Please reply !!

Dear Mr S C Dutta,

Its so nice to hear from you, but in the message you left you did not mention any contact details. Neither is your profile public. So it will be hard to get in touch with you which i really want to do. If by any chance you happen to read this, kindly provide the details..

In anticipation
Mayank

Up Beat Keep the rhythm and rock the party!

Play this free game now!!

Ouch ... that hurt !!

My friend 1 (female):
I met Mayank in the cafe a few days back. He has become hyperkinetic. Has learnt in IIT to talk, non-stop and loud. Everyone was staring at us due to his talking.

My Friend 2 (male):
Well, I know that .. I try not to talk to him much .. he talks like a psycho .. So better be away from him.

This is what i read today in the scrap book of my friend 1 when she sent me a friend request. No, I do not spend time reading others' scraps, but she had that scrap displayed on the first page. Yes, I might have been loud that day but that was partly because I was on a run and was least expecting or wanting to meet anyone, not her at all. I did not even notice her (what !!!) and would have rushed out after checking mail had she not said 'hi' to me.

Friend 2 was once a very very good friend of mine. Somehow our ways parted (as always happens with me) and distances increased. I genuinely tried to forget everything and start again but failed. I messaged him on Google Talk, tried to light a new spark when we met in Antaragni, scrapped him a lot, tried to call him, continuosly asked about him from other friends so that they tell him I was asking, but got no response. I had plans to go to his house and surprise him after the internship but am taken aback by this comment.

I expected this sort of behaviour from some of my other friends who could say this out of frustation of not making to a good college, but this guy is in BHU. May be I am not as cool as he wants his friends to be, but that cannot be a reason for not even talking for the sake of a past friendship. And I certainly did not deserve this comment. He is trying to avoid me coz he thinks I am a psycho !!

What next? It will make me suspicious of all those friends who do not reply to my messages or do not call me back, and I really don't want that. I want friends, can't expect to live without them. Still, I will never want to face friend 2 again. Coz if and when that happens he will see what this psycho can do !!

In HLL - 10 days gone !!

HLL - Hindustan Lever Limited - one of the biggest manufacturing giants in India, a company which produces things that we use right from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed, and I am right now sitting in one of the offices of one of its factories. WOW !!

I had been selected for doing my summer internship with HLL at a time which now seems so distant from now that i would not even have been able to recall had i not written it down in one of my earlier posts. My project brief was sent to me around May 8 and I had to report in Mumbai on 16th but I did not read anything though i had material for that. I contacted Dr S K Gupta who taught us process control but he straightaway refused that SPC is out of his area of research. As Dr Nitin Kaistha was too busy with his seminar, I was left to my own. (Dr Kaistha later helped me by telling me which books to study and what to study in them).

I will not explain my project topic here coz I believe I will remember that for the rest of my life. My project is in Khamgaon, a place well known for HLL factory and for cotton production. This is all that Google had to show. So, I knew that I had finally got a 'gaon'. I and Richa took out our Atlas, rubbed off the dust over it and tried to locate this place. Finally we saw it. Hey, it was near Ajanta-Ellora caves. I can go there when I get time. But its too far from Mumbai. There was no big city near this place. Koi nahi, project karne ja rahe hain, ghoom lenge baad mein. Believe me, 'baad mein' never comes.

I talked to Dimri and Harvi. Dimri was also alloted Khamgaon and Harvi had to do his project in HLRC, Mumbai. I asked Harvi to book tickets for me also but he refused. Then Dimri said that he will book the tickets for both of us. I had never been through an air journey so i did not want to fly alone. Well, somehow that was done. My family was busy shopping and arranging things for me. Really I am very lucky to have parents like my Mom and Dad. They are the best. And I am ashamed of myself when i think of my sister. She must have been expecting me to help her in arranging admission forms for M.Sc. in various universities, and I was doing only what I was told to do. True that I was busy to my neck at that time but I must have put everything aside for her. I still find no reasons why did I give priority to other works. I am really sorry for that.

Everything ready we went to Meerut and from there to Gurgaon to Dimri's sister's home. Then on 16th morning we boarded our flight. I got the window seat which Dimri wanted desperately. The experience was good and there was no outstanding experience. Infact air flight is so boring that I slept in my flight from Mumbai to Aurangabad. Anyways we reached mumbai and were received by one of the friends of Dimri's father. His driver dropped us to GULITA - the training centre of HLL. It has a lovely location at Worli Sea Face. The view is fantastic. Through the window you can sea a vast expanse of sea roaring and waves crashing.

