’s not about the courses or the degree or the jobs,
Just the experience of being in IIMK rocks.
When memories of CG and CP fade,
You’ll still remember what a blast Backwaters made

- Bala

What a bang !!!

2006-01-25T01:52:00.000+05:30

Yes Nitai, the Bang did come!! And it sounded all through our majestic campus over the 2 days! As Backwaters 2006 comes to a close today, I feel a mix of relief and ecstacy. Relief, cause I can finally catch up on a lot of lost sleep.Ecstacy, cause it turned out to be more rocking than even anyone from the sTrEAM ever imagined it would be.

The past few months of working for BW 2006 have been an awesome learning experience, with its ups and downs(a lot of downs I must say), but the team held together and didnt lose hope and we came through. I just wanna say it has been a pleasure working with the sTrEAM and hope that we, the Jr. BW team, can live up to the expectations that have been lit up after this Backwaters.

There are many ppl who we need to thank and I cannot do justice to each and everyone of them in this write up. However, I wanna thank each and everyone who has contributed to this festival, it is such support that results to the success of any event.

Now that the sun has set on BW 2006, we as Jr. BW have started lookin ahead to the next Backwaters in 2007. There is a lot we have learnt, a lot we yet have to learn, many positives to take from this year, a few mistakes to amend, and a lot of work to do!

This is Sid signing off from BW 2006, hoping to create an even bigger bang the next year with your support and that of the coming Jr Batch.

the end of the beginning

2006-01-23T03:34:00.000+05:30

Everything good has to end at some point. Otherwise when would it get the chance to become memorable ???

Backwaters 2006 comes to an end with the all night dance party that is still going on in the amphitheatre.

Class acts like Pavithra "Rasa Devi" "Reka ki movies" Poonacha, yeah that h is very much intentional, in The Last Samurai aside, the star event of the day was the performance by Indian Ocean, whose spell binding performance had the audience mesmerised and crying themselves hoarse for more.

Among other sidelights moi and my usual buddy-in-derringdo Surabhi came second in Konsultant, the systems simulation game and were delirious with joy at having avoided the top prize :-)

Now on to the harsher realities of life. I have 2 B2B cases to read up for class tomorrow morning so I shall sign off now, with the promise that pictures from Backwaters 2006 shall be posted on this blog as well as other online avenues pretty soon.

Also in the pipeline is a series of posts about the people who made Backwaters 2006 possible.

IIMK Rocks !!!

-Aditya

Women Samurais shine in Quiz

2006-01-22T12:04:00.000+05:30

Conducted by the renowned quizmaster Arun Mani of Bangalore, the general quiz “The Last Samurai” saw huge audience participation too. The event was a showcase of women power with Pavithra Poonacha of IIMK sailing her way to the first position. She wins herself air tickets to Colombo sponsored by Sri Lankan Airlines. Lakshana of MICA secured the second position.

There were six finalists who were shortlisted by an online elimination process conducted earlier. The finals had two rounds. In the first one, participants were quizzed on a particular topic allotted in advance and the second round was a general quiz.

Technique Results

2006-01-21T18:43:00.000+05:30

The first prize for the Systems Thinking Game "Technique" has been bagged by Ankur Pruthi, Ankur Gupta and Abhishek Chaturvedi of IIMK. The runners up are Kamal Sekhon and Ashwin Rao of SPJIMR.

Oil Raiders, the derivatives trading game has started and has drawn a huge number of participants. The elimination round is over and people are waiting for the results eagerly. 20 teams will make it to the final round.

Mall Maul Results

2006-01-21T17:42:00.000+05:30

Here are the winners and the runners up for the Marketing Simulation Game "Mall Maul".
First Prize: Team "All at Sea" - Sankar and Sushant from IIM A
Second Prize: Team "Market Lookers" - Namrata Roy and Savita Pai from IIM B.

The judges said the teams were all pretty close and it was a neck-neck contention.

"Ad Mads" finals will be conducted along with the cultural night. "Technique" final round is on with 5 teams fighting for the booty.

More results will follow. So keep watching!

Results of Opium - the Operations Game

2006-01-21T14:08:00.000+05:30

Ryan and Ponnaiyan from PSG TECH won the first prize. The booty is a Club Mahindra Holiday Package worth 15,000 INR.

The second prize was won by Firdaus Mantri and Alok Chandra of IIMK. The prize money is 4,000 INR.

The first taste of results

2006-01-21T13:43:00.000+05:30

Results of the first events of Backwaters are out.

