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!!!