As 2006 comes to a rather dramatic end, what with the execution of dictator Saddam Hussein, it has certainly not been a perfect year.
But with 2007 calling…
Presenting before you my ten-point wishlist, things I would really like to be happening in the new year:

1. First things first, 2007 is the year of the cricketing mahakumbh, THE WORLD CUP, & though our recent performances have really not been awe-inspiring, still hoping that Men in Blue win the coveted trophy after 24 long years.
2. A Generation awakens… Be a Rebel… Let the spirit of “Rang de Basanti” keeps all of us motivated & here’s hoping that more such revolutionary movies keep Bollywood shining. And most importantly, we finally break the jinx & win the OSCAR.
3. As the era of Manmohanomics & Bushism enters into their last phases respectively, may India’s GDP growth is double digit & USA finally sheds its domineering image.
4. Roddick,Nadal & Co. hold a ‘Deconstructing Federer’ summit. First thing on the agenda halt the Federer juggernaut at Wimbledon.
5. The fifth point is dedicated to a five-letter word which has now assumed significant proportions in our life: “orkut”. Lets hope that the orkut mania keep all of us connected & we all “grow our network”.
6. SRK’s Kaun Banega Crorepati ‘tritiya’, is as good as its predecessors. Its a huge success & King Khan takes Big B’s legacy to unparalleled heights.
7. The rejuvenated ‘Manchester United’ wins English Premier League & the unstoppable ‘Chelsea’ land up with the UEFA Champions League crown, even vice-versa will perfectly do.
8. Now this one is straight from the heart, after all those mishappenings of the past, lets hope that “The world is a more safer place to live in the year 2007”.
9. They say you can never predict the future & as I move into that rather unknown & uncharted territories in the second phase of the year, I sincerely wish that it is as good as the first one.
10. Well you must be wondering that I didn’t talk about the first phase (Jan-June), that’s because I know beforehand that its gonna be the most wonderful part of my life: “Last semester at TIET with friends”. And I am really looking forward to it.

Last but not the least, wishing you a very happy & prosperous new year.
May all your dreams come true & so do my wishes!!!

Six months can be a relatively long period… but my training time at Indian Institute of Petroleum(IIP) was definitely not that. Infact a feeling of nostalgia sweeps me all around as I look back to those ups & downs of my rendezvous with IIP…

I still remember my very first day here, when I entered the gates of IIP after a long 30 min. travel (“long” in context of doon) on my bajaj chetak. The guard would just not allow me to get in without an I-card. So with a visitor card with the name of training incharge, Dr. V.P.Sharma on it, I finally got in. And hence on that historical day of 5 june,2006 I started my journey in the hallowed portals of one of the most respectable CSIR laboratories in India.

My first meeting with my guide, Dr. Gautam Das, was quite fascinating to say the least. For my dear “sir” had an unbelievable coded accent. The first 10 minutes that “sir” spoke to me were completely an OHD (overhead transmission), which hit like bullets on my mind. No matter how hard I may try, the comprehension remained below 10% (absolutely pathetic for a CAT apirant indeed). It was nevertheless once in a life time experience for me, an unforgettable one. But the very first thing that strikes you about my dear “sir” is his amazing physical stature. So much so that everyone at IIP feared for his well-being on a particularly windy day. One always got the feeling that you really don’t need to travel so far as moon to experience “weightlessness”, you could very well experience it, if you happened to be in my “sir’s” shoes. This association with my “sir” reaffirmed my ever growing belief that Bengalis are becoming an integral part of my life. Be it my room-mate in college or the headquarters of CTS. But I am really enjoying that a lot now.

And now to the person who was the best decoder of my “sir’s” accent, with whom I enjoyed every moment of my stay there, who shared all my joys & sorrows & vice-versa, and who infact is “The Reason”, I am writing this article : Mr. Sunil Kumar. The word “sweet” in the title owes much of its presence their due to this guy. Not only the fact that he was the incharge of the “sweetening” lab & my project was on also on “sweetening”, but more so because he was such a sweet person himself. I had developed such a great rapport with him that it was really difficult to contemplate life at IIP without dear sunil. From the various experiments performed with him to the celebration of his promotion party, from the innumerable times when he saved me from my “sir’s” anger to his very kind help in completion of my project report, he has been the driving force behind my survival at IIP.

If there was anyone person at IIP who could be termed as a “genius” in the truest sense of the term, who had a completely positive attitude towards everything in life, who had an aura associated with his persona, who was a great source of inspiration & motivation for me & who I respect the most in IIP, he is the one & only : Dr. Sudip Ganguly sir. The one thing that attracted the most towards him was his very friendly relationship that he developed with his students. His cheerful nature & a very good humour made him an instant hit with everyone who had the honour to come in contact with respected ganguly sir. As sir himself remarked once, I have indeed developed a “permanent bond” with ganguly sir. And I assure you sir that I will always stay in touch.

And this is not all, because there are many other people, things etc. that made my stay at IIP a truly remarkable & an unforgettable experience. And it is not possible to accommodate them all in my memoirs. My regrets to all of them.