Wockhardt Case Study was won by the IIMK team comprising Jaidev and Ankur Saxena. Abhishek of NITIE was the runner up. Mr.Indranil Chakravorthy, National Sales Manager, Wockhardt India adjudged the event. In the NCDEX Case Study, Milan and Naveen of IIMK were adjudged the winners. The second prize was won by Deb and Pranav of IIMB. Mr.Surjit Sen from NCDEX was the judge for this event.

The event update is as follows: Ad Mads prelims is on. Registrations for Technique, the Systems game and Oil Raiders, the Fin game, are going on. Opulence round I slot II is over. More action in the offing. Keep coming back for more updates.

-Surabhi

The battle begins

2006-01-21T12:08:00.000+05:30

The swords have started flashing, horses galloping and armies advancing.

The final round of Wockhardt case study got over a few minutes back and the IIMK team walked away with the first prize. NCDEX round II is going on. So is the final round of Mall Maul, the Marketing Simulation Game.

The first session of Opium, the Operations game, is over - with participants lining up for the second one.

Ad Mads prelims to start at 1 PM. Technique, the Systems game to start at 2 PM.

Registrations are on for all the teams – for the simulation games, on-the-spot events and informals. Under the last category we have some traditional ones like Antakshari and also a host of wacky ones like Mystery Date, Mr. and Ms. Backwaters and others of the same genre.

Informal events are scheduled for the night.

Kingfisher Airlines has set up its stall and is unraveling a few goodies to the folks.

Backwaters is finally here!

- Surabhi.

On the Eve of the Battle

2006-01-20T16:42:00.000+05:30

The warriors are honing their swords and dusting their armour. Strategists are racking their brains in the barracks. Spies are being released to garner intelligence. Marksmen are practising incessantly to perfect their shots. Generals are issuing orders. Unsuspecting links from other battalions are being tacitly tapped for military information. Priests are enhancing morale by singing eulogies of commanders and reciting stories of valour. Grenades are being piled up and missile dispensers positioned.

The battle is poised to begin with the strike of dawn. The Sun will come out a trifle too early to witness the first onslaught of the day. Mars would be curious too, but who would he smile upon? Who will be crowned God post the battle of the intellect? Forgive me Providence when I say “May the Best Warrior Win”.

-Surabhi

Manic about Pictures at Pict-O-Mania

2006-01-17T11:57:00.000+05:30

The WebSling has spread its tentacles and life has ceased to be the same. With more than a 1000 people logging in to play the game and about 150 of them fighting for the prize money of Rs.5000 right now as I write this piece, things can only heat up from here.

This blog post will attempt to bring frequent updates to you about the status of the game. As you already know, the game goes on till 9AM tomorrow morning but the way some people have been cracking the clues, it seems that we won't have to wait that long for the winner. At the same time, even though the leader is at clue number 26, the status quo has been maintained for the last hour or so.

There's more meat in the game than you thought when you came in...still a lot of water to go under the bridge. So keep fighting warriors and the booty shall be yours!

Update 1: There has been a sudden surge from sudarsank who has come down from Clue no. 21 to share the lead with manishapertin who is on Clue no.26 for an hour. Can sudarsank beat manishapertin on this clue...wait and watch!

Update 2:sudarsank seems to be running away with the prize, cracking clue after clue and having reached the Clue no.28, he is definitely going strong...but more people may reach there before him

Update 3: sudarsank has made it to the top. With a dashing speed and burst of lightning, he has cracked the last clue to be counted as the first winner of WebSling @ Backwaters. sudarsan wins a cool cash prize of Rs. 5000. For the others, who wish to make some easy moolah, just keep coming back to WebSling. Tonight at 10, we launch Konnect, another image based game but with a difference and of course, some tough competition and amazing prizes!

-Nitai

the booty is there for the taking

2006-01-15T02:57:00.000+05:30

The goodies just keep coming. And the first prize package of Backwaters 2006 is going to be found by one lucky team later tonight. Yes, its a treasure indeed, a Club Mahindra holiday package for 2 people for 3 days and 2 nights at the picturesque Munnar Resort.

In other news, the first banner for Backwaters 2006 was finally put up today after 2.5 hours of grunting, head scratching and immense amount of thoughts, logical and otherwise. We thank Sam, Meren, Amos, Shounak, Pooja, Ridhi and Prashant for being there and helping us make it happen.

These days all I seem to be doing is checking and replying to email and working on Photoshop :-) Time has suddenly become a high premium commodity. But on the brighter side of things, the campus is definitely getting into the Backwaters mood and it feels nice to see the enthusiasm among the junta.