We went to our rooms (no welcome only a letter in our rooms woth instructions what to do next). Now Gulita was an experinece to remember - tasty food, team games, some interesting and some boring sessions, reaching out to waves and walking along the coast for a few kilometers. We even saw a Rolls Royce in ATRIA (mall). On 18th we started to our respective locations - I along with Dimri and Varun Murali. Now Varun was a Mech from IT-BHU. He was the finalist in ESPN School Quiz. Talked less and tried to talk sensible. We enjoyed each other's company and were soon well mixed. Varun and Dimri had a common tutor - Gautam Saha - while my tutor was Mazher Topiwala. But when we reached there we learnt that he was being transferred and Sudeep Bannerjee was appointed as Manufacturing manager in his place. Now Sudeep is uner his BLT (Business Leadership Training) period and I thought that I have been quite unlucky coz Mazher Sir seemed very intelligent and very experienced. But I realized I could not do any thing about that and so decided to focus on the project.

The first thing we did in the factory was a meeting with the Factory Manager - Nilendu Sarkar - and then we found ourselves sitting in the company weekly meeting. As soon as the meeting started, there was a countdown 3 - 2 - 1 and everyone stood up with his (no '/her') right hand stretched as if taking an oath. We were utterly confused and before we can do anything, there was a pronouncement "SHE comes first" and everyone took his seat again. What was that ? No clue. Later on we came to know that SHE stands for Safety, Health and Environment and its an integral part of the Unilever's policy. Then we met our tutors and went back to our rooms. We were alloted 2 rooms only and I had grabbed the single room so Murali and Dimri had to stay together. It was later decided that we will stay on a rotation policy.

The accomodation is good with full furnished AC rooms and a caretaker - Rajput ji - who is a good cook. We are allowed to use company's car to travel to city, etc. There is one common office provided to us (similar to other managers' cabins) and we are more than happy. Outside temperatures reach 46-48 degrees and hence we rush through from one place to another with our caps and safety shoes. But while doing so we are allowed to travel only along designated pathways and if anyone is found violating these rules, he ( no '/she') is told by others to walk on the pathways. There are other similar rules (like holding railings while walking up/down stairs) which look funny but are followed by everyone.

The factory is very very well organized, a thing for which HLL is known, the whole plant is very clean and inspite of DFA units where tonnes of oil is continuously distilled and handled, the walkways and the factory floor in general is vey clean. There is a separate plant for PEARS - the only place in the world where Pears is being made - and a separate plant for rest of the toilet soaps, laundry soaps and Bits. Its really a sight to watch the soaps being carried along the conveyer belts, turning around corners, picked up by rotating vacuum tubes, packed by very fast wrapping machines, checked by Metal detectors and finally packed in cartons by the packers. The whole process is so fast and the small size and round shape of soaps moving obediently along the belts is a mesmerizing sight for the first time. Its altogether different when you learn to identify the defects in the soaps and have to find ways to improve the process capabilities. Anyways, the whole process by which soap is made (PSM route) is unique in the sense that India is the only country where soap is made by this way. Everywhere else, BLS/Mazzoni route is followed which is economically less efficient.

The operators in this factory are very good and have a deep knowledge about their work. Almost all of them are more than 10 years old and their say is the final regarding operations of the m/cs even in other HLL factories. Khamgaon is known for experimenting and many of the experiments have been successful due to the skill of these workers. These workers are also the reason why the factory has not been moved to some other place as the government subsidies for factories in remote locations of India are only for 10 years and Khamgaon is neither located near to any RM source nor near any big market like Mumbai.

There is so much more to write but its getting too long .. I will take on some other aspects later. I have not yet started my project. Its still in the process of deciding what to do and how to do. I hope to start it soon as time is running out. All the best to me :)

Some pics :

Its a new start !!

Mark this day - Dec 1, 2006 - A new Mayank is born.