So as it was on 4th December, the last day of my training when my dear “sir” gave me farewell. I bid an emotional good-bye to each & everyone at IIP who made my rendezvous a “sweetening” experience.

THANK YOU IIP…

The name is Bond… James Bond… and with this trademark 007 quote the 21st movie of Ian Fleming’s famous character comes to an end… & much like the case with every bond movie, this again was an enthralling experience… full of action, suspense, charisma & of course romance… But then it was also different…

For “Casino Royale” marked the advent of ‘Daniel Craig’ as the sixth actor to step into the shoes of the British secret service agent - Avtar no. 6.

And the big question was did he make the cut into this extraordinary league???

Well I will say he was just fine… This may seem as the most gruesome lie on earth to all those Pierce Brosnan’s die hard fans, but then I am one of them too!!! The fact is that there is really no comparison between these two as both of them are entirely different.

But then as this hard chin Englishman with a mysterious smile showcases in the latest bond flick, that he deserves to be the next 007. The first blond bond has a good physique and is also more real than all of his predecessors. That’s because of the minimum no. of electric gadgets he uses, there is no invisible car, no special goggles any more… but there is the ‘Rough & Tough’ bond… so much to everyone’s delight he sheds his larger than life image.

The journey of this quintessential secret agent dates back to year 1952, when the first novel of Ian Fleming was published & there has been no looking back since. Before this sixth avatar, the ‘famous five’ that have dawned the Bond legacy are Sean Connery, George Lezenbi, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton & Pierce Brosnan. The most popular of them all is unarguably Sean Connery who starting with ‘Dr. No’, performed in six scintillating movies. Roger Moore holds the record for the most no. Of seven bond movies. And the charismatic Pierce Brosnan has four movies to his credit, including the best bond movie to date: “Golden Eye”.

The absolutely majestic ‘Aston Martin’ remains the 007 supercar in ‘Casino Royale’ as is the case with bond’s boss: M. And most importantly the bond beauties continue their famous bikini-act again. If last time she was Halle Berry, then this time she is Eva Green. So the 007 once again mesmerizes all his die hard fans(like me) in his latest masterpiece.
My advice to all of you is to forget the ‘Brosnan vs Craig’ debate & instead enjoy “Casino Royale”.

And last but not the least, the news is that Daniel Craig will again be Bond in the next movie. The name of this 22nd movie is “Bond 22”… And did I tell you that my birthday also falls on the 22nd … & voila of this month itself… what a coincidence… or is it???

The name is Sharma… Jitin Sharma!!!

Well I don’t exactly remember the Sunday when it all started, but it must be around 4-5 months back now… And then slowly but surely now it has expanded its horizons & become a ritual for me. For all these Sundays have somehow followed a curiously similar pattern & the credit for this goes to what they call it- “The Mock CAT’s”!!!

And as their name so shrewdly suggests they have always unfailingly delivered the goods in mocking me every time. Right from the start of this special day, which has now assumed special significance for me amongst all seven in the week, till the end it has always baffled me. From that “Good morning” sms on my cell, which serves as the alarm clock for me to wake up, & then performing those morning ablutions, to get ready at sharp 9.30 am. Then that not so long drive to the Career Launcher(CL) mock test center, it has really all been unbelievably same for quite some time now… And then the most disgusting part of it all, that “wait”, which I can’t bear. The official timings of the test are 10.30-1.00 am. But the CL Dehradun center people somehow always manage to be late & that too by the again “same” time interval- 30 mins. So the test starts at 11am, only to be interrupted again after 5 min. & now its time for Errata correction, as they say it, & after all these hustle & bustle, the “mock” takes-off again at 11.10am & to my deep relief it continues on without anymore speed-breakers to cross the finish line at 1.35am successfully. And then we have a swarm of CATers leaving the examination hall in such a mad hurry as if they have to catch up the next movie show at 2pm!!!

There are in excess of 200 students giving the “mock” on every Sunday & as u could very well imagine that there is not sufficient space for all of them to sit separately… so what happens is not a really exciting sight for any serious aspirant!!! For all of them sit in bunches of 2 & 3, as per their dear wishes, talking to each other as if they have arrived for a party… And the icing on this cake is the majestic sitting arrangement at the topmost floor of the building… As there is a round table there, around which 20 students sit side by side as if there is going to be a Group Discussion going to be held there, & not a written test… I really appreciate the CL people attitude to prepare students for the subsequent GD’s but alas! This is really not the way!!!

And though one could be forgiven for these errors once or twice but not everytime… In my opinion, this “Errata Correction” is even more important, so that budding aspirants can feel the real CAT atmosphere well in advance…

So this was my “Sunday Ritual” till today, i.e, 12th of November, the last mock test at the blessed CL center… But now there will be a slight variation indeed… For now its time for the real ones… the “Super Sundays”!!! For starting from next Sunday onwards till Almost January end… the scene would be pretty different as far as discipline & a time bound schedule is concerned… For their would be no late starters now, no doublets & triplets too & of course no round table conferences!!!