-Aditya
[cross posted on my blog]

Registrations open

2006-01-13T05:41:00.000+05:30

The registrations for Online Games are open. They will kick off on the 16th of Jan. Prizes worth Rs. 20,000 are up for grabs over a span of four days. Register now.

Registrations are also open for the official teams of 5 each from participating institutes. This number (5) does not include the participants who have been, or will be, shortlisted for the various games, cases, etc.

Head to the Backwaters 2006 website at http://www.iimkbackwaters.com for the same.

graphics for inter-stitials

2006-01-13T04:48:00.000+05:30

Just finished making these animated gifs to be placed in the interstitial ads for Backwaters 2006. Have turned out a bit better than expected when we sat down to make them :-)

Spiffy, ain't they ? ;-)

Feel free to copy the images to your blogs/fotoblogs/websites/flickr etc. The only request being that you put a comment here with your url where the image is used, if you do put it online. The image should link back to either the Backwaters website at http://www.iimkbackwaters.com or the Backwaters blog at http://iimk-backwaters.blogspot.com which is this place, of course.

In other news, the elimination rounds for The Last Samurai have concluded and the results shall be up shortly. Do check back in a couple of hours to see if you are the lucky one who gets a chance to do battle for a 5-star resort package worth Rs. 15000, courtesy Club Mahindra.

Update: The shortlist, and waitlist, for The Last Samurai is out.

-Aditya

Day 2 Results

2006-01-12T04:13:00.000+05:30

The results of the elimination round of Opulence, the Operations simulation game are out.

Head to the Backwaters 2006 website at http://www.iimkbackwaters.com/ for the same and more.

-Aditya

Memories of Backwaters 2005

2006-01-12T02:28:00.000+05:30

Backwaters 2005 was fun, fun and fun. I was running around those 2 days (really hard to believe that if you have ever seen me) doing all sorts of things. I was keeping time for some of the informal events, eating something at the snacks counter, averting getting my face painted, cheering teams for some events, eating delicious Biryani at the stalls, participating in the on-the-spot Ops and Marketing events, then again eating a bit...I think you are beginning to get the drift. After all the running, I managed to be totally quiet and our team of Sharika, Karan and myself won the dumb C competition. The most enjoyable bit of Backwaters was the play done by our batch with Shounak Da giving a brilliant performance ... but the defining moment of Backwaters 2005 was definitely the Mujrah by our senior Khandu (Rajat). This year Backwaters promises to be even more FUN, FUN & FUN.

-Mustu

Wishes from an alumnus

2006-01-11T22:15:00.000+05:30

From an inconspicuous beginning with REC auditorium as the main venue and International Hostel ground as the secondary one, Backwaters has come a long way. It's an achievement to run an event of this scale at Kozhikode and it's already on its path to becoming one of the premier fests in the country. I'd like to wish the institute, all the very best, and commend them for their efforts for taking the event to a different level.

-Vinay Chandra
Batch of 2004

Konsultant shortlist out

2006-01-10T14:34:00.000+05:30

The shortlist for Konsultant, the systems game at Backwaters 2006 has been released. Head over to the website for the shortlist as well as the waitlist.

It's all coming together

2006-01-10T02:29:00.000+05:30

For a young institute like IIMK, as Gaurav pointed out in a way, in his earlier post, there are a few milestones that need to be crossed before the culture of the place comes of age. IIM Kozhikode may not be a contender for the top position in this respect but one of the most important attributes that we can show to the outside world is Backwaters, our fest. Difficult as it may be for me to believe it, this show is turning out to be quite spectacular this time.

There are so many people whose efforts are going into Backwaters right now that it is but impossible for me to even start naming them here. As Jerin told me in one of our daily sTrEAM meetings, we are all charged up right now and can probably stretch ourselves the most during this period when we are neither despondent for lack of hope nor complacent for lack of potential to improve.

Things expectedly got all heated up as we went into the first real exposure to the outside world. The launch of online eliminations to simulation games to be held on campus was not without glitches, as Aditya has already mentioned, but then what's life without a few thrills and last-minute chills!!!

Coming next is addition to my count of sleepless nights (3 and counting so far) and that of almost everyone on the sTrEAM. With 3 more eliminations to go for the finance and operations games and the Mastermind based Quiz, work has been expanding to fill voids, if any. Tempers (especially mine) have started fraying and the need for a sTrEAM outing to Taj is becoming more and more imminent. Before you say, I know that there is lot more to do than while away time eating at Taj and perhaps that is why I am writing this blog post right now, waiting for Qaynat to send the short list for Konsultant, the systems game.

