Thanks to Amit Deshpande, I now have the SB logo. I have prepared a rough draft of the logo, this time more colourful (as much as I could) and is ready to be uploaded on the website. However, Ambarish Deshpande has raised a valid concern over the IP issues in using the SB logo on our website. Although this website is related to SB, it is in no way the official website or related to the institution except being the alumni / community website.

To get around any potential issues, I will be removing the logo from the website for the time being and will wait for Ambarish to clarify the legal part of it before uploading the logo. First, though I will circulate the logo to all the working team members to get their opinion and then after incorporating them, I will upload the logo on our website.

If any of the guys back in Aurangabad can arrange to get a written permission from our school about the use of the name, logo and other stuff, it would be great. We can keep a record of such things.

Keep thinking...

Recently there was a difference in opinion among the members of SB group on Orkut on what consitutes an acceptable use of the messaging function. There were some who thought that it was an abuse to send messages to all and it constitutes spamming. Some on the other hand, like me thought that it was a part and parcel of being in a group and anyway the volume of messaging was not too high. It is like going in a same interest public gathering in a big hall and then asking people to shut up or go into some other room to discuss. In such gatherings, we block out other noise and carry out our conversation. The same principle applies here.

Anyway, my response on that has touched a wrong cord and it has created some negative feeling within the group. I was pained to see that there were personal references to me as being out of the mind. I agree sometimes I am out of my mind, but I firmly lock it behind me when I go out so nothing untoward happens. Anyways, the point is there is no need to get personal and call names and definitely we are not immature guys. Just we are different people who have different beliefs. And that is what, according to me, makes us stronger. To be able to bind together despite having differences. It is also not the fact that we have not understood each other. Had that been the case, we would not have been able to connect with so many people whom we have not even met with and may never meet, the difference in age notwithstanding.

Looking at the response to this website and the mailing groups we created, I felt my side was right and stronger but for the fact there is no my side or other side. We are all on the same side, united for the same cause. Henceforth, I will refrain from posting any sort of message on the SB group on Orkut and any further communication from me would be either on this website and / or on the mailing lists.

Thanks to my cousin, friend and classmate, Amrit, I now have three photographs of SB. I have uploaded them here and created a separate section called photos. As we get more pictures, we will categorise them appropriately. Till then I will just go on adding photos in an ad-hoc manner.

If anybody has any pictures related to SB, please send them to me. Or better still, post them yourself. The photos need not be only of the school, college or buildings in general. The photos can be of teachers, gatherings, student group photos. In case the pictures are of teachers, please mention the full name of the teacher, the subject he / she taught and the tenure of the teacher if possible. For gatherings, please mention the year and some information / notes about the same. For students, please mention the batch (passout year).

Moving forward, we should create a scrapbook with pictures, short descriptions, current whereabouts, and brief information about family and job. The section will have provision to put comments by the person's friends and endorsements. The last part is quite ambitious as I don't have a clue in how to do it programmatically, but can envision what it would be like.

Keep thinking....

After a long hiatus, I was happy to see some activity. One of our fellow alumnus, Kiran Pande, tried registering but was faced with an error. Apparently, Kiran had kept the check box "Send password in email" checked and tried to register.

I request all to please note that we don't have any SMTP server setup and emails cannot be sent from our server. I strongly encourage Kiran to try registering again with the box unchecked and the registration will definitely be successful. I have verified this by creating a test user and attempting to register myself.

Here's wishing everyone a very happy diwali and a prosperous new year to come. Diwali is a special festival for all of us. From new clothes, sweets (diwali "faral) to "Abhyang Snan" to lighting firecrackers and seeing the neighbourhood light up with million stars on earth "pantya".

I always looked forward to diwali for all the reasons above and more. Each year was equally if not more exciting than the previous. Diwali means welcome holidays from the school, no work no study, vacation trips to relatives or exotic places. More than that it means getting rid of darkness and lighting up your soul, mind, heart and the entire world surrounding you.

Have you ever noticed how people radiate during the diwali days, especially women? And it is not just because they all wear a lots of jewelery. In general everyone is excited, happy and full of life during diwali.

I hope this diwali will bring lots of light, success and prosperity in your lives.