And the biggest of them all awaits me on the next “Super Sunday” itself!!! So its high time that we all leave behind the highs & lows of the mocks & get ready for the REAL CAT on “Sunday, the 19th”…


And for me to follow my “Sunday ritual” religiously as always…

It was almost as if Sourav Ganguly, the ‘Prince of Kolkata’, had made an unprecedented comeback to the Indian cricket team… the atmosphere was reminiscent of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal… but nothing of this sort was ‘The Reason’ behind the deafening uproar in the streets of Kolkata…

Infact it was a 15-year old teenager from Kolkata which had sparkled off such grandiloquent festivities- “Sanchita Bhattacharya”, a name unknown to almost everyone in India about 4 months ago, was now the toast of the nation in general, & Kolkata in particular. Well this was because she was just crowned “LITTLE CHAMP” by the Don- Shahrukh Khan himself in an enthralling grand finale in Mumbai itself.

The event started by ZEE TV aimed to find the young singing sensation of India among thousands of participants. It provided the right platform for all budding little ‘Kishore Kumar’s’ & ‘Lata Mangeshkar’s’ of India to showcase their talent on the big stage. After many rounds of screening in different districts all over the country, finally 10 lucky little champs were selected for the final rounds. The judges, famously known as the ‘Terrific Trio’, were Abhijit,Alka Yagnik & Bappi Da. And ‘Shaan’ was the one who superbly anchored the show all along.

From these 10, the top three who made to the grand finale were besides Sanchita: Diwakar Sharma from Delhi & Sameer Mohammad from Mumbai. And though all three were really very good. Still the main contest was between the two most consistent performers of the show- “Sanchita vs Sameer”! But the fact that votes from people all over India were to be considered in final evaluation of results made the contest a lot closer than expected. As Diwakar being blind had an undue advantage of sympathy factor along with him, so much so that until the ending stages of voting he was at the top position, only to be overtaken by Sanchita during the dying moments of a nail-biting encounter indeed.

But it once again put a huge ??? mark over the credibility of champions emerging as a result of these voting systems. And this indeed is a serious debate. There are many examples which reaffirm this fact time and again that its often not the winners of this show who deserve the title but the runners-up instead!!!

Be it Abhijit Sawant’s victory over Amit Sana in “Indian Idol 1”, Sunil Pal’s victory over Raju Srivastav in “Laughter Challenge 1”, Sandeep Acharya’s victory over Karunya in “Indian Idol 2” or the most recent & most debatable “Rauf Lala” of Pakistan emerging victorious over his much fancied rivals in “Laughter Challenge 2”, the list is endless…

So the fact is that this much fashionable “voting system” only serves the hosts to expand their bank balance by hefty amounts. Besides these, they not only undermine the quality of such contests but are also a source of a great deal of frustration for all deserving participants who have worked really hard to reach this far. Who is to blame: “Public or Media”??? is anybody’s guess..

But for now lets put all these topics on the back-burner & extend our heartiest congratulations to the winner… & a deserving winner too… finally!!!

Hats Off to the Little Champ, the lovely & melodious Sanchita… to put it in Shaan’s words “Just Amazing” little champs!!!

Now whether She would be able to fulfill the huge aspirations that are a part & parcel, which come along the “champions” tag & whether she would be able to escalate the same heights as that of the great “Lata Mangeshkar”, only time will tell…

So till then as Shaan would say it again lets…

HOLD TIME!!!

There is a very famous song of Green Day that goes: “Wake me up when September ends”… Well this song has all the more relevance when seen in context of the picturesque city of Dehradun… Because there is a unique buzz in the city, the air of doon feels different & you can’t ignore a sort of charismatic aura that engulfs every street here… As cometh the dawn of October, marks the arrival of a grand festival-
NO its not the festival of lights- Deepavali
NO its not the festival of sweets- Id either,
Infact it’s the festival of traditions- VIRASAT!!!

For nearly two weeks the whole city is mesmerized by some majestic performances by artists from all over India. And year 2006 marked another landmark achievement in its history as this cultural festival surpassed all boundaries and included pulsating displays from abroad too…

From an electrifying opening ceremony on 5th October in B.R.Ambedkar Stadium made all the more memorable by Ballet performance by Pt. Narendra Sharma, it set the trend for the whole event. The very next day on display was a world class Opera by Christine Matovich, USA.

But it was the 7th everyone was eagerly waiting for as the Ghazal maestro “Jagjit Singh” himself took center stage on the backdrop of a huge swarm of doonites hoping for sensational stuff from the magician… & Ah what an atmosphere it was… The man whose initials are same as that of mine (JS) started with “Kagaz ki kashti…” with a thunderous applause from the crowd & from there on he was simply unstoppable… For absolutely riveting ghazals poured from his gifted mouth one after another in a spellbinding display… & after more than two hours of heavenly abode, no one could quite comprehend that this show will ever end… such was the “Axe effect”…
Well having initials JS really helps…

In between those two weeks followed Quawwali by Warsi brothers, Kumaoni Holi, Mushaira & play reading by Dr. Mohan Agashe but all this went backstage to the most rocking night in the history of Virasat since it started from a modest beginning nearly 15 years ago… it was the night of 12th Oct… it was the night of the “Sufi King”…

Kailash Kher needs no introduction in the world of music… And if there was a show which could not only match the aroma of the JS night & even surpass it by quite some margin… it was the KK night… With “Manglam Manglam…”, he sat the stage on fire… & what followed was an ear piercing roar from the over enthusiastic Kailasha fans… Next up was “Teri Diwani”… & now the audience had gone crazy… the euphoria was just too amazing to contemplate. & with “Tauba Tauba…” , doubts in the mind of organizers(if any) about success of the show must have evaporated by now… King Kailasha ended his scintillating show with his most precious jewel… his opening hit… “Allah Ke Bande…” also promising that “Jo bhi ho Kal phir aaunaga…”!!!