Checking up the answers to the huge number of entries that we have been receiving for elimination games, putting up posters on the campus and sending them to people in different institutes all over India, responding to queries, maintaining track of team registrations (last I heard, there were 8 institutes already registered and many more expected), designing T-shirts, banners and posters, conceptualizing last minute advertising buzz, getting official permissions done, preparing to welcome participants at IIMK, getting the concerts finalized, the dances prepared, the play practice started, the list of task seems endless and it alone can probably fill up this entire post and may be even more. So, till the next time!

-Nitai

the battle continues

2006-01-10T02:20:00.000+05:30

In other action from the Backwaters 2006 arena, the Wockhardt Strategy Case Study was launched today. The eliminations for Konsultant, the systems game also happened today.

I am totally exhausted after a long span of designing, posting, managing layout of documents and myriad other design and related issues and am going to hit the sack,hard. See you all tomorrow morning, or better still, tomorrow evening ;-)

Do not disturb !!!

-Aditya

The results of the Backwaters T shirt poll

2006-01-10T02:07:00.000+05:30

The first nationwide polls for deciding THE Backwaters T Shirt are over. There was a very enthusiastic response from the voters and barring a few remote locations like the Computer Center, brisk to heavy voter turnout was recorded across regions.

While the entire process concluded peacefully, there was an attempt at booth-capturing in the Library constituency that resulted in the polls being countermanded and restarted at 1.30 PM. This also seemed to have dampened the enthusiasm among the respondents.

Lets have a look at the candidates for this poll.

1. Design Candidate 1

2. Design Candidate 2

3. Design Candidate 3

4. Design Candidate 4

The initial rounds of polling saw Design 1 emerge as the clear leader with only Design 4 being able to give it a semblance of a fight. Design 3 was never in the race at all and seemed to have been propped up to split some opposition votes.

Design 2 picked up steam after the first 100 votes had been cast and garnered a major chunk of the next 50 votes cast and came within breathing distance of Design 1 which failed to capitalise on its whirlwind start. Design 4 continued to clock steady gains while Design 3 ckept falling behind.

The next 50 votes had an even split between Design 2 and Design 4 while Design 1 started stuttering badly. It had clearly lost its initial momentum as more and more voters from outside the IIMK campus started participating in the polls.

The next 50 votes were going to be crucial for all three lead contenders as there was nothing to separate them. It was in this penultimate round that Design 4 made its decisive push for the lead. Its strong showing in this round, coupled with another lack lustre outing at the hustings by Design 1 meant that it had significant momentum going into the last phase of polls.

The last phase saw some impressive gains being made by Design 1 while there was a relatively sedate performance by Design 2. Design 3 had clearly failed to capture the voting public's imagination.

The performance -

Design 1    2.4
Design 2    2.4
Design 3    3.0
Design 4    1.9

As is clear from the scores above (the lower the better), Design 4 has emerged as the clear choice of the voting junta while Design 1 and Design 2 are tied for a very distant second spot. Design 3 brings up a rather ignominous rear.

-Aditya

Backwaters T Shirt | Exit Poll

2006-01-09T21:01:00.000+05:30

While the Polling Commission comes up with the results of the poll to determine THE Backwaters 2006 T Shirt, we present the conclusions arrived after a quick exit poll conducted among the respondents.

Please note that while there were about 292 votes polled, in true exit poll tradition, we have contacted only 14 respondents and while all scientific mumbo jumbo picked up in QM I , QM II classes has been attempted, you can rest assured that the sample chosen is in no way a representative of the entire population (Yippee, I finally used that term somewhere related to stats)

While detailed demographic data regarding the respondents can be provided upon request, we shall go straight to the trends that we have been able to gauge from the exit poll.

The raw scores were -

Design 1 - 2.01
Design 2 - 2.80
Design 3 - 3.01
Design 4 - 2.18

Since these scores are averages of rankings, Design 1 seems to be the front runner with Design 4 close on its heels. So it does look like the design that moved Rohit "Motu" Gupta to the extent that he posted his comment indicating his preference for it FOUR times on the blog is going to be chosen as the official T Shirt.

Remember, this is merely the trend forecasted by the exit poll among 14 respondents. We are eagerly awaiting the actual results.

Any bets anyone ???

-Aditya

Choose your favorite T Shirt Design

2006-01-09T07:40:00.000+05:30

Yes, this is your moment. Be a part of the decision making team for the official Backwaters T Shirt. Click on the online poll to rate the 4 designs as per your preference.

Note: Remember that you must rate your most preferred design as 1.

Take the online survey.