I always knew what to do, where to do and why to do (talking mostly of studies) but the only thing I didn't know was : How to start doing that. And today I realized that there is no answer to that. You have to just start doing your work and keep up your motivation till the first positive results come. And as soon as that happens, it will automatically inspire you to do more. So, with the start of a new day, I see my spirit reborn. Still 3 exams left and I promise, I will never allow myself to feel that I lacked on the preparation side of the test - be it academic or a real life situation.

Bryan Adams :

Here I am, this is me
I have come to this world so wild and free
Here I am, so young and strong
Right here in a place where I belong
Its a new world, its a new start
Its a life with a beating of a young heart
Its a new day, in a new land
And its waiting for me - here I am.

The INDO-GULF trip

One of the days in life you don't like to forget - Truly amazing with lots of masti, enjoyment and bus travel.
We started at 5:30 in the morning and reached Jagdishpur at around 11 - with a halt in Lucknow. I and Vivek Aalok got into the bus late so had to sit with girls. There was a lot of 'booing' around initially and some tit-bits during whole of trip, but without much caring about them we both continued to enjoy. Especially the three of us (me, Vivek and Niharika) stayed together and talked a lot.
We enjoyed ourselves a lot. We sang songs, did a lot of chatting, shared thoughts and opinions and guess what, talked about books. OK. Will think about Niharika in some other post, but let me remind myself that Shilpa also talked and if we had continued she would have started chatting fluently. Actually, I invited her to sit down beside us.
So, the journey started by Sir coming late and sitting in front of us. But the good thing is he enjoyed our singing (even bad songs) and showed us some magic tricks. Also he was sleepy more than halfway through the journey. We offered him biscuits and chips, and he gladly agreed. He impressed me today.
Priyanka as usual started by taking out the books but songs forced her to put them back, especially 'Awaara Bhanware'. Amanjot was talkative as usual. Arnika was on fire compared to how much she speaks. Shilpa - mentioned above. Niharika deserves a separate post. Shivangi and Poonam talked only in factory area.
Our hostelmates? As usual. Packed in the back of bus like school days - playing Antakshari, passing comments, singing waise wale songs, applauding every out-of-normal-course thing, shouting at will - man! I missed that. But have done enough of that already. On crossing Lucknow, Rishi and Sadanand joined us and started singing songs. That was fun. However gud the girls may be, you get real fun with the gang !!!
When we reached the factory, we were made to wear helmets and to deposit our mobiles and cameras. After that we divided into 3 groups and were shown around the area. First we were taken to the Control Room of Ammonia Manufacturing Plant and later to that of Urea Production Plant. It was fully automated and quite impressive. Then our guide - Mr. Navin - took us to various parts of the plant. It was huge - the pipelines, absorbing and reforming towers, pumps, generators ... everything. Chemical Engineering displayed with its full grandeur. But the most amazing and the most unforgettable of them was the Prilling Tower. It was 109 meters high and quite a few meters wide. Urea sprinkled from the top reached the bottom as round prills. Mr. Navin opened the Inspection door and as soon as I saw it, I was mesmerized. It was awsome. Just like snow falling from way above and collected by a rotating twin blade at the bottom. Everyone was thrilled. Then we caught an elevator to climb up the tower and from there we say another breath-taking sight. Whole of the plant which looked so huge was laid down in front of us like a small model and men looked like small ants moving around. We stayed there for quite some time and came back to the ground. Everything was big again. Then we went to see the Water Cooling System and returned back.
Later we had our lunch, which I accept was not very good, and waited for don't-know-what for around an hour before heading back to Kanpur. As our campus neared, everyone was becoming merrier except one - myself. I wanted this journey to continue for some more time. Can't say why. Maybe because I was having a good time or a good company, or maybe something else. But here I am, sitting in my room, typing this post and ...... reliving today.

This much was written on Saturday and then I slept so much that today is Monday now. I will share pics later.

Delhi Trip

Started to write on 19 Sep :
Delhi is a fantastic place and everyone must visit its beauty atleast once. There are a lot of bandis but even if we leave them out of picture, Delhi has a lot to offer.

Still this trip is very special to me because I finally managed to go to Swetank's home - Swetank Cottage in Gurgaon. I actually went on the ticket of one of the Secys of Book Club who refused to go to the Book Fair. Two other second yearites also refused and they were subsequently replaced by Gupvar (4th year) and Sabyasachi Ghosh. Shefali also accompanied us as she wanted to find out about the IAS Coachings in Delhi. So the team comprised of me, Swetank, Gopi, Gupvar, Shefali, Sabyasachi and three juniors.