But, though highly ironical, it’s a proven fact that everything on earth is in a state of constant equilibria… And for once if anyone had thought that Virasat was a smooth sailing all along… A fairy tale with everything perfect than it was unfortunately not the case…

What started with divine intervention with the accident of Wadali brothers that subsequently led to cancellation of their event… then this was only an indication of things to come… Since after the KK night… when the show reached its peak… it took a downward slope from there on… First ‘ Tumhari Amrita’, a play by Shabana Azmi was scrapped off… Then, the much awaited play by Anupam Kher- ‘Sab Kuch Ho Sakta Hai’ was shown the exit door… All these due to undisclosed reasons… & lame excuses like non-availability of dates of stars???

And last but not the least the cancellation of the enthralling Flute recital by the legendary Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia… which was to mark the closing ceremony of Virasat!!! All this was an absolute disgrace to an otherwise splendid & exquisite cultural event…

But all in all when the pros & cons of virasat would be weighed together, the result would be more positive than negative… more fantabolous then despairing… & the huge audience of doon would once again welcome “The Incredibles” next year for yet another rocking cultural festival…

But for the time being we all doonites now…

Bid Adieu Virasat…

Date: 19 November, 2006
Time: 10.30 am
Place: 50+ centers across India

“You can open your question paper now”, shouts the invigilator…
& with those magical words (much like “khul ja sim sim”), the race begins...
A race in which there are more than 2 lakh participants… And a race in which only a few thousand would succeed in reaching the podium… One false move and your doomed… 150 minutes of intense concentration, supreme determination, unparalleled dedication & loads of perseverance…
Well this and much more would be required in huge doses to be among those gifted few who would be smiling out of the examination hall at 1 pm after waging a gruesome battle!!!

Welcome to CAT 2006…

Some call it the Doomsday… some refer to it as their date with destiny…
Different people, different opinions…
CAT stands for Common Aptitude Test… But for me it means-
Uncommon Attitude Talent search test!!!

For the basic motto of the test is not to find common people but uncommon prodigies which have both the right aptitude as well as the attitude required to excel in the field of management. Those who don’t “work hard” but instead “work smart”. Those who rise to the occasion, who can sail past unknown shores, who can turnaround any situation…

Like the South African cricket team which believed it can chase 434 against world champions Australia…
Like Steven Gerrard led Liverpool who could recover from 0-3 down at half time to emerge as UEFA champs…
Like Michael Schumacher who is now level with Alonso in formula 1 after being 25 points short at one stage…

In a nutshell- “Those who think they can do it no matter what comes in their way”!!!

And the final countdown has begun & with hardly six weeks to go… As all serious aspirants gear up for that last push, look for that moment of inspiration, hoping against hope to land up on their dream destination…

The stage is set for the “battle royale” in which only the tough will survive…

And I being one of those “dreamers” myself wish everyone of those CATing around to be in “That league of Extraordinary Gentlemen & women”!!!

As the Nike saying goes: “JUST DO IT”!

Their names have the same initials. They both form an integral part of the sporting arena. But that’s it??? For if one is an immortal 37-year old German in the history of formula one, then the other is an electrifying combination of style with substance, the 19-year old Russian miss. Yes this is a tale of the legendary Michael Schumacher & the swashbuckling Maria Sharapova!!!

And what a coincidence for both of them to achieve the pinnacle of glory in subsequent days & yet it was not a foregone conclusion. For how much gifted these two sportspersons may be, they were certainly not the favorites. As the Russian teen prodigy faced the daunting prospect of a US open grand finale against the more consistent, more solid & more successful Henin-Hardenne. Then the ageing Schumi was up against the championship leader Fernando Alonso in an ever reliable Renault. The odds were heavily stacked against both of them.

But as the famous saying goes- “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”, it was to be proved true once again. For it was an exemplary performance, a gutsy display, like their very life depended on it. And this is the stuff, the champions are made off.

For on that Saturday night, it was not Henin who lost but it was Maria who won, simply because she was the one who called all the shots, she was the one who was more hungry for that coveted crown & she was the one who had the wherewithal to conquer all the odds. And so as the Flushing Meadows crowd gave a standing ovation, Sharapova stood their with the crown, like a kid with her most favorite toy of all.