Update: The Poll is closed. As per initial reports trickling in from the polling centers, there was a record turnout. The full report with detailed analysis will follow soon as the Polling Commission collates the votes polled.

-Aditya

NCDEX Results out

2006-01-09T06:11:00.000+05:30

As the dust settles after some engrossing battles in the first set of elimination rounds, the first set of victors have emerged from the NCDEX Case . Head to the Backwaters 2006 website to know more about them. Congratulations to all of them.

Get ready for the next level of battle that will hit you in a very short while from now.

-Aditya

The carnage has begun

2006-01-09T01:02:00.000+05:30

All-riteeeee !!! The fun stuff has started. The elimination rounds of Mall Maul and NCDEX closed an hour back and now the work for getting the responses processed has begun. There were quite a few glitches in the same, some of which were totally unavoidable while a couple were just d-uh!!

On the menu for today are three sizzlers. First up will be the elimination round of Konsultant the systems game. The case for the Wockhardt Live Strategy Case Study will also be made available. And today's offerings will be rounded off with the Second Round of the NCDEX game.

Stay Tuned !

-Aditya

The website

2006-01-07T12:38:00.000+05:30

All right, the website is up. In case you didnt notice it happening, its available at http://www.iimkbackwaters.com and is also accessible through the links on the right side of this blog.

Numerous comments, suggestions and ideas, to the Alpha release, so to speak, of the website, have been incorporated and what you have now in front of you is more or less the final product.

For loyalists of the website, the spiffy flash animations on both the sides have been created in record time by JC and Nitai has made some subtle changes to the layout and layout elements as well.

The launch date for the online games is coming close (its on 8th Jan) and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

And in closing, feel free to post any queries regarding anything and everything as comments to any post on this blog. We will try to reply to the same asap.

-Aditya

Down the memory lane

2006-01-05T14:28:00.000+05:30

As a member of the sTrEAM from the class of 2005, I obviously have a great deal of interest in Backwaters 2006, and its success. As I have mentioned to the current senior sTrEAM, every year, the committee elected in brings its own unique set of ideas and inputs to the festival, making each Backwaters unique and exciting. I believe that it is a great time to be at IIMK in general, and even more so if you are part of the team attempting to make the institute's festival bigger and better than the previous one, for that is certainly the most important goal at a young business school like IIMK. More than any other event, Backwaters is an opportunity to showcase IIMK to the B-school community at large. Although this year's festival is still a couple of weeks away, I am certain that Backwaters 2006 will succeed in raising the bar further than Backwaters 2005 did.

The more some things change, though, the more others stay the same. One feature of every edition of this festival has been the enthusiasm and interest of the entire student community at IIMK; this interest is usually much higher than the committee members themselves realise, and invaluable assistance is often readily offered by the most unexpected quarters. This year too, it is heartening to see that a number of students have gotten involved in very important aspects of the event. As Nitai wrote recently, the role of the sTrEAM is really to facilitate and channel these creative energies in a meaningful way.

The success and growth of this festival is a celebration of the growing confidence and assurance of IIMK itself. Here's to a memorable Backwaters 2006!

-Gaurav

Take over your fest

2006-01-04T13:29:00.000+05:30

Most of the times, it is very difficult to put a name, a figure, an achievement to your feelings and dedicated efforts. Organizing a fest like Backwaters is one such time. For the sTrEAM, which has been meeting every day now for the past one week or so, things are coming to a head. We have always been passionate about the festival but now that it is time to convert that passion into something more concrete, things have started taking a challenging shape.

Starting with the Euphoria concert and our willingness or lack of it, our capability or lack of it to go full steam ahead with it, and moving on to the real organizational aspects of the fest, we have realized one thing for sure. This festival is not owned by just the thirteen of us. The uncountable number of suggestions, comments, and feedback on the site that have been pouring in from both the batches, the readiness with which people have been taking ownership of conducting games at Backwaters, and the support from other interest groups and committees all go on to prove that IIMK is enroute to taking over Backwaters. And are we happy!!!

IIMK student community knows and has been reiterating, much to our pleasure, that their stake in the festival is as big as ours or even bigger. The thirteen of us are merely facilitators (to use Rohit and Aditya's words) who are going to do our best to see to it that everyone gets the right chance to make his/her fest the best in B-school circuit.

So, come along people and fight...for the final frontier looms up in the distance and now is the time to say Har Har Mahadev and charge on the enemy...any and every obstacle that prevents us from making Backwaters a big success.

Let us terminate...with extreme prejudice, if need be.
Let us seek...and destroy, if need be.
Let us annihilate...if need be.
Let us kill...and be killed, if need be.

