Adieu to the last Kannadiga ...

It feels lonely, when you know that your last few known people are leaving. I know Santhosh well from last couple of years. I was introduced to him as a person who eats too much :D, and believe it or not, he indeed eats a lot :)

As time progressed, we got to know each other better. He was one of the few guys I have met, who has a liberal thinking, can discuss anything under the Sun and he would listen to it peacefully. He is very strongly opinionated, but not the one, who forces his thinking on others. This is something I'm sure he'd make a loving partner and a caring father.

"Looks are deceptive" - suits perfectly for this guy. Looks like a reserved guy, but is very expressive, once he gets to talk or dance or writes. A multi-talented person, whether it be sports (beaten me innumerable times :)), cooking, singing, dancing, writing, and lot more (censored ;)) He is also a connoisseur of food. Always has some restaurant in mind to visit :)

The blog won't be complete without mentioning of his 'Two Generals' Problem' :) You would never know when is ending the call or if he is planning on to continue. I hope Santhosh will find a solution to this potential np-hard problem :P

He is one of the few people, who doesn't stick to conventionality. I remember this quote from Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston seagull, “Why ,Jon ,why?” His mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? " I hope to see him expand his horizon and inspire the rest of us folks.

The title of this blog needs a good explanation too. Probably he is one among the fewest of the few in ASU, who are as intoxicatedly passionate about Kannada as me, Lohith, Vatsa being the others. It saddens to realize that there can be no more conversations, discussions (Remember the heated discussion in the Mexican dungeon :P).

As its said, "this too shall pass", everything has to end and new things will arise. Hope our friendship surpasses this :) Wishing my buddy all the best in his new endeavor and hoping that he expands his 'space' :)

Bon voyage to Raj!

There couldn't be a better occasion than this to start my first ever blog! Our Raj is leaving to Detroit to start his second phase of career life.

Life always intrigues me. We'd never know who we will meet and who turns out to be our good friends?. Ours is one such story. I met Raj in the fall of 2007 in RST (Random Signal theory) class. Our first interaction was filled with a blast of questions from me (as usual!). I'm sure that would have put him off right away. It was only in "Numerical Optimization" course in the following semester that we got to know more about each other. Lack of decent background in that course made us interact, discuss and bitch about the course et. al.

Raj is famously known for his miso-frigity (I coined this ;-)). He hates cold so much that he used to wear his famous jacket to class even in spring (even in April-May)! His strange fascination for heat reached its heights in fall resulting in a heater accompanying Raj to MIMO class! (That used to provide a constant background hum to the class ;-)). I hardly can imagine how he'll survive in the harsh Detroit weather!

He was my constant companion in racquetball (Although I never improved my game, unlike he). He is very sportive and always ready to host a pot luck or help arrange one. He is known for his chole and pav bhaji. Thanks for inviting me on numerous occasions. He is also avid hiker and enjoys scenery (including bird watching ;-)). His extra-curricular activities is not limited just to outdoor activities, but also includes some indoor activities like facebooking, chatting, etc. However, these hasn't limited his capability in academics. Bhat's wealth of knowledge in controls saved my butt in MIMO course.

Raj is probably one of the very few diplomatic, non-controversial person I have come across. I hardly seen him commenting anything bad about others. Witty in his dialogues, he keeps any place lively with his humor. He is also a strict veggie and I remember many occasions, where we roamed from one fast food place to another in search of a veggie burger/sandwich :-).

I feel immensely happy about his start of career and at the same time feel sad to part ways. Feels lonely not to have someone to call/ping when you are bored. Life is a journey. We meet new people and part away with old ones. It's one such phase here and not the last. Nevertheless, these memories will be etched forever in our minds.

Wishing Raj a happy and fruitful journey into his next phase of life and hope to keep in touch forever! Bon voyage, buddy!