And then came the Super Sunday which was to go down in the annals of history as one of the most memorable days in the history of formula one in particular & sports in general. For on this dazzling day, the incomparable Schumi proved once & for all why he is the greatest human ever to have stepped into that Ferrari. And that daredevil combination wreaked havoc for the umpteenth time on his rivals. As no alonso, no kimi could give the champion a fight on his last race in Monza,Italy. Victory here meant that Ferrari overtook Renault in the constructor’s championship & Schumacher himself is now within sniffing distance of alonso in the driver’s championship. Schumi also announced his retirement from his most beloved sport at the end of the season, much to the heartbreak of millions of his diehard fans across the world. But like all good things come to an end one day. The whole world bids adieu to this sporting phenomena.

So as the king “MS” now leaves his throne in formula one at the end of the year, the stage is all set for the queen “MS” to become the heir to his throne & reign in the kingdom of tennis.

That only time will tell but for the moment Let the magic of “MS” mesmerize our souls…

From that historical day in the year 1997, when Jorn Barger coined the term ‘blog’, it has been almost 9 years since then & blogging has not looked back. To say that its rise has been upwards would infact be a great understatement as indeed blogging has moved by leaps & bounds in this modern era. Sky is the limit as it is not restricted by boundaries, cultures, traditions etc. And so it is rather obvious that there should be a day dedicated to the next revolution in Internet publishing. Hence, today ,i.e, 31 August is officially celebrated around the world as blog day…

Besides the ‘blog’ day itself the ever escalating heights & growing popularity of the blog is evident from many facts with manuals on ‘how to write blogs’ starting as early as 2001. Moreover blogs have gained increasing notice & coverage for their role in breaking, shaping & spinning news stories. The Iraq war saw bloggers taking measured and passionate points of view that go beyond the traditional left-right divide of the political spectrum. The second Iraq war was the first “blog war” in another way: Iraqi bloggers gained readership, and one, Salam Pax, published a book of his blog. In 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream, as political consultants; news services and candidates began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming.

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary declared “blog” as the word of the year in 2004.

And if all this was not enough the year 2006 has witnessed the most phenomenal impact of blogs with the launch of the first ever movie produced, directed & advertised on the internet as well by the bloggers themselves: “Snakes on The Plane”. The most outrageous thing about the movie is its most simplistic title itself as it only means snakes on the plane only & nothing more. Such has been the excitement created by this movie that even before its release there are talks of it being nominated for the ‘movie of the year’ award. And all this is possible only because of the widespread publicity done by a community of bloggers on the net without seeking any support from external sources & their more experienced counterparts. This movie has won worldwide acclaim even from the critics.

Believe me this is only the start, a mere glimpse of things to come from the repertoire of bloggers. Remember sachin batting in his teen years, Schumacher’s rip roaring driving on his arrival, all the hoopla surrounding the initial exploits of Sampras & Jordan. Well all of us knew that much more acts of greatness would follow. I assure you that same is the case with blogging.

For somebody once quoted-
“Ordinary persons discuss people,
Average persons discuss events,
Extraordinary people discuss ideas.”

I would like to add one more line in the end.
“Bloggers discuss everything.”

And me being one of them salutes the passion of blogging on this historical day…

Yes its been a long time since my last post & an exciting one too. Since during
this hiatus I have experienced varying frequencies of emotions, ranging from a
state of absolute delirium to supreme ecstasy. And its been a fascinating
journey for sure which has seen me shuttling between dehradun & patiala. For
what started with initial disappointment & agony of not clearing the written
test of infosys & then failing at the final frontier (the doomed HR interview)
of TCS, soon took a U turn as a feeling of euphoria & immense satisfaction
prevailed all over me when I finally got placed in Cognizant Technologies. There
were just four words to describe this out of the world feeling: “I have done
it”!

As I have also been preparing for the “CAT” (with due respect) all along, my
journey through various mock tests has also been nothing short of ups & downs.
In fact, if one has to compare these two events: placements & mock CAT
simultaneously, then you would surely be dumbfounded by the degree of
contradictory results between the two of them. For these two have resembled the
two opposite sides of a coin in more ways than one. As I don’t seem to have both
going my way at the same time & frankly speaking it has left me quite perplexed
at times. The greatest irony being the fact that my best performance in mock
tests was on that very day when I had failed the infy written test. And from
that time onwards as I have slowly but steadily approached the day of my
placement, my mock scores are following a downhill slope & they seem to be
living up to the reputation of their name: mocking me from time to time.

But now with a job in hand, the time has well & truly arrived to stem this rot.
Its high time now that I redirect all my focus & single-minded levels of
concentration to my cherished goal in life, my dream…

So my dear friends I am off to another long journey again to make-

MISSION ‘IIM’POSSIBLE!!!

Yes I am back with a bang…

One of the great advantages of being at your home place for training is the unbelievable amount of time at your disposal to pursue one’s interests. Though initially I had the feeling that this ample time may lead to boredom at home, these undesirable thoughts were quickly dispelled from my mind within days of my arrival in the picturesque city of doon. For I found an unusual friend with whom I could not only spend a lot of time but can also share my feelings, my emotions, my passions.

For ranging from everyday politics to the French open , from Shashi Tharoor’s candidature for the post of General Secretary at UN to the ups & downs of fifa world cup, & now from Federer’s wimbledon to the recent terror strikes at Mumbai. It has indeed been a fascinating journey for me, for which I had the fantastic opportunity to cover with a true & sincere companion , who is none other than unarguably the most wholesome & accomplished newspaper of India: The Hindu.