-Nitai

Backwaters on the web!

2006-01-03T16:11:00.000+05:30

Half the battle remains to be fought and the journey has just begun. Backwaters 2006 is now present on the web at http://www.iimkbackwaters.com.

After much deliberation and many design ideas, trying to relate the imagery to the theme, thinking of words, and finally getting it all together, what we finally accomplished was one mean task. Needless to say, the team working on it was one mean team, as well. With Aditya taking on the concept and design, JC getting in with his ideas, and of course, Naseem, the silent developer from Rubens Media Works getting the implementation right, and above all, the entire IIMK community coming up with ideas and feedback, we were on the right way right from the start.

The theme is all there and the words and layout in place. All that the site needs now is the flash intro that we are working on. I just hope that it comes out as well as the site has. Once this happens, we are ready with the official mailer to launch the site to the world. Online eliminations to the simulation games happening on campus will follow in immediate succession.

There are a few technical things to deal with right now and a lot of testing needs to happen before we send the official mailer out. Compatibility with Mozilla, use of fonts that may not be installed everywhere, verbal re-arrangements are just some of the things that have been hitting us since the morning but I am sure that there will be more.

Waiting for more brickbats than bouquets

-Nitai

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T12:38:00.000+05:30

Hi all,

On behalf of sTrEAM BACKWATERS and the other sub-sTrEAMs,

I wish you all a Happy New Year.

-Aditya

the website is done

2005-12-31T15:01:00.000+05:30

Finally, after some really intense sessions of impassioned fights and protracted negotiations, the layout and design of the website is complete.

All that remains is getting the domain for the same and finding an appropriate host for the content. The idea of a separate domain being to create a strong identity for Backwaters as a brand in itself. Hopin that all things fall into place soon.

Keep watching this space for more updates about the event. The schedule for the events etc. will appear here the moment they are crystallised.

-Aditya

deadlines, deliverables and B2B

2005-12-28T11:11:00.000+05:30

This is not fair, maybe. On one hand I am grappling with the pre-emptive action I should take to avoid being arrested for my criminal negligence in not coming to know about my key clients' covert actions, as demanded by the B2B Prof. On the other, Baba and Vikhyat & Reddy keep conning, cajoling, harassing, and sometimes emotionally blackmailing me into doing all kinds of odd, and not so odd, jobs for them while they munch on Parathas at 2.30 in the night :-(

One such session ended early this morning and resulted in the first cut for the event poster for Backwaters 2006 as shown, on a much smaller scale, below. The text comes from an earlier post by Surabhi on this blog.

The website work, as queried by Ridhi in an earlier comment on this blog, is pretty much done and expect it to be online any moment now. Just a few niggles that remain.

-Aditya

Musings, Limericks and more...

2005-12-26T15:02:00.000+05:30

BACKWATERS is but lo, the fish out of water stank
Who mustn't have seen us, and in the park hide behind the bank
Grey souls, grey shoes; I've even got grey blues
It's too bad I killed you !!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
A Jovial fellow from Rye
Went to visit BACKWATERS close by,
Who said, with a grin,
As he killed everyone:
"Hello, Smith! I am sorry I sneezed on you"
-------------------------------------------------------------
There once was a lady called Mary,
Who wouldn't come out but for January,
The rest of the year,
She always felt like a pear,
She was lending herself to the fiesta - BACKWATERS.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Ladies and gentlemen
hobos and tramps
Bow-legged ants
and Cross-eyed mosquitoes
Pull up a chairand sit on the floor
I'll tell you a story that I've never heard before
So early in the morning
So late at night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other
The deaf policeman on the corner
Shot the boys because they were making too much noise
If you don’t believe this lie
It is true
Go ask those who Backwater-ed in 2005,
They would know, cause they got killed too.

-Priya

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T00:00:00.000+05:30

On behalf of sTrEAM BACKWATERS and the other sub-sTrEAMs,

I wish a Merry Christmas to you all.

-Aditya

of welcome breaks and lone furrows

2005-12-24T05:13:00.000+05:30

With Baba back in action, things were bound to get heated up, and they have. Suddenly there seem to a fair chunk of people doing something or the other in the run-up to the main event. With write-ups for the various sections of the website being prepared and the actual logistics management for the days of the events being started, there is a palpable sense of anticipation as I see the event take shape right before my eyes.

