BLOGMANIA GRIPS NORTH INDIA
Phenomenal increase in the number of bloggers

28th June 2006: The past one-week witnessed a phenomenal increase in the number of bloggers in north India. While Delhi recorded a figure of 3 million new bloggers in the past 7 days, the other states weren’t far behind with approximately 2.5 million new bloggers respectively in their kitty. This growing trend has all the hallmarks of a revolution and cyber-experts and analysts believe that this might prove to be very profitable for website owners and cyber-entities.

A considerable portion of the blogger’s pie comprises of the student community, who seem to be the most actively involved in this pursuit. Sites that offer free blogging services, like blogspot.com and myblog.com, are on a roll with students hogging these sites in their quest for ‘free islands’ on ‘cyberland’. Yashika, a student at Delhi University, says “I’m glad to have finally found a platform to put forth my views about anything ranging from personal experiences to global issues. And the fact that whatever I post will be eternally preserved in the ‘reservoir of blogs’ gives me a sense of contentment and a feel of the 21st century! In addition, this is like an impetus that fuels my creative side and results in a wide-spectrum of blogs.” She seems to be voicing the opinions of millions of bloggers out there who now have a new object of affection.

Now the flip side to the issue is the growing number of addicts who try to lose themselves in the maze of the confusing corridors of blogs and seclude themselves from the rest of the world. Psychoanalysts believe that such steps are prompted by feelings of insecurity and poor self-esteem. But apart from that, there are no apparent disadvantages of this creative activity.

So keeping in mind the skyrocketing figures, it can safely be concluded that blogging is here to stay!


Disclaimer: The above article is just a figment of my imagination and is not aimed at anyone in particular whatsoever. The facts and figures are all fictitious and nowhere related to the ground realities.

(And a warm welcome to Priyanka and Neha on the blogging bandwagon! I dedicate this article to you guys!)

It’s 3:30 at night and I cannot put myself to sleep. Insomniac you will say? Not quite. This seems like an obvious after-effect of a very eventful day. Eventful? Yeah. Let me elaborate…

The day started with a phone call to a very dear friend who had been out of touch for quite a while now (yeah Neha, I’m talking about you hon!). And soon after I hung up, I found myself reflecting over an often-ignored (deliberately?) fact of life: in this fast paced life of ours, we often overlook the unmatched pleasures that the small joys of life can afford us. This seemed like one such joy! A hearty conversation with an old friend the first thing in the morning…..heaven! Better than starting your day with a cup of hot, steaming coffee and a newspaper in your hand (and headlines that read as: “Indian companies dominate the Forbes 500!” Hahaha…gotta get a grip on this wild imagination of mine…no holds barred…hahaha! My fascination with the corporate sector manages to creep into my text as well these days!)

The day proceeded in it’s normal fashion…giving no clues of what lay ahead of me. The lull before a storm? Surely! (Wait…‘storm’…an overstatement maybe!) Now the news that made this day stand out of the bunch came in the evening. I got to know that I’d made it to the admission list of the exam I’d appeared for about a week back, en route my quest for admission to a premier institute. Now this made my day because I’d assumed the odds to be against me…it was a classic case of 913 candidates fighting it out for just 17 seats. And the fact that I’d made the cut gave me a sense of elation!

Now what followed was a series of phone-calls to my near and dear ones. Under normal circumstances you’d assume this was a measure to spread the joy. But my case was different. I was calling them up to seek advice…. advice regarding whether to join the course or not! Crazy you’d say…but whoever said I was predictable and sane 24x7???

Now this exercise of seeking advice threw new light on the character traits of these beloved people, precisely the reason that etched this day onto my memory. Some came out as surprisingly brilliant career councellors, while others as pyramids of laughing goo! Some proved their worth as a confidant, and others shared their inside views with commendable frankness. (The people referred to here are very much aware of whom I’m talking about! So no more explanation on this front!) Now after hours of catching up on the phone, I hung up with a grin on my face. At around half past midnight, I found myself in a very reflective mood again, amidst the solitude of my room. I was reflecting about the days gone by, the days that can now safely be called the foundations of these strong bonds I cherish so fondly today. I was reflecting about the times spent with these precious individuals, each of whom is special in their very own way. From the days of carefree ignorance…to the days where I felt a need for some serious self-actualization; these people have stuck by me through thick and thin. Today I express my gratitude towards all of them for standing by my side when I most needed them! I wanna thank them for their unrivalled contributions towards making me what I am today.

Wow…this has been more random than I thought it would be! Gotta wind up now cause if I don’t sleep right away, I’ll shortly witness the first rays of the sun filtering through my window coupled with the chirping of birds! If you’ve read this far, I assume you don’t possess the attention span of a three year old and are willing to read what I have to say! Read on and who knows, you might just end up learning a thing or two from my blogs!

A big hey to you all! This is my first stint at blogging and I'm pretty unsure about the degree to which I wanna allow this wide world to get a glimpse of the life of this 18 year old! A dear friend of mine knocked this idea into my head and I must admit that the prospect of an uninterrupted flow of thought on cyber-space for all to view did sound interesting. So here I am, typing away spontaneously without giving much thought to where this is going! Now without further ado, I'll set the ball rolling by starting with a brief intro about myself (an endlessly alluring task): A commerce student at Delhi University whose eyes shine bright with the dreams of a glorious future...a person who was born into a conservative family, something that didnt stop me from breaking the glass-ceiling and venturing into previously untouched territory...a rebel by nature with an inexplicable fascination with defying the conventional and with an insatiable hunger to redefine the way things work. That's just a brief overview to the kind of person I am...completely unpredictable and just when you think you've got me figured, the season is already changing! Go figure! Well...seems like I'm off to a good start. The rest will follow soon. Till then, adieu!