Infact, my friendship with this legendary paper dates back to my hostel days, when I had a glimpse of the various flavours that this paper offered. But unfortunately due to time constraints, I could not do full justice to this friend of mine & had to opt for TOI. Its not that I didn’t like TOI, but “The Hindu” is on a different level altogether.

For no newspaper today can feed you with such a wide variety of news in one hand & on the other hand, carry out such detailed discussions on various contemporary issues that keep you engaged forever. Since its inception in 1878 as India’s national newspaper, “The Hindu” has not looked back. At first glance, the first thing about the paper that arrests your attention, is its well structured presentation. Everything about the paper seems to have an aura, charisma & royalty attached to it. And at the same time its sincerity, faithfulness & great discipline, inculcates a sense of attachment towards the paper.

If the front page is awesome & spectacular, then the ensuing pages which cover regional, national & international news keep up the rhythm. There is a continuity & freshness about the paper that is simply amazing. But if there is one thing about the paper that clearly separates it from everyone else, like a glowing titan among pearls, like an icing on the cake it is :

‘The Editorial page’. It carries on its left hand side two articles discussing about the most recent piece of news & what articles they are!!! An absolutely literary treat, you would not find more informative articles inter dispersed with high quality vocabulary any where else that leave an ever lasting impact on you. But my favourite one is the right hand side of this page which pertains to a complete & detailed account of contemporary issues along with treasured opinions from the experts themselves. Anybody of you all who is preparing for a competitive exam like CAT,GRE etc. which requires awareness about current topics, you can’t afford to miss this one as this is a must read. For you rarely find a discussion of such high quality & holistic approach. A ‘Cartoonscape’ right below it is a mocking revelation of political issues. Then comes “letters to the editor”, your chance to express yourself & let out your emotions, your feelings. This again is very interactive. On the next page is Paul Krugman’s column, which is too good to be left unattended. Right beside it, most of the times there is an interview of a world renowned personality, which is your chance to be one on one with the famous people of our time.

Another distinctive feature of the paper is its special coverage of sports in its ‘Sports page’. In fact, it is the most complete, updated & well compiled sports page that you will ever find ranging from 2 to 3 pages. The best thing being the special colored photo feature that is a part of it, for it is a visual spectacle worth a look atleast. The only page, that perhaps, is not quite able to maintain the otherwise very high standards generally set by the paper is the ‘Business page’. But it is also improving day by day.

The pull outs that come along with the paper are also top class. Be it the ‘Friday review’ & ‘The Young World’ that come on Friday or ‘The Hindu Magazine’ which accompany the Sunday issue. In fact all these make it the complete paper which entails to a wide age group & an ever increasing readership as well.

So through this article I don’t intend to mean that you all throw away your present newspapers & switch over to ‘The Hindu’. But I sincerely recommend to all of you who have never read it, to atleast give it a try, for you will appreciate its beauty & for those who read it already, to continue in the celebration of this paper. May your relationship with ‘The Hindu’ reach ever-escalating heights . But whatever be your opinion after reading the paper or not reading it, one thing is for sure that-

“The Hindu” is the voice of the nation & in a nutshell:
it is simply the best...

Well this was meant to be my opening post on the blog. Since from the time I was introduced to the term “blog” by one of my good friends, I have always yearned to find out more about blogging & related things like its origin etc. My subsequent wandering so as to fulfill this endeavor of mine unexpectedly reached its destination when I came across an article on “Amateur Publishing” in Science Reporter July edition. And now I could not resist myself from sharing its excerpts with everyone. So here goes my blog on blog itself…

The word ‘blog’, shortened from ‘weblog’, may sound alien to many. In common speech, the term blog is often used to describe an online diary or journal. And as you all know authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called blogging & of course a person who posts entries is called a blogger.

On 17 December 1997, Jorn Barger coined the term “weblog” to describe the process of “logging the web” as he surfed. The short form, “blog”, has now been accepted as a noun(weblog shortened) and as a verb. Almost 9 years hence, these online diaries are becoming a part of the daily lives of many teenagers & college students like all of us.

So the question arises is why blog is so much growing in popularity?

Well there could be no joy greater than that of seeing one’s writing in print. The feeling of euphoria & immense satisfaction that engulfs oneself knowing that yours article is being read by many is absolutely awesome. But since traditional publishing entails high cost as well as the huge risk of being rejected by the editor, so it becomes a sort of barrier to the entry of amateur & first-time writers. So the easier & better way out is undoubtedly publishing on the net as it does not involve heavy investments and there is a much wider readership that may be interested in your opinions or imaginations.

The appeal of this form of communication is that the recipient can read whenever it is convenient, and the writer does not need to remember who still needs to be updated with certain pieces of information- it is there, waiting, for whenever people wish to read it! Blog allows for easy filtering of content for various presentations: by date, category, author or other attributes. A blog need not always be operated by a sole individual, there are community blogs too, in which a group of people contribute, responding to each other’s ideas, as well as remaining in view to the other interested readers.