In other news, I have a welcome 6 day break for New year and I hope nothing is scheduled at the last moment to spoil whichever way I finally plan to welcome the New Year. With one course already being over and a few others well on way to reaching closure, this break will come in pretty handy ;-)

Baba seems to be suffering from some derivative of Writers' Block which afflicts the ability to do anything and has run off to Kerala's sedate and pristine Backwaters to recharge and prepare himself for IIMK's energetic and violent Backwaters. Hope he comes back with some useful ideas and concepts, nahi to uski to...

What this means for me is that I am stuck with the task of conceptualising and designing the layout for the website, with inputs of varying degrees of helpfulness from a motley crew of well-wishers.

Lets see what comes out of all this madness.

-Aditya

B A C K W A T E R S

2005-12-24T00:13:00.000+05:30

B = Blast of a time
A = Awesome experience
C = Cool
K = iim'K'
W= With lots of friends
A = Astounding
T = Tons of fun
E = Ecstasy
R = Relaxing
S = Sexy

This is what Backwaters 2005 was all about.

B=Bowled over
A=Ability
C=Classy
K=iim'K'
W=Wild
A=Absolut ;-)
T=Tactful
E=Extreme
R=Rocking
S=Soon

This is what Backwaters 2006 promises to be this year.

!!CHEERS!!

-Rohit

The phoenix rises

2005-12-23T19:30:00.000+05:30

10 hours of sleep at the minimum is an irreplacable requirement for leading a no-frills-associated basic lifestyle.

Classes are meant to be skipped, back benches to be slept on.

Mornings are hung over and the nights full of spirited moves on the (dance) floor.

Work is (un)necessary evil and leisure, the only absolute certainty.

And then I was back, back to reality and to the sTrEAM...a dream like none I have ever seen before, with my eyes closed or open. It was right there in front of my eyes and it was time to dive straight in. With a month to go into Backwaters, life has changed gears from neutral to the fifth in the one day that I have been back from Paris to the campus. The foreign exchange program in Paris was fun but the coming one month of hectic activity, euphoria and dejection, friends and foes, successes and failures, they all promise to re-define fun in their own ways.

Not having been much involved in the fest organization so far, all the current activities and to-do lists of sTrEAM Backwaters whooshed past me while I stood staring at the banner in the canteen, thinking about the theme of agression for this year. Kill or be killed, they told me and better be ready to do it pretty soon, they made me realize as I made my way into my first sTrEAM meeting after nearly three and a half months.

I was brought up to speed and was I raring to go! Inputs for the website came from left, right and center while ideas got generated, analysed, scoffed at, celebrated, discarded, accepted at a dime a dozen. The company lists for sponsorships was bored into to get the latest in terms of active, passive, and dead leads. Internal marketing, local market buzz, new sponsorship leads had our attention while the site content was being finalized, with help and assistance from our technical (Vishak), content (Surya), and design (Aditya) consultants.

Life has started going into an overdrive and I have just postponed my weekend Alleppey trip by a night to get the web site up and running as soon as possible.

I am not willing to die...to be killed.
I will kill.

-Nitai

Watch out for us!

2005-12-23T13:18:00.000+05:30

It's that time of the year again. And Team Kreatix is back! I know how you've all been waiting with baited breath. I know how you all are just dying of curiosity to know what we are gonna put up this time around. I know you can hardly wait to see what we are up to this year.

So what's it gonna be? Another murder mystery? Comedy? Slapstick or Wodehousian humor? Monologues? A musical perhaps? Maybe a tragedy? Well, I am not telling.

For the uninitiated, we are the team that staged the play "Ten Little Indians" last year for Backwaters. And what a performance it was! Flawless! Purrfect! Adopted from Agatha Christie's play "And Then There Were None", the play had several surprises for the audience, who were glued to their seats, dumbstruck and curious. Ten strangers who found themselves on a deserted island, accused of murders in their pasts, and who are now dying one by one mysteriously on the island. Who invited them there? Why is he killing everyone?

Well, those questions were all answered in the play. This year too, there shall be something mindblowing. Will sweep you all absolutely off your feet! Just like we did last year. But what's it going to be? Well, I am not telling. And neither is the rest of Team Kreatix. You wanna find out, you gotta be there! For if you miss this, you'd be missing something you will regret.

So be there, or be square!

-Team Kreatix

This is not what I had bargained for

2005-12-22T12:09:00.000+05:30

Well, with sTrEAM Backwaters going one gear up in their intensity, the amount of pressure they were putting on me for getting the design elements for the website has gone up substantially.

That would have probably been fine, but for the two Project Management courses, PM and SEPM, taking up far too much of my time than I care to spend on them. With the deadline for the SEPM project looming ahead, and the PM end terms happening tomorrow, I literally dont have time to die. Lets see how things work out.

