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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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- DeepavaliNO 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...

Date: 19 November, 2006Time: 10.30 amPlace: 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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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 ou...