Saturday, October 04, 2008

The COORG TRIP (an organiser's point of view ;) )


PHEW!! Today, after almost a month and a half, I have finally taken out time to do nothing! If I was asked to sum up the past one a half months, I would probably not know from where to start and what all to say, because there was SO much happening, that I barely got time to sit and ponder over it (and that’s saying something). But yes, the most significant thing that happened during this time is that I have finally been able to tick off something from my list of to-do’s, which can also be called my dream or my ardent wish.

As a school girl, I had these vivid imaginations where I would see myself in this nice college, doing a lot of “important” “official” work like organizing stuff, or working for an organization. I would inevitable imagine myself running around, getting things done. I had no idea which college I would land up in or how my dreams would metamorphosis into reality. But that’s why I say law of attraction works.

My dreams kind of turned into reality! Yes! I got a chance to be one of the organizers for the REDX trip to Coorg, for the first years. The amount I have learnt during the course of this trip, is seriously not a joke. For those of you unaware of what exactly the job of an organizer is, let me clear your doubts. As far as my understanding of this post goes, an organizer (there are four of them) is responsible for almost everything that happens or is going to happen on the trip. Though whatever they do does require a nod of the head from the executive committee people, still, right from planning the trip to the execution of it, it’s the organizers who are grinded in the mill. Given below are some pre-requisites that an organizer must possess:

(in no particular order)

  1. Patience (abundance of it): without this the organizer is sure to go bald with the n number of “ready to tear ur hair out” situations that arise.
  2. Self-control- A must for all those people who don’t wanna go sore shouting at all the other people who should be working but are not, and don’t wanna land up with a sever headache at the end of the day, after shouting ,abusing and swearing along with their fellow organizers (and sometimes at their fellow organizers) :P
  3. Sense of humor- this is your lifeline. To let the steam off your head, go in for some witty one-liners (which might just turn into pjs if u r not careful) or better still, make music your best companion.
  4. Stamina- Yes! A couple of packets of glucose ought to become a part of your daily diet. (unless of course you are use to such a stressful and tiring routine (read- doing bhangra :P))
  5. Quick thinking- Ah! This one is needed to dodge your teachers and their suspicious stares when you sit in the last bench, sms-ing your fellow organizers and discussing important stuff like “setting up of info desks, putting up posters, getting the man-com to work” and the likes. And I am not exaggerating when I say that we would be so engrossed in doing all this that by the time we finally looked up from the screen of the cell, the class would be almost over.
  6. Insomnia- If you are already an insomniac, it is going to be a cake-walk for you. If you are not one, well… then dude… tough times ahead! Stealing 4-5 hours of sleep per day is an achievement!
  7. self-confidence- This is needed when you have people come and take out their anger on you, for no rhyme or reason, and you have no other option but to give them a patient hearing, calm them down and pacify them. In such a situation, you have to be sure of your actions and know that you are not wrong.

I dunno if I possessed any of the above mentioned “qualities”, but I do know that I have matured quite a bit in the past few weeks. My understanding of a lot of things has increased significantly. I have had to deal with SO many different kinds of people that now iam pretty confident of facing any situation that may arise. On a more serious note, this trip has been a totally enriching experience for me. I have discovered lots of things about myself which I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. There are so many responsibilities of an organizer. Before the trip and during it, it’s like you are representing the club before everyone else. You are totally responsible for your actions and your words.

The event is like your own baby. You see is grow before you. And finally, when you see the event being concluded successfully, and have people praising you for your efforts, it feels divine. All the hard feelings, anger and frustration simply melts. All the effort seems worth it.

I dunno when next such an opportunity is gonna come to me again, but I sure am already looking forward to it J Life is weird… u never know when and what its gonna haul at u next. Yes, I use the word haul coz for me, nothing seems to slowly and steadily come in… it’s always….with a boom and a bang!