In other events, with the website team meeting yesterday night and discussing the overall design concept & theme and technical aspects for the site, things are actually moving on that front. We hope to be able to launch the website by the weekend.

Keeping fingers crossed.

-Aditya

The website team meeting

2005-12-22T02:26:00.000+05:30

Ok, things are happening at a faster clip now. Just back from the meeting of the Backwaters 2006 website design team. I was an invitee in the same as a design consultant, hey, I like the sound of that one ;-) , while Vishak was present for giving his inputs on the technical feasibility front of all the wild ideas that may emerge.

However, knowing Vishak, he is very likely to end up making the entire website ;-)

Apart from the usual suspects from sTrEAM Backwaters, also present was the most lazy committee member ever, Nitai "Baba" Utkarsh, who woke from his 3 month hibernation in France to grace the meeting with his presence. Surya was also there to understand the deliverables for his bit of content generation for the website in the Finance area.

-Aditya

Concepts and other images

2005-12-16T03:02:00.000+05:30

On popular demand, the various themes and imagery that were designed for Backwaters have been uploaded to FlickR and are available for viewing in the images section of the sidebar on the right.

Also on the same sidebar, albeit a bit lower, are some images from Backwaters 2005.

Happy viewing.

-Aditya

Welcome to the Armageddon

2005-12-15T19:06:00.000+05:30

Suppose you are asked to state your pick from the following types of aggression

Territorial
Predatory
Inter-male
Fear Induced
Irritable
Maternal

After you have googled for the meanings and come up with your choice, if and only if you singled out the second option, continue reading. The rest (read: faint hearted) may close the browser and get back into their shells.

These are the new rules of the game:

Aggression is not always physical. The subtler it is, the more forceful.

It is instinctively known that non competitive oafs are gobbled up by mighty rivals.

Alexander could not dare to dream of conquering the world without the extra ounce of aggression. If it is not in your blood, drink others’ but make sure you have it in you.

Economics says that monopoly produces the highest profits. You should emerge as the only one at the end of the battle.

A fish in an ocean of sharks is as good as dead.

You have to be first. There is no place for second.

Complacence is out. Sending a chill down the opponent’s spine is in.

Mediocrity is pitied. Extremism is preferred.

If you can identify with this style of conquest, then don your armour.

Welcome to the Armageddon. Backwaters 2006. Where predation leads to redemption.

Stand out. Get noticed. Be worshipped.

Kill. Or be killed.

- Surabhi

Whew, the design is done

2005-12-15T11:40:00.000+05:30

Finally, after more than a hundred hours of Google, Photoshop, Upload, Code, test, tweak, test and starting all over, the design for the blog is ready. More or less ;-)

Expect to see some minor updates and bug-fixes as and when they occur to me or are pointed out. Looking forward to the feedback from the junta on the design and the whole aggression and Kill. or be Killed concept.

Going forward, the blog should start to get fleshed out as the primary source of real time information about Backwaters 2006, hot off the presses as it were.

I Will be posting on the technical and design aspects while sTrEAM Backwaters members will talk about their experiences and keep updating us on the happenings.

This is the blog of, and for, ALL students of IIMK and we would really love to have all of us contributing to it, be it through comments or blog posts of their own. Anyone who wants to contribute can send their posts to me. I shall take care of the editing and formatting part. The posts can be based on any theme. Be it your opinions about the event, or suggestions for implementation or even your expectations / experiences from the same. Anything goes. So start typing.

Backwaters 2006. Kill or be killed.

-Aditya

Theme of Backwaters 2006

2005-12-14T20:36:00.000+05:30

Backwaters 2006 challenges you to come slug it out in a battle of wits, where only the fittest can survive.

You are here to win. How you do it is entirely upon you. The theme is aggression.Backwaters 2006 is no place for the weak-hearted. You have to learn to win at all costs.

Backwaters 2006 encourages you all to shed the veil of nicety and let the competitive spirit inside you take over. No one is your friend, no one you can you depend on. You need to be one step ahead, always. It's the law of the jungle here and only your grey cells will see you through.

Straight or crooked, you are free to use any means possible to get your job done.

It is a fight to the finish and when the fight is over and the dust settles, will you be the last man standing?

Come, fight it out, unleash the beast within you.

Kill or be Killed !!!

The first post

2005-11-22T00:57:00.000+05:30

Hi all,
Welcome to the official blog of IIMK's flagship fest - Backwaters.

As the days pass by, expect to see more content on this blog as a clearer picture of the how the event will actually shape up emerges.

Keep visiting.