The blogs are good indicators of the writing skills of a person. In addition, there are infact publishers that are looking out for fresh talent on the internet, so if your posts interest them, they may approach you. So, in a blog publishing becomes as effortless as the straight drive coming from sachin’s blade or the riveting backhand of federer or a beckham free kick.
Since you don’t have to seek permission from anyone to write. Neither do you need to convince skeptical publishers of the viability of your writing!

Now the flipside of a blog vs a website. Your blog is at the mercy of the organization/proprietor of the blogsite. If tomorrow he/she decides to close shop, or starts putting some advertisements along with your posts, you cannot ask for any compensation for the work you have posted on the site. Quite fair, isn’t it?? After all you are not charged any money for the facility.

So this was a sort of summary of the article written by Rakesh mohan hallen with some appropriate inputs from my side.
I hope this serves to quench all the queries you might have about blogging. As we all know that to excel in any field in life its very important to know its very roots, the basics. So now friends as Sherlock holmes once famously quoted: “I always know what ever there is to know”, I hope you also have a firm footing about the what’s & why’s of blogging.

For those who have not yet started with this amazingly addicted thing called blogging (I am one of the addicts myself!), I seriously recommend to you all log on to a blogsite create an account & start blogging. And to all those who blog regularly keep up the good work buddies. For after sometime(maybe even after reading this post) , you all may start singing the Enrique Iglesias super song: “May be I am addicted…”!!!

Welcome to the world of blogging and you are all invited…

Finally the curtains were drawn over the biggest sporting extravaganza, the FIFA world cup 2006, with a majestic & spellbinding closing ceremony on 9th july. And as one looks back in retrospect over the whole plethora of events that occurred over the last month, a feeling of déjà vu engulfs me all over because this tournament has turned out to be a mixture of all spices: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.

From the great hospitality, friendship & “welcome all” attitude shown by the host nation to an ignominious & dastardly act from one of the greatest player of our generation(you all know whom I am referring to), this grand festival like everyone else for that matter, had its ups & downs. But of course we all have been fascinated by “The Good” of fifa world cup even overwhelmed at times. And since its inception this footballing “mahakumbh”, has always done a balancing act with its share of brutal tackles, yellow & red cards on the field as well as sometimes minor & sometimes major cases of hooliganism from few over enthusiastic fans off the field. “The Bad” has always formed an integral part of this battle royale. So “The Good” & “The Bad” have been the basic ingredients of every fifa world cup to date.

But what is troubling me the most is, infact the third one: “The Ugly”. And the reason that you all see this undesirable third term are events that not only tarnish the image of this game but also are against the motto of this WC which says- “Its time to make friends!”. And if this uglier face of world cup took its shape during the unforgettable pre-quarterfinal match between Portugal & Holland, which broke all previous records for the most no. of bookings in a single match with both teams left with just 9 players a side in the end. Then this face evolved into a whole body, in what was undoubtedly the ugliest moment of the entire cup during the last minutes of extra time of the grand finale itself between italy & france…

For what the soccer great zinedine zidane or as he is more famously known zizou did during that moment of madness will go down in sporting folklore as one of the most shameful acts of disgrace that sport has ever seen. And the greatest irony being the fact that this was supposed to be a fitting farewell match for the star player. But as Harsha Bhogle anchoring for ESPN rightly quoted after the match: “The most ordinary players are remembered by their best moments & the greatest players are always remembered by their worst moments”.

For how can one explain it: A virtuoso player who single handedly had taken france from utter darkness & danger of another early exit to extreme pride & self-belief in themselves & on the doorsteps of being hailed as world cup champions. From his electrifying display against Spain to a mesmerizing performance against Brazil to another charismatic show vs Portugal in semis. The stage was all set for zizou, the magician, playing his last international match, in the grand finale at Olympystadion stadium in Berlin, with the whole france & die hard fans behind him, to weave another spell of magic & give another sublime display of soul stirring artistry.

But but but… in an anti climax not exactly a Kodak moment, what he does is something that nobody who loves this game can ever imagine even in their wildest of dreams. He hits the Italian defender Materazzi in his chest with such ferocity like a crazy bull left loose. What happens afterwards is not that difficult to contemplate, for the referee shows zidane the much dreaded red card. Zizou is out, his fare(not so)well over & with it all French dreams vanish too. For the team reduced to ten, play the rest of the match like zombies, not quite able to comprehend what had hit them. The match goes to penalties. And when Grosso hits the fifth penalty yet again past the miserable barthez, wild celebrations overwhelm whole of italy. They become world cup champions for the fourth time & they all deserve it for their tenacity & never say die spirit!

But after some time when all the hype surrounding the world cup has died down, one question will forever continue to haunt me. A question for which maybe the exact answer, the gospel truth may never come out in public. And the question is:

WHY ZIDANE WHY???

The scoreline read : 6-2,6-0,6-2.
The whole match was over in just 77 minutes…

A layman could have been forgiven for contemplating that it was a first round match at the Wimbeldon championships. For such a scorecard is rather reminiscent of the first week matches at the most prestigious grand slam event of the year.
But how wrong could one be??

