Short cuts and Rhesus Monkeys

Yup... it happened again. Another close encounter with the rhesus monkey. Famous for its association with the rhesus factor (one of the constituents of blood), these monkeys are endemic to India, China and Afghanistan.

IIT of course, has its very own troop of these pests. This happened last week, when I was rushing to an examination in the Biotech Department. It was 9:25 am and I had no idea about the venue of the exam and having not read the chemistry aspect of the Chemistry of Biomolecules course (:D!) and putting a last-ditch attempt at memorising the reactions on my way there, I took the most natural route, which happens to cut short through the Metallurgy Department. For ages, I have felt that reducing the department to a short cut wasn't really appreciated by the Meta dep junta. I did of course get a hint when a new by way was built recently - all chakachak and fundoo. Only problem being that it was slightly longer than the short cut through the meta dept.

In anycase, I was rushing through the meta dept and had just joined the main corridoor connecting all the departments and noticed what looked like dogs to me. I was of course too busy to notice anything. A few more minutes and I'll be in the exam hall. Still have to figure out where it is. Cyanogen bromide is used to cleave proteins after the cystine residue. The intermediate for this reaction is blah. To cleave the protein after methionine blah blah blah... I looked up and noticed that they weren't really dogs. A troop of monkeys had decided to adopt the corridoor. The young monkeys were busy playing in the corridoor amidst people rushing to their respective destinations. Ofcourse, proud papa wasn't too far. He kept a watchful eye to ensure that none of his offspring got hurt.

Just as I approached, two of the youngsters decided to enact their version of "Why did the Chicken cross the road?" and I was hardly a foot away from them when the patriarch got up and started chasing me! Needless to say... any chemistry I had managed to read had now vaporised. I turned around screaming and arms flailing and ran down the other end of the corridoor. I looked back after having run a good 20 feet and found that the monkey was still in hot pursuit. My pace quickened. Other people walking down the corridoor also started running. I looked back and found that the monkey was no longer there. I had run all the way to the Elec department! I turned around to see that order had been restored and the monkey clan was happily lazing around in the corridoor.

There was no going down that route now. I looked for an alternate route and noticed that I would run into the monkeys again. I did not wish to find out if monkeys can remember as well as elephants can, so I decided to take the long way - which meant circumventing the CESE department and taking the road connecting the labs, Aero department and the ChE dept.

Nearly out of breath (I was getting late now!), I reached the exam hall, panting. I took my seat and took a look at the question paper. The very first question was on protein cleavage after cystine and methionine.

Of course, I didn't remember. Cursed Monkeys. The ultimate revenge by the Meta dept.

Graffiti

It was just yesterday on my way home that I embarked on a journey on a bus plying on Route Number 511. It was a Euro III (MUTP) bus (to look at these fundoo buses click here http://www.bestundertaking.com/trans_engg.asp) . In anycase, it was around 3:00 pm on a hot, muggy day and it certainly did not help that I was sitting in the last row of seats, what with little ventilation thanks to the morons sitting next to the windows and the burning sun not yeilding to cloud cover.

One of the first things that caught my eye was what appeared to be garbled letters on the back of the seat right ahead. The latest message for assembling at Azad Maidan to gain Azadi from some obscure cause? Was it the government implementing fanciful methods for spreading the message of Contraception? Not quite. Turned out to be some guy (Let's call him XY) declaring his "love" for some girl (Let's call her XX). It read something like this...

Dear XX,

I love you. I miss you every night [note to reader: night was written with the mirror image of "g"] because I krazy for you. Tu hi meri shub hai, subah hai, afternoon hai, raat hai, mid-night hai, mid-day hai. Please call me. I kiss you everynight in my dreams, XX from Ramjinagar.

XY

[Note: There was, rather incongrously, no heart with an arrow as is often the case.]

This open declaration of love is of course something one is used to seeing in India. Public spaces and monuments from our illustrous history serve an important function - of providing graffiti space. Despite this, I do not know whom to feel sorry for- XX, XY or the bus.