KITA

Individual Dynamics is a very interesting subject as such. For a person like me who is pretty interested in people and in human behaviour (though i dont have a huge set of books or theory which i have read to support my interest :o) ), it is a very nice subject. But then what i like is thinking about what would someone do in a scenario like this, or how would someone solve this human problem. Theory in subjects like HR and ID comprise of models of how people behave and similar stuff. Maybe its interesting, maybe its enlightening, but to a lesser mortal like me, its nothing but pure torture.
Whatever, the other day, while going thru one of the readings recommended for ID (recommended means one HAS to read them for class), i came across a very nice term. KITA which is the acronym for Kick In The Arse. Its one of the ways of motivation or something like that. I dont remember the exact context in which it was used. BUt then the part kick just struck me because of a different reason. Let me just describe how.
I sit in the front row in the class. Its now the usual straight row. Our classes are like seminar halls with the free central region and seats surrounding it all across, rising with each row. So i am in the bottom-most row, right in front of the professor. If there would have been a Mai Hoon Na's Satish Shah type professor who spits with each word pronounced, i would be right in the firing line. So i guess now my position (seating position) in class has been defined. Right next to me is this friend of mine, who is an ex merchant navy officer.
I am known to sleep in class. In fact am one of the prime contenders of the arbit section c awards that have been planned at the end of the term. Awards like arbit CP (will define different types of CP in another blog), sleeping award, RCP etc. So what i was saying is that i am a prime contender for the sleeping award. In fact pre mid term i was the strongest contender. In one of the courses, the prof used to stand right in front of me and talk to the guy behind me, and would just stare in her direction, with my eyes happiliy closed. In another class, the prof moves back and forth like in simple harmonic motion, and i just turn my chair (our chairs can be rotated), and face the direction of the board and go off to sleep. It does not matter if the prof is relatively behind me or if i am lookin in different direction than the prof. Lately i have mastered this new art of sleeping, where in i open my eyes every few seconds, and follow the prof's steps. The prof moves ahead, i turn my chair to face him, the prof moves back, i again turn my chair to face him. And all the time, i have this smile on my face, and my head nodding from time to time to give an impression that i am in bliss due to the profound understanding of the subject.
Ok. So what i was saying is that pre mid term i was the one who used to sleep, and my friend next to me, used to wake me up every now n then with a kick in the leg (now u see why the kick word strikes me :o)). It was like, when i used to be in those sleepy moments when all covertness and tricks of sleeping in class go down the drain, and ur head is just swinging back and forth, he used to kick me, and i used to wake up for a moment, try n listen n pay attention, and again fall back into the lap of the dear dear sleep goddess. It used to be a regular every class affair for almost a month.
Post mid term i have grown a bit serious, in the way that i try to listen in class. Its semi successful in the way that half of the classes i am awake, half of them i am not, but then still, i am improving.
But thn the point i was trying to make is that somehow my neighbour has contracted the disease of sleeping class from me. Its him now that i see with bloodshot eyes in the between the class, trying hard to not fall asleep. N then when those eyes close down, its my turn to do my duty....Kick in the leg :o)
it feels good. For multiple reasons. One, earlier it was a parasitic relation, wherein i was the beneficiary alone. BUt now its a symbiotic relation. U scratch my back i will scratch urs.
secondly and more importantly, its really really nice and funny to see others sleeping in class, and cherish the fact that someone like me is awake :o) . And especially the way people sleep. THere is this one guy who sleeps, n then suddenly wakes up, and eyes are totally clear, and looks at the board like he has been listening to the prof for the whole period. U should see the intensity of concentration in his eyes, for the few seconds when they are open before they close again. One of them puts a hand across his forehead, as if in deep thought. And has his head jerking now n then from sleep. There is another one, a tamil guy (looks a lot like rajnikant) who sleeps in a very professional way. He sits straight. Has his hand folded. Head straight. Eyes closed. Like someone in meditation or in attention posture :o) Then there is one guy who has the unique record of actually snoring in the class. No one can beat that. There are so many others.
The other day when i gave my neighbour a kick in the leg to wake him up, he opened his eyes, stared at me for 2 odd seconds, one those dangerous "WTF man, I am gonna kill u now" stares, and went back to sleep :o). The world is coming to an end. U do good and get no appreciation in return.
But then i am sure that till we have sleepless nights mugging for classes, quizzes (which we will have for as long as we are here), the Kick in the Leg phenom will stay alive :o)