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???