``If '' by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

|| अश्वत्थ: सर्ववृक्षाणाम् ||

एक पेड़ होने का -- एक पीपल के पेड़ होने का -- अहसास कैसा होगा,
दिनभर कड़ी धूप सहने के बाद रात में तारों का साथ कैसा होगा.

जीने के लिए -- जल पीने के लिए -- जड़ें गहरी पैठाने का अभ्यास कैसा होगा,
फिर उन्ही जड़ों से -- कहीं दूर -- एक अनजान देश में उग आने का आयास कैसा होगा.

किसी दिन अपने बाजुओं में मैना के घोसलों को सम्भालने की ख़ुशी कैसी होगी;
कभी उन्ही घोसलों से गिरते हुए एक बच्चे को न बचा पाने पर उच्छ्वास कैसा होगा.

किसी गुलेल से निकले पत्थर की चोट खाकर चीख न पाने की बेबसी कैसी होगी;
कभी सुहागिनों द्वारा बाँधे जाने पर "मैं कहाँ भागा जाता हूँ" का अट्ठाहास कैसा होगा.

``Wrote a poem this Friday morning... had to reassure myself that I haven't lost all!!''

My Precious
---The Treasurer

So many years have passed along,
I don't even know where do I belong?
Is it that you are in my heart,
Or have I been a defaulting renter so long?

I learnt counting trying to keep track
Of the days since I last saw you;
Not only that, it is because of you,
That my number theory is strong.

Everyday I ask myself the probability
That I will see you today;
With each passing day, my odds betray me,
And I can't help but wonder -- what's wrong?

Each time I go browsing,
I google your name.
Hoping against hope to find you,
But no `feeling lucky' there, are you gone?

I tried to debug my system,
The code looks all neat and clean.
In frustration I begin to call out names,
Yet right in time, switch to a song.

You are my precious Treasure,
Why would I lose you;
Why should it matter, if I live alone?
Hope is still with me, let others be drown.

All this crap just mean one thing -- I love you,
Doesn't matter if you stay away a million furlong.

Dated: September 4th 2009

Ten reasons to become a Statistician

1. We do it with logic, frequency and error.
2. If we flunk it out, we can always transfer to other streams.
3. You never have to be right, only close. (We always have Taylor's Series. :P)
4. Statisticians are significant (ALWAYS).
5. No one knows whatever we do, so we are always right.
6. Estimating parameters is easier than dealing with life.
7. We are mean and variable lovers.
8. We are complete and sufficient.
9. We can do it both discreetly and continuously.

Taken from a poster at the farewell dinner of ISI Kolkata.