It started with two bachche missing the Institute Bus and later arriving on station. Train was on time and we got our seats comfortably. It was there I started talking to Gupvar, who was quite decent but impatient. There was an adult man sitting on our seats who constantly looked at Shefali but no one else seemed concerned and even Shefali did not stop her unnecessary talking and movements. Throughout our up journey I avoided (and succeded) saying something disagreeable to Shefali - even when she started reading 'Constitution of India' when everyone else was talking.
On Saturday morning we reached Swetank's home and were greeted heartly. I noticed that Swetank treated Devika(aka Chinki) in almost the same way as I treat Richa. We freshened up and had a round of very tasty food. Swetank showed us his room which, sadly(!) enough, was exactly like my room a few years back, though the only difference was that his was a bit smaller and had no Balcony. But it had a rocking chair and the Bathroom was a bit bigger and with a nice sliding door. Also the lights were a lot more decorative. But now it is owned by his sister and my room is owned by some other family :(. Anyways, I found myself swinging once more in a jhoola kursi after so many years.
After our stomachs were filled to their capacity and Shefali had acted in all strange manners possible, we left for the Book Fair - correction : to take Shefali to her friends. And they turned out as her true friends, because - 1) They acted like some secret agents on a mission and kept on changing their meeting place, 2) As soon as she saw them, Shefali and her friend were hugging each other which took even him by surprise. But I was quite a lot occupied in the natural beauty moving aound and neglected the acts going on. By the way, I must mention that I already had a 99% arguement with her on the way from Dwarka in metro. Did I say METRO?? Oh, it was a lovely experience - far better than Metro of Calcutta, though there it is mostly underground. Across many areas it served as the only means of mass transportation, and as usual there ws a lot of natural beauty.
Before Pragati Maidan, we visited a book shop in Khan Market and there again I had an experience of my life. Apart from us, the only Indians were either shopkeepers, security guards or servants and beggars. The place brimmed with foreigners who roamed around as comfortably as in their native places. And there was not even a single shop that I could rate as exceptionally good. Everything seemed normal except the foreigners.
I did not find Pragati Maidan as a maidan as I expected, but it was good. Book Fair comprised of books by 260 publishers spread in 5 halls. We left it only when it closed at 8pm. As there was no time left for sight seeing, we returned to Gurgaon where we had another round of excellent food with Anvit, Apporva and Nikhil.
Sunday morning saw us all tired and sleepy. We woke up late which meant such a long delay that all hopes of visiting even India Gate vanished. So we enjoyed our breakfast along with Swetank's Foofaji. It was then Sabyasachi accidently spoke out that he would have been happy if Abhinav Jain was here as he was the only one capable of making the environment light. Ouch! that really hurt. Still, we moved on with Aunty and Foofaji seeing us off after a trip to a Mall in Gurgon. Why Mall? Well Swetank and Gopi went frantic in a Book Shop which was actually good. But for me, I saw probably the most sexy girl in Gurgaon wearing a sexy red dress. I love that Mall !!
But we had to move on and our next destination was Dariyaganj - the place in Delhi to find books at their lowest rates. And what happened was not unexpected. Swetank went crazy and so did Aadhar and to add fuel to fire the shopkeeper invited them to his Godown. We bought more than 50 books there and guess what, even I ended up with 5 books of my own. So, we moved again and to cut the long story short, we finally arrived at SouthEx, went to a very good BookShop (I got my 7 Hindi books by Narendra Kohli), again were awed by more natural beauty and then to another bookshop ...
Not to mention our trip to McD, we headed to NDLS and boarded in the train. (Oh yes, we went to Pizza Hut also; that was fun except Shefali ringing the bell) So, once in the train again the story was repeated. I tried to refrain myself from saying anything to Shefali or Chachi, but once they started discussing Satanic Verses and something about Muslims in a busy train, I had to interrupt. I know I can be rude sometimes, but I am not good at being good all the times. So, train moved on and we reached Kanpur, in time for Dr Chhabra's class.
Today : I am still craving for another visit to Delhi with lot of time to spare and loads of masti to do. Hope to see that day while in IIT.