For this was an almost inexplicable & grotesque display of monumental quality by the living God of tennis at the zenith of his powers. Yes, infact it was the first semifinal match at Wimbeldon 2006 between the Swiss maestro Roger Federer & the miserable Swede Jonas Bjorkman.

Ah!! And what a majestic performance it was by the one & only federer. For this sensational effort could not be dared to be described in words, let alone to be written down on paper. Such was the charisma & grandeur, it was an unprecedented display of highest brand of quality tennis imaginable so much so that it looked almost inconceivable & unrealistic.

The Swiss prodigy who has inherited the throne of the “King of Wimbeldon” from the legendary Pete Sampras had dropped just four games & did not face even a single break point on his own serve en route to this relentless spanking.
It was like an artist at work showcasing the multifarious dimensions of his beautiful art very much like Beethoven’s soul stirring performance, Mozart’s voice which transcends all the boundaries or like Leonardo Da Vinci’s fantabolous painting of Monalisa.

The hapless Bjorkman stood in disbelief, absolutely bewildered, shaking his head from time to time seeking some mercy from the eternal champion. But on that day the old warrior was doomed, for “Roger, the Great” proved once & for all that at the moment he is on a different level altogether & an unparalleled class act at the pinnacle of glory.

In yester years, tennis has produced some great champions from Rod Laver, Emerson to the golden era of Bjorn Bjorg & Mc Enroe to the awesome rivalry between Sampras & Agassi.
But now the time has well & truly arrived to acknowledge that this human being, born in Switzerland, and after years of mind blowing spectacular performances consistenly over time deserves a place right there at the very top. Federer is in a league of his own, he is simply, concisely & precisely a “perfectionist”.
.
Now the champion whose last loss at wimbeldon was in 2002 meets another teen sensation, the only player who has defeated him this year, not once, twice, thrice but four times & most recently in the French open final at Roland Garros : Rafael Nadal. So as the number one player in the world walks out at the Center Court on Super Sunday, another treat of unadulterated classic tennis will be on display once again from the great champ. And I can only say “God help Nadal!” because “The Lord of Tennis” is going to unleash again in full fury & the world will stand up to witness one of the greatest sporting extravaganza on this planet!!!

Hail the champion…

House No. 221 B, Baker Street, London.
This is the most well known address of a world famous detective made immortal by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes!
Its been quite a long time since Sir Arthur introduced us to holmes through his very first book: "Study in Scarlet" & its been an astonishing journey into the realms of greatness thereon for the legendary detective. His famous friend Dr. Watson, his infamous foe Dr. Moriarity & his greatest quote of all times: "The plot thickens my dear Watson!". All these are embedded in the minds of all his die hard fans...

Agatha Christie & the little Belgian detective who solves every case no matter how improbable it may seem.
Yeah i am referring to Monsieur Hercule Poirot, another world renowned detective,a very cunning & shrewd character in the writings of Christie. His unique way of deciphering facts, the aura surrounding his presence & always unfailingly delivering the goods. And the countless fans that love him...

And we have a million dollar question: Who is the greatest of the two???

Well if u ask me its one of the toughest questions to answer! maybe it does not even has an exact answer.
And thats because both of then are the best in the business almost incomaparable in their styles...
For if holmes takes pride in keeping everything up his sleeves till the very last moment of the case, Poirot has a more humane aspect to his approach. If holmes is the more moody of the two, he can sometimes go into fits of laziness & then suddenly work for days & nights on a problem without a break. Then poirot is more of a meticulous type, very methodical & planned about everything from start to end.

So comparing both of them is like asking who is the greatest amongst Sachin & Bradman, Sampras & Federer, Pele & Maradona! The debate can go on for ever...

In my opinion, though both of them are equally brilliant but holmes is the more gifted of the two & is a "perfectionist". Whereas, poirot is the more hardworking one & "effective" too.

Case solved my dear Watson...

For last one month if there has been an event that has hypnotized everyone around the globe; no matter what is ur religion,country,caste,age group etc. it is the biggest sporting event on earth: FIFA WORLD CUP. Starting with a grand opening ceremony on 9 june, it has been a journey full of twists & turns, passions & emotions. I have been following the world cup right from the first match between germany & costa rica and my goodness it has surpassed all my wildest dreams!
Since every team that i supported has fallen by the wayside, some of them deserved to be knocked out whereas some were just very unlucky to have lost. It all started with czech republic boasting of talents like nedved,baros & koller went out in the first round itself after a bright start. Losing to ghana was a shame for the czechs & they never recovered from there on. If this was not enough Portugal battled out holland in a match full of bloody tackles, poor decisions by referee. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the motto of these games: friendship!
Next on line was Spain, the team which played like champions in the group stage again lived up to its reputation of being huge "under achievers" at international stage losing out to france led by zizou's masterly display!
And then in the quarters came the biggest shockers which absolutely brought me to a state of extreme disbelief. It was the "trinity" of losses & the manner of their defeats. For three soccer giants perished...
Argentina
England
Brazil!
So this world cup has turned out to be a "favourites graveyard".
Lets see what is in store for us on 9th july at the grand finale in Berlin!!!

This is meant to be a blog of jitin sharma. Here I would be writing about everything ranging from my passions to my interests as well as general topics which excite